The Keeping(48)

Ryne gave a half shrug. She was partially correct.

“But then, when I finally meet you, you have this nasty attitude, you’re rude, and you keep goading me with your comments, so that makes you a sort of a bad-ass character.”

“Would that be a sexy, bad-ass character?” He wiggled his eye-brows at her and then leaned forward into her personal space, leering.

Mel pushed him back, looking exasperated. “There! That’s what I mean—that kind of thing.” She took a deep breath before continuing. “And then, you can actually be nice at times. Like at dinner tonight, and when you saved Lucy and, I suppose, you were even being nice when you drove me back to the cabin the other day.”

“And don’t forget that I didn’t press charges for trespassing. That was nice of me, too.”

Mel just rolled her eyes and ignored his comment. “So you can see what I mean. You’re bipolar.”

“Actually ‘bi’ means two and you described three sides of me. Though, I don’t think there is such a thing as tri-polar. Hmm... Maybe I have multiple personalities.” He sipped his beer while attempting to look thoughtful.

Throwing up her hands in despair, Mel exhaled loudly. “Whatever. The point is, you’re very confusing. It’s going to make interviewing you and presenting an accurate portrayal very challenging.”

“And do you like challenges?”

“Well...yes. If things are going too easy, it gets boring.”

“Then I guess I won’t bore you.”

She sat up straight and looked at him happily. “So does that mean you’ll let me interview you and write an article on your work?”

Ryne hesitated before speaking, not wanting to appear too eager, which he wasn’t anyway. It would be better if she thought she was wringing the information out of him. “Probably. I’ll let you know for sure in a few days.”

“Oh, that’s great!” Mel beamed initially and then frowned. “A couple of days? Exactly how many do you consider ‘a couple’ of days? Two? Three?”

“Something like that. Maybe more.” He bit back a smile as he watched her struggle to maintain her composure. She wasn’t good at waiting, he decided. Maybe it was time someone taught her the benefits of patience; he was ready to volunteer to do the teaching. Eventually, she exhaled slowly and nodded. Satisfied with himself for having the last word, he drained his beer, checked his watch, and stood up. “I need to get going. There’s a kitchen that’s waiting for me to start renovating it in the morning.”

Pulling on her jacket and grabbing her purse, Mel stood too. “I should be going too. Where do we pay?”

“Never mind. Lucy put everything on my tab.”

“Oh, but I can cover the cost. I’m the one that wanted to talk to you.”

Ryne shook his head. “No. I pay. Add that to my list of character traits. I’m old fashioned. When I eat out with a lady, I pay.” He noticed that she seemed taken aback and was pleased to have once again thrown her off balance. “Come on, I’ll walk you to your car.”

“You don’t have to. I’m just parked...” Mel’s voice trailed off as he stared at her, silently willing her to follow his commands. Not surprisingly, she caved in, giving him a quick, tentative smile, as if she wasn’t sure what to make of him. “All right, you can walk me to my car.”

Pleased that she’d obeyed, he put his hand in the small of her back and guided her out. She was certainly a tiny thing. He’d sensed that when he carried her from the house the other day. Now, as she walked beside him, he noted that her head barely reached his chin. Recalling their earlier kiss and how her body had fit snugly against his, he decided it was the perfect height for him.

All was quiet in downtown Stump River, most of the residents contentedly relaxing in their houses while the various businesses presented darkened windows and locked doors to the few individuals still moving about. One lone car was waiting patiently for the town’s only stop light to change to green before continuing on its way to destinations unknown. As the car drove away, its wheels made a faint hissing sound that eventually faded into nothingness as it disappeared from sight.

With the car’s departure, they became the only two people on the otherwise deserted street. The faint clicking of Mel’s heels on the damp sidewalk was the only sound to break the silence. Overhead the sky was clear of clouds. A crescent moon was hanging low over the silent town and a few stars were starting to make their existence known. Mel shivered in the cool night air; it was still early enough in the spring for the evening temperatures to drop close to freezing after sundown. Ryne noticed that she was chilled and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, sharing his body heat. At first she resisted, but eventually relaxed into him. He speculated as to whether she was feeling more at ease around him, or if her need for warmth was outweighing her desire for independence. Either way, he didn’t mind.