Nobody's Lost (Rescue Me Saga #5)(63)

He entered the garage. On closer inspection, she noticed dark circles under his eyes. Had he lost weight, too, even though it had only been a few days since she’d last seen him?

What struck her next, though, was an inner peace she’d never seen before. His eyes no longer held that lost expression she’d noted the first night he’d shown up here. Even his body was more relaxed than before.

“You okay, Red?”

She wished he’d call her baby, which he did when they were more intimate. “Why wouldn’t I be?” The man was too perceptive for his own good, so she averted her gaze.

He remained silent. Did he want to continue being her friend? Could they go from such passion back to mere friendship? Ryder needed her more than she needed him, but she hadn’t seen him reach out to anyone else during the time they had spent together, either—not his sister or his best friend.

She met his gaze. She’d promised to always be there for him. Maybe that’s why he’d come here today. Did he need to talk with her?

“Hey, I’m finished here for the day. Want to have an early dinner in Old Town? I know of a small place that won’t be crowded this time of day.”

He didn’t respond for a long while, but she noticed a tension return to his body that had been absent for a short while. She expected him to say no. Finally, he relaxed again. “Sounds good. We can talk. But first, I have something for you. Wanted to be sure you were home first.”

If all they could have was a deeper friendship, then so be it. At least she could have one small part of Ryder’s heart. She wasn’t sure that would always be enough, but at least they would be able to spend time together.

He returned to his Harley and unhooked something attached by bungee cords to the back seat of his bike. When he faced her again, he carried what looked like a desktop computer tower.

Wait. That wasn’t just any tower.

She held the door open for him. “Where did you find it?”

“It’s a long story. I’ll explain over dinner.”

He refused to let her carry it, so she showed him the way to her makeshift studio and set it on the desk in the corner. From a pouch she hadn’t noticed slung over his chest, he pulled out several cords. “I’ll have to leave it to you to figure out what goes where.”

“I’ll take care of it tomorrow. Let’s go to dinner. I’m dying to hear this story.”

A quarter of an hour later, they were shown by the hostess to a table in a corner. Ryder sat where he could watch both entrances into the room. She had always thought of this place as intimate and cozy. One of the oldest adobe homes in the city, its rooms had been converted into dining areas for the New Mexican cuisine restaurant.

Even though they were the only patrons seated in this room, Ryder’s gaze kept darting between the room’s two entrances every time a server walked through a door.

She sighed.

“I’m sorry, Ryder. If you’d rather go to the condo, we can make dinner ourselves. Patrick may pop in, but you’ll be able to relax more there.”

He stared at her as if he wasn’t aware of what he’d been doing—or that she’d notice, perhaps. “I’m fine. This looks like a nice place.”

“It has some of the best red sauce in the city. The green’s good, too, if you can handle the heat.”

“Green’s my favorite.”

Why didn’t that surprise her? Beneath the surface, the man absolutely smoldered. She smiled.

“By the way, I’m going to meet your sister tomorrow to go over my portfolio and put some consignment pieces in her store. Tell me what she’s like.”

“She’s two years older than I am, but I’ve always felt kind of responsible for her. Our dad left before I was born, and Mom worked long hours at a demanding job. Marcia and I were on our own a lot of the time.”

“I’m sorry your mom couldn’t be there for you emotionally, although being a single mom has to be one of the biggest stressors in the world.”

“Mom made sure we had a roof over our heads and our bellies full. Marcia and I were luckier than a lot of kids.”

“I’m sure, but children need both parents. Of course, kids are better off without an abusive parent. Adam probably made out better in life by leaving. But he made himself a new family with Damián and Marc. Who knows? They might have been lost, as well, if not for going into business with him. I know they helped Adam, especially in the years before he had Karla. Judging by all the love in the house for their wedding, I’d say he has an amazing extended-family network set up, too.”

“Yeah. I’m learning he cares what happens to us all. What kind of business are they in?”

“We didn’t really discuss it much. Some kind of social club in downtown Denver. His wife’s a singer there. Until he and Karla moved recently, they lived in the building where the club’s located. Not in the safest neighborhood so I’m sure the decision to move was because of the safety of his growing family… Okay, now tell me how you came to be in possession of my computer.”

“Yeah, well, one of the Marines I served with, Grant—I think you said you met her.”

“Mm-hmm. At Adam’s wedding.”

He averted his gaze as if the subject was too painful. “She found out I was struggling and, well, took it upon herself to rescue me.”