A Fourth of July Proposal, page 5
“I need the receipt, Jean. Mariah is going to reimburse us for this, since it’s for town business.”
Jean narrowed her eyes. But she carefully totaled up a receipt and passed it to Rachel, watching her fold it into her wallet.
Ryker held the door for her as she stepped out.
“Were you afraid Jean would think you were my sugar mama?” he asked, amusement running under the words. Amusement and...resignation?
Rachel bit back some very un-nice comments. “It’s not fair that she just assumes the worst.”
“You think getting that receipt is going to change her mind?”
It wouldn’t, Rachel knew. Not totally. But maybe it was a start.
“Does it bother you?” She’d told herself not to get involved. She could email her drawings to Ryker after this, and they didn’t need to meet up again. That would be smarter.
But this judgment Jean, and others, were passing was unfair. Rachel didn’t know Ryker, not really. But he’d served two tours in the military, which should earn him some respect. And he said he’d been sober for two years. That was also an accomplishment.
Ryker had done stupid things, bad things, before he left. But he’d also had a horrible home life. His sister Jess had been in Rachel’s class. Rachel had tried to befriend her. She knew more about how bad things had been in the Slade home than anyone like Jean could imagine.
Ryker just shrugged. “No point.”
“It bothers me.” Rachel had a strong sense of right and wrong.
She caught a small smile. “Don’t sweat it, Rachel. Nothing you can do.”
Ryker fell into step beside her as she headed home. He was wrong. There was a lot she could do. People didn’t notice what she did, and often overlooked her, but she’d been able to quietly deal with things behind the scenes. Her father and her uncle often were given credit for Rachel’s ideas. Rachel had been raised to be modest, so she hadn’t pushed herself forward, but she had some influence in this town.
There was no reason she should try to influence people about Ryker, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t tempted.
And that was an excellent reason not to do so. Especially when he wasn’t staying, and she was leaving.
She turned the corner to head up to Church Street. Ryker kept pace beside her.
“If you’re staying at Benny’s, this is the wrong way.”
“I’ll make sure you get home.”
“What do you think could possibly happen to me in Carter’s Crossing?”
He shrugged and kept walking beside her.
“If you were the person Jean thought you were, you wouldn’t be walking me home. Not unless you were going to mug me.”
She glanced at Ryker and found a mocking expression on his face.
“What?”
“I’m sure Jean could think of some other reasons to walk you home that weren’t quite...respectable.”
Rachel felt her cheeks flush. She hadn’t thought of anything like that. There was no way Ryker had, either. Not about her. Why would he?
He’d been who knows how many places in the past fourteen years. She’d been nowhere.
It was too bad she couldn’t borrow some of what he’d experienced. She’d like to know more, be more interesting. She could trade him some of her pristine reputation.
She didn’t want people to look at her like they did at Ryker. She didn’t want to go that far. But she wanted to be interesting. To maybe have a few secrets in her past.
She sneaked another look at Ryker.
He was staring ahead of them, appearing to have forgotten Rachel. His jaw was set, his face...sad? No, bleak was the word that sprang to mind.
He had secrets. He had stories. They weren’t pretty ones, she could tell, and she wasn’t stupid enough to wish to go through what he had.
But he’d tried things. Risked things. Whereas her life had been lived on the surface, with no surprises, he’d hit the depths.
He might have hit the heights, too. If so, he’d paid. Did he think it had been worth it?
He wasn’t stuck in this town, having never truly lived. She didn’t want to hit bottom and fail twice at marriage, but she wanted to do something, risk something.
She could only imagine what it must have been like, two weddings, two times stepping out to have that special someone, to build a future. He’d served his country, probably risked his life for others.
Rachel had put out chairs in the basement and baked cakes.
What a waste of a life.
She was going to have spent thirty years not really living. She wasn’t going to waste another thirty years like that.
Ryker stopped, and she realized they were at the gate to the parsonage.
“Thanks for walking me home.” She was glad it was dark. She had no idea what she looked like, with these thoughts rushing through her head.
“Good night, Rachel.” Ryker nodded and turned to head back to what had always been known as the wrong side of town.
Rachel’s fists were clenched in her pockets. She wanted to yell after Ryker, but she didn’t know what she’d say.
She wanted change. And this time, she was ready to do something about it.
* * *
RYKER CAME DOWN the stairs to the main floor. He’d worked on the town website after he’d walked Rachel home. This morning he’d brought home some groceries. He was, temporarily, at least, settled.
He didn’t know for how long. He couldn’t put off clearing up at the house. Once he’d gotten rid of the alcohol and garbage, he hoped it wouldn’t take long to get it ready to sell. Then he’d be free to go. A new place, where he didn’t bear the reputation of his past, and his family’s, appealed. There had been glances his way at the store, and on the street. In this town, his last name came with a bad reputation.
That was a burden he hadn’t carried for fourteen years.
“Hey, Benny.” His new boss/landlord was sitting at a bench, tools meticulously placed close at hand. He had something scattered in pieces around him.
