Nicole held up her coral sundress, the one Bernie had laid out for her to wear for the “romantic” dinner with Alex. She knew it was the wrong choice, especially when she remembered how Ryan had shown up and seen her with his brother that night. Besides, she didn’t want to overdress tonight, but she didn’t want to underdress either. Finally she decided on her blue and white sundress. Simple but feminine.
After a quick shower and a little primping, she was ready. As she came down the stairs, she was stopped by Alex, who looked like he was in a better mood. “Hey, Nicole.” He put his hand on the banister and smiled. “I need to apologize for my bad attitude. It wasn’t your fault Ryan borrowed all those things.”
She shrugged. “Well, I helped him.”
He waved his hand. “Yeah, but I shouldn’t have gotten mad about it. Bernie sort of set me straight on that.” He chuckled.
“It seemed like Ryan’s open house was a success,” she said.
“So he’s bringing the stuff back?”
She explained about next week’s open house, and Alex looked disgruntled. “I guess that’ll just mean more room for the guests for the July 4th party.” His smile returned. “You’re coming, aren’t you?”
“Uh, yeah, I guess so.” Nicole wished she had an excuse not to come.
“Great.” He seemed to check her out more closely now, noticing she had her purse with her. “Are you going somewhere?”
“Yeah. Out for dinner.” She continued down the stairs, moving past him.
“You better have a reservation,” he said with unveiled curiosity, following her to the foyer. “This is a busy weekend in town.”
“So I’ve heard.”
Alex opened the door for her, going with her out onto the porch. “So where are you going?” he asked. “I might be able to give you some parking tips.”
“Actually, I’m having dinner with Ryan. At his place.” She forced a confident smile. “He owed me one for helping him get ready for the open house.” She wondered why she was telling him so much, but maybe it was for the best. Maybe he would take the hint.
Alex’s brow creased. “Well, since you’re going to see Ryan, you might as well invite him to my party. I haven’t talked to my little bro lately, but I really hoped he and Cass could join in the festivities. In fact, I already told Cass about it.”
Nicole knew exactly what he was attempting to do, but without missing a beat, she pleasantly agreed to extend Alex’s invitation to his brother. Then she told him to have a nice evening and hurried to where she’d parked the SUV on the street. She suspected that Alex hadn’t already invited Cassidy to his party. He’d simply said that to get her goat. The idea of Ryan and Cassidy going to Alex’s party as a couple was unsettling at the least. But she decided to put it out of her mind. Tonight was about fun and fireworks.
She arrived at Ryan’s condo and went up the stairs, wondering if he really knew how to cook. Not that she cared. They could eat ramen noodles and she would not complain. She rang his doorbell, suddenly realizing she’d come empty-handed.
“Welcome!” He opened the door wide. “Come on in.”
As she went into his surprisingly stark great room, she apologized for not bringing a host gift. He apologized for his lack of furnishings. “I raided this place for the McDaniel Mansion,” he explained as he led her through the house. “It usually looks better.” He opened the door that led out to a good-sized deck. “Fortunately, I didn’t take all my outdoor furniture.”
She looked out over the river. “What a view!”
“Great spot for watching fireworks.” He opened a cooler holding a variety of drinks. “Help yourself.”
She took out a ginger ale and looked around the deck, taking in the barbecue that was producing some delicious-smelling smoke. Opposite that, a couple of wicker chairs very similar to the ones in the McDaniel Mansion’s conservatory were positioned next to a card table covered in a red and white gingham cloth. The table was set with oversized plates and plastic utensils. A large hurricane lantern, with a burning candle nestled in some stones, was in the center.
“Very charming.”
He chuckled. “I hope you like burgers.”
“I love burgers.” She leaned against the railing, watching as a paddle-wheel boat made its lazy way down the slow-moving river. “It’s so lovely out here. I think I’d want to live outside all summer long.”
He came over to stand by her. “That’s what I usually do.” He nodded to the chairs. “And that’s why I had to leave these behind.” He grabbed a Coke for himself. “Go ahead and have a seat. The burgers need a few more minutes.”
