Ryker (16 page)

I picked up my cell phone and scrolled to Faith’s number. Should I call or text her? I looked at the empty text field. What could I possibly say? Nothing. I cast the phone aside and sat at my drums. I put on my headphones, turned on my music, and pounded away.

The lawn was mowed, the laundry was done, and I was headed over to Max’s for an afternoon rehearsal. The guys were already there when I pulled up. When I walked in, Max was tuning his guitar, and Jake was playing some riff on his.

“Hey, guys.”’

All sound ceased as they looked at me. Tim’s expression shocked me the most. He had an all-knowing look that was mixed with disgust.

“Hey, Ryker,” Jake said as he set down his bass guitar. “We missed you this morning. Where’d you head off to?”

I sat behind the drumset that I kept at Max’s. “Home. I went home, and you wouldn’t believe what happened.” It dawned on me I forgot to tell Max about it.

Tim chimed in, “Let me guess. Chicks were waiting on your porch because you were M.I.A. all weekend.”

“Uh, no. But there was a woman waiting for me.”

Max glanced at me. “Who?”

“Mrs. Bowers, my landlady. She’s moving out.”

“You need a place to stay, man?” Jake said.

“No, that’s the thing. Mrs. Bowers gave me her house. She said she didn’t need it anymore and wanted me to have it.” I beat on my drums.

Max held up his hand as a cue to stop playing. “She
gave
you her house?”

“Yup.” I shrugged. “Said she wanted me to have it.” I left out the part about her wanting me to fill it with love and kids. “Pretty cool, right? So I was thinking we could move our practices over there. Then we don’t have to worry about being too loud. The closest neighbor is, like, a mile away.”

The guys all nodded. We practiced for about two hours.

I grabbed my sticks and had an idea. I waited for Tim and Jake to leave. “Hey, Max, can I talk to you a minute?”

He nodded.

“Look, I know I’m not your favorite person right now, but I was wondering if you’d want to move in with me,” I said. “That house is huge, and it would get you your own place and all you’d have to pay is your half of the utilities.”

Max’s smile made me happy. “Are you serious?”

“Yeah, I mean, why not?”

He nodded. “Yeah, okay. I should run it by Tyf first. She might not be too thrilled about me living with you. She probably thinks you have orgies or something.”

I laughed. “Okay.”

“You don’t, do you? Have orgies?”

“Only on Wednesdays.”

We both laughed, and just like that, my best friend was back.

Monday. My first day of work. I was so excited to start, and attempt to forget about everything that had happened over the weekend. At the very least, I would occupy my mind with other things. I drove to Waterston and Heath Financial, where I would spend forty hours a week, and parked my car.

I grabbed my laptop case and walked across the brick-paved sidewalk to the front door. The air was nice and warm, and I smelled the azaleas lining the walk. I smiled as I opened the door to the air-conditioned building. As I walked to the receptionist’s desk, my heels clicked on the marble floor.

“Yes, one moment please.” The brunette woman put her finger up to me as she assisted whoever was on the phone. She pushed a button and looked at me. “May I help you?”

“Yes, hi. I’m Faith Bishop.”

She looked blankly at me.

“Today is my first day. I report to Mr. Haverty. Human resources told me to see you for a badge.”

Leaning over, she opened a drawer and pulled out a clipboard. “Ah yes, here it is. Faith Bishop, welcome to Waterston and Heath.” She handed me my badge.

I looked at her name tag, “Thank you, Beth.”

The office was on the tenth floor. I walked to the elevator and pushed the button. Once the brass doors separated, I was greeted by mirrored walls. I stepped in and checked my reflection to make sure I looked okay. After I straightened my navy suit jacket, I pressed the ten button. The doors closed, and I was whisked up to my floor.

Mr. Haverty met me at the elevator. I figured Beth must have called him. He offered his hand, and I gave him a firm shake.

“Welcome, Miss Bishop. We’re very happy to have you as part of our team.”

“Hello, Mr. Haverty. I’m happy to be here. Thank you for meeting me.”

“Please, call me Rich. Usually my assistant, Lisa, would meet you, but she’s out this morning. You’ll meet her at lunch. I’m taking you both out so you two can get to know each other.” He chuckled. “If it wasn’t for her, I’d be lost.”

I smiled. “Then I must meet her.”

We continued to my office, which, I could tell by glancing around, was like all the other offices. During my interview, I was told that all accountants had offices because we dealt with confidential client information.

“Take your time getting settled. The accountants meet once a week to discuss any new clients the firm has secured. Lisa will provide you with a schedule. You will be assigned a client then, and we can go from there. Then at lunch you can talk to her, and she’ll make sure that you get any supplies you may need in addition to the things already provided to you, within reason of course.” He smiled and welcomed me one more time. He closed the door and left.

I spun the office chair around. I was so happy to finally be working. I leaned over and grabbed my phone out of my bag and set it next to the computer that I just powered on. I glanced at my phone and noticed I had a text. When I saw who it was from, I was sorry that I had looked at my phone. Why would Ryker text me? Against my better judgment, I opened the message.

Ryker:
Hey Dude. Good luck today.

That was it. I was shocked he’d even remembered that I started my job today. After everything that had happened, all I got was “good luck”? I didn’t bother to reply.

I organized the supplies that were on my desk and with my laptop fired up, I reviewed the company policies in my email account and felt ready to take on clients and go full tilt. A couple hours passed and there was a knock on my door.

“Come in,” I called.

