"Nate and I are friends," I say. "We've been friends a long time."
"You're way more than friends. The guy is in love with you. I couldn't figure out why he was on a date with my friend when he was in love with someone else."
"He's not anymore," I say. "He's—"
"And he's okay with this?" Kari asks Brad. "You dating Riley? If that's even real. I still don't believe it."
"We're dating," Brad says, pulling me closer. "And I don't give a shit if you don't understand it. I don't need your approval. Or anyone else's."
She stares at him a moment, then laughs, bringing her hand to her mouth. "He doesn't know, does he? Oh my God, this is perfect!"
"What's perfect?" April asks. "Why are you laughing?"
"Nate doesn't know," she says, smiling. "He doesn't know the girl he loves is dating his cousin, the guy he's jealous of."
"He's not jealous," Brad says.
"Oh, please." She rolls her eyes. "I know jealousy when I see it. The way Nate kept bragging about you while looking like he wanted to punch you. If it wasn't so pathetic, I would've laughed in his face. If only I'd known then about the Riley thing. That's even funnier." She laughs. "Were you two together back then?"
Brad and I don't answer.
"So that's why you wouldn't go out with me again," she says. "Because of her." She shrugs. "Makes sense. You're a guy. Only here for a few months. You wanted an easy lay and you got it."
"Shut the hell up," Brad says. "I'm not listening to this. Riley, let's go."
"She can't go," Kari says. "She works here."
"Not anymore." I glare at Kari. "Tell your mom I quit."
"Fine." She huffs. "She was going to fire you anyway."
As I walk to the break room with Brad, I hear Kari say, "You should leave too. You're fired."
I look back and see her in front of April.
"Why?" April says.
"For being friends with her."
"April didn't do anything wrong," I yell at Kari. "And you can't fire her. You're not the boss."
"What's going on here?" Kandace asks as she walks in holding a coffee cup from next door.
"Riley quit," Kari says. "And I fired April. She's not a good fit."
Kandace's eyes go to April. "Good. We can't have employees who don't fit our culture. April, get your things and leave."
The room is silent, all the other stylists staring at April, looking scared they might be next. Kandace and Kari have been here less than an hour and are already bullying everyone into submission. I feel like I'm back in junior high when Kari turned everyone against me.
"Don't let them do this," I yell from the back of the room. "Don't be bullied by them. There are other places to work. You don't have to do this."
I wait for someone to walk out the door, or at least say something, but they don't. They're too afraid of not having a job. I'm afraid too, but I'll find something else. Anything is better than this.
"Let's go," Brad says to me as he holds open the door to the break room.
"Wait." I run over to April, who's quietly crying. I put my arm around her. "C'mon. Let's get out of here."
Everyone watches as I walk her out of the salon.
When we're in the break room, I give April a hug. "It'll be okay. You'll find something else."
She sniffles. "None of the salons in town are hiring."
"Then you'll find some other job. Or you'll cut hair out of your house. A lot of stylists do that."
"I live in a tiny, crappy apartment. Nobody will go there." She sobs on my shoulder.
"April, you'll find a job. I know you will. Everything will work out. It always does."
Brad's standing behind her and smiles. "Good advice."
I smile back. "I heard it from this guy. He's really smart."
"You need to pack anything up?" he asks. "We should probably get out of here."
"Um, no, I just need to grab my purse." I pull back from April. "You need to get anything?"
"Yes, but I don't want to go back in there."
"I'll do it," Brad says. "What do you need?"
She tells him, and he returns to the salon, then comes back with just her purse.
"Where's all my hair stuff?" April asks.
"They wouldn't let me take it," Brad says. "Kandace said it's salon property."
"But I bought some of that stuff myself."
"I'll get it." I start to leave, but Brad pulls me back.
"Forget it," he says. "It's not worth the fight. I'll buy her what they took."
"Brad, you don't have to do that," April says.
"Let's just get out of here." He goes to the back door and holds it open for us.
We walk April to her car, a rusted-out hatchback that constantly breaks down. She really needed that job, and now she doesn't have it because of me.
"I'm sorry, April," I tell her.
"It's not your fault. And what you said in there? You're right. I don't want to work for those people. I wouldn't have lasted a week."
"You okay to drive?" I ask.
"Yeah. I'll go home and start looking for jobs."
"I'll call you later, okay?"
She nods and gets in her car. We watch as she drives off.
"Guess I'll go home." I turn and head to my truck.
"Riley, wait." Brad comes up beside me. "Are you mad at me? For going out with her?"
"No. I'm just in shock. I can't believe they're the new owners. And I can't believe you dated her."
