Here With Me (9 page)

Chapter Twelve

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Savannah,” Mallory said, flinging her bag over shoulder.  Her feet were aching after a twelve hour shift and she just wanted to get home and relax.

“Are you off to see Gun Shot Hunk?”

Mallory stopped and looked over at her co-worker.  Savannah was grinning widely as she looked over some charts.

“Gun Shot Hunk?”

“Yeah.  That’s his nickname.” Savannah put the clip board down and stared back at Mallory with a playful smile. 

“That’s a ridiculous nickname.”

“Yeah, it is, but it fits him.  Now answer me.  Are you heading off to see him?  I saw you leave with him the other day.  I didn’t know you two were giving it another try.”

“
We’re just friends and no, I’m not heading off to see him.  I’m going home.  I’ve been on my feet for twelve hours.”

Savannah just continued grinning and Mallory laughed as she adjusted her bag on her shoulder.

“Alright,” Savannah said skeptically. “Have a good night.”

Mallory waved and walked out of the hos
pital and into the warm afternoon air.  It’d been a long day and she’d be lying if she said she hadn’t thought of Ryan… a lot, throughout her shift.  As she unlocked her car door, she wondered when he’d call.  She couldn’t let him take over her mind like a hormone crazed teenager, but as she got inside and started the ignition, she couldn’t deny her hormones had been raging the day before, especially at the sight of a shirtless Ryan.  Giggling out loud at the memory, she pulled the car out of the parking lot and onto the street. 

The house was quiet when she got home.  Her mom was working at the diner. 
They hadn’t spoken since dinner the night before, and she wondered if her mom and grandmother were still mad at her.  She didn’t care if they were.  They’d get over it. 

Going
straight to her room, she threw the bag on the bed and stripped off her scrubs, exchanging them for a pair of cut offs and a white t-shirt before pulling her hair out of the bun she’d worn at work and headed back downstairs. 

She turned on the TV and stretched out on the couch. 
There were a million things to do around the house, but she needed a break for a just a minute.  She closed her eyes and started drifting off, but was jolted awake by the sound of her phone ringing.  She scrambled to get to it, hoping it was Ryan.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Mallory.”

“Ryan. 
How’re you feeling?”

“I’m good and before you ask, yes, I’ve been taking care of myself and not doing anything to risk hurting myself anymore.”

“Well, that’s good to hear.”

“How was work?”

“Not bad.  I’m glad to be home though.”

“You sound tired.”

“I am a little.”

“Too tired to hang out?” he asked and she felt herself smile.

“No.  Not too tired to hang out.”

“Good, because I have cabin fever.
  They won’t let me do anything, so I’ve been stuck inside all day.  You hungry?”

“I am.  I didn’t get much of a lunch at work.”

“I’ll be over in a few minutes then.”

“Alright.
  See you in a few.”

The phone went silent and she jumped up and stared into the mirror, fluffing the waves in her hair and questioning her casual ensemble.  They were just hanging out.  Cuts offs and a t-shirt were fine.  She did put on some powder and mascara though and then went downstairs to wait.  Wanting to prevent her mother from having another conniption fit, she
texted a quick note. 
Going out with a friend.  Be back later.
  As she typed the final period, she rolled her eyes.  She was an independent adult and yet she was expected to act like a child.

H
er frustration vanished when she saw Ryan’s Jeep pull into the driveway.  Grabbing her purse, she headed outside, opened the passenger side and climbed in, buckling her seatbelt. 

“You seem as anxious to get out of the house as I am,” he said, easing out of the driveway.

“Probably not as anxious as you, but it’ll be nice just to hang out.”

“I hope you don’t mind, but I stopped by the deli and grabbed a couple of sandwiches.  I thought we might eat at the beach.”

“Sounds good to me.”

They were quiet for a few minutes as they drove, but she watched him discreetly out of the corner of her eye.  He looked casual and relaxed and completely hot in his cargo shorts and t-shirt. 

“I see you were able to dress yourself today, or did you call Nate over to help?”

He glanced quickly away from the road for a moment and smiled at her.

“Yes, I was able to dress myself, although it was not an easy task.  Perhaps you can swing by tomorrow to help.”  She blushed as he laughed.

“I’m surprised you’re driving.  I didn’t think you were supposed to.”

“I’m managing.  I have a sore shoulder is all.  I’m not completely useless.” 

“Good to know,” she
said and they were quiet again.

Ryan pulled the car off to the side of the road a little while later
near the still crowded beach. 