As they sat down, she told him about Alex’s invitation. “He seemed eager to let you know about his little shindig. I promised to tell you.”
Ryan grinned. “I bet he wants me there just so I can clean up after him.”
“Probably.” She laughed.
Suddenly they were reminiscing about the time Alex and Katy had made a big mess at a campfire site, getting chocolate and sticky marshmallows all over the benches, then acting like they hadn’t done it.
“When my mom sat down and ruined her white pants, I got blamed,” Nicole said. “I nearly forgot that part.”
“We both got blamed,” Ryan reminded her. “Remember how we had to clean it up? Meanwhile Alex and Katy got the sudden urge to take a hike.”
“Yeah, I’m sure they were hiking.” Nicole snickered. “Katy hated hiking. She hated even breaking a sweat.”
“So did Alex. Maybe those two actually made a good match after all.”
“Katy did a half marathon with her husband last year. I think having three active boys helped her outgrow her dislike of exercise.”
“Well, Alex never outgrew his. In fact, he didn’t outgrow a lot of things.”
They both laughed. Ryan got up to check on the burgers, which looked fabulous.
“I’m guessing you’ve done this before,” Nicole said as she peered over his shoulder.
“Yeah, I’m kind of a burger guy.” He expertly flipped a fat, juicy-looking burger. “I like simplicity.”
“Me too.” She glanced over to where he had a good selection of condiments and burger trimmings waiting. “Anything I can do to help?”
“Wanna get the salads out of the fridge?”
She went into his kitchen, which looked as stark as the rest of his house, but not because he’d removed anything. It simply looked like the kitchen of a bachelor who probably didn’t cook much. But when she removed the attractive salads from the fridge, she wasn’t so sure. One was a yummy-looking pasta salad, and the other was an interesting mix of broccoli, cheese, and raisins.
“Wow,” she said as she carried out the bowls. “These look really good.”
“I can’t take the credit,” he confessed. “I stopped by the deli on my way home.”
“Very resourceful.” She put them on the card table.
The sky was starting to glow with pink and orange when they sat down to eat. To Nicole’s pleasant surprise, Ryan bowed his head and said a quick blessing, to which she said, “Amen.”
“I don’t always pray before eating.” He reached for a salad bowl and passed it to her. “But sometimes I just feel so grateful, I can’t help myself.”
She smiled. “That’s nice.”
Dinner was not only pleasant, it was delicious. “I’m not sure if it’s because I was really hungry or because the food was so fabulous, but I haven’t eaten like this in a while,” Nicole said.
“I hope you saved room for dessert.”
“You’re kidding.” She dropped her used plate and utensils in the garbage bag he’d brought outside. “You made dessert?”
“Not exactly. I got some raspberry gelato at the deli too. But I can make us espresso to go with it.”
“Ryan Graham, you are a man after my own heart!” she exclaimed without really considering how that might sound. “I absolutely adore raspberry gelato! And espresso too. That’s perfect.”
He chuckled as he cleared the table. “Maybe I know you better than I thought.”
“If you don’t mind, can we wait a bit for it?”
“Just what I was thinking.”
They continued to visit but eventually started to carry things back into the house. Cleanup was easy, and soon they were back on the deck, where the sunset was growing even prettier.
Nicole slowly shook her head. “I used to think that Seattle had the best sunsets in the world, but now I’m questioning myself. Savannah might have Seattle beat. Honestly, I’ve never seen so many great sunsets.”
“I’m glad we’ve been able to accommodate you.”
As the sky began to grow darker, Nicole was surprised to feel a slight chill in the normally warm, humid air. “I guess I should’ve brought a sweater,” she said with a shiver.
“I forgot to mention there can sometimes be a cool breeze off the river. Just one more reason I like living here.”
“It is refreshing.”
“I’ll be right back.” Ryan went into the house and quickly returned with a fleecy jacket, which he slipped over her shoulders. “How’s that?”
