I started out, only her voice froze me, all the teasing gone as she looked at me from across the space. “Thank you, Ryder. I don’t know how I’ll ever fully repay you.” I knew what she was referring to. That it wasn’t just her staying here while she was in need. The money I’d given her. It’d been my biggest pleasure and my greatest downfall. But I knew, standing there looking at her right then, that I’d do it a thousand times over. “What’s that you always say? Love is on the house.” Then I tapped the heel of my fist on the doorframe before I walked out.