“What do you think you’re doing?” Mallory asked when she saw Ryan trying to pull a blanket from the back once they were out of the Jeep.

“We can’t sit on the sand and eat.”

“
What I meant was you really shouldn’t be carrying that blanket.  Let me get it.” 

“How do you think I got it in the Jeep?” he said, but when she gave him a look, h
e knew there was no point in arguing and she scooped the blanket from his hands. 

“At least let me carry the lunch,” he said and she nodded.

They settled on a spot a few feet from where the tide was coming in.  The sun was almost on the horizon, but it was still warm and the humidity was sticking to her skin as she took a long drink of the lemonade Ryan had brought.

“I don’t think I could ever get used to the humidity on the East Coast,” Ryan said as he wiped beads of sweat from his hairline. 

“It’s not that bad.”

“That’s because you don’t know any better,” he said, reaching into the bag and handing her one of the ham sandwiches he’d brought from the deli. “But I’ll take an Arizona summer or an Iraqi dust storm over this humidity any day.”

Taking a bite of her sandwich, she looked over to Ryan.

“You’ve been to Iraq?”

“A few times,” he said, staring out into the water.  She wanted to know more.  She wanted to hear his story.

“And is that where you got that scar over your eye?” she asked and he started to laugh.

“No.  This is a result of being on the losing end of a tennis racket.”

“A tennis racket?
  I never realized tennis was such a dangerous sport.”

“Well, it is when you’ve got an older brother who uses it as a weapon.”

“Your brother did that to you?” she laughed.

“Yeah.
  It wasn’t one of my proudest moments.  I turned off the Nintendo in the middle of his game.  He wasn’t too happy about that and I have this to show for it.”

“It sounds like you and your brother are very close,” she grinned.

“Philip’s a good guy.  I just needed my ass kicked every once in a while,” he said with a smile and then it was quiet for a moment.

“What was it like?  Iraq, I mean,” she asked nervously, breaking the silence and she wondered if he would tell her anything about his time in the Middle East.

“I don’t usually talk about it.”

“I’m sorry.  I shouldn’t have asked.”

“No, it’s fine.  I said I don’t
usually
talk about it.  There are always exceptions.”

“And I’m an exception?”

“Yes.  I think you’ve become an exception.  I’m not sure why, but you have.” She was smiling at him and he was grinning back, but then his face turned serious. “My time in the service was some of the greatest times of my life, but also the hardest.  I’m not trying to sound dramatic, but I really can’t talk a lot about what I did over there, but I’m proud of what we did.”

She hadn’t known what to expect and he didn’t say much, but she was humbled that he had told her anything at all.

“You should be proud.  I admire anyone who puts their life on the line to protect our country.”

He just looked over at her and smiled in appreciation.

“Do you miss it?”

“The military?” he asked and she nodded. “Sometimes, but I like what I do now too.”

“It’s gotta be exciting.”

“Yeah, I guess so,” he said, but she noticed his voice sounded distant.

“That doesn’t sound very convincing,” she said with a light laugh and he turned to meet her eyes.

“It’s kind of a lonely life,” he said bluntly and she looked away for a moment, thinking back to how he’d tried pushing her away and she was getting a better understanding of why he had done it.

“Do you plan on staying with it for a while?” she asked.

“I’m not sure. 
Probably.  It’s what I know,” he said and for some reason his answer saddened her.  It was becoming apparent that no matter how fond she was growing of Ryan, he was going to be gone at the end of the summer, just as Cole had said.

“So, how’d you know to go to Lou’s Deli?” she asked
, taking another bite of the sandwich, wanting to change the subject.

“President Bush, that is, Bush Senior, recommended it.”

“Seriously?” she asked and he nodded. “What’s that like?  Knowing the President’s family?”

“It’s not that big of a deal, actually.”

“Yes, it is!”

“Well, at first it was, but then I got to know them and they’re much more down to earth than you’d probably think.  Mrs. Bush…Barbara, even sent me an arrangement of cheese and crackers and stuff last night.”

“Really?” she asked and she could feel her face turning up in surprise.

“Yes.  I told you, they’re really good people. 
Kinda like grandparents.”

“I never would’ve imagined that.  They seem so…I
dunno…uppity or something.”

“Well, they’re not.”

“I’ll take your word for it.”

They finished their sandwiches and then stretched out on the sand.  The tide had inched closer and it was lapping over their feet now.  It was still warm and the water felt good.

