Chapter 10

“I don’t believe you.” Then his eyes widened and he gave me a big smile. “Hey! You got your braces off. Feels great, doesn’t it? I remember my sister saying it took her a month to get used to the sensation.”

I covered my mouth, then dropped my hand, knowing I was likely bright red in the face. “Yeah, that’s probably what will happen for me, too.”

“Even more reason to celebrate! Come on, live a little. You’ll catch up on work tomorrow.” No, I wouldn’t, but my self-imposed ban on Ryker affecting my heart seemed to melt away.

“Fine, but I can’t stay long. I have to get up early to catch the bus, remember?”

“You’ll be fine,” he replied as I saved my documents and turned off the computer. “You seemed to be managing okay when I saw you at the club that one time.”

“I was faking it…hey!” I turned to him in shock. “You knew it was me? And—”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah. I was waiting for you to own up to it, but you seemed to not want to be recognized, so I didn’t push.”