The Difference a Day Makes (Perfect, Indiana: Book Two) (33 page)

“Me too.” Paige slung her purse over her shoulder and grabbed her backpack. She led him to a heavy metal door. Opening it for him, she moved aside so he could enter. “My mom is taking us to lunch tomorrow.”

His brow rose, and his heart tapped with anxiety. “Is your dad joining us?”

“I don’t know. She didn’t say.” Down a short hallway, they came to an elevator. “You’ll like my mom, Ryan. Everybody does.” The double doors slid open as soon as she pushed the up button, and they stepped in.

He was too tired to worry about tomorrow. “Right now, all I want to do is fall into bed.”

“Ditto.”

The elevator opened again, and he followed her down a well-lit hall and waited while she unlocked her door. Once they were inside, she flipped a light switch and led him to the bedroom. He dropped the bags on the floor and started to undress. “I’ll take care of this stuff tomorrow.”

“Fine by me.” She pulled the covers down on the queen-size mattress and tossed the shams to the floor. “This is my side.” She got undressed and put on a T-shirt. “I’m not even going to brush my teeth.”

Ryan slid into bed beside her and gathered her close. “Me either. Night, Paige.”

“Good night, Ryan. If the ghosts bother you, give me a nudge.”

Smiling, he let sleep take him, confident that his superhero would keep the demons at bay.

The sound of drawers opening and closing and Paige talking softly into her cell phone woke him. Ryan cracked an eyelid and peered at her. Already dressed with her hair still damp from her shower, she piled clothing on the corner of the bed. Her phone was wedged between her shoulder and ear.

A rush of longing shot through him. Not sexual, although he couldn’t ignore the physical reactions seeing her produced. This
was something deeper, elemental. Permanent. He waited until she ended the call. “Good morning.”

She smiled his way. “Good morning. I made coffee.”

“What time is it?” Throwing off the blankets, he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and sat up.

“It’s after ten. We’re meeting my parents for lunch at eleven thirty, so you’d better get up and shower. I’m almost finished putting together what I want to bring back to Perfect.”

Dang. Parents. As in Mr. as well as Mrs. Langford. He looked around the master bedroom. “Where’s the bathroom?”

“Middle of the hall on your left.”

Ryan snatched his duffel off the floor and headed for the shower. Shaved, bathed, and brushed, he got dressed in the bathroom and stuffed everything back in his bag. Drawn by the pleasant sound of Paige’s humming, he headed back to the bedroom to find her. “You’re doing it again, sweetheart.” He dropped his bag on the floor next to his boots.

Shy Paige smiled his way. “I guess I am.”

He drew her in for a kiss, marveling at the sweet way she molded her curves against him. Did they have time to make love before they had to leave for lunch? Probably not. “You want coffee? I’ll go get some for you.”

“That’s OK. I’ll join you. I’m done here for now.” She nipped at his lower lip and turned to leave.

He watched her sweet little butt as she left. He’d better find something else to look at, or they’d be late for sure. Surveying her condo, he noticed that a second bedroom faced hers across the hall. The kitchen and living room consisted of one large blended space, with the end of the carpet and the beginning of ceramic tile forming the delineation. An L-shaped sectional with an oversize ottoman and an entertainment center took up most of the living room.

Paige stood in the dining area holding a mug of coffee and staring out a set of sliding glass doors leading to a balcony.

“You have a nice little place here.” He helped himself to coffee and joined her. “With a great view.”

She turned to him with a wistful expression. “This condo originally belonged to my half brother. He died a few years ago. Now it belongs to my mom. I rent it from her.”

“I’m sorry about your brother. I remember hearing about his passing while Noah and I were in the VA hospital.”

“Thanks. Matt is the reason Noah headed to Indiana in the first place. I’m so glad things worked out for Noah the way they did.” She checked her watch. “We’d better get moving. I’m going to go make the bed and grab my purse.”