“Is your shoulder feeling okay?” she asked, turning on her side to face him.  She rested her head on her hand as she looked at him.  His eyes were closed and she traced his profile with her eyes.  She felt ridiculous, but she thought he was beautiful. 

“It was a little stiff this morning, but
it’s feeling better.  I can’t wait to get back to work.  I was going crazy today, just watching the clock till it reached five.”

“Oh yeah?
  You were watching the clock?” she asked playfully and he opened his eyes and propped himself up on his side to face her. 

“I thought you knew I was a stalker, or did I forget to mention that?”

“The thought had crossed my mind,” she said with a grin. “Truth be told, I was watching the clock too.”  Standing up, she waded into the water until she was shin deep.  A moment later, his hand slid into hers and she stopped and turned to him.

“I’m glad I got shot,” he said, pulling her to him. “It brought me back to you.” He stroked her cheek as their eyes met.  Her breath quickened and he pulled her closer. “I’m sorry I tried to push you away.” She couldn’t say anything.  She was paralyzed by his gaze and
then he kissed her.  Her eyes closed and she melted into the kiss, sweet and delicate as he cupped her face with his hands. 

“But what happens when you have to leave, like you said?”
she sighed, breathless from the kiss.

“I don’t know.  Let’s just think about now.”

“Now,” she said softly and leaned in for another kiss.

Chapter Thirteen

“I thought Mabel’s was a sacred thing with
your family.”

Mallory laid on Ryan’s bed, her hands propping up her chin and her legs kicking rhythmically to the Pink Floyd track flowing from his iPod.  Ryan was standing in front of the mirror, doing his hair.  She couldn’t keep her eyes off of him and she didn’t make it a secret.  Everything had changed since that day on the beach.  They’d spent every day together since and she
was loving it. 

“I wouldn’t say it’s sacred.  It’s just something we’ve done as long as I can remember.”

“And you’re sure they won’t mind if I come?” He put the gel down and wiped his hands on a towel before turning to face her.  He crossed his arms and leaned against the dresser as she sat up so her feet were hanging over the edge of the bed.

“No.  They won’t mind.  They’ll be relieved, actually.”

“Relieved?” His eyebrow was raised and his mouth curled up into a half-smile.

“Well,” she began with a cynical grin. “They’ve been asking questions about you and I haven’t exactly been forthcoming.”

“And why is that?  Are you ashamed of me or something?”  He unfolded his arms and sat beside her.

“Of course I’m not ashamed of you,” she said, taking his hand, lacing her fingers with his. His hands were soft and warm and her he
art sped up whenever she held them. “The truth is, I kinda like screwing with them.  I like to see them with their feathers ruffled.”

“I never imagined you as the conniving type.”

“I’m hardly conniving.  They just think my personal life is their business.  I’m trying to show them it’s not.”

“You’re sexy when you’re scheming.”

She blushed, but it didn’t stop him from leaning in and brushing his lips against hers. 

“Should we go?” he asked when he pulled back.  He had a tendency of getting her riled up and leaving her wanting more of him. “We don’t wanna be late.  Didn’t you say they nearly strung you up the last time you were late?”

“Yes.  It was as if I’d missed The Last Supper w
ith Christ himself,” she groaned as she stood and picked up her purse.  She reached down and pulled him up.  He rested his hand on the small of her back and led her outside.  It was a warm, muggy night and she was glad she’d decided on the flowing brown Bohemian skirt and cream tank top.  The humidity was causing beads of sweat to drip down her neck.  She reached into her purse for a clip and pulled her hair off her shoulders.  It instantly felt cooler as Ryan opened the Jeep door. 

The parking lot was full when they pulled into Mabel’s, but like every Sunday, her mother’s pick-up and her grandmother’s Cadillac sat side by side.  She glanced at the clock.  It was five minutes to six.  They weren’t late.  They’d made it with five minutes to spare. 

“Alright,” she said once Ryan had turned off the car. “Here we go.”

He followed her inside and she couldn’t tell if he was nervous or not.  He didn’t seem to be, but maybe he was quivering on the inside.  Then she shook her head.  He’d been to war.  He was a Secret Service agent.  He’d been shot.  She was certain there was very little that caused Ryan to be nervous.

“Hi Cathy,” Mallory said to the hostess when they walked in.

“
Mallory.  Hi,” Cathy replied as her eyes looked at the stranger beside her.

“Are Mom and Grandma in the back?”