Benny lifted his head. “Ryker. Glad to see you.”
“Brought you a coffee.”
“Thanks. You didn’t have to.”
“You’ve provided me with enough.” Ryker set it down near Benny’s left hand.
“You ready to work?”
Ryker leaned against the counter that ran across the front of the open space. There was room for customers to drop off their broken items. Ryker saw a lawn mower resting against the wall. People were preparing for spring. He jerked his head at the lawn mower.
“Want me to bring that back for you?”
“Sure,” Benny said. “But that’s not what I was referring to.”
Benny wheeled around to a table on the other side of the room. Ryker saw three laptops stacked up.
“Computer problems?”
Benny sighed. “Not exactly. The one on top needs to be cleaned up. There are enough viruses on that one that it won’t even start now. The others are for websites.”
Ryker frowned. “I don’t need any machine but my own to set up websites.”
“You know that, and I know that, but...” Benny ran a hand through his hair. “I tried to explain, I promise, but in the end, it was just easier to take the machines. Maybe you want to, I don’t know, do a quick cleanup on them anyway.”
Ryker looked at the laptops. They were older. They might need more than a cleanup.
“Did you get the passwords?”
Benny coughed. “They don’t have any.”
Ryker sighed. He’d need to explain security to these people. “So what’s this about websites?”
“It’s the Cupid thing.”
“I’m already doing the town website.”
Benny nodded. “These two are a couple of the seniors who are going to open bed-and-breakfasts. They need a website to take bookings. And it needs to tie in to the town website.”
Ryker stared at the laptops while he considered.
Mariah had mentioned something about connecting other local businesses, but she hadn’t indicated that it would be immediately. They hadn’t gone into the details of how that connection would be set up.
Seniors who brought in their computers, expecting to pick them up with a website ready to go obviously had no idea what was involved. They’d need photos, descriptions...not anything he could create out of thin air.
The town website was a project that could keep him busy and keep him in cash while he took care of the family home.
Two bed-and-breakfast websites would extend that for a short time. If he wanted to take it on. But it wasn’t going to be as simple. Mariah knew what she wanted and understood what was involved. Dealing with these seniors was going to be a whole lot different.
He was going to have to provide a short class in design for them as he worked on their sites. Explain it in a way they could understand. He wasn’t sure he wanted to make that kind of investment, not here in Carter’s Crossing.
No, Cupid’s Crossing. It would take a while to get used to that name.
“You okay?” Benny asked.
Ryker nodded. “Not sure I signed up for this.”
Benny laughed. “Yeah. It’s a project for sure. Are you ready for the bad news?”
Ryker turned to him. “This was the good news?”
Benny was serious now. “There were more people needing websites. They didn’t all bring laptops, but they thought I was doing the work. When I told them that was your baby, well...”
Ryker’s lips tightened. Yeah, he could imagine some of the reactions.
He hadn’t wanted to come back here. Carter’s Crossing was full of bad memories.
He didn’t need to get involved in a town that didn’t want him.
“Hey,” Benny said. “There are judgmental people here, like everywhere. But you’ve changed, and they’ll see that.” He shot a glance down at his chair. “I didn’t have the best reputation, but I turned it around.”
“How do you know I’ve changed?”
Benny rolled his eyes. “You’ve been here, how many days? You haven’t had a drink, you’ve gone nowhere but to AA and town meetings, and haven’t ravished anybody, or opened a hellmouth. Honestly, it’s been a little disappointing.”
Ryker had to hold back a laugh, and he didn’t laugh much anymore.
“I’ll be sure to schedule an orgy.”
“Okay, but it has to be at my place. I can’t get upstairs.” Benny grinned back.
“Noted.”
After a pause, Ryker picked up the three laptops. “Need anything?” he asked.
Benny wheeled back to his bench. “I’m good. Dad’s picking me up for dinner. Want to come with us?”
“No, thanks,” Ryker said. Benny merely nodded, already immersing himself in his work.
Ryker climbed back upstairs.
He wasn’t sure what to do about these additional websites, but he’d take a look at the computers. He was surprised at the implied trust leaving them here indicated. Maybe Rachel and the Giffords weren’t the only ones who thought he’d changed.
* * *
IT WAS GIRLS’ NIGHT again. Rachel was ready for wedding preparations. She was curious about what Mariah would come up with. She couldn’t remember a wedding here in Carter’s—Cupid’s Crossing that had been professionally planned.
Mariah sat down across from Jaycee and dropped a binder and notebook on the table. From what Rachel could see, it looked like Mariah had made a start. But that wasn’t what Mariah wanted to talk about.
“Jaycee, I’ll get to the wedding stuff. But first, can you guys tell me about the Slades?”
Rachel almost swallowed her tongue. What was Mariah doing?
“Why do you want to know about the Slades?” Jaycee asked.
Mariah was agitated. “I thought I’d found the perfect solution for the town website. Brian Gifford told me about this guy, his former student, Ryker Slade, who’d just come back to town, and that he designs websites. I looked up some of his work. He’s good.”
