Fallen Elements by Heather McVea Page A

dialed Nicole’s number.
    “Did you get the job? Is my car okay?” Nicole
asked abruptly.
    Ryan rolled her eyes. “I won’t know until
next week, and yes.”
    “Well, okay then.”
    “Listen, I’m going to grab some lunch and
then come home. Are you okay with me keeping the car for another
hour or so?”
    “Better idea. Come fetch me, we can have
lunch together, and then I can go into the office.” Nicole
suggested.
    Ryan hesitated, not wanting to lie to her
friend, but she wasn’t really up for any good natured ribbing
either. “I, ah - I’m having lunch with someone.”
    “You’re not letting Jenny in my car, are
you?” Nicole’s tone hovered between teasing and tense.
    Ryan weighed her options before responding.
“No.” She held out little hope that Nicole would let her off with a
simple closed ended response.
    “Who are you having lunch with – friend?”
Ryan could practically see the mischievous glint in her friend’s
eyes.
    Sighing, Ryan decided to take the plunge.
“The woman I met in New York.”
    A quiet gasp came from the other end of the
phone. “What? You invited her to lunch and didn’t tell me?”
    “No. Nothing like that.” Ryan fastened her
seatbelt, and started the car. “We ran into each other after my
interview, and are going to get a quick bite to eat.”
    “What are the odds?” Nicole’s tone was
contemplative.
    “The odds of what?” Ryan needed this
conversation to be over or she would miss the lunch with
Leah.
    “Come on! You don’t think it’s strange that
you’ve run into her - unplanned - like three times now?”
    Ryan hadn’t thought about it like that. She
had been so happy to meet and then see Leah; it hadn’t occurred to
her the improbability of the coincidences. “Maybe. I mean, sure,
it’s weird.”
    “Stalker.” Nicole sang into the phone.
    “Get off it.” Ryan was done with the
conversation.
    “Okay, but if you’re not back with my car by
two -”
    “Goodbye.” Ryan disconnected the call, a
faint smile on her lips as she maneuvered out of the parking lot. No one believes in accidents anymore. Fate. Ryan’s smile
turned to a frown as the word flittered through her mind. She had
never thought of herself as someone who believed in fate.
    She didn’t pretend to know much at all about
the grand scheme of everything, but she had never bought into a
master plan and it all meaning something. Nicole had been teasing
her, Ryan knew that, but parking in front of Wegmans, Ryan wandered
if there was some truth in her friend’s taunting.
    Wegmans was a regional grocery chain who,
besides offering a broad selection of organic foods and locally
sourced produce, had dedicated an entire portion of the store to an
expansive buffet and bar area. Ryan wound her way through the many
buffet stations and past the small café and beer garden, to find
Leah standing in front of a large display of sliced cake, pie,
puddings and pastries.
    “I don’t know anywhere else that it’s
encouraged to buy dessert by the pound.” Leah glanced up and smiled
at Ryan as she scanned the baked goods.
    “My roommate brought me here for the first
time about a year ago. I had meant to get some Indian food, but
ended up with a half-pound of cake and pie.”
    Leah’s perfectly manicured brow arched as she
looked carefully at Ryan. “Half-pound? You’re just an amateur
then.”
    Ryan managed not to laugh, and looked very
seriously at the display case. “I’ve stepped my game up. I’m up to
three quarters of a pound, and my stretch goal is a full pound by
the end of summer.”
    Leah nodded, turning her attention back to
the desserts. “Admirable.”
    The two women turned their heads at the same
time, and looked at each other. Ryan couldn’t remember ever being
so comfortable and excited all at the same time with someone.
    The intensity of Leah’s green eyes brought a
rush of heat to Ryan’s face, and she had to clear her throat before
she could continue. “Speaking of Indian