Left on his own, Ryan stared out the glass doors at the skyline and sipped his coffee. Paige had been born and raised in this city. Did she miss it? She probably had a posse of friends she’d grown up with here, unless they’d scattered across the country in pursuit of the American dream. For the most part, his family and childhood friends had all stuck pretty close to home. His brothers were helping his folks run the ranch, last he’d heard, and his sister and her family lived nearby in town.

Thinking of home reminded him of his recent visit with his uncle and cousin. They’d invited Paige to join them on the Fourth of July. He hadn’t brought it up again, because he wasn’t sure he was ready to make the trip home. His mind steered away from thinking about Paige being long gone by then.

“Let’s go, cowboy.” Paige handed him his denim jacket.

“Yes, ma’am.” Draping his jacket over his arm, he took her coffee cup from her and moved to the sink to empty and rinse both their mugs. “Where are we going?” He followed her into the hallway and waited while she locked up.

“Dalessandro’s Steaks.” She reached for his hand. “You’re going to love it. I highly recommend the pepper cheesesteak or the cheesesteak hoagie.”

They climbed into his truck, and he started out of the spot. “You’re on duty, copilot. Where to?”

She directed him through several neighborhoods, and a half hour later, she pointed. “There it is at the intersection ahead. The parking lot is on the other side.”

Ryan pulled into a small parking lot next to an unassuming three-story brick building with a sign hanging off the side over the sidewalk that read
DALESSANDRO’S STEAKS & HOAGIES.
He parked, climbed out, and scanned the surrounding rooftops.

“The food is so good here you won’t believe it, but you wouldn’t know it was anything special judging by the building.” Paige joined him. “It’s super casual. They serve their sandwiches on paper plates, and the fries…Wait till you try their fries.” She gestured toward a silver BMW SUV with “LPS 2” on the license plate. “My parents are already here.”

Ryan had to smile at her enthusiasm. Taking her hand again, he let her lead him inside. The place was crowded, noisy, and stuffy, and he fought the urge to back himself up against a wall. His pulse surged, and he went into fight-or-flight mode. It took several seconds for his vision to adjust to the dim interior. “I need the chair against the wall,” he whispered in her ear.

She studied his face, her eyes filled with concern. “Are you going to be all right? Can you handle the crowd in here?”

“I’ll be fine.” He swiped his forehead with his shirtsleeve.

“Come on. I see my folks.” She waved their way. “They have a table in the corner.” Paige took his hand and led him through the packed restaurant. “Dad, would you mind moving? Ryan has PTSD like Noah, and he needs to sit by the wall.”

“Should we maybe announce that to the entire restaurant?” He scowled at Paige.
Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out.

“Sorry.” She squeezed his hand. “Mom, this is Ryan Malloy. Ryan, this is my mom, Allison.” Paige shifted out of the way so he could move to the corner seat. “You’ve already met my dad.”

Mrs. Langford’s eyes widened. “When you said you had a friend with you, Paige, I thought—”

Mr. Langford grunted. “Told you, Allie.” He shifted into the place to the left of his wife and sent Ryan a sharp look. “I wondered if you might be the
friend
, Malloy.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Langford.”
Wonderful.
A crowded restaurant and a father’s disdain. He clenched his jaw and focused on his breathing.

“Please call me Allison. If you’d like, we can get our food to go and eat at our house.” Mrs. Langford’s expression matched her daughter’s look of concern. “It is awfully noisy and close in here. I know how Noah would react.”

“No, this is fine. Paige has been bragging the place up all morning.” He slid into the chair in the corner and surveyed the crowd. His heart started the slow descent from battle-ready to lunch-ready. “No need to change the venue on my account, and it does smell mighty good in here.”

“Where are you from, Ryan?” Ed fixed him with an inscrutable gaze.

“Oklahoma, sir. My folks own a ranch near the Texas border on the Canadian River. In fact, most of my relatives are ranchers.”

He raised an eyebrow. “But not you.”

“Not me. I have an MFA from the University of Texas College of Visual Arts and Design.”

“Noah says you’re designing an entire new line of furniture for L&L.” Allison smiled at him. “He mentioned something about quilts?”

