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Avery paid exactly zero attention to me. She was already sweaty from playing so much, but there was nothing I could do about that. I hadn’t thought about bringing a second dress for her. She was grinning and jumping up and down in excitement, along with two other girls. I felt about as old as her right now. It occurred to me that I hadn’t felt this childish joy in such a long time. I’d missed it, and I had Ryker to thank for making me feel that way again.
I was lost in thoughts, watching her, until a woman walked up to me. Her gray hair was pulled up into a high bun. Her smile was warm and vaguely familiar.
“Heather, I’m Amelia, Ryker’s mother.”
“Amelia! It’s great to meet you.”
Her smile widened as she looked between me and Avery.
“I’ve already had the pleasure of meeting your daughter. She’s lovely.”
“Thank you.”
“I miss the time when they were all little,” she murmured, looking at the playground.
“Wasn’t it hard though?”
She shrugged. “It was... especially once I was on my own, but there were so many good memories.”
“How did you do it?” I asked suddenly. Crap, this was too personal.
“Honestly, I don’t know. It somehow all worked out, though it often seemed like it wouldn’t. I was stubborn though, not wanting to let anyone get too close to me. Poor Mick had to fight his way to me, and we lost precious years because of that.”
Hmmm... that was a pretty heavy-handed hint. Had Tess told her about our conversation? All signs pointed to yes.
“You’re happy now, that’s what matters,” I said.
“True. My boys gave Mick such a hard time when he first asked me out. But they were just protecting me.”
She launched into story after story about her kids, painting a picture so vivid that I felt right there in the moment with them. Damn, she was even better at praising Ryker than the rest. I wasn’t certain if she was doing it on purpose, but it worked like a charm.
When Ryker went on stage to deliver his speech, Amelia headed to her table to sit down, but I stood where I was, leaning against the wall.
Ryker commanded the attention of the room effortlessly. He spoke with passion and conviction, and he exuded this je ne sais quoi that made you look his way no matter how crowded a space was. In my case, it was also impossible to look away. I was rooted to the spot, eyes on stage. Ryker shifted his focus through the room during his speech. Every time our gazes crossed, I involuntarily looked at the red curtain, then at my girl, who was currently laughing at something one of the sitters was telling her.
Once the speech was over, Ryker moved off the stage. He stopped to chat with some guests. I headed to the playground, catching up with my daughter just as she was about to climb on the slide again.
“Avery, I’m going out of the room for a while. I need some air, but then I’ll be back, okay?”
“Sure, Mommy.”
I laughed as she just plowed down the slide. Guess she won’t miss me.
I turned to one of the sitters next. “I’m stepping out of the room for a beat, but I’ll be back. I’ll have my phone with me, so you can call if Avery needs anything.”
“Of course. We’ll be here,” she said, handing me her phone. I typed my number in it.
“Okay, then.”
After picking up my small bag from the table, I headed toward the red curtain before I could talk myself out of it, aware of the heat in my cheeks, the wild beat of my heart.
Holy shit, how could I be so nervous?
Oh, Heather. You’re looking for trouble.
Past the red curtain was a door. My palms were a little sweaty when I pushed it open. I felt as if I was at a clandestine meeting.
Chapter Thirteen
