Cut Too Deep(40)

She shrugged. “I don’t feel like I was ever a normal teenager. I kind of hid away most of the time. I didn’t have many friends and I preferred my books over socializing anyway.”

“What about your family? What are they like?”

She shook her head. “I don’t have any. My mom died when I was eighteen, and I never knew my dad. It was only ever just the two of us. Not long after Mom died, I met Garrett, and you know the rest.”

He gave her a smile and squeezed her hand. “It all gets better from here,” he told her. “I promise you that.”

Ryker pulled into a parking lot which served the lake and adjoining park.

“Where’s the ice cream?” Jenna asked.

He nodded toward a small wooden-clad café overlooking the lake. “Right over there.”

Hand in hand, they ambled over to the café. They got a table and Ryker ordered two affogatos.

“What are they?” Jenna asked.

“You’ll see.”

Within a few minutes the waitress brought over two glass coffee cups with espresso and a scoop of vanilla ice cream floating in the top.

“There you go,” Ryker said, looking pleased with himself. “When I promise a lady ice cream, I get a lady ice cream.”

She stared down at the silver spoon that had been served with the coffee, waiting for her panic to set in about the cutlery not being clean enough, or the possibility of there being lipstick on the glass that had been missed, but nothing happened.

Jenna dove in with her spoon, scooping the creamy ice cream up before it got the chance to melt fully into the hot coffee below. “Yummy.” The cold sweet ice cream contrasted perfectly with the bitter, hot coffee.

They sat watching couples walking hand in hand. Families with young children swung their offspring between them. Joggers ran listening to headphones and ignoring everyone else. Everything seemed so peaceful and normal, and for the first time Jenna wondered if it was possible to forget about her past.

Ryker suddenly ducked his head. “Oh crap, don’t look now.”

Automatically, she looked around. The long haired girl from the tomato festival walked toward them, a wide smile on her face. She wore a purple, halter-neck, skin tight work-out top which showed off her cleavage, and equally skin tight black Capri leggings, and sneakers. In her hand was a takeout coffee and her long hair was tied into a ponytail which swung back and forth as she walked.

“Hey, Ryker,” she said brightly, completely ignoring Jenna. “I didn’t think I’d see you here.” She pushed nonexistent stray hair from her face. “I just finished my run. I must look such a mess!”

Ryker frowned. “You look fine.”

Jenna stomach sank. She didn’t look fine; she looked like she’d just walked out of a sportswear catalogue.

For the first time, she glanced at Jenna, and then back to Ryker. “Can I have a quick word?”

“Not really. What do you want, Megan? I’m kind of busy.”

Megan positioned herself at the side of the table, so she was as close to Ryker as she could get, with her back to Jenna. She bent down low to Ryker, pushing her ample cleavage in his face, while she said in a low voice, but not low enough for Jenna to not hear. “I really don’t get what you’re doing with the fat girl, Ryker. You know you can do so much better. You’ve got my number, right?”

Jenna’s cheeks burned with embarrassment.

“Yeah, remind me to lose it,” Ryker said, his tone cold. “And who I spend time with is none of your business. Just so you know, the whole skinny, flirty girl leaves me cold. I’d much rather have a girl with curves and a personality.”

Jenna covered her mouth to prevent laughter bursting out of her. Pride swelled inside her and she had to press her lips together to stop herself from climbing across the table and telling him she loved him.

Megan’s mouth dropped open and she straightened. “You would be lucky to get this, Ryker Russo,” and she gestured down her body. She spun to Jenna. “And if you think you’re special just because he’s out with you … Don’t. He’s clearly got some kind of weird fetish, and you’re the one who is the freak.”

Ryker slowly got to his feet. “I suggest you leave.”

Jenna stood up, too. “Yeah, you should leave before I pick your skinny ass up and throw you out.”

Megan stared between them both, before giving a ‘humph’ of anger and storming from the coffee shop.

“Wow,” said Jenna, sitting back down. “You sure know how to attract them.”

“Yeah, sorry about that. Shall we get out of here?”

She nodded and left the remains of her cooling coffee where it was.