Moving Forward, page 9
Jen, on the other hand, had kept to herself. She had lived in Woodland Park her whole life but seemed quiet and shy. While he talked to just about everyone, she’d hung out with her small group of friends.
Of course, she’d also been mourning her father and dealing with her mom’s grief, too.
Every little bit of herself she’d shared with him had felt special, especially since he had a feeling she didn’t tell all that many people much about herself. For some reason, she’d decided to trust him enough to share some of her circumstances. But, instead of protecting that gift, he’d brought her right into the center of the high school rumor mill.
Ryan glanced her way. Jen’s posture was stiff and the muscles in her face looked tense.
He should’ve taken her someplace else. He’d asked her to the movies because it had always been his go-to first date. They could talk, but if things got weird then they could just stare at the screen.
Obviously, he should’ve thought things through. He pressed his hand in the middle of her back. He wanted to reassure her—and maybe show everyone that he was proud to be with her. He leaned toward her and said quietly, “We can go somewhere else if you’d like.”
“Ryan, it’s too late to do that. You already bought the tickets.”
“I don’t care about the tickets.”
“I do.”
“Jen, really.” He lowered his voice. “I promise, I didn’t realize so many people were going to be here.”
“Of course not, how could you?” She shook her head. “If we leave now, it’s going to send the wrong message to everyone. They’re going to assume I made you leave. I don’t really care what they think, but I don’t want them to get upset with you.”
“They won’t.” Honestly, she was right. A couple of people would get pissed off, but who even cared? Not him. Not anymore.
“Sure they will. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life having to avoid half of our graduating class. Plus . . .” Her voice trailed off.
Ryan was just about to tease her for worrying so much . . . until he realized what she was looking at. His stomach sank.
“Hey Ryan,” Campbell said as she sauntered closer. She flipped a lock of her long blonde hair over one shoulder. “This is a great surprise, right? I didn’t know you were going to be here.”
“I didn’t know you were going to be here, either. I thought you were out of town.” He’d thought she would be in Vail for the summer and was glad. They had dated for only a few weeks, but it was long enough for him to learn she was borderline crazy.
Campbell needed a lot of attention, which was the opposite of Jen in every single way. Jen worked all the time while Campbell didn’t work at all. Jen cared about everyone. Campbell, on the other hand, didn’t seem to care about anyone but herself. Jen was sweet to him. She was encouraging and positive. Campbell expected him to lift her up. Jen didn’t need to be part of a crowd, Campbell craved being in the center of everything. When they were alone, they hadn’t had anything to say.
Going to the movies was perfect for him and Campbell. They would be seen, surrounded by other people he liked better, and didn’t have to talk to each other too much.
Campbell frowned. “I decided to bail. Everything there is really expensive and my parents hardly gave me any money. I was bummed, but now I think it’s a good thing.” She smiled. “We’ll have to do something since I’m back.”
“Yeah, I don’t think so.” Realizing they were standing alone, Ryan looked around for Jen. He found her standing a couple of feet away, talking to some girls from band.
Relieved that she didn’t look upset that he was talking to his ex-girlfriend, Ryan relaxed slightly.
Campbell, on the other hand, was eyeing Jen with a look of distaste. “Are you going out with Jen Ferguson?”
“Obviously.”
She sniffed. “I didn’t think you two even knew each other.” Her smile turned smug. “Or did you two hang out without me knowing?”
There was no way he was going to give Campbell any information to use against Jen.
“Nope. See you, Campbell.”
She put a hand on her hip. “Wait. That’s it?”
“Uh, yeah. We broke up, right?”
“Yes, but—”
“It really is over, Cam. Deal with it or don’t, I don’t care. But if you make a scene here, I’ll see you regret it.”
Ignoring Campbell’s shocked expression, Ryan moved to Jen’s side. “Hey. Sorry about that.” He reached for her hand. After a second, she threaded her fingers through his. “Don’t worry about it. I was fine.”
“I’m glad.” Turning to her friends, he said, “Hey, Kris. And . . . Amanda, right?”
“Yeah. Hi,” said Amanda.
“How are you, Ryan?” Kris asked.
“Okay. How are you? Are you still working at Jo’s Kolaches?”
“Yep.”
Jen looked surprised. “I didn’t know you two knew each other.”
“We were in science club together,” Kris explained.
Ryan smiled at her. “Did you get into University of Denver?”
“Yep.” She grinned. “They gave me a great scholarship.”
“That’s awesome. Congrats.”
“Thanks. What about you?”
“Colorado State–Pueblo.”
“I’m glad. Hey, I can’t believe you got Jen to see Doomed.”
The amusement in her voice made him pause. “Why is that?”
“Uh, because Jennifer Ferguson hates scary movies,” Amanda supplied.
Ignoring the way Jen was pulling on his hand, Ryan said, “Really? Jen told me it was fine.”
Amanda grinned. “She lied.”
