Chapter Three

I must be fucking crazy, Ryder thought as he positioned himself at the end of the very long bookstore line. It wasn’t as bad as it was yesterday, but he’d be standing here for a good half an hour or more. He could very easily drive downtown for the last-minute supplies his professors wanted him to have, but then he wouldn’t be able to see Madison. And that was the only reason he was subjecting himself to this torturous wait again. He hoped she was actually working right now and that he wasn’t wasting his time.

He pulled his cell phone from his pocket, content to pass the time on social media, but his phone rang. His brother’s name popped up on his screen. He swiped to answer. “Hey, Tanner. What’s up?”

“How much do you love your brother?” he asked.

Ryder rolled his eyes. “Not enough to bail you out of jail.” He laughed.

“You always say that, but if I ever called you from jail, you know damn well you’d be there to bail me out.” Tanner laughed. “Besides, you owe me. I bailed Xander out, so you have to bail me out.”

“Wait a minute. If you bailed out Xander, and I have to bail you out, who’s left to bail me out?”

“Xander and I would go in halves to get you out.” Tanner laughed.

“That’s some fucked up logic,” Ryder said.

“Whatever. Listen, has Xander called you yet?”

“What?” He moved forward in the line. “No. Why?” Before Tanner could respond, Ryder’s phone momentarily cut out, indicating he had another call coming in. Xander. “That’s him right now. Hold on.”

“Ryder, wait—”

But he’d already switched over, cutting off Tanner’s reply. “Hey, Xan, what’s up?”

“Fall break. Vegas. You, me, and Tanner. No girlfriends. You in?” Xander’s voice was full of excitement.

Dread coiled in his gut. All his siblings were impulsive, but as the youngest, Xander was the worst, always going too far as if he had something to prove. What the hell was Xander up to now?

“Why Vegas?” Ryder asked.

“Why not? It’s Vegas!” Xander laughed.

Ryder hesitated. Since Tanner and Xander had settled into serious relationships, Ryder hadn’t really had much opportunity to hang out with his brothers. Besides, he’d never been to Vegas before. It could be fun.

“Yeah, I’m in.”

More of the line disappeared inside the bookstore, leaving only three people ahead of Ryder. Obviously, things were moving faster today.

“This is gonna be the best weekend ever,” Xander said.

Ryder laughed, his brother’s excitement contagious.

“I’ll text you the details.” Then, Xander ended the call.

He had no idea what Xander was planning, but the thought of ditching classes for a couple days and hanging out with his brothers in Vegas was exciting. “Tanner? You still there?”

“Jesus. Took you long enough.” Irritation laced Tanner’s words. “He tell you about Vegas?”

“Uh-huh.” He couldn’t hide the amusement from his tone. “You’re going, right?”

“Like I have a choice. No way Xander’s letting me get out of this.” Tanner laughed.

Several people stepped out of the bookstore, making room for him to enter. “Hey, I gotta go. I’ll talk to you later.” He shoved his phone into his back pocket. His heart raced at the possibility of seeing Madison again.

He made his way through the shelves, pretending to look for books when he was actually looking for Madison, but she was nowhere to be found. Disappointment landed hard in his gut. She was probably in class. He gathered the notebooks and binders he needed, then walked to the Law section. Professor Kemp wanted the class to have the supplemental reading that he hadn’t grabbed yesterday. In his defense, he was a tad distracted by a tall, dark haired beauty.

Even last night, after she’d shot him down at the pizzeria, he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her. He’d been rejected by women before, but never quite like she had. There was something different about her, and while he wasn’t one to chase a woman who clearly didn’t return his interest, he wanted to get to know her better.

Locating the final item he needed, he got in line for the checkout. Thankfully, he was cashed out within minutes. He grabbed his bag and left, the feelings of disappointment increasing with each step he took. What was wrong with him? Stalking a woman he didn’t know. At this rate, there was no way he’d make it through the week let alone the entire semester.

He walked the short distance to his apartment, which was a large, multi-family home that had been converted into student housing. He and his three roommates shared the biggest section of the house. It was technically only a three-bedroom, but there was a bowed sunroom right off the living area that they turned into an extra bedroom by installing accordion-style doors in the arch that separated the two rooms.

Liam was in the kitchen, wearing nothing but a pair of boxers, head stuck in the refrigerator. He emerged a second later with a slice of cold, leftover pizza. He took a large bite and rubbed his stomach. “Hey. Thought you had class,” Liam said around a mouthful of food.

“It’s almost one in the afternoon. I’ve been to class. And the bookstore.” He held up his bag.

Liam smirked. “Did you see your dream girl again?”

“I went for supplies,” he said, refusing to let Liam goad him.

“Sure you did.” Liam took another large bite. “I could ask Erica to talk to her.”

“The waitress you picked up last night?”

Nodding, Liam said, “She’s in my bed right now, dude.”

“Of course she is.” Ryder chuckled. “I don’t need your help getting the girl. I’ll be fine on my own.”

“Suit yourself.” Liam shrugged. “You got more classes today?”

Ryder gave him an incredulous look. “Yeah, we have class together later, remember?” It was the single most important class they had all semester—LSAT prep.

“Oh, shit.” Liam’s eyes widened. “I haven’t even bought the book yet.”

