Her ears and fingertips started to buzz.
He was probably just taking a walk the way he often did. Likely he was heading back to Coble Coffee. Tim was still at least five minutes out, so Rick would be past her and safely tucked away inside before Tim made an appearance.
When Rick glanced across the street in her direction, Vivian gave a friendly wave. Rick waved back, the gesture looking both casual and slightly surprised.
She thought he would walk on by, keep heading toward his destination. But at the last minute he veered onto the crosswalk and came over to where she was standing.
“What are you doing loitering out here?” he asked, his eyes running up and down her body in a quick assessment.
She’d made an effort with her appearance and was wearing a cute flannel skirt with tights, boots, and a fitted sweater. It was definitely a daytime outfit but still managed to look extra-good. “Meeting someone for lunch,” she said. Then wondered what was wrong with her in not saying who it was. “Tim.”
He blinked and glanced toward the road, as if Tim might suddenly make an appearance. “Oh. Okay. Good. So that’s going well?”
She wasn’t sure how to answer, so she settled on, “He’s a good guy.”
“Yeah.” Rick stared down at the sidewalk for a moment, his shoulders and jaw tense for just a moment. “Yeah, he really is. Glad it’s going well.”
“Yes.” That was a stupid reply, but what the hell else could she say?
They stood in silence for a while. It was only several seconds, but it felt like a lot longer.
Then Vivian thought of something—anything—to say. “He said you two were in the marching band together in high school.”
Rick raised his eyes. “Yeah. We were.”
“I never pictured you as a marching band guy. Were you kind of nerdy back then?”
He narrowed his eyes and slanted her a dry look. “I wouldn’t call myself nerdy.”
“Would others call you nerdy?”
He gave a huff of amusement, clearly taking her teasing for what it was. “It’s entirely possible.”
“What instrument did you play? He said it was a horn but couldn’t remember which one. Please say it was the tuba.”
“It wasn’t the tuba. Sorry to disappoint. I played the trombone.”
“Oh. That’s kind of cool.” She was smiling up at him. Couldn’t seem to help it. “I’d love to hear you. Do you still play?”
“I guess today is my day for disappointing you. I haven’t played in years.”
She made an exaggerated face of dismay, but then started to laugh.
They fell into silence again.
This time, Rick was the one who broke it. He had his hands stuffed in his pants pockets and was looking down at the sidewalk as he asked, “So you like Tim pretty well then?”
“Yeah.” She hesitated before she added, “It’s too early to know a lot, but I like him.”
“That’s good. He told me he likes you a lot.” He glanced at his watch, which was one of those expensive ones that only grown-up men seemed to wear. “Were you supposed to meet him at one? Running late is kind of bad form for so early in a relationship.”
She stiffened with an immediate surge of defensiveness. “He had an appointment run late. And it’s a third date. Not a relationship.”
“Isn’t he on his way to being the love of your life? I thought that’s what this whole bonkers older-man plan was about.”
She scowled at him. Rick had absolutely no idea what her plan was about, and hopefully he would never know it was really about getting over him. There was no call for him to sound so sardonic. Almost mocking. As if she were a silly little girl.
Sometimes she felt like one, but that didn’t mean it was justified. “It’s not bonkers. And I’m not desperate to find the love of my life. I just wanted to shift my dating focus. Why are you being all obnoxious about it?”
His eyes flashed. Almost like he was angry, even though there was absolutely call for him to respond that way. “Obnoxious?”
She was angry now too. Like him, for no good reason. “Yes. Obnoxious. I thought we were friends. You could at least try to be supportive.”
“You think I’m not being supportive? I made the fucking match.”
“Very reluctantly. And now you’re kind of being an ass about it. Don’t you want Tim to be happy?”
“Of course I do.”
“Okay. Then don’t you want me to be happy?” She snapped the words out at him, cracking them like a whip.
He glared at her, breathing heavily.
“What the hell, Rick?” She made a confused gesture. Ridiculously, she almost felt like crying, but she often did when she got mad like this. “Why are you acting this way?”
He opened his mouth. Then closed it again. Then stared down at the sidewalk at his feet.
An idea hit her then. An answer to the weirdness of this conversation and the uncharacteristic irrationality of Rick’s behavior right now. “You’re not—” She cut herself off. Swallowed hard. “You’re not jealous or something, are you?”
“Jealous?” His voice cracked slightly on the one word, although he made it sound disbelieving.
“Yes. I mean, I wouldn’t have thought so, but the way you’re acting—”
“I’m not jealous,” he gritted out, looking back up at her. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
They held gazes for a long moment. Intense. Challenging. Almost fiery.
For just a moment, she was sure he would grab her. Kiss her. Right there on the downtown sidewalk. And there wasn’t anything she wanted more in the whole world.
Then he sucked in a breath and gave his head a quick, hard shake. “I’m not jealous,” he said in a different, dryer tone. “Tim and I have never been anything but friends.”
It took her a minute. She was too caught up in her feelings to process exactly what he’d said and what it meant.
But then it hit her, and she burst into surprised laughter. Couldn’t stop once she’d started.
Rick chuckled softly and glanced at his watch again. “Okay. I better get back to work. You and Tim have a good time.”
“Thanks.”
She watched him walk away, still giggling over his little joke. And in another minute, Tim was neatly parallel parking a few cars away from where she was standing so she walked over to meet him.
Vivian tried to focus on their date, but her mind kept drifting back to that conversation with Rick.
He’d claimed he wasn’t jealous, and she wouldn’t have imagined he would be, since he was indeed the person who set her and Tim up. But what other explanation could there be for the weird way he was acting.
She needed to figure it out. She needed to know for sure.
So at the end of the date, when Tim wanted to get together again, Vivian suggested he come by Coble Coffee on Saturday afternoon.
They could hang out there.
RICK WAS USUALLY A relaxed, even-tempered person who could control his mind and control his actions and control his words. He liked his daily life to be organized and without extremes. That allowed him to observe deeply and understand the workings of the world around him. It was what made him good at writing and allowed his mind to remain calm and therefore free to engage in the stories he created.