Their date was going from bad to worse. “Jen, do you want to see something else?”
“No.”
“Are you sure?”
Looking perturbed, she shook her head. “My friends are just giving me a hard time. I’ll be fine. And we should go in or we’re not going to be able to find good seats.”
“Are you two going in now, too?” asked Ryan. “You can sit with us if you’d like.”
“Thanks, but we’re gonna go see the new John Green tearjerker.”
“You couldn’t pay me to see that,” Ryan said with a grimace.
Jen smiled at him. “Which is why I said yes to Doomed. I knew you wouldn’t be up for that.”
“Oh, but, I mean, I would’ve gone if you wanted to,” he backpedaled.
“I know. And you would’ve also been miserable. I wasn’t going to do that to you.” She held up the hand that he wasn’t clasping and waved to her friends. “See you later.”
“Call me, Jen,” Kris said.
“I will.”
Now that Campbell was out of the way, it seemed like everyone who had been actively watching them had calmed down. Ryan was relieved. Jen was still holding his hand, so he figured she wasn’t too upset by all that had happened. Maybe this date wasn’t going to be a catastrophe after all.
After waiting in line for a couple of minutes, he paid for two Cokes and a large popcorn. “I’m so glad you wanted popcorn,” he said. “I was afraid you wouldn’t.” Most girls he knew refused to eat much when they went out, as though guys would be shocked that they also consumed food.
She smiled shyly at him. “I love movie popcorn. I don’t know why.”
“Because it’s freaking delicious.” When she laughed, he squeezed her hand. “Do you really hate scary movies?”
“Kind of, but I need to get over it.”
He didn’t ask what she meant by that. After handing over their tickets, they walked into their theater at last. It was already dark and the previews were on. When they found their places, he took a chance and lifted the divider between his seat and Jen’s. When she scooted a little closer to him, he knew it was the right move. Surrounded by the dark, Ryan felt truly comfortable for the first time all evening. At last he wasn’t worried about his friends or if he was saying the right thing. Jen was relaxed, and their hands kept brushing against each other’s every time they reached into the popcorn container. It really was like being in their own private little space.
When the first notes of Doomed’s opening theme played, he reached for her hand. “Squeeze my hand every time you get afraid,” he whispered.
She smiled. “Okay, but you might regret it.”
“I won’t.” If a scary movie was what it took to get her to hold his hand the entire time, then he’d take her to nothing but.
* * *
• • •
Three hours later, they were sitting at a table in the back of Granger’s and Jen was still beet red.
“I’m so sorry,” she said for about the fifth time. “I hope you won’t have a scar or anything.”
When the serial killer found the heroine, she’d squealed and dug her nails into his hand. The sting of pain caught him off guard, though by then he’d realized that Kris hadn’t been exaggerating even a little bit. Jen didn’t just dislike scary movies, she hated them.
Because they petrified her.
Looking down at the tiny cut that one of her nails had made on his knuckle, he rolled his eyes. “This little mark is nothing. I got hurt a whole lot worse every day at practice.”
“It’s more than just a little mark, Ryan.” Neither of them had noticed the little half-moon of dried blood until they’d sat down at their table. And once they’d figured out that it came from her nail, she’d looked like she’d been about to cry.
After he returned from washing his hands—and showing her that you couldn’t even tell it was there—she’d started apologizing again.
“Some date I am. You take me to the movies and I repay you by drawing blood.” She held up a hand. He didn’t even try to stop himself from smiling. Every time the killer was on the hunt, she’d leaned closer and closer to him. By the time he attacked, she was almost sitting in his lap. He’d loved the excuse to keep his arms around her.
She sighed. “I guess I’m being ridiculous.”
“It’s not ridiculous, it’s cute.”
Their server’s approach cut off any further discussion about it. “What would you like?”
Ryan gestured to her. “Jen, you go first.”
“I’ll have the soup-and-sandwich combo.”
“Got it,” the server said. “And for you?”
“A burger and fries.”
“Which one, hon?” the server asked.
“A Granger with cheddar cheese.”
She scribbled on her notepad. “Y’all want anything to drink?”
Noticing she still seemed reluctant to go first, Ryan prompted her again. “Jen, what do you want?”
“Just water, thanks.”
“I’ll take a Coke,” Ryan said.
The server winked at him. “You’ve got yourself a good one there, honey. Good for you.”
After the server walked away, Jen chuckled. “That was kind of odd, right? I have no idea what she was talking about.”
He knew. He’d taken Campbell to Granger’s a couple of times and she’d been so difficult, he was pretty sure the waitstaff drew straws to see who would have to put up with her. “She was talking about you not ordering anything expensive. Some dates take advantage.”
“Oh.”
She wasn’t looking at him, which made him wonder if maybe Jen was only thinking of the price of everything. “Hey, you know this meal is my treat, right?” He was worried she hadn’t ordered a drink because she was trying to economize.
