He was, but seeing her perked him up. Perked him up a lot, actually, but he was afraid if he talked her into a morning quickie, it wouldn’t be so quick. They had a good five and a half hours or more on the road in front of them.
She’d packed some overnight things into an oversize purse, which he stowed in one of the bike’s side bags, where he’d already stashed the leather jacket he’d borrowed from Josh. It would be too big for Lauren, but he’d rather have it and not need it. For now, the wool sweater she was wearing over a turtleneck would probably be enough. After she’d tucked her phone into her purse, he put that in the side bag, too, and she was ready.
Once he had the big bike balanced, he jerked his head to let her know he was ready. Steadying herself with her hands on his shoulders, she swung her leg over and settled on the padded seat behind him. When she trailed her hands over his back to his waist and her thighs hugged his hips, Ryan made a mental note to go motorcycle shopping.
It didn’t take long to get to the diner, but when he helped her off, he saw her cheeks were pink from the cold. “Maybe we should just take the truck.”
“No!” Lauren smiled and rubbed her hands on her jeans to warm them up. “This is invigorating. I love it.”
He wasn’t so sure “invigorating” would be the right word when they were doing fifty, but he had the leather coat and gloves for her if it didn’t warm up as much as the forecast claimed it would.
Paige waved when they walked in and gestured toward an empty table near the back. The place was doing one hell of a Saturday-morning business, but she looked as though she had it under control. He wasn’t sure how she did it. The ability to carry more than one cup of coffee at a time without sloshing it everywhere was impressive enough, never mind remembering who ordered what.
Ryan slid into the booth across from Lauren, aware that nobody in the diner had given them a second look. Once you stopped attracting curious glances and triggering whispered conversations, he supposed you were a real couple.
Paige barely slowed down as she dropped off their coffees and took their order, but when she brought their food, she managed to stand still for a minute.
“They accepted our offer on the house,” she told them, happiness practically pouring off her in waves.
“The one with the barn and the land and the giant shower?” Lauren asked.
“That’s the one. Mitch wants to have some remodeling done before we move in, but I don’t know if I can wait.”
It was on the tip of Ryan’s tongue to make the offer. He was a builder and Mitch was his brother, after all, so it was only right he offer to handle the remodeling. And it would give him an excuse to stay in Whitford longer. With Lauren.
But he’d probably lose his business. At the very least, he’d definitely lose Wendi and he couldn’t afford that, so he kept his mouth shut.
“I definitely want to try to move in before Thanksgiving though.”
Ryan laughed. “I don’t think things move that fast.”
“You never know. The house is empty, so it’s just a matter of paperwork. I wonder if Rosie would mind if I hosted Thanksgiving this year. If she doesn’t, you guys will come, right?”
“Sure,” he said before Lauren had a chance to reply.
It was only after Paige ran off to deliver an order and Lauren gave him a funny look before digging into her scrambled eggs that he started second-guessing his answer. Had Paige been asking each of them—as one of her best friends and her brother-in-law—over for turkey in her new house, or had the invitation been to them as a couple?
He’d answered for them as a couple, he realized. Like the diners around them who’d stopped taking note of them being together, he’d taken for granted they were in the kind of relationship that assumed they’d spend Thanksgiving together. But, aside from the fact that he had no idea if she felt that way, Lauren had a son and a family of her own. He probably shouldn’t go around making those kinds of assumptions.
“Will we actually be able to see the ocean from the road?” Lauren asked, and the moment to apologize or even get her take on the situation seemed to have passed.
“Here and there, for a bit. I was thinking once we get down to the coast, we’d go down as far as Hampton Beach before cutting across to Brookline. We can stop there for a little while if you want.”
“I’d like that. I love the ocean in the fall, when the waves are choppy and gray, especially if the sky’s a little stormy.”
“We don’t want too stormy,” he pointed out, and she laughed.