October Kiss by Kristen Ethridge

Author:Kristen Ethridge
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Hallmark Publishing
Published: 2018-07-30T21:40:22+00:00

The little restaurant in the barn was rustic, but charming. Strings of lights twinkled overhead. Flickering LED candles had been placed in the center of each table. Red and white checkered tablecloths added a farm-fresh feel and a dose of cheer.

It felt comfortable.

As Ryan pulled the chair out for Poppy, he thought about how well that word fit. He also felt comfortable. For once, he felt at ease without his phone. He didn’t feel like he needed to be plugged in. Why couldn’t more days be like this?

The answer was more obvious than he cared to admit. He was the one keeping himself from having more days like this.

That needed to change. He needed more days where the kids got fresh air and he had a smile on his face. Ryan knew what he needed to do.

“I need to buy a sailboat,” he said as he took the seat across from Poppy.

“Whaaat?” She extended the syllable by several beats.

“A sailboat. Don’t you think the kids would love it?” He opened his menu and looked down. “Or maybe a camper. We could go up the coast, head into Canada. Explore a little bit. Do you think the kids would prefer sailing or camping?”

Poppy folded her hands on the edge of the table and eyed him carefully. “When do you plan to have time for all this recreation?”

Ryan studied her face. Skepticism was painted liberally over every plane and curve. “After the Food with Friends deal is through.”

“So, once it’s done, you’re done? They’re paying you enough so that you don’t ever have to work again? That’s awesome.”

He’d given the wrong impression. “Well, no, not exactly. Although I won’t deny that it will make a lot of things easier. It will pay off the house and pay for college for the kids. That frees me up to pursue other things I’d like to do.”

Poppy lifted her water glass. “So what will you do?”

“Well, the team is already working on about three other apps.”

“Ryan, that’s not a camper or a sailboat.” She gave him a level stare. “So once you finish this project, you’re on to other projects?”

He’d stepped right into that trap.

“I’m a workaholic, aren’t I?”

Poppy nodded way too fast for Ryan’s comfort. “Totally.”

“And you don’t think the sailboat or the RV are good ideas?”

She squeezed a lemon wedge into her water before taking another sip. When Poppy put her glass down, she answered. “I think they’re great ideas. I just don’t think they’re great for you.”

That sounded damning, even though Ryan knew Poppy didn’t mean it that way.

“Why not?” he asked.

“Because you need to make promises and stick with them. I know you’re trying to do better. But painting a big picture of fun like that for the kids is going to get their hopes up. If the sailboat is just going to collect dust or barnacles or whatever at the marina, then it’s not the right decision. You can rent one for the day. Or you can book a cabin in British Columbia for the weekend.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.