I was greeted with the scent of flowers. A woman carried in a large bouquet in a glass vase. They were stunning, as was the tall, slim brunette holding them. I wondered if she modeled. She had on a form-fitting yet office-appropriate blue dress that made her blue eyes glow.

She set the vase on my desk. “Hi, I’m Lisa. You must have one hell of a boyfriend or husband, because these are gorgeous.”

I smiled. “Hi, Lisa. It’s so nice to meet you. I don’t have either, so they’re probably from my parents.”

“Well, open the card and find out. I’ll be at my desk,” she said. “If you need me, just pick up the phone and press the button next to my name. We’ll leave for lunch in about fifteen minutes.”

She shut the door, and I opened the card.

FAITH,

I HOPE YOU’RE HAVING A GREAT FIRST DAY. DINNER TONIGHT?

TEXT ME AND SAY YES.

ERIK

I put the card back in the envelope and smelled one of the tulips. I smiled as I sat back in my chair and texted Erik.

Me:
Thank you for the flowers.

Erik
:
You’re welcome… and…

I smiled.

Me
:
And yes
.

Erik
:
Great! Text me when you’re done for the day. I can either pick you up or meet you somewhere. We can keep it casual and go to The Pub.

Me
:
Sounds good. I’ll go home and change and meet you there. How about seven p.m?

Erik
:
See you then.

My door opened as Lisa knocked and asked, “Are you ready?”

I grabbed my purse. “Yes, let’s go.”

On our way to the elevator, Lisa explained that Mr. Haverty had been called to a meeting, so it was just us for lunch. We took her car. She suggested we go to a diner around the corner from our office. I knew the area well, and I loved it there.

The small restaurant was relaxed and comfortable. Max and I had been there several times. The smell of pickles and fried food hit my nose. Nothing like a good burger to make me feel better. We slid into a booth and were greeted by our waitress.

We didn’t need menus, so we just ordered. Lisa only had an hour for lunch, but she said I could take longer. I didn’t want to do that; an hour would be plenty.

“So before we get into the nitty gritty of the office, tell me who sent the flowers! Was it your parents?” She smiled as the waitress set our Diet Cokes in front of us.

I took a sip. “No, they were from—”

She practically foamed at the mouth as her eyes landed on something behind me. “Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God! Do I look okay? The guys from the band I love are here.” She grabbed her lip gloss and quickly applied it, smoothed her hair, and even fixed the flatware in front of her.

Meanwhile, I prayed it was a different band. I closed my eyes when I heard my name.
Shit!
I turned to see Max and Ryker.

“Hey, Faith.” Max leaned over and kissed my cheek. “Are you on a lunch break?”

“Yeah, I am.” I didn’t dare look at Ryker. “This is Lisa. She works with me. Lisa, this is—”

Her glossy lips parted before I could finish. “You’re Max Morrison.” She looked around Max. “And you’re Ryker. I love Raging Urge. You guys rock!”

Max smiled. “Hi, Lisa. It’s good to meet you, and thanks for liking our band.”

She totally fangirled on them. “Are you kidding? I love, love, love you guys. Are you the one who sent Faith flowers?”

“You got flowers? From who?” Max raised his brows and looked at me with a grin.

“Erik.”

“That was nice of him.”

I nodded. “Yes it was. He’s a really nice guy, and apparently he knows how to treat someone he cares about.”

Max’s face said it all. He knew everything and wasn’t going to acknowledge my comment. “Faith, I’ll catch you later.” Max looked at Lisa. “It was good to meet you. Come out and see us with Faith some time.”

They started to walk away to find their own table, and I let out a breath, thinking I had bypassed an uncomfortable moment in front of a new co-worker. But of course that wasn’t the case.

Ryker, being Ryker, had to say something. “Hey, Dude.”

I didn’t look at him or acknowledge him.

Lisa did though. “Hi, Ryker.”

He looked at her with his beautiful hazel eyes. “Hey. Well, I’ll see you ladies around.”

He walked away, and my phone chirped.

Max:
Sorry

Me:
It’s okay

I set my phone on the table, ready to tell Lisa what I needed for my office.

“You need to tell me how you know those guys! Oh my God, you have to be the coolest accountant I have ever met!” Her voice was giddy.

I tried hard not to laugh. “Max is like family. He grew up next door to me.”
Please let that be enough.

She took a sip of her soda. “He’s hot. Does he have a girlfriend?”

“Yes, he does, and she’s also a good friend of mine. I’m sure you’ll meet her if you come to a show with me.”

The waitress came and set down our food. I didn’t know how long I could stand playing Ryker off as a nobody when I had just slept with him. I took a bite of my burger, and when I looked up, my eyes met Ryker’s. Really? Did they have to sit so close to us?

“So tell me about Ryker.” Lisa was overly enthusiastic.

I saw that all the time when it came to those guys. “What do you want to know?”
That he’s an asshole?

“Does he have a girlfriend?” She popped a fry in her mouth.

“No. He doesn’t do girlfriends. He does girls and casts them aside.”

She nodded. “Well, that’s shitty, but look at him. Tell me you don’t want to be one of those girls, even for one night. To pull on that hair? And that tattoo… He’s got to be the hottest guy I’ve ever seen.”

My mouth gaped as I stared at her.

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry, Ms. Bishop. That was extremely inappropriate. Please don’t tell Mr. Haverty.”

Ms. Bishop? I giggled. “Relax, Lisa, and if you call me Ms. Bishop again, I will tell Mr. Haverty.” I took another bite and tried not to read not too much into Lisa’s comment. I was going to enjoy working with her.