“No way, Ryan. I can pay for my meal.”
“That’s not the point.”
“Maybe it isn’t. But I didn’t come out with you to get a free meal.”
“I never thought that.”
“Okay. I’m just saying that you don’t have to pay all the time.”
“You are full of surprises,” he said.
“Why is that?”
“You live in this really fancy house, but you never dress like you’re rich.”
“Ah, that’s because I’m not rich.”
“You order the cheapest thing on the menu even though I was paying.”
“The soup tonight is broccoli cheese. It’s my favorite.”
“Okay . . .”
“I’m serious!”
“I get it!” He laughed to cover his realization he was sounding like a jerk. “Sorry, I’m not trying to make a big deal out of nothing. It’s just that I’m used to something different.”
“You’re used to Campbell.”
“Maybe I am, but I hope not. We didn’t date all that long.”
“Not as long as you dated Allie, I guess.”
Surprised again, he blurted, “You’ve kept track of who I’ve gone out with?”
“I promise, I haven’t been stalking you. It was just kind of common knowledge.”
“Common knowledge?”
“Pretty much everyone knew who you were going out with.”
“Yeah, right.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Come on. You aren’t surprised, are you? You were a pretty big deal. Plus, it wasn’t like you were trying to keep it under wraps. Allie and Campbell sure weren’t. They were pretty proud to have snagged you.”
“I hate that word.”
“Sorry, but that’s the one they used.”
Ryan drank about half his glass of water. “The truth is that I’ve dated a lot of girls who were into showing off. Not like you.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, I have no idea who you dated last year.”
She chuckled. “That’s because I didn’t date anyone.”
“Not at all?”
She shook her head as she shifted with obvious discomfort. “And now I feel even more like you’re out of my league.”
“What are you talking about?”
She covered her face with a hand. “Oh God. Just forget it, okay?” She moaned. “Listen, I promise . . . I’m not trying to be your girlfriend or anything.”
Since he’d been working pretty darn hard to get her attention, he was kind of offended. “Why not?”
“Because you’re going off to college.”
“You are, too, right?”
“I haven’t decided yet. I think I’m going to take some classes at Pikes Peak Community College, but I don’t know.” Her eyes lit up. “You’ll have a great time, no doubt. You’ll meet everyone and find some sorority girl to date.”
“How come you’re only going to community college? I thought you did okay in school.” Plus, she was rich, so she probably didn’t have to depend on a bunch of scholarships to go. She lived in a huge house.
Jen bit her lip, seemed to weigh her words, then said, “Everything is up in the air. I can’t decide what I want to do. My mom kind of needs me around.”
“She’s doing that bad?”
Averting her eyes, Jen shrugged. “She . . . well, she doesn’t cope well on her own.”
“Really? That’s too bad.”
Meeting his eyes again, she said, “My family’s kind of messed up. That’s why I said you’re out of my league. There’s no reason why you should ever be interested in a girl like me.”
“Maybe everything you just said are all reasons I am.”
When she bit her lip and gave him a look that said he’d just shocked her, Ryan grinned.
“I mean it, Jen. I don’t want to date the female version of me or another girl like Allie or Campbell. I want someone different.”
“Like me?” she asked in a wry tone.
“Yeah. You.”
Her cheeks flushed but she didn’t argue.
That was good. No, it was awesome. Maybe he’d just figured out how to get Jennifer Ferguson to take him seriously. All he had to do was be completely honest and blunt.
He could work with that.
Chapter 12
Jen’s scowl would’ve been funny if she hadn’t looked like she was coming over to quit. Kristen pretended to brace herself against the counter.
“Uh-oh. What happened?”
“Campbell happened,” she practically growled. “I can’t even believe that she’s here.”
Half-entertained and half-dismayed, Kristen raised her eyebrows at her usually easygoing employee. “Am I supposed to know what that means?”
“No.”
“Excuse me?”
Suddenly looking embarrassed, Jen sighed. “Sorry. I’m not making much sense, am I?”
“You’re not. And I would appreciate it if you would dial your attitude down a notch. I prefer to keep my customers content, not scare them away.”
“I’m sorry.” After looking around to make sure no one could overhear, Jen said, “A girl I know from school was just here and she was being awful.”
“Why? Is something the matter?” Kristen tried to imagine what could have happened.
“Yeah. She’s Ryan Halstead’s ex-girlfriend.”
“Ah.” Knowing Jen’s mood was because of her love life and not something to do with the store, Kristen relaxed. “So you’ve got a woman scorned after you?”
“I guess, but it doesn’t even make sense. Ryan and I aren’t together, we’ve only gone out once. Plus, Campbell and Ryan were only together for a few weeks and broke up months ago. Why does she even care?”
“Sometimes that happens. If Campbell can’t have Ryan, she doesn’t want anyone else to have him. Or she didn’t think she wanted him, but now that you do, she suddenly wants him back.”
