Capturing the Moment

Chapter 10

Sidney

Ryan's neighborhood is peaceful at night. At least it was until I showed up. I start soft. My I hate to bother you knock. Which would've been perfect, except Ryan refuses to answer the door.

He's home. I know that for a fact. The living room lights are making his curtain panels glow, and his car is parked in his driveway instead of tucked inside his garage.

He's definitely home. I rap my knuckles a little harder, the last thing I want to do is wake his entire neighborhood, but I will if I have to.

This is my life we're talking about. My career hangs in the balance. It's an emergency. I get it, though. I'm not heartless. Ryan has every right to be upset. I know why he's ignoring me.

To be honest, I can hardly wrap my brain around what Conner did to him. I don't know what I would've done if Amelia Wolfe was my sister. How much more everything would've hurt.

I feel horrible for Ryan, but I can't let this go. Conner and Midnight Rides are my one chance to fix things, and I've never been good at calling it quits. Even when I know I should.

If there's no chance for our fake paparazzi plan, fine. But Ryan's going to have to me himself. To my face, without avoiding eye contact like last time. But he doesn't.

He refuses to answer the door. A gust of wind cuts through my vintage wrap coat. I start shivering, my teeth clattering. Ryan Chase is nowhere to be seen.

So I knock louder. Over and over until my hands physically hurt. The sound booms, echoing through his quiet neighborhood. Across the street, a few house lights flicker on, and I pause to consider the questionable choices I'm making.

Cops are the last thing I need right now, but I can practically feel his neighbors picking up their phones to dial for help. Backing away from Ryan's door, I turn to leave.

It's probably for the best. Seeing him again is a bad idea, especially after what happened when I showed up for dinner.

I hadn't meant to lean towards him like that after I got there. It was just instinct. I used to do that same move with Logan, so he'd help me take off my coat, but it felt so different with Ryan.

I can still feel the weight of his hands as he lifted the coat off my shoulders, all his slow, careful movements. The knuckle of his thumb grazing the side of my neck.

Suddenly I'm blushing, right there in his yard. While he ignores me and refuses to open up. Leaving is a good idea, It's the right choice, then I hear it.

A loud metallic clank. It's close, too close.

I hear it again. I want to scurry away. Run to my rental car and get off this stupid deserted street. I can't move.

I'm alone. No one knows I'm here, let alone late at night. Hardly anyone knows I'm in Massachusetts at all.

Why didn't I bring my assistant with me? (Because her sister is Logan's assistant.)

Why didn't I tell anyone back home I was coming besides Lillie and her roommate?

My agent? My manager? My lawyer? Because they all work for Logan. They were our agent, our managers, our lawyers.

Some of them must have known about Logan's affair. He bought a new house with her. Our PR team probably helped him stage his new love photo shoot.

Other people must've known what was happening. Maybe they all knew, but none of them warned me ahead of time. Every single one of them let me walk into Pine Ridge Vineyard unaware. They let me shop for wedding venues. They encouraged it even.