That was just like Liam. He spent more time studying the female body than he did the law. It’s a miracle he’d made it this far without flunking or being kicked out. “If you hurry, you can get to the bookstore before it gets too crowded. It wasn’t that bad when I was there just now.”

“Not really how I’d planned to spend my afternoon, but…” He ate the last of his pizza and grabbed a soda from the fridge. He popped the top, took a long drink, then set the can on the counter. “Guess I better get my ass in gear.”

“I’ve got a few things to do. I’ll catch you in class later.” He tossed his bag into his room, then went out to his car. He got in and drove straight to the pizzeria. He highly doubted Madison was working, but he did need to eat lunch before his next class, and the dining hall food was the worst.

When he arrived, the place was almost empty, which was a surprise considering it was a Friday afternoon.

“Go on ahead and find a seat, hon, I’ll be right with you,” said an older woman as she rushed by with two pitchers of soda in her hands.

Ryder found a two-person table near the back door and sat.

“What can I get ya?” The waitress stood near his table, pen poised above her pad.

“Oh, um, I’ll take a glass of water and a personal pizza. Cheese and pepperoni, please.”

“You got it.” She turned on her heel and left.

Ryder checked his social media, his thoughts circling around to Xander’s call. What was he up to? If anyone would know, it would be Tanner. Ryder opened his messages and typed one to his brother. what is with up with Xander? why is he making us go to Vegas?

Tanner’s response was almost instantaneous. no idea. you’re going though, right?

Ryder: what do you mean you don’t know?

Tanner: I mean I don’t know. does it matter?

Ryder: you don’t think…he’s not eloping, is he?

Tanner: nah. he knows better than to do something like that. mom would kill him. lol.

Ryder chuckled. That was probably true. Despite how impulsive Xander was, Kylie was level-headed. She’d never agree to elope. Hell, as far as Ryder knew, Xander hadn’t even proposed yet. They hadn’t even been dating all that long.

He opened his web browser and searched for flights he could take Friday after his bar exam prep class. Sadly, there weren’t any, which meant he’d probably have to drive. He loved road trips, but…could he really justify missing classes for a road trip? Although, it was still early enough in the semester that he wouldn’t miss too much work. He set his phone on the table, rubbed his hands over his face, and yawned.

Stretching, he reached for his phone when it rang. He swiped his thumb across the screen. “Hey, Dad. What’s up?”

“Hi. Are you getting settled back into school okay?”

“Yes.” Ryder laughed. His father made this same phone call every semester. “Classes are going well, too.”

“Good. You’re not in class now, are you?”

“If I was, I wouldn’t have answered.” The waitress returned and set his water in front of him. He gave her a smile and mouthed “thanks.” With a nod, she walked away.

“So, I had dinner with a client of mine last night. Mr. Carson. His son, Scott, is a senior associate at Gooddall, Pine, and Weston.”

That was one of the largest law firms in New York, and his father had been “encouraging” him apply for a job there upon graduation from law school.

“Anyway, Scott is considering opening his own firm and is looking for one or two people to go in as partners with him.” His father’s voice rose with excitement. “Naturally, I thought of you.”

Ryder’s stomach clenched. He blew out a shaky breath and rubbed at his forehead. “I haven’t even gotten into law school yet, Dad.”

“I know, but you will, and it’s never too early to have a job lined up. You have the potential to walk out of law school and walk into a firm as partner. It’s an amazing opportunity.”

Sure… If that’s what he wanted. But he wasn’t so sure anymore. He wanted to do something good with his degree, something to help other people, like work in the public defender’s office or maybe work as a law guardian. He’d been taking as many child psychology classes as he could.

“I told Mr. Carson you’d be home for Thanksgiving. He’s going to talk to Scott, and the four of us will get together to discuss it further,” his dad said.

Ryder’s jaw clenched. “Kinda rushing things, aren’t we? I mean, it will be at least another four years before I can even legally practice law, and that’s if I get into law school and pass the bar exam.”

“That’s the best part.” His father’s voice lifted with excitement. “You can intern at Scott’s firm during the summers while you’re in law school, so when you do graduate, you’ll be even more prepared.”

Ryder took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. His father was only trying to help, to ensure his son had a lucrative future with plenty of opportunities, and it wasn’t his fault Ryder hadn’t told him about his change of heart. For as long as he’d been in college, the goal had always been to join a large firm and work his way up to partner. But that wasn’t his goal any longer. He just hadn’t figured out a way to tell his dad without disappointing him.

“Ryder? Did you hear me?”

“Yeah, thanks, Dad. I look forward to it.” He’d either tell his dad before Thanksgiving or take the meeting and tell him after.

“Great. Well, good luck with your classes, and call me if you need anything.”

“Yes, sir.” They said a quick goodbye. Now, more than ever, he knew a road trip was exactly what he needed to clear his mind and take off some of the pressure he had on him. And maybe somewhere along the way, he’d figure out how to tell his father his new career plans.

“Here ya go, hon.” The waitress set his pizza on the table. “Can I get ya anything else?”

“No, thank you.”

She left him to eat in peace. He dished a slice of pizza and flopped it down onto his plate and then sprinkled parmesan cheese over the top. The bell above the door jingled, and he looked up.

Madison.