Release (40 page)

“Sure,”
Ryann said, trying to keep up with her.  When she reached Emily digging in
the cooler, she asked, “What did I miss?”

“Just
the detective being his lovely asshole self,” she grumbled.

Ryann
looked back at him, and he saluted her with his beer.  She gave him an
exasperated look and turned back to Emily.  “What did he say?”

“Basically,
that it would do me some good if I took a ride on the Callahan train,” she
mumbled.

“He
said
that?!”

“Not
in so many words.”

Ryann
looked at Michael again, and he winked at her.  He was alone, now that
Tiffany was talking to Ryann’s mom, but he looked like he was about to walk
over to them.

Ryann
turned back to Emily, just as she was standing up from poking through the
cooler.  Before Ryann could give her a warning, Michael appeared, and
grabbed Emily’s elbow.

“Ryann,
sweetie, would you excuse us?  The counselor and I have some things we
need to discuss.”

“Oh,
no we don’t,” she said with a slight chuckle.

“Yeah,
we really do…don’t make me detain you, now...I can pull out the handcuffs if
you want, babe,” he said in a husky voice.

“I’m
not your ‘babe’, Detective, and if you go anywhere near your handcuffs within
two feet of me, you’ll have a lawsuit slapped on you so fast, your head will
spin.”

His
mouth kicked up into a semblance of a smile.  “Ooh, that sounds like a
challenge.  I never back down from a challenge.  Especially from a
feisty…woman…like yourself.”

Emily
let out a sigh, as if she was trying to contain her temper, and said with a
sweet smile, “Detective Callahan, let’s get something straight.  I’m not
interested.  Not in you, your handcuffs, or the fact that you see me as a
challenge.  In fact, that is
precisely
why I’m not
interested.  So, now that I’ve made myself clear, in front of a witness,
no less, why don’t you run along and find some other little woman to…bless…with
your presence,” she said waving her hand in a flourish.

Michael
leaned down to Emily’s petite frame and whispered in a loud stage whisper,
“Don’t you see what you’re doing, Counselor?  What is it that old Willy
Shakespeare said?  The lady doth protest too much, methinks…The more you
deny your attraction for me, the more you’re just admitting that you can’t wait
to get your hands on me.”

“Oh,
I’d like to get my hands on you, Detective…just not in the way that you think,”
she said drolly.

“Mmm,
that sounds interesting,” he said, giving her a once over with his eyes. 
“Anytime you want to have a little…tussle…you just let me know, Counselor.”

Ryann
chuckled, then cleared her throat, embarrassed but strangely aroused at the
sexual tension bristling between them.

Emily
looked at her as if to say
, Do you believe this guy?,
then said, “Which
way to the restroom, Ry?”

“Just
back there behind the kitchen.”

“Thanks.” 
And with that, she put her water bottle on the counter, and walked away.

Michael
watched the sway of her hips as she left, and said after her, “If you need any
help in there, Counselor, you just give a yell.”

She
shot up her middle finger without even slowing, and kept walking.

Michael
chuckled, and turned to Ryann.  “She wants me bad,” he winked, as if she
were his co-conspirator.  “You’ll see.”  Then he leaned down and
planted a huge loud kiss on her cheek, and walked away.

What
was it with the men in this family?  Jeremy’s sexuality was blatant, but
Michael was absolutely outrageous.

She
decided to check out Ayanna and Jonathan to make sure there were no wounds that
needed bandaging.

As
she got closer to them, she noticed Jonathan leaning down speaking intently to
Ayanna, and Ayanna taking on a defensive stance.

Geez. 
What was going on today?

Ayanna
saw her and smiled.  “Ry, would you please tell Mr. White here, that if I
feel like wearing short shorts, sweet high heels, and flirting with half of the
male population of Manhattan, then I goddamn have the right to do it?”

Yikes…so
much for turning over a new leaf, Yan.

“Umm,”
Ryann stuttered.

Jonathan
interrupted, and said calmly, “Or maybe you can tell your best friend here,
that the more she advertises herself as nothing but a long set of gorgeous
legs, and a skimpy top to half the male population of Manhattan, she’s only
going to be looked at for one thing?”

