The Enemy (It Happened in Charleston 2)

A few minutes later, we follow Nia out of the kitchen, and while she and Ryan are talking shop in the hallway, I slip off to use the bathroom. On my way back, I peek my head into the kitchen again.

“Hey! Y’all are doing great! Keep at it!” I offer my encouraging speech with a big cheesy grin and a thumbs up. I feel really good about my contribution to the staff morale until I exit the kitchen and find Ryan’s lifted brow and smirk aimed at me.

“Did you just pep talk my staff?”

My eyes go wide. “Never. No. I was just giving that guy some pointers on the sauce.”

“Mmhmm. I’m getting you out of here before you have them all holding hands and singing campfire songs.”

“Oooh, that sounds fun! Do you think they’d do it?”

He wraps his arm around my shoulder and kisses my temple. “Maybe next time. We’ve got a date to get ready for.”

My stomach dips at his words. I have no idea what to expect. All I know is that Ryan has been dragging this out for so long that I’m sure he’s got something spectacular planned. A man does not haul a woman all the way to another state for a mediocre date.

“Oh, so are you taking her to the opening tonight, then?” asks Nia.

“Opening?” I ask Ryan.

He looks down at me. “That’s not the date I have planned. She’s talking about a restaurant opening of one of my old friends from culinary school.”

“Oh, let’s go, then! If it’s your friend’s restaurant, you should be there to support him.”

Ryan studies my face with furrowed brows, trying to find any hints of a lie. “You sure?”

I poke him in the cheek, ready for him to stop looking so serious. “Why wouldn’t I be? Sounds like a fun night out.”

He looks back up to Nia. “Alright, looks like we’ll see you there.”

There’s something about hearing the word we that makes me tingle.

They say their goodbyes, and when Ryan and I are both situated in his truck again, he leans over the console and kisses me. Just as I start to taste the mint in his mouth, he pulls away and smiles. “Are you ready for that date now?”

My heart hammers against my chest. For some reason, I thought the opening tonight would mean postponing the date. I like this option much better.

We get back to Ryan’s place to get ready for this mystery date, and before we part in the hall, he says, “Wear whatever makes you feel most like a sexy lady.”

I have no idea what that means. It’s not a very helpful statement—not to mention a little odd—and leaves me more confused than before he said it. I tried to pry a few more questions out of him, but he just buttoned his lips with a smirk and went into his room. He shut the door; otherwise, I would have watched him dress for no other reason than to get an idea of what to wear myself. NO OTHER REASON.

I open the top drawer of the dresser where I unpacked my clothes, and my eye catches on the I HEART NICK socks my mama bought me. My heart twists. It’s time to tell her the truth. She deserves to know.

Without giving any time to talk myself out of it, I grab my phone, flop myself back on the bed, and dial Mama. It rings three times before she answers. “Hi, sugar! I was just thinking about—”

“Mama. Ben cheated on me!” I blurt it out in one big rush, like a balloon that’s had its end cut off. “I found out just before the wedding. That’s why I called it off.”

There’s a stunned silence for a minute, and I shut my eyes, worried that she’s upset with me for keeping this from her for so long.

And then I hear the three words I was not expecting. “We know, darlin’.”

I peek my eyes open, my shoulders relaxing against the mattress. “You knew?”

This time, I hear the a cappella choir of my giant family. “Yep!”

I shoot up in bed. “Why am I hearing ten annoying voices?”

“Because we’re all together and had ya on speaker when you called,” says Mama.

“Hi, baby sis!” That’s Jake, and he’s grinning ear to ear; I can hear it in his voice.