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“Hey, bro.” Ryder strode into the room, still wearing his blue coach’s jersey, striped oven mitts on his hands.
“Hey. Need help?” I nodded at his mitted hands.
“Nah, but grab yourself a drink. It’s self-service here, unless Mom’s around.” He grinned, then headed back towards the kitchen. I followed and Charlie stayed put, plopping down on his beanbag to watch a cartoon on TV.
Snagging a beer out of the fridge, I offered one to Ryder. “You want?”
“Sure, thanks.”
Popping both tops, I handed his over, then took a long slug out of mine.
“So...how’s Lanie?” Ryder asked, cutting his eyes at me as he stirred the spaghetti sauce.
“Good.”
“How good? Like long-term good?”
I took another drink and swallowed hard before nodding. “Yeah, we’re moving in that direction.”
“That’s great, bro. I’m happy for you. You guys seemed pretty tight the other night at Sunday supper. So I can get attached? Should we plan a double wedding?”
I sputtered on my drink. “Whoa there, little brother. Kind of jumping the gun.”Even if we’d exchanged the ‘L’ word less than twenty-four hours ago.
“Am I?” Ryder lifted an eyebrow, pressing the issue as he stirred the red sauce. “I’ve seen you with lots of girls—including Julia—and you’ve never been this content before.”
I shrugged, heat rising from my gut all the way to my face. “Things are good, man. A little awkward, I guess, since she’s Josh’s little sister.”
“Yeah, how’s that working out?”
“It’s a little weird,” I admitted. “I try to skim the surface, no details.”
Ryder grinned. “Probably a good plan, man. No one wants to hear those.”
“Anyway, enough about me. When are you going to pop the question?” I leaned against the counter, crossing my ankles, happy to steer the conversation away from my love life.
“I was thinking maybe her birthday. It’s coming up. Or is that poor form? Like I’m trying to get out of buying her a birthday gift?” His brow creased as he tasted the sauce. “Needs a few more minutes. Grab the salad, will you?”
I snagged the salad from the fridge. “No, her birthday is fine. You’re not going to do it in front of everyone, are you?”
“No, but that’s where I need ideas. I was thinking maybe a sleigh ride, then candlelit dinner?”
“Sounds good. But I’m not a female, so...” I shrugged, my voice trailing off.
“Not that helpful, Quinn.”
“I told you. I suck at this.”
“Well, you better start thinking. I bet you’re going to be doing this exact same thing in less than a year.”
I sucked in, my lungs squeezing hard for every breath, as if all the oxygen in the room had evaporated. “Dude. Slow it down. We’ve hardly even dated.”
Ryder laughed, smacking me hard on the back. “Breathe. When it’s right, time doesn’t really matter. And from everything I’ve seen, it is right with you and Lanie. She’s great for you.”
I shook my head. “Maybe. But I’m not gonna rush into anything.”
“Don’t wait too long, man. Someone else will scoop her up. There aren’t too many single ladies left in Peachtree Grove and you’ve already auditioned most of them.”
“Very funny.”
