“We booked a room at the bed and breakfast in town.”
“Man, it will be so good to see you.”
They exchanged a few more words and then Ridge ended the call, a new state of elation filling his soul. Grady had been more than just a friend when he lived in Sunnyville, he had been like a brother. And Dylan had been one of the best people he had ever met. She accepted his friend for all his flaws, physical and emotional, and didn’t let that change how much she loved him. Glancing across the table to River, he wondered if he had found the same.
***
River hadn’t known what to expect when she was meeting one of Ridge’s friends. The arrival of him and his girlfriend, Dylan, brought them out of the nice little bubble she and Ridge had created in Carson. Would he act differently? Would he treat her the same? Would she see a side of him that she wasn’t prepared for? River had all these questions as she paced back and forth in the same room where they had eaten lunch.
Angie’s was the only full-service restaurant in Carson, so they weren’t left with many dinner options with Grady Malone. The downside of small-town living.
River had excused herself most of the afternoon to spend time at her own home. She claimed she needed to clean and do laundry, but instead, she had wallowed in her self-pity with a cheesy romantic comedy on the television. She was scared. Scared of what had happened the night before. Scared about the emotions she was feeling. And scared about what it meant if Ridge was introducing her to his friends. She tried to rationalize that it was because Grady was bringing his girlfriend along and River’s presence would help Dylan feel more comfortable. Ridge had been friends with both of them. She also considered that maybe Ridge wanted her help with Delilah.
River had spent so long agonizing over why she was joining them for dinner and making up thousands of excuses not to show up that she almost missed her chance to take a shower and get dressed. Almost. Ridge had shown up at her house thirty minutes before they would have had to leave and insisted she get ready. He wasn’t going to dinner without her.
“Can you stop pacing? You’re making me nervous and I’ve known Grady for years.” River spun on her heel and stared down at Ridge sitting casually in a chair, his arm along the back of the chair River had occupied.
“I can’t help it. Meeting new people makes me nervous. Kids I can deal with; adults, that’s a different story.”
“You have nothing to be nervous about. Believe me.” Sullenly River nodded and returned to the chair she had vacated. Ridge used the arm behind her head to massage her shoulder and River couldn’t help leaning her head toward his.
Their lips were only a mere inches apart and River sighed with relief when he leaned down and pressed his mouth against hers. Ridge soothed her in a way that no one else could, even more so than the embrace of her grandmother. He was solace in a chaotic world.
“Well, don’t let me interrupt,” a deep voice said with a chuckle. Ridge pulled back and looked over his shoulder, a wide grin quickly growing on the lips that had just moments ago been brushing against her mouth.
“Ryker! It’s good to see you.”
Humiliation seized her lungs and she could feel the deep blush grow from her chest to her hairline. Ryker Connelly, better known to his fans as Ryker James, was the lead singer of Exoneration. She had been to eight of his concerts and was a massive fan of his music. River may have even shed a tear when she discovered he was engaged to his twin brother’s best friend, Norah.
So far, she had been able to avoid meeting the rockstar in the few months she had lived in Carson, but now her time was up. As River stood next to Ridge, she was surprised to find that she didn’t feel those quivers of awareness in the pit of her stomach like she did when she was with Ridge. Not that Ryker wasn’t attractive. He had been named the number one hottest bachelor in music three times, but at that moment, River simply saw him as Ridge’s cousin, which was a huge relief.
Now the man that stepped into the room behind Ryker was another story. He was tall and muscled with eyes that drew you in and River immediately swallowed her tongue as he smiled in her direction. Ridge said something to the newcomer, reaching out and embracing the man in one of the one-armed hugs men were known for.
“River, this is my friend Grady Malone. Grady, this is my. . .friend River.”
Reaching out, River nervously shook Grady’s hand, hoping that he didn’t notice her palm's sweatiness.
“Oh, here she is,” Grady said in a low voice as a gorgeous woman with short black hair skipped into the room. “This is Dylan. Dylan, this is Ridge’s friend River.”
“Sorry, I had to stop by the restroom. It’s so nice to meet you!” Dylan exclaimed as she stepped forward and hugged River, taking her by surprise. “Ridge, it’s good to see you too, of course,” she said with a quick hug for Ridge. “Now, where is that sweet darling girl?”
As if Delilah knew she was being discussed, she cooed and squealed from her high chair at the table where she had been snacking on puffed cereal. The little girl ate up the attention as Grady, Dylan, and Ryker took their seats closest to her.
River did her best to follow the conversation between the friends and she laughed at the appropriate moments, but when Ridge and Grady delved into their work as firefighters, she turned her attention to Dylan.
“So, I may have missed it, but what brings you guys to Carson? Or did you guys plan a surprise visit?” she asked curiously.
“Well, a bit of both, actually. But Ryker here reached out to me for a song collaboration. Something he wanted to write and perform for his lady love.”
“Oh, I didn’t even realize that you were a songwriter. Besides being a fan of Exoneration, I don’t follow a lot of musician
s.” River tried her best to ignore the cocky smile on Ryker’s face at her claim.
“I work mainly on my own stuff now, but I used to write songs for Jett Kroger.”
River noticed that the woman said the rockstar’s name with a bit of a growl and a sigh. There was bad blood there for sure.
“Wow, as if you need anyone to tell you, but you’re extremely talented.”