“Do you really need to ask me that?” Cathy said with a grin.

“I guess not.  Thanks,” she said, stepping into the dining room.  Ryan followed her through the tables till they made it to the back.  Her mom and grandma seemed to be in the middle of a serious discussion and didn’t notice her and Ryan until they were standing beside the table.  Grandma Jane looked up first and the surprise was evident on her face when she noticed Ryan.  Her mother looked up next and the initial surprise turned to disappointment at the sight of him.

“I hope you don’t mind I brought a guest,” Mallory said nonchalantly, as Ryan pulled out a chair for her and she sat down.  Ryan seemed to hesitate for a moment before sitting in the chair next to her.

“Of course not,” Grandma Jane said, her eyes focusing on Ryan again. 

“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Hardy.  I’m Ryan Scott.”

“Same to you, Ryan, and please call me, Jane.”  Her voice seemed curious, but Mallory couldn’t decide how to read her.  Her grandmother would never be openly rude to one of Mallory’s dates, but Mallory was dying to know the content of her inner monologue. 

“It’s good to see you again, Mrs. Leyton,” Ryan said to her mother.  Mallory waited for her to tell him to call her Claire, but she didn’t.  She just smiled quickly and took a sip of the water in front of her. 

“And why didn’t you tell us you’d be bringing a friend?” Grandma Jane asked.

“I thought you might like a surprise.”

“Well, this is most definitely a surprise, because I invited someone as well and he just walked in.” Grandma Jane’s eyes gazed beyond Mallory’s shoulder and she turned around to see Cole
walking towards them.  Her stomach dropped to the floor and she sighed, praying no one had heard her. 

“You invited Cole?” Mallory whispered across the table, trying to mask her displeasure at the unexpected turn of events.

“Yes.  I ran into him at the store today and thought it would be nice of him to join us.  He
is
one of your oldest and dearest friends.  I didn’t think it would be a problem.”

“It’s not a problem,” Mallory said, reaching for the glass of water in front of her and taking a quick gulp.  She didn’t dare look over at Ryan, even though she could feel his eyes on her.  She hadn’t seen Cole since she and
Ryan started seeing each other and she’d barely even spoken to him.  There’d been a few texts back and forth and a couple of two minute conversations, but Cole knew nothing of Ryan.  As far as Cole was concerned, he’d picked up the pieces when Ryan dumped her.

“Cole!” Grandma Jane’s voice rang out a moment later.  She was smiling up at Cole, who was standing at the table.  Mallory slowly looked up and immediately noticed Cole’s eyes were fixed on Ryan before smiling at Grandma Jane and her mother. “Sit, sit.” Grandma Jane gestured to the empty seat beside Mallory.

“Hey, Mal,” he said as he sat down.

“How are you, Cole?” she asked.

“I’m good.  Haven’t heard from you in a while,” he said, but his eyes glanced at Ryan.

“I’ve been busy with work.  I’m sorry,” she said, but he didn’t respond.

“Ryan, right?” Cole asked, nodding towards him.  For the first time since Cole arrived at the table, she turned to Ryan.  He seemed relaxed, but obviously puzzled by their dinner guest. 

“It’s good to see you again, Cole,” Ryan replied.

“Well, your table has grown since I brought the water.”

Kenna appeared and was smiling widely at the sight of Ryan.  She seemed unfazed by Cole, even though he’d never before joined them for one of their Sunday dinners at Mabel’s.  Mallory knew
Kenna’s main focus was Ryan and getting to the bottom of Mallory’s relationship with him.

“Yes, we’ve had surprises all around tonight,” her mother piped in.

“I didn’t expect to see you here tonight, Ryan,” Kenna said, turning to him and briefly touching his shoulder. “How are you feeling?  Mallory told me what happened.”

“I’m doing much better.  Thank you, Kenna,” Ryan said and Mallory suspected he didn’t want to talk about it.  She just hoped Kenna got the hint.

“I’m glad to hear that,” she said and much to Mallory’s relief, she didn’t say anything else about his injury. “What can I get you guys to drink?”

“I’m good with water,” Mallory said quickly.

“Same here,” Ryan responded.

“I guess I’ll be the lush ton
ight,” Cole said. “Sam Adams.”

“Sure thing, Cole.
  I’ll be right back with that.”

Kenna walked away and the awkwardness settled in.  Mallory sipped her water and she nearly jumped when she felt Ryan’s hand rest on her thigh.  He left it there and then she relaxed.  Kenna appeared a moment later with Cole’s beer and then took their orders and disappeared again.

