Coming here had been a good idea, I realized.
“Welcome to the party,” he said, smiling at me broadly.
“Nice look,” I said, eyeing his outfit.
“Hey, it takes a very confident man to pull something like this off,” he said without an ounce of shame.
“Did you lose a bet?” I asked, smirking.
“As a matter of fact, he did,” said another man, coming over to stand next to Ryan. He had longish, scruffy brown hair and a great smile, and the look in his eyes said he appreciated my appearance. He also held a Super Soaker, although he wore perfectly normal trunks and a T-shirt that said “Code Monkey Like You.”
I’d seen his picture before—this was the guy Kimber had wanted to set me up with.
“Ryan and I had a little programming challenge at work, and I kicked his ass. Hi, I’m Josh. Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you, too,” I said, glancing down at my full hands helplessly. “Um, sorry, I’d offer to shake your hand, but …”
He laughed, and then his eyes widened almost comically as he saw the brownies.
“Let me help you with those,” he said, reaching out to grab the treats. “And who is this?”
“I’m Noah,” my boy announced. “Do you have any more of those Soakers, Ryan?”
“I have a whole box out back,” Ryan replied. “You want to come pick one out? We have a bunch of kids out there. I’ll bet they’d love to play with you.”
“Mom?” He looked up at me, eyes pleading.
“Go ahead,” I said, feeling almost carefree. Kimber was right. I had needed to get out, and coming to a nice, suburban party like this was just what I needed. No Reapers, no kidnappings, nothing bad at all.
I could do this.
Noah took off through the house, followed by Ryan. Josh looked down at me, offering a friendly smile.
“So, once we get this stuff settled, could I get you a drink?”
“Sure,” I said. “So tell me, how long have you and Ryan worked together?”
Three hours later I was feeling pretty good about life. Josh turned out to be a great guy, spending a good chunk of the night hanging out with me, but not so much that it felt weird. Ryan grilled burgers and hot dogs, the kids played in the pool, and Kimber’s blender ran almost constantly, churning out margaritas in every imaginable flavor. I stuck with iced tea and laughed so hard I nearly cried when Ryan caught her and threw her into the pool.
The mob of kids kept growing, and I met so many people I couldn’t begin to keep them all straight. Most were from Kimber’s neighborhood or Ryan’s work—sleek, polished yoga moms and their slightly dorky husbands who worked as accountants and IT professionals. Nothing like the Reapers’ party.
The first time I’d met Ryan, I didn’t understand him and Kimber together. He was so geeky and she was so wild and cool—but they balanced each other out perfectly. I was holding Ava and sitting by the pool after eating when Josh came over and flopped into a chair next to me.
“So,” he said, grinning at me. “I’ve got a question for you.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“You and Noah want to hit Chuck E. Cheese’s for dinner tomorrow?” he said. “I know it’s not the most romantic setting, but I’ve got this theory about skee-ball that needs testing, and I figured he’d be an excellent assistant.”
I burst out laughing.
“Are you insane? Chuck E. Cheese’s on a Saturday night is crazy. I bet you wouldn’t last an hour.”
His eyes brightened.
“Is that a challenge?” he asked. “You sure you’re up to it?”
“You’re too funny,” I said, shaking my head.
“Funny enough to get a date with you tomorrow?” he said, offering a sly smile. “I’d go for the brooding, manly thing and try to be all mysterious, but I’ve never really been able to pull it off.”
I sobered, thinking of Ruger. The two men couldn’t have been more different, that was for sure.
“Um, I’m not really looking for a boyfriend,” I said slowly. “And I’ll be honest—you bring a seven-year-old on a date, you’re probably not gonna get some at the end.”
He shrugged.
“It’s just an evening,” he said. “No big deal. Besides that, I’ve got a deep, dark secret to share with you.”
He leaned toward me, waving me in close. I shifted, balancing Ava as he spoke in my ear.
“I really do have an amazing skee-ball theory,” he said, his voice grave and serious. “It needs experimentation. You’d be doing me a huge favor.”
I started laughing again, pulling away.
“Does that line actually work for you?” I asked. He smiled at me.
“I don’t know, does it?”
I thought about Ruger, how he made me feel and compared it to this man. Josh didn’t give me chills when I felt his breath against my ear, but he was nice to look at and seemed fun and friendly. And how much trouble could we get into on a date at a kiddie pizza place, anyway?
“Okay,” I said, feeling proud of myself. I’d move past Ruger—this was the perfect first step. “That would be fun. But just friendly. I’m really not looking to get serious with anyone.”
“Don’t worry about it,” he replied, grinning at me. “We’ll just go and have some fun—and Ryan can vouch for me. I’m not an undercover supervillian, no dark secrets, nothing. What you see is what you get.”
I started to reply, but a thick stream of water suddenly hit the side of my head, drenching me as Ava shrieked. I look up to see Noah running away with a small pack of boys, screeching in triumph. Little shit …
“I need to go dry off,” I told Josh.
“Want me to go defend your honor?” he asked, holding up his Soaker.
“Yeah, you do that.”
He stood and saluted me, eyes dancing with laughter, then tore off after the mob of children shooting each other and running around the grass.
I found Ryan by the grill. He held a beer in one hand and a pair of tongs in the other, and as he shifted them to take Ava, he smiled at me.
“You know, Josh’s a real good guy,” he said. “I’ve known him a couple of years.”
“Um, he seems nice,” I replied awkwardly. Ryan laughed.
“Don’t worry—no pressure,” he said. “Just wanted to let you know he’s not a serial killer.”
“Good to know,” I said. “Thanks for having me over. Thanks for everything, actually.”
“No problem,” he said. “Kimber thinks you’re the shit. You know, it’s not that easy for her to find friends, despite what you’d think. You’re special to her.”
That startled me.
“Kimber’s always had more friends than anyone,” I said, laughing.
His face sobered and he shook his head. “No, she’s always got more people at her parties than anyone. There’s a big difference.”
I didn’t know what to say. Ryan shrugged, and smiled again.
“Go get dried off,” he added. “We’ve got sparklers for the kids once it’s totally dark. I’ll need help, and Kimber’s useless after three margaritas.”
I smiled hesitantly and walked inside. Off to the left was a family room, with the kitchen and a breakfast bar off to the right. My sandal caught on the doorway, pulling the strap loose, so I dropped down to fix it just inside the entry.
“Jesus, did you see what Ryan’s wearing?” I heard a woman say in the kitchen.
“I know,” said another. “And Kimber’s not much better. Could that bikini be smaller? You know she’s a giant slut, right? She used to be a stripper. I just hope they leave before Ava hits school. I don’t want Kaitlyn in her class.”