He nodded. “Paige and I were in Evansville one day, and we went into this quilt store in a little strip mall where we stopped to get our lunch. I was so impressed with the patterns and colors that it got me thinking about ways to incorporate them into wood.” His heart rate slowed to normal, and his muscles relaxed. “I drew up some plans, and now we’re working on the prototypes.”

“He’s a genius at design, and his drawings are incredible,” Paige added. “You’ll have to come see what he’s done.”

“It is about time I visited my grandbabies again.” Allison’s smile held genuine warmth. “I’d love to see the new line.”

A server came by and placed menus and napkin-wrapped silverware in the center of their table and asked if they wanted ice water or anything to drink right away. Paige ordered a fountain soft drink, and Ryan asked for the same.

“So, Paige”—Allison unwrapped her silverware and placed the napkin in her lap—“when is your big interview with John Deere?”

Ryan’s heart went right back to pounding, and he turned to her. “You have an interview with John Deere?”

She nodded, but wouldn’t look at him. “It’s this coming Wednesday.”

When had this happened, and why hadn’t she told him? The conversation buzzed on, while anger churned and roiled through him. His reaction was unreasonable. She’d made it clear from the start L&L was temporary, but the hurt and betrayal clogging his throat didn’t see things rationally. “When were you going to tell
me
?”

Paige kept her eyes on the menu, but he caught the rapid pulse at her throat.

“I was going to tell you on the drive here, but we agreed not to talk about the subject.” She glanced at him. “It’s no big deal, a first interview via Skype. More than likely, I’ll have a lot of those before I land a second interview.”

“No. You’ll get the job.” His jaw clenched, and his head throbbed.

“Noah made you VP of marketing for L&L. Do you plan to get things started there and bail on your brother without a backward glance? That’s irresponsible, Paige. You’re going to leave him with loose ends he won’t be able to tie up.” Ed put his elbows on the table and scowled at his daughter. “That’s not how Langfords conduct business.”

“Langford & Lovejoy was doing fine before I got there, and they’ll continue to prosper once I leave.” She slumped in her chair. “Come on, Dad. I’m Noah’s baby sister. I was unemployed when I landed on his doorstep. What else could he do but hire me?” Her mouth turned down at the corners. “You did the same thing once you found out I’d been fired. You said you’d
let
me work at Langford Plumbing Supplies, remember? I’m a charity case.”

“Is that what you think?” Ed’s brow creased even more.

“That’s not true.” Ryan’s words came out at the same time as Ed’s.

“Isn’t it?” She shot him a look, her eyes full of hurt. “If Noah truly wanted me to work for him, why didn’t he make an offer when I finished school? He didn’t.” Her glare shifted to her father. “And neither did you.”

“Paige, honey,” Allison’s tone soothed, “Noah didn’t offer you a job because he didn’t believe you’d be interested in working for their tiny start-up company. It’s not like you’ve kept your ambitions a secret.”

“Right. He didn’t offer, and neither did my own father.” She shoved back her chair. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to use the restroom.”

Anger stepped aside to let panic have a go at him. Ryan’s poor heart took the beating. He and Paige had never spoken about their future, and he’d known from the start he was in for another tectonic shift. He just didn’t think it would come so soon. “Do you know what drives your daughter, Mr. Langford?”

“Of course I know, and it’s not going to happen. LPS is not the place for Paige.”

“She’s going to spend the rest of her life turning herself inside out just to prove to you that she’s worthy.” He was about to lose her, and there was nothing he could do about it.

“What is my daughter to you?” Ed leaned back in his chair and scrutinized him.

Allison’s eyes went wide. “Edward!”

“What, Allie? It’s a reasonable question.” He turned back to Ryan. “What are you to her?”

“With all due respect, sir, there’s no telling with Paige, and it’s none of your business where I’m concerned.” Ryan focused on the path Paige had taken when she left, watching for her return. Pressure banded his chest, and sweat beaded his forehead. “She’s coming back, isn’t she?”