Twenty minutes later, I flip the sign to closed. Just a few more days. I
lock the door and walk to my car, but stop short when I see someone
leaning against it. It takes me a moment to recognize him. He’s facing
the other direction, talking on his cell phone.
I thought he was meeting me at the restaurant, but okay.
The horn beeps on my car when I hit the Unlock button, and Ryle
spins around. He grins when he sees me. “Yes, I agree,” he says into
the phone. He wraps an arm around my shoulder and pulls me
against him, pressing a kiss to the top of my head. “We’ll talk about it
tomorrow,” he says. “Something really important just came up.”
He hangs up the phone and slides it into his pocket, then he kisses
me. It’s not a hello kiss. It’s an I’ve-been-thinking-about-you-nonstop
kiss. He wraps both arms around me and spins me until I’m backed
up against my car, where he continues to kiss me until I start to feel
dizzy again. When he pulls back, he’s looking down at me
appreciatively.
“You know which part of you drives me the craziest?” He brings his
fingers to my mouth and traces my smile. “These,” he says. “Your lips.
I love how they’re as red as your hair and you don’t even have to wear
lipstick.”
I grin and kiss his fingers. “I better watch you around my mom,
then, because everyone says we have the same mouth.”
He pauses his fingers against my lips and he stops smiling. “Lily.
Just... no.”
I laugh and open my door. “Are we taking separate cars?”
He pulls the door open for me the rest of the way and says, “I took
an Uber here from work. We’ll ride together.”
- • •
My mother is already seated at a table when we arrive. Her back is to
the door as I lead the way.
I’m instantly impressed by the restaurant. My eyes are drawn to the
warm, neutral colors painted on the walls and the almost full-sized
tree in the middle of the restaurant. It looks like it’s growing straight
out of the floor, almost as if the entire restaurant was designed
around the tree. Ryle follows closely behind me with his hand on my