“So,” Grandma Jane said, interrupting the silence. “What was that Kenna mentioned, Ryan?  Something about you not feeling well?  Have you been ill?”

“Grandma,” Mallory said quickly. “I’m sure Ryan doesn’t want to talk about this.”

“It’s okay, Mallory,” Ryan said, squeezing her thigh gently. “I had an accident at work, but I’m feeling better.”

“What kind of accident?” her mother chimed in and Mallory cringed.  She knew her grandmother would not have persisted, but her mother was a completely different story. 

“Mom,” Mallory said flatly, shooting invisible daggers across the table.  Unfortunately, they did nothing to stop her and somehow she tag teamed with Cole.

“Yes, what happened?” Cole added.

Mallory felt her heart start to pound, not knowing how Ryan was going to get out of this.  They hadn’t really discussed how they would broach the subject of his employment and she was kicking herself for it now.

“I was shot,” Ryan said bluntly and Mallory was shocked a
t his frankness, surprised her mother didn’t spit the water out of her mouth that she’d been drinking.  Instead, she took a big gulp and set the glass down.

“Shot!”
Grandma Jane exclaimed. “Oh my goodness!  How did that happen?  Are you in law enforcement or something?”

“Not exactly,” Ryan said elusively.

“I recall you mentioned something about working in security,” Cole said.

“Can we just drop the subject please?  All that matters is that Ryan is fine,” Mallory interrupted, praying they’d all just shut up.

“I’m sorry if we’re all a little taken aback by the revelation that your friend was shot,” her grandmother said, staring over at Mallory in disbelief.

“It’s okay,” Ryan said, squeezing her thigh once more before resting his hand on the table. “I work for the Secret Service and was shot a few weeks ago during an incident.”

Mallory wasn’t prepared for his candor and if it was awkward a moment before, it was downright uncomfortable now.  Glancing around the table, she noticed everyone’s mouths hung to the floor and they were all staring at Ryan as Mallory squirmed in her seat.

“My,” Grandma Jane said a few moments later, finally closing her mouth. “That was unexpected.”

“I’ll say,” her mother agreed and Mallory noticed Cole eyeing Ryan suspiciously.

“The Secret Service?”
There was something doubtful about Cole’s voice.

“Yes.  I’m part of the Bush detail,” Ryan said, staring right at Cole.

“You work for President Bush?” Cole asked as his eyebrow rose.  He leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest and Mallory couldn’t help but notice how arrogant he looked.

“I do.”

“I didn’t know Secret Service agents could be so open about their jobs.  It’s almost a bit unbelievable,” Cole said and Mallory had to clench her jaw to keep from saying something to him.  She wondered if Ryan would say something, but he didn’t. 

“So that explains what’s brought you to our little town?” Grandma Jane took a sip of the chardonnay in front of her.

“Yes, ma’am,” he answered.

“That must be interesting work,” her grandmother continued.

“Very.”

“Ryan was a Navy SEAL before he joined the Secret Ser
vice,” Mallory suddenly added, not knowing if Ryan wanted her to divulge that little tidbit, but he’d opened the doors of frankness so she figured anything was fair game.

“And a SEAL to boot?
  The tale just keeps getting more and more impressive,” Cole said and Mallory wondered if anyone else noticed his smugness.

“Yes.  Six years.”

“Well, that is quite a résumé,” Grandma Jane said and Mallory thought she was being genuine by the way she leaned into the table as if she wanted to hear more.

“So how’d you get shot?” Mallory’s mother piped in a second later.

“Was it that incident at the Bush compound?”

“Yes, Jane, it was,” Ryan answered.

“I didn’t hear about any gun shots at the Bush place,” Cole said.

“Oh
, yes.  Gil Belcher told me about it,” she said, referring to the son of one of her colleagues who worked for the police department. “You know how things are over there though.  Everything’s hush hush, but I heard some maniac tried forcing his way onto the compound flailing a machine gun or something,” she said, turning to Ryan for conformation. “Was that the way of it?”

“More or less, but it wasn’t a machine gun,” he laughed.

“Well, that is truly incredible,” Cole said in the snide manner he’d been using during the course of the conversation.

Before anyone could respond, Kenna appeared
, balancing a large tray and then placing their meals in front of them.  Soon they were all picking at their food in silence until Grandma Jane began talking.

“How long will you be convalescing, Ryan?”