“Do you think you’ll ever tell him?”

“Maybe. Not sure what the point would be at this time. And honestly, even if he didn’t know and found out today, what would it change?”

“To help you heal,” Ryot says in such a kind and understanding voice that it nearly makes me cry. And I never cry. I learned very quickly that crying was a weak thing to do. Pathetic, groveling mouse. That’s all you are. Pathetic. You’ll never amount to anything. Especially as a crybaby.

I blow out a heavy breath and glance toward Lake Michigan and the dark waves lapping at the beach. I haven’t heard her voice saying those things for a while now. That’s what even thinking about her does to me. “I shouldn’t be on the verge of tears on our first date. Maybe we change the subject.”

“You’re considering this a date?” he asks, his voice playful, and I know he’s trying to pull me out of the sadness that just eclipsed this conversation.

“Well, maybe half a date. There wasn’t a full meal involved.”

“Guess I need to impress you even more next time.”

I reach out and press my hand to his chest. “You’ve already impressed me more than anyone ever has. No need to pull out all the stops.”

“Yeah, well, with me, you get the full treatment, Myla.”

* * *

“What are you doing?” I ask as Ryot reaches for his car door handle.

“Uh, going to walk you to your townhome.”

I shake my head. “No, that’s not necessary. We can just say bye here.”

In a teasing tone, he asks, “You ashamed of me?”

“No, I just don’t want to make a big thing of it.”

He turns toward me, one arm draped over his steering wheel as he asks, “But how the hell am I supposed to romance you if I don’t walk you to your door?”

“No need to romance me. You already have me hooked. It was infuriating trying to forget about you these past few weeks.”

“Should I apologize for being unforgettable?”

I fold my arms and nod. “Yeah, you should. Ridiculous actually. A girl is trying to move on, and there you are, posting stupid batting videos, getting me all distracted.”

“Ha!” He points his finger at me. “I knew you saw them.”

I roll my eyes dramatically. “Of course I saw them. And I knew you posted those on purpose, just to get under my skin.”

“Looks like it worked.” His smile is so wide, so handsome, that it makes me want to kiss it right off him.

“It wasn’t the video that made me miss you.”

“No?” he asks, a question on his brow.

“No, it was not talking to you. It felt like when you left Phoenix, it was sort of like . . . well, it was nice knowing that guy. But when I came out here, and you were close, not talking to you about all the stupid shit you were posting or just joking around was sad. It made me feel even worse than I did before.”