Rachel almost smiled, but Ryker’s success had no connection to her. Still, she was glad to know he was doing well.
“He’s someone from the town, does good work and should know this place, right? But I’ve had a lot of blowback from people warning me about him and worried what he’ll do.
“First of all, do they think I’m stupid? The guy has a good reputation and does good work, or I wouldn’t consider hiring him.
“He’s a veteran, and he’s a local. Why are so many people afraid of him?”
Jaycee looked at Rachel. “Maybe you can explain it better, Rachel?”
Rachel hoped her face wasn’t flushed.
“Ryker’s dad...well, he’s not a nice man.” Wasn’t that an understatement? The Slades had a place outside town, and his mother, she died when the kids were still pretty young. There were seven of them. Ryker’s dad was injured at the mill, so he couldn’t work. What he could do was drink.
“The kids sometimes showed up at school with bruises. And they didn’t always show up. My dad went out there a couple of times, but it didn’t go well.
“The kids got into trouble. I don’t think any of the boys finished high school, at least not here.”
Mariah narrowed her eyes. “Sounds like maybe the people in town could have done a bit more to help the family. I mean, if the man was hurting his kids—”
Rachel nodded. “People are more aware now. And yes, we probably should have.”
Rachel had tried, in her own way. She tutored Ryker and befriended his sister. It hadn’t been enough, and it hadn’t done any real good.
“So the dad was a drunk.”
“Not just a drunk.” Jaycee leaned forward. “He was mean and would get in fights. If he was mad at you, he would do stuff. Nothing you could prove, but burned-down sheds, cars broken into, things like that. He hasn’t been able to do anything lately, ’cause he can’t get around much anymore, but he was awful. He went into a home recently, right, Rachel?”
Rachel nodded. “A month ago.”
Jaycee shivered. “I don’t envy the people taking care of him in the home.”
Mariah tapped her pen on the table.
“Okay, Mr. Slade senior was bad news. Why are people so upset with Ryker?”
Jaycee and Mariah were waiting for Rachel to explain.
“Ryker got in an accident, drove a car into a tree. He was seventeen. He was drunk. It wasn’t his car.”
Rachel had been devastated when she heard the news.
“When he could leave the hospital, he was given a choice. Instead of being arrested, he joined the air force. This is the first he’s been back since.”
Mariah was still tapping her pen.
“So has he changed, or is he still trouble? Should I cut him off this project?”
“No,” Rachel blurted.
Mariah asked, “No, he hasn’t changed, or no, I shouldn’t cut him off?”
It was stupid, but Rachel didn’t want him to leave. And he had changed. He shouldn’t be chased away by his past, and by what his dad had done.
“He’s changed.”
“That’s right, you met with him. You’re sure he’s changed?”
Rachel hoped her heated cheeks weren’t obvious.
“Yeah, we met up to talk about those Cupids.”
Jaycee looked puzzled, so they explained about Rachel’s sketches.
“And, well, there’s stuff I can’t share with you,” Rachel said. AA was supposed to be anonymous, after all, and she never divulged the information she had access to from her work or helping her dad.
Jaycee understood. “I know, confidential stuff from the church and the law office. Okay, if you can vouch for him, I think we should give him a chance.”
Jaycee hadn’t grown up in a perfect home, so she had sympathy for anyone who had to prove themselves. Her future mother-in-law was biased against her because of her upbringing.
Mariah gave a nod. “That’s what I thought. His reputation for web design is excellent. I reached out to some of his clients, and they’re pleased with his work. I’m not going to lose a good asset because of some misplaced prejudice. I’ll talk to Abigail. See what we can do about that.
“Okay, now let’s get to what Jaycee wants to hear. The summer wedding. I’ve got some ideas. And Abigail thinks the Romance Committee might get behind this. Do you mind if we make a big deal of your wedding, Jaycee?”
Jaycee’s face split in a smile. “Not at all. What are you thinking?”
Rachel readied herself to listen and provide the appropriate responses, but the conversation with Mariah had given her an idea. Maybe she could help Ryker and herself at the same time.
CHAPTER FOUR
RACHEL WALKED HOME. She didn’t have an escort this time and felt safer without Ryker’s disturbing presence. And it gave her time to work out this idea.
Part of her mind was stuck on Ryker. It wasn’t right that he wasn’t getting a fair shot here. Sure, he’d had problems growing up. But Mariah had made a good point. Carter’s hadn’t done much for the Slade kids.
Ryker was stuck with the reputation he’d had when he left. Never mind that he’d served two tours. He could have chosen to try to fight an arrest back then. He could have followed the path his older twin brothers had.
She understood, in a weird way. She was stuck with a reputation, as well. He was the bad boy; she was the good girl. She didn’t want to have that label when she left.
Was she going to be able to be a different person in a different place? It would be easier to stick with her same routines and habits when she no longer had the comfort of familiar work and friends. But if she did that, there was almost no point in leaving.
It would be good to change things up before she left.
