“You’re welcome. Oh, and I put washing instructions in there as well. Treat your clothes right and they should last. If you have any laundry-related questions, let me know. I’d rather have you come to me than fuck it up and come crying to me later. So.”
He nodded and gave me a half-smile. “I’ll be sure to do that. Thanks. Again.” There was one of those little pauses. One of those moments where I could just lean up a little and kiss him. I wanted to. He looked like he wanted to, and moved forward just a fraction before changing his mind.
I couldn’t take that next little step either. Couldn’t cross that minute distance.
So we just stood there, staring at each other while the cabbie ran the meter and huffed in the front seat.
“I’ll see you for dinner,” Ryder finally said.
“Yup.” I nodded and stepped backward, nearly tripping over my own feet.
“Until we meet again,” he said, getting in the cab.
“Until we meet again,” I echoed as he pulled away.
Ten
“You really have a thing for him, don’t you?” Inari said on Monday when I told her all about Ryder’s reaction to the clothes. “I mean, I know you talked all about banging him and everything, but it’s definitely more than that. You like him, like him.”
“God, are we twelve?” I said, sipping the coffee she’d just brought me.
“Don’t try and change the subject with your snark,” she threw back at me.
“I’m not. I just think it’s a silly thing to say. Yes, I like him. I can like him without liking him like that.”
Inari gave me a look. “But you do like him like that.”
Yes, I did, but I didn’t need someone pointing that out. I gave Inari a scathing look.
“Okay, then. I’m going to go and check on everyone and give you a progress report.” She scurried out of my office and went to gather my morning report. To avoid slacking, each morning I had everyone make goals for the day, and then at the end, they would report on how they did. I made goals as well, and sometimes if we had to get a lot done, we’d write them on this gigantic whiteboard I’d found. It reminded me of those boards they used in crime shows to figure out who the murderer was.
I got started on my emails and boring stuff before getting the report from Inari and starting on my list of tasks for the day.
“We really need someone to do full-time accounting,” she said for the hundredth time. I knew I needed a full-time accountant. Everyone else knew it, too. I was just going to have to bite the bullet and hire someone, even if I’d take a financial hit. Inari and I had been keeping the books, and I’d made some of the interns help, but it was no match for someone who actually knew what they were doing. Every year when I went to do my taxes, my accountant would shake his head and make this annoying tutting sound that drove me nuts.
“I know, I know. Hey, could you do me a huge favor and do some looking around? I don’t want to put an ad out yet, because that’s admitting we really have a problem.”
She smiled and said she’d get on it. She had a whole network of friends that were always looking for jobs. Inari was only two years out of school, but she acted like someone who had much more experience. I was practically in love with her and I didn’t swing that way.
“Thanks. You’re the best.”
“I know,” she said with a wink.
The rest of the day passed without too much drama, apart from a few sewing and fitting mishaps that I was able to correct. We took part of the afternoon off for Marina’s birthday. She was currently in a gluten-free phase, so we got her a cake that wasn’t actually as terrible as I thought it would be and it inspired me to maybe expand my baking horizons and try out some new recipes.
Everyone left and I stayed to work on Rory’s dress. I’d neglected it for Ryder’s clothes, and I felt bad about it.
I’d just started cutting the pieces out after pinning my pattern to the fabric when there was a knock at the door. Thinking it was probably just someone who forgot their key, I slid the door open.
“What are you doing here?” I wasn’t expecting Ryder. He hadn’t called or texted or given any indication he was going to stop by. Yet here he was, wearing one of the outfits I’d made him with a pair of worn brown boots that somehow matched everything perfectly.
The clothes fit as good as they did yesterday and were still pressed and looking nice.
“I thought I’d come by and see if you maybe wanted to do dinner or something. Figured I’d start trying to pay you back for the clothes. What do you think?” He spun around on his heel and then proceeded to do a moonwalk.
“I didn’t know you could moonwalk,” I said as he spun back around.
“Yup. Used to do it in the kitchen when I was a kid. It drove my mom nuts. But my dad was a huge MJ fan and was always playing his music. I can do the crotch grab too, if you’d like to see that.”