Free Picket Fence Pursuit by Jennifer Johnson Page A

arm. “This is Brad Dickson. He’s my future supervisor.”
    Hurt flickered in his eyes before he nodded to Brad and grabbed his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
    Brad lifted his nose and grunted an acknowledgment. He released Ryan’s hand and wiped his palm on his pants. The unbelievable arrogance of the man! He was nothing like this in the interview. He had been kind, more than civil, but then Mr. Miller had been sitting there, as well. She looked up at him and willed her dinner to stay in her stomach. How would she make it through each day on the job?
    ❧
    Ryan studied this Brad Dickson. The man’s dark blond hair had been highlighted with lighter streaks. Clean-shaven and groomed to a tee, the man would definitely be considered good-looking. He walked behind Kylie with his nose so high in the air, Ryan wondered if he would trip from not watching where he was going. Ryan had seen men like this before. Power hungry. Their main objective was to make others feel of little worth. So this is what Kylie wants in a man?
    He huffed as he followed Gramps into the restaurant. He’d missed Kylie something fierce the two weeks he’d spent in Alaska. However foolish he’d been when he fell head over heels for Vanessa, Ryan wouldn’t make the same mistake again, even if it ripped his heart to pieces.

Nine
    Having spent the evening before preparing food for the singles’ get-together, Kylie placed the bowl of spinach dip and the plate stacked with homemade bread on the cloth-covered table. Robin laid homemade macadamia nut cookies next to the other desserts. Scanning the recreation room, Kylie inhaled a long breath, then rubbed her hands together. Ryan was nowhere in sight. Surprised by how much she missed him, her heart plummeted at his absence. She hadn’t seen him for two weeks—outside of their brief encounter at Marinelli’s.
    “It’s a little sad, isn’t it?” Robin whispered in her ear.
    Kylie frowned, fearing Robin had read her thoughts about Ryan. “Sad?”
    “Yeah, it’s the last singles’ get-together of the summer.”
    “Oh, yeah. I guess it’s sad.” Kylie searched her mind for something encouraging to say. “But it also means school is about to start.”
    “Yeah.” Robin looked away. “That’s true.”
    With the thought planted in her brain, a seed of happiness sprouted in Kylie’s heart. “The sooner it starts, the sooner it’s over with.” She linked arms with Robin. “We’ll get up in the morning, drive the one-hour commute to campus, hit the coffee shop for a cappuccino, then head to class.”
    “Uh, sure.” Robin gently unlinked her arm and pointed to the man waving to them from the far corner. Robin’s face lit up and she waved back. “There’s Tyler. Come on.”
    The sprout of happiness withered in Kylie’s chest. She’d hardly seen Robin in the last few months. “We could hang out together. Just you and me. Talk a bit.”
    Confusion wrapped Robin’s features. “Without Tyler?”
    “Well, we haven’t seen much of each other.”
    “Um. . .” Kylie watched as Robin’s face scrunched in uncertainty with how to respond.
    Kylie swatted the air then pushed her friend in Tyler’s direction. “No. You go on.” She lifted her purse. “I think I’ll freshen up in the rest room then grab a bite of all this good food.”
    “You sure?”
    “Yeah. You go on.”
    “Okay, see you later.”
    Kylie watched as Robin walked away without so much as a backward glance. Sighing, Kylie made her way to the bathroom. So much of her life seemed to be changing. Getting rocky. Unstable. First, her daddy’s illness. Then Dalton’s engagement. Amanda’s announcement of twins. Now Robin’s dating. It made her feel out of control.
    She laid her purse on the sink and rummaged through its contents. Finding her lipstick, she opened it and applied the watermelon color. She smacked her lips together. Ryan had been right where she needed him all summer. Consistent.
    What am I thinking? Ryan was a