Meet Me Halfway by Dee Lagasse

Author:Dee Lagasse [Lagasse, Dee]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-07-29T16:00:00+00:00

18

Carina

“Ohhh, oh! Ryan! It’s your turn.”

After using a small mountain of napkins to get the ice cream off Lina’s face and hands, we all climbed in the Jeep, the warm air blowing into the windows as I started to drive away from the ice cream stand.

The bright days filled with sunshine are limited. So, I’m taking every advantage to soak up this mini summer. I love living in New England, but I can’t say I’m a huge fan of the frigid winters that will be here soon enough.

“My turn?” Ryan questions as the Jonas Brothers song playing comes to an end. The silence in the Jeep is louder than the music that just finished. “For what?”

“To pick a song,” Lina says, laughing in the backseat. “Mom picked a song. I picked a song. Now it’s your turn.”

Dumbfounded, I’m glad there’s no real reason for me to speak right now.

Our car routine has been the same since Lina was four. After listening to the Frozen soundtrack approximately five hundred and ninety-two times in a row, I needed a break from “letting it go.” So, I implemented the every-other-song rule.

Every other song, Lina and I get to pick what we want to listen to. Every car ride for the last four years, we’ve done it. No matter who’s in the car with us. Sometimes Lina would pick with a friend, but we’ve never given anyone else a song selection. Not even my parents, siblings, or Archer have gotten to pick their own songs—people that have been constant throughout her entire life.

I’m probably overanalyzing this, and Lina’s just being nice. We’ve had a fun afternoon, and Ryan was kind to her. Kinder than he needed to be, which seems to be his forte.

And, the Domenico girls are both falling for it.

I can see it in the admiration in Lina’s eyes. It’s there in the way my stomach flutters every time he calls me “love.”

The tinge of warning first came when they started talking about soccer, but he showed his true colors the moment we stepped onto the Halfway Homemade set. The way he patiently answered every question she rapid-fired at him, and the level of respect in Lina’s voice as she had asked. But, talking about a sport they both clearly love gave them a personal connection that had nothing to do with me.

“‘For Once in My Life,’” Ryan says, after giving it a moment to think it over. “By Stevie Wonder.”

Hook, line, and sinker.

I can handle pushing aside my own feelings for the sake of being professional, but as Lina’s mom, it’s my job to make sure she doesn’t have any unrealistic expectations of Ryan as well. Which is why, after we drop Ryan off at his hotel, this will be the last time we see him off set.

Last night and today have been wonderful. Spending time with him has awakened a part of me I wasn’t sure even existed anymore. But no matter how I break this down, the fact remains that he’s my boss.

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