Smiling, she took the pizza from him. “Hey, thanks! Perfect timing! Come on in!” He followed with a murmured “thanks” and didn’t say anything else.
Weird.
Placing the pizza on her kitchen table, Peyton motioned for him to have a seat. “I went with sausage and peppers. I hope that’s okay.”
Nodding, he took off his sunglasses and seemed unsure of where to put them. It was almost comical watching him look around.
“Why don’t you just put them on the coffee table,” she suggested and was relieved when he did. But once he sat at the table, he squirmed a bit before he finally seemed to settle. “Are you okay?”
He nodded again. “I’m fine. Why?”
“You seem uncomfortable.” Then she noticed him tugging on the shorts and then the neck of the t-shirt and decided she’d had enough. “You cannot possibly be this twitchy over dressing casually, Ryder.”
The glare he shot her way said otherwise.
“This is absurd. Do you have a change of clothes in your car?”
“Now that would be absurd,” he replied defensively. “There’s nothing wrong with me. I’m perfectly fine.” And to prove it, he reached for a slice of pizza and took a bite.
With a shrug, Peyton sat and took a slice for herself. “Can I pour you some wine? It’s nothing fancy, but it’s not awful either.”
“With a glowing recommendation like that, how can I resist?”
Yeah, this wasn’t going to work.
Closing the pizza box with a weary sigh, that’s exactly what she told him. “This was a stupid idea and I never should have suggested it. You should just…go. Go home and put on a suit or a tux, eat lobster and filet mignon, drink expensive champagne and just…find another consultant.”
She watched as he slowly finished chewing and braced herself to watch him get up and go.
But he didn’t.
Instead, he stood up and grabbed the bottle of wine before pouring them each a glass. He sat back down and took a sip of his wine before looking at her. “Peyton, one of the most important rules of business is to never be afraid to leave your comfort zone. While this isn’t the sort of thing I’d normally put in that category, the fact is it’s exactly what you forced me to do.” He raised his glass to her. “Thank you.”
Now she was thoroughly confused. “I’m not even sure what to say to that.”
“You could say ‘you’re welcome’ and eat your dinner. That would be a start.” Then he shifted a bit in his seat before taking another bite of his pizza.
“Can I ask you something?”
He nodded.
“How is dressing casually in the same category as taking a business risk?”
Ryder studied her for a long moment before responding. “Work is my life. Even when I’m not in the office, I’m working. I’ve made a name for myself and created an image and that means that I’m almost always…on.”
It was her turn to nod.
“I work long hours and the only time I ever truly relax is at night when I go to bed.” With a shrug, he continued. “It’s not a bad thing, but basically I am in a suit all day and that’s what I’m used to because…”
“Because you’re always working,” she finished for him. “I get that, but I’m sitting here watching you and it seems like it’s completely foreign for you to be in shorts and a t-shirt. How is that possible? You weren’t born in a suit. You were obviously a kid at some point, so…why is this so hard for you?”
He blinked at her, but instead of answering, he took another bite of his dinner.
“When was the last time you wore something like this just…because?”
“Maybe…fifteen years,” he finally said, and Peyton was fairly certain her jaw hit the floor.
“How is that even possible?”
“It wasn’t necessary. I worked all through college and the only time I had to wear anything like this was that semester I needed to get my phys ed credits in.” He took a sip of wine before shaking his head. “Other than that, I had no use for them.”
“Not even for comfort? I mean…what do you wear around the house? What do you sleep in?” The moment that last one was out of her mouth, Peyton wanted to crawl under the table and hide.
“My suits are very comfortable,” he said, completely unfazed by her question. “I do take off my shoes when I get home as well as my jacket and tie if I’m wearing one.” He shrugged. “I roll up my sleeves too.” Pausing, he took another sip of his wine. “As for sleeping…well…I don’t think we know each other well enough to discuss that.”
She was pretty sure her face was on fire and she grabbed her glass and downed the rest of her wine just to have something to do.
Big mistake.
Everyone knew Peyton was a lightweight where alcohol was concerned, but never had she felt it more than that moment. She put her glass down with a little too much force and the room began to spin slightly.
“Peyton? Are you okay?”
Rather than speak, she giggled.
Giggled!
Ugh…kill me now…
Out of the corner of her eye, Peyton could see the amusement on his face and rather than call him out on it, she opted to finish her dinner. The sooner they got through this meal, the better.
Turning the tables on her, he asked, “Can I ask you something?”
She desperately wanted to say no, but ultimately shook her head yes.
“Why did you want me to come here dressed like this? I know you mentioned us starting to work together and being casual, but…this was a bit of an odd request.”
The groan was out before she could stop it.
“It’s not a big deal,” she said, unable to look directly at him. “Really. It was a stupid thing for me to ask and I’m sorry.”
It was weird how she could actually feel Ryder staring at her, but she did.
“Okay, fine!” she said with a huff, forcing herself to look at him. “You’re very intimidating, Ryder! You’re this huge, handsome, and sexy presence and I’m not comfortable with that. It’s one of the main reasons we’d never been introduced before. I’ve seen you at several family events and I’ve gone out of my way to avoid meeting you. So I thought if we could sit and talk tonight with you just looking like…you know…a regular man instead of your Mr. Sexy Suity-Suit persona, I’d be able to relax with you!”
Pushing away from the table, Peyton stood and walked away, feeling completely mortified.
Seriously, if the man didn’t leave and immediately start looking for someone else to act as a consultant, then he was crazy. At the sliding glass doors that led out to her deck, she stopped and slid them open and stepped outside, hoping the fresh air would clear her head. It seemed like the thing to do, even as she wondered what had possessed her to do…well…everything tonight.
No wonder he had an issue with your age. You’re acting like a child…
As she leaned against the railing and looked out at the ocean, Peyton cursed herself. It was like she was going out of her way to sabotage herself and this deal. Shaking her head, she sighed and then found Ryder standing beside her, mimicking her pose. She glanced at him and found him staring out at the ocean too.