"It wasn't a date. I didn't like her from the moment I met her. Nate didn't either, but he put up with her because he really liked her friend. If either of us had known she was the girl who bullied you back when you were a kid we never would've went out with them." He takes my hands in his. "I'm sorry. About all of it."
"Like you always say, it'll work out. It has to, right?"
"Right." He smiles. "Let me take you somewhere. Get your mind off all this."
"I can't. I have to go find my mom and make sure she's not doing something stupid."
"You think she went home?"
"I don't know, but I'll start there."
"After you check on her, we're going out. Wherever you want to go." He opens the door to my truck. "Take this thing home. I'll meet you there and we'll take mine."
I stop before getting in. "Can I ask you something?"
"What is it?"
"What Kari said in there. That stuff about me not being right for you. It's true. I don't make sense with you. So why are you dating me?"
"Why are you listening to Kari? It doesn't matter what she thinks."
"But I want to know. Why are you dating me? You could have anyone. A girl with money. A college degree. A future."
"Riley, we've already talked about this."
"Yeah, and I still don't get it. Why are you with me? Why me and not someone else?"
He smiles. "I thought you already knew."
"Knew what?"
"That I love you."
Chapter Twenty-One
Riley
"You love me?" I say like I don't believe him.
He folds his arms over his chest. "You got a problem with that?"
"Um, no." I look down. "I just thought maybe I heard you wrong."
"You want to say anything back?"
I look up at him and see that smile that instantly won me over when we met. "I've um, never said that to anyone."
"Now's your chance. Unless you don't love me, but I'm pretty sure you do."
I lean back against the truck. "Why do you think that?"
"I can tell. It's a gift. One of many."
"Oh, really." My brows rise. "You can tell when a girl's in love with you?"
"I can, but I can't tell you how. It's a secret. But I know you do, so if you don't want to say it—"
"I do." I smile. "Love you."
"Good." He gives me a kiss. "See you back at your place."
"Wait—what? That's it?"
He's already halfway around the b
uilding, heading to the street where he parked.
"He loves me," I say to myself, smiling as I get in the truck. "Brad loves me."
I want to call and tell someone, but I have no one to tell. I can't tell Nate. And I can't tell April. She's too upset over what happened. I should be too, but right now I don't care. I only care that Brad loves me. Brad—a hot, smart, future doctor—loves me.
Back at the trailer, I stop Brad before he goes inside. "This could be bad. Just wait out here."
"I can handle it." He nods at the door. "Go ahead."
"Okay, but I warned you."
We go inside and find my mom sitting on the couch watching soap operas, the TV blaring. She's eating a bag of chips, but there's no liquor anywhere.
"Hey, Mom." I sit beside her while Brad stands by the door. "Tough morning, huh?"
"You watch this one?" she asks, her eyes on the TV. "I can't figure out who the blond's sleeping with. It's either her uncle or the guy she works with."
"Mom." I grab the remote and mute the TV.
She reaches for the remote. "Turn it up! I'm missing my show!"
"It's a commercial." I point to the TV.
"Then go to a different channel."
"Mom, we need to talk."
"What's there to say? You saw what happened. I quit."
"I did too."
"You did?" she asks, her penciled-in brows lifting.
"I can't work for Kandace. Or Kari."
"Kari was there?"
"She came in after you left."
She huffs. "How the hell did those two end up with the salon? I know they got money, but why here? Why that place?"
"It doesn't matter. We'll find other jobs. Maybe we could go apply at some places tomorrow."
"Forget it. I'm retiring." She yawns.
"You can't retire in your thirties."
"You can retire whenever the hell you want, and I'm deciding today's the day." She kicks her feet up on the table. "Now give me the remote."
Brad clears his throat. "Riley, let's go."
My mom looks over and sees him by the door. "You been there this whole time?"
"We just came to drop off Riley's truck," I tell her.
"Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you," my mom says, looking back at me. "Jerry's getting out of prison in October. He's gonna want his truck back."
"Guess we'll have to go back to sharing a car. I can't afford to buy one."
"I ain't sharing. You go get yourself a job and buy your own." She yanks the TV remote from me and turns the volume up.
I meet up with Brad at the door. "Bye, Mom. Be back later."
She ignores us as we leave.
"Why do you put up with that?" Brad asks as he drives out of the trailer park.
"She's just angry about Kandace buying the salon. She needs time to cool off."
"I'm talking about her taking your money and then not even sharing her car."
"She's right though. We can't share a car. It won't work. We each need our own."
"That's not the point."
"Brad, I don't want to talk about this. You're starting to sound like Nate."
He breathes out a frustrated sigh. