Unexpected (11 page)

“
Five more
minutes, dear,” Trudy says.

Ryan comes up
beside me and places an arm around my shoulder. “How's it
going?”

“
Fine. I
helped your mom make dinner.”

“
So, you can
bake
and
cook?” he asks.

“
Wait a
second,” Phil says, holding up both hands. “Alina can bake? I want
some cookies. And pie.”

“
She made me
snickerdoodles,” Ryan tells him, puffing out his chest.

Phil pushes at
Ryan's shoulder. “Dude, not cool.”

“
Don't
worry,” I say. “I'd be more than happy to make something for
everyone sometime.”

“
In that
case, we'll have to have you over for dinner again,” Trudy says,
touching my arm.

All too
often, I wonder about the genuineness of a person. With Ryan and
his family, I don't. I know deep down that they're telling the
truth. I know I can trust them.
It’s something I’ve been
thinking about ever since my ex-boyfriend and best friend betrayed
me.
Something I've been
questioning. But with the Wilcox family? No doubt in my mind. “I'd
like that,” I tell her.

~*~

When we get back to
Ryan's after dinner, I tell him about Victoria's message from
earlier. “Considering what she's already done, I wouldn't put it
past her to do more if I don't clear everything out soon.”

“
You're
right,” Ryan says, making a face as we sit down on the couch.
“Well, I'm off tomorrow. I can help you move stuff.”

“
But where? I
can't move all my furniture and my bed here.”

He leans back,
staring straight ahead for a moment. “Would you be able to store
the bigger things at your parents' house? I know it's pretty far,
especially if you're going to be moving out this direction in the
near future, but it would only be a temporary thing.”

Huh. I never
thought of that. “I'll have to call my dad and see if there's
enough space in the garage, but that could work.”

“
You can
bring some more things here, too.”

“
I wouldn't
want to overcrowd you with boxes.”

“
I have
space. Besides, having some of it here makes for an easier move
when the time comes.”

When he mentions me
moving, it kind of bothers me. I don't know why. I mean, our
arrangement isn't exactly the sort of thing a person seeks out.
Sleeping on a couch isn't all it's cracked up to be, and neither is
living out of boxes. As a temporary thing, though, it isn't so bad.
The company more than makes up for the lack of sleep.

What am I going to
do when I have to leave?

Chapter
Twelve

–
Ryan
–

Monday morning,
Alina heads out early to check into the two bakeries she has in
mind for a job. I sleep in a little bit longer, then get up to
empty out the back of my truck. Alina's dad is going to be meeting
us at her old apartment at noon. Phil is coming here soon to follow
us there.

I'm still outside
when Alina pulls in. She walks over to me and I ask her, “How did
it go?”

“
The manager
at The Baker's Dozen practically hired me on the spot, but he has
to follow protocol and officially interview me first. So, I have an
interview with him tomorrow.”

“
Dude, that's
totally awesome.” I swoop down and pick her up for a
hug.

She laughs as she
holds on tightly. “I don't have the job yet.”

“
Ah, but you
will.” I set her back down. “I believe in you. And your
snickerdoodles.”

She laughs again.
“Come on. We have to get going soon. I want to get all this over
with quickly.”

As soon as
Phil gets here, we head out. Once we're at her old apartment, we
get to work right away. Alina told Victoria
not to be there
so we could get everything out quickly, and it helps not having a
bitter ex standing around bothering us.
Alina packs the remainder of her smaller things in boxes
while Phil, her dad, and I load the furniture into the trucks. It
takes most of the afternoon, but we get everything
moved.

Alina and Phil are
inside with her mom, leaving me alone with her dad in the garage.
I'm helping him move a couple boxes out of the way so he can get
his truck back in there. Before we go inside, he turns to me and I
notice his eyes are as blue as Alina's, even though his hair is
much darker and has a substantial amount of gray. He says, “You're
an upstanding young man for helping my daughter out like this.”

I smile. “Thank
you.”

“
Now, I know
there's nothing happening between the two of you.” He pauses, a
wrinkle forming between his eyebrows. “But I just want you to know
that you better continue to treat my girl with respect. If you
don't, you'll have to answer to me.”

“
I promise I
will,” I tell him, holding out my hand to shake his. He nods,
accepting my handshake and my promise. It's upsetting that Alina's
former boyfriends and their bad behavior cause her family to worry,
but I understand. I'm also thankful that her family cares as much
as they do. She deserves so much more in life, and I'm glad I can
do my part. I wish there were more I could do, but if this is all
there is,
I’m going to do it.

We go inside and
Alina's mom immediately brightens upon seeing me. “Ryan, I was just
telling Phil that we need to have you two over for dinner to thank
you.”

“
It's not
necessary, but I'll never pass up the opportunity for good food.
Especially if your food tastes as delicious as Alina's cookies
did.”

When I give her a
wink, she lets out a light laugh. “Well, aren't you sweet? Are you
available this weekend?”

“
Um, Saturday
might work out okay.” I pause to think. “Do you work Saturday
night, Phil?”

“
Not this
week.”

“
Then
Saturday it is!” Her mom beams. “Bring Brent with you, too. I'd
like to meet him.”

“
Of course,”
Phil says.

“
Thank you,
Mrs. Lyons,” I say.

“
Pish posh.”
She waves her hands toward me. “Call me Lorraine. No need to be
formal with me.”

I laugh. “Okay,
Lorraine.” I put an arm around Alina. “Ready to go back?” She nods,
then walks over to give her mom a hug. As she hugs her dad, her mom
comes over to give Phil and me a hug, too. “Do you need us to bring
anything Saturday?”

“
Just
yourselves.”

~*~

That evening after
dinner, Alina sits at the kitchen counter with a calculator and a
piece of paper. She's running some figures with jobs and
apartments. Half an hour later, she's sighing. “This isn't going to
work,” she says.

I sit down next to
her. “What isn't going to work?”

“
This.” She
points to the paper, showing me her calculations. “The bakery only
has three days a week available, and most of the other places I've
applied only have part-time hours. Even if I worked two jobs, I'm
still going to be able to cover only half of my expenses if I get
an apartment of my own.”

I glance over her
numbers and crunch a few alternatives in my head. She's right, it
isn't going to work. Even if she could get a full-time job, she'd
still be cutting it close with no room for emergencies. I frown.
“There aren't any apartments cheaper than this one?”

She shakes
her head. “It's the best price I could find. I mean, at an
apartment complex that is roach-free and
livable
.” She covers her face with her hands. “It
shouldn't be this complicated.”

It doesn't have to
be. “Stay here.”

Alina turns to me
slowly. “What?”

“
Stay here,”
I repeat.

She blinks at me.
“But...how could we...I mean, this is a one-bedroom. Where will I
sleep?”

“
My
bed.”

“
Where
will
you
sleep?”

“
My bed.” She
gives me a look and raises a hand to hit me, but I stop her. “My
lease will be up in a couple months. We could upgrade to a
two-bedroom. In the meantime, we can find a way to make this work.
I could get a futon so you can sleep on that instead of the
couch.”

She starts
laughing. “You're crazy. I mean, seriously out of your mind.”

“
Am I?
Because I think I'm very much in the right frame of mind.” It would
work. We already get along well despite the obstacles, and we're
friends. The temptation might be the only thing standing in our
way, but we're both strong enough to refrain from jumping each
other's bones. At least, I think
I
am.

She purses her
lips, glancing down at the paper one more time. “I'll think about
it.”

“
That's good
enough for me.”

“
You sure you
want to spend every day dealing with me?”

Absolutely
, I think,
but I tell her, “I've enjoyed the last week with you. I think the
real question that needs to be asked is if you can tolerate
me?”

She giggles. “Well,
that could be a problem.”

“
Hey,” I say,
raising my eyebrows. Just as I'm about to say something else, my
phone starts ringing. “Hold that thought.” I leave the kitchen and
go into my room to answer the call. “Hello?”

“
You asshole!
Where is it?”

Normally I wouldn't
be pleased to hear Victoria's voice, but right now? Perfect timing.
“Where's what?”

“
Don't play
dumb. My necklace. You took my necklace.”

I smirk. The
necklace—the one her parents got her for graduation—is
her
prized possession. She wore it almost every
time we went out. It took longer than I thought it would for her to
realize it wasn't sitting in her jewelry box. “I think you know
why.”

It takes her a
moment to realize what I'm referring to. She huffs loudly into the
phone. “So, you're blackmailing me?”

I smirk. “
I
wouldn't call it that.”

“
What would
you call it?” she asks nervously.

“
An even
exchange,” I say matter-of-factly.

She remains quiet
for a moment, but I can practically feel Victoria's anger in the
quiet breathing. “Fine! I'll meet you outside on my break
tomorrow.”

“
Deal.
Goodbye.” I hang up on her before she can reply. The plan is almost
complete.

Chapter
Thirteen

–
Alina
–

When I get up
Tuesday morning, I'm thoroughly exhausted from all the moving
yesterday. I wake myself up as much as I can and go in for my
interview at The Baker's Dozen. Franklin, the manager I met
yesterday, conducts the interview. I've only been on a handful of
interviews in my life, and this one feels like it goes well. He
seems pleased with my responses, and glad to hear the details of my
baking experience. He tells me he needs to talk to the owner, but
he'll be giving me a call by the end of the week.

Since I still
haven't heard back from any of the other jobs I applied to last
week, I cross my fingers that this one is the one. If I do get this
job, it will be great for me because I'll actually enjoy working
again. Then again, the fact that it's part-time is going to mean
I'll have to consider the possibility of becoming Ryan's roommate.
And that possibility is completely scaring the shit out of me.

Don't get me wrong,
I'm glad to have Ryan as a friend, and that he's willing to do
whatever he can to help me. On the other hand, with the obvious
attraction between us, being in such close quarters is a recipe for
disaster, and trust me—I know a thing or two about recipes.

I have a whole
afternoon to fill until Ryan's off work. I consider driving around
town to see if there's any store or office I might have missed last
week, but that doesn't sound remotely appealing. On my way back, I
pass the diner and realize I haven't gotten in touch with Willa
outside texting her my number.

I pull out my phone
and call her. She answers on the second ring. “I was just thinking
about you!”

I chuckle. “Oh
yeah?”

“
Yep! I just
finished my shift and wondered if you were free.”

“
As a matter
of fact, I am.”

~*~

Fifteen minutes
later, I meet Willa at a restaurant up the road. She's still in
diner clothes—the standard white polo over navy pants. We place our
order after getting our drinks and start talking.

“
So, tell me
what really happened when you left the diner,” Willa says. “Because
I have a feeling Geoffrey has a different perspective that is
skewed to suit his agenda.”

I fill her in on
everything that happened—at the diner, leading up to, and after.
“It's been a whirlwind week and a half,” I conclude.

“
I'll say!
But it sounds like it's been a good thing for you all
around.”

It has in a lot of
ways. “Hopefully that good streak continues.” And Alina's Law takes
a break from ruining my life.

“
Oh, it will.
It's hard to break a streak like that. I haven't had one of those
since high school. If I could reach the point where I don't have to
work two jobs, I might have one again.”