“It’s perfect.” She snuggled into the wrap, even enjoying the smell, which had vague traces of a woodsy aftershave that she’d smelled on him before. Not too strong, just nice. “Thanks.”
“Maybe I should make our espresso before the fireworks begin,” he said.
“Good idea.” She started to stand. “I’ll help.”
“No, you stay here and keep watch—just in case they start the fireworks. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
With the jacket over her bare shoulders, Nicole leaned back and sighed. Being here with him, looking out at the river and the paddle-wheel boats, waiting for the fireworks . . . it all felt almost heavenly. So much so she never wanted this evening to end.
“Here you go.” He set their espresso cups on the table. “I’ll be right back with the gelato.”
“I feel so spoiled.”
“Good. Remember, this is supposed to be my thank-you for all your help with the McDaniel place.”
“Oh yeah.” She hoped that this was more than merely a payback dinner. She wanted it to be more—much, much more.
He returned, setting her dish of gelato in front of her, complete with a biscotti biscuit on the side. “How’s that?”
“You are amazing,” she said. “The perfect host.”
He laughed. “My mom would probably not agree with you.”
“Well, that’s because your mom is a different kind of perfect.”
“How about if I extinguish this during the fireworks.” He leaned over to blow out the candle.
“Good idea.” Nicole dipped her spoon into the gelato and took a small bite, savoring it. “This is really, really good.”
He explained that it was handmade by the Italian family who owned the deli. “In my opinion, Marzano’s is the best deli in Savannah. I’m a regular customer there.”
“I can see why.” She was reaching for her espresso when the boom of a cannon made her jump.
“That’s the signal—the fireworks are starting.” He pointed to an unoccupied section of the river. “Watch right there.” Just like magic, an explosion of red, white, and blue painted a huge starburst across the darkened sky, right where he was pointing.
“Beautiful.” Nicole reached for her espresso, but before she took a sip, she heard a ringing sound. “Is that your doorbell?” she asked.
“Huh?” He turned to her.
“I hear something ringing inside your house.”
Before he could get up, a woman’s voice called out. “Ryan? Are you out there?”
“Cassidy?” He got up as she came through the door to the deck.
“Oh, there you are.” Cassidy stepped outside with a big smile. “I thought I could watch the fireworks with you.” She held up a bottle of wine, seemingly oblivious to Nicole’s presence. “That little boy’s parents, the one who had the BMX accident—they gave me this today. I thought I could share it with you.” She paused as another firework exploded, illuminating the deck so brightly that Cassidy couldn’t help but see Nicole. “Oh.” She seemed only mildly surprised. “Hello.”
“Hello.” Nicole tried to sound more congenial than she felt.
“I didn’t mean to intrude.” Cassidy started to back into the house. “It’s just that I can’t see the fireworks that well down in my condo, and I thought . . .”
Nicole stood up, feeling guilty for wanting Ryan to herself. “You’re not intruding,” she told Cassidy in a kind voice. “Although I’m not sure if Ryan has another chair.”
“Of course he does.” Cassidy poked Ryan. “Don’t you?”
“I, uh, I—”
“What about your desk chair?” she suggested. “In your office. You go get it and I’ll open this wine. Hurry, you don’t want to miss anything.”
They both went back inside, and Cassidy returned first, carrying a corkscrew and some plastic cups. She sat in the other wicker chair and started to open the bottle. “Ooh, that’s a pretty one,” she said as another rainbow of lights flooded the sky. “Isn’t this fun?”
Ryan came out, wheeling an office chair beside Nicole, but then Cassidy came over and sat down in it. “I don’t want to take your chair.” She pointed him back to the wicker chair. “You can pour the wine for us.”
“I don’t care for any.” Nicole knew she sounded overly prim, but she couldn’t help it. “I’m driving.”
The previous magic of the evening had been extinguished like a puff of smoke. The gelato was no longer sweet, the espresso tasted flat, and the fireworks had lost their sparkle.