“Whadda
you care, Johnny Be Good?  It apparently doesn’t affect
you
! 
And there’s nothing wrong with a woman wanting to show off her best
assets.  If a man can’t think without his dick long enough to have a
conversation with a woman to see she’s gotta brain in her head, then he’s not
worth her time.”

“Oh,
is that what you’re trying to do, then?  You’re trying to see if a man can
look at your
brains
?  I’m sorry…I misunderstood.  When you
have on a pair of shorts that barely cover your ass crack, and you’re wearing a
shirt that’s practically painted on, I thought maybe it wasn’t your brain you
wanted them to look at.”

Holy
shit.  Ryann had never seen Jonathan worked up like this.  Ever.

“You
are such a hypocritical…judgmental…asshole, do you know that?” Ayanna
sputtered.  “You mean to tell me that when you first look at a woman,
you’re not looking at her face and body first?  Of
course
you
are!  That’s how the attraction starts.  Then as you get to know each
other, you realize there’s more to them than just the outer shell.”

Ayanna
took a deep breath and kept going.  She wasn’t nearly finished.  “
And,
for your information, these shorts are a tasteful length, and this tank top
isn’t any tighter than any
other
woman’s in this place.  Look at
Ryann’s…hers is just as fitted as mine!  I don’t see you lecturing
her
.”

And
just then, the light bulb went off. 
That’s because he’s not attracted
to me, Yan,
Ryann thought,
but he is, apparently, very much attracted to
you.

However,
even as Ryann thought it, she self-consciously covered her chest with her arms.

Jonathan
let go of a huff and ran his fingers through his hair.  “Why the hell are
we arguing about this, anyway?”

“You
started it,” Ayanna said petulantly.

Ryann
could tell that Ayanna was not only mad…she was hurt.  Ryann decided to
stick her nose in…she loved Jonathan, but Ayanna was working through this very
issue, and she wouldn’t have her hurt for anything.  She recalled
Michael’s earlier allusion to the famous Shakespeare quote, and realized now
how much it applied to Jonathan.

“Yan,
sometimes when a man thinks a woman is incredibly attractive, and sees
other
men gravitate to her beauty as well, he doesn’t know what to do about it, and
instead of just coming clean, and
telling
the woman that he’s attracted
to her, he tries to find ways to sabotage the other men from wanting her, by
making the woman feel as if she’s done something wrong.  That way if she’s
picked up by some other guy, she’ll start to question why the other guy is
picking her up, saving her for the man who
really
wants her, but,” she
turned to Jonathan and looked him in the eye, “for some reason is too chicken
to own up to it.”

Both
Jonathan and Ayanna looked at her, as if they’d been poleaxed.

“Shit,”
Jonathan muttered, then turned and walked away.

“God,”
Ayanna said, “you are good, Ry.  Do you think that’s what he was
doing?  Man, maybe you shoulda majored in Psychology instead.”

There
was a moment of silence, then Ryann cringed.  “He didn’t mean to insult
you.  I think maybe there’s a story there.  Maybe he’s been hurt or
something.  I should go talk to him…That was completely out of line on my
part.”  She paused.  “He’s always been a good friend to me.  I
just saw that you were hurt, and my protective instincts took over.”

Ayanna
hugged her tightly.  “I love you, girlfriend.”

“I
love you, too, Yan…”

“Do
you really think…I mean this outfit isn’t bad, right?  I actually think
this is one of my more subdued outfits.”

“You’re
gorgeous... ‘you are more beautiful than Cinderella’...” she began quoting with
a smile, and Ayanna chuckled.  “It’s not about the outfit, Yan.  I’m
pretty sure it’s about the woman
in
the outfit…”

Ayanna
smiled, then regained her composure, flipping her hair over her shoulder. 
“I really did try being nice.  He just started commenting on my clothes,
and the old Ayanna appeared.”

“The
old Ayanna isn’t a bad thing.  You just have to make sure you check your
motivations every once in a while, that’s all.”

“Well,
my motivation in wearing this outfit was to get his attention.  And I
guess I did.  But he reacted more like my father...,” she mumbled. 
“I don’t even know why I’m bothering with him.  He’s already told me he’s
not interested.”

“When
was this?”

“The
first night I met him.  When we both left your place after the pizza?”

“You
never told me!”

“Ry,
it was the first time a man rejected my advances,” she said with an exasperated
tone.  “It wasn’t exactly my proudest moment,” she muttered.

“Oh,
sweetie.”

“Whatever,”
she said waving her hand.  “There are plenty more fish in the see,
right?  I’ll find a good one,” she said with determination, but with a
tinge of sadness.

“Yes,
you will...I’ll be right back.”

She
followed in the direction where Jonathan left, and found him in the hallway
outside the woodshop, his hands on the wall, and his head down.

“I’m
sorry,” she said.  “I was totally out of line, and should just keep my
nose out of it.”

He
shook his head, not looking up.  “I’m the one who’s sorry.  I didn’t
mean to insult her.”

“Maybe
you should tell
her
that.”

“God,
the woman has me tied up in fucking knots…it’s ridiculous,” he mumbled,
pinching the bridge of his nose.

Again,
Ryann was a little shocked at seeing him like this.  Jonathan was always
under control.

“You
know,” Ryann started, “you could just, I don’t know, just a shot in the dark
here…ask her out?”

He
gave her a pointed look, then turned to lean his back against the wall,
crossing his arms.

Ryann
smiled.  She was beginning to see Jonathan in a new light.  She’d
always thought of him as a great guy, but had never looked at him as a woman
does a man.

He
really was very good looking.  Tall, lean, and muscular... but downplayed
by his conservative clothing.  Thick, sandy colored hair, beautiful blue
eyes, and chiseled face… but softened by his studious glasses.  He was
always very focused, disciplined.  She imagined any woman who was on the
receiving end of that focus would be very lucky indeed.

Maybe
it would be Ayanna if she could help things along.

“You’re
not upset over how she dresses, Jon,” Ryann said quietly.  “I would
venture to say that you
like
how she dresses, but you just wish other
men didn’t like it so much, as well.”

She
sighed and continued, hesitantly, “Men have always paid attention to her, and
I’ve known her since we were ten…she’s a stunning woman, with a ‘take no
prisoners’ personality.  But she has an incredible amount of
substance.  Don’t let her ‘outer shell’ trick you into thinking there
isn’t a lot more there.”

Jonathan
looked at her, then said, “I’ll be back out in a minute, ok?”

Noticing
a dismissal when she heard one, she smiled and nodded.  When she turned to
walk away, he said, “Thanks, Ry…”

She
winked at him, and left him alone.

…..

By
7:15, or so, everyone had finished eating and Janie was making coffee, ready to
serve some of Ayanna’s chocolate cupcakes.  Most of the men were outside,
and the women were inside, so Ryann thought it would be the best time to run to
the Institute.  She went over and snuggled up to Jeremy’s neck while he
sat on the deck with the guys.

“I’m
going inside to hang with the girls for a while, ok?”

He
turned his head and kissed her soundly on the lips.  “Ok, baby…”

She
went inside, and went over to Tabitha and her mom, making them quickly aware of
the plan, and texted Manny to tell her she’d be right out.  She ran to
take off her high sandals, and grabbed some flip flops, then ran outside to
Manny who was waiting for her.

Fireworks
wouldn’t start until dusk, which would probably be just before nine, and she
knew she only had to run into the Institute and run out.  She hoped to be
back in 30-45 minutes.  Jeremy would never miss her.

She
was giddy like a schoolgirl when they arrived at the Institute, and she looked
at Manny, and said, “Thank you so much for doing this, Manny…If I’m not back in
five minutes, you can send in the cavalry,” she joked.  “Be right back,”
she said as she jumped out of the car, leaving her phone on the seat.

She
ran up the stairs, knocking on the entrance door to get the attention of the
night guard at the desk off to the side of the lobby.  No one was sitting
there, which was odd.  Thankfully, she had her key card, and easily
entered.  She yelled out a ‘hello’ so she didn’t surprise him if he was
just in the hallway behind the desk, but she didn’t see him anywhere.

Oh,
well.  She’d be sure to make a lot of noise when she came back down so she
didn’t scare him or anything.  She jogged to the stairwell, choosing not
to take the elevator.  She didn’t want to take any chances if the old
gears stopped.  She quickly climbed the two short flights of stairs, and
used her key to open the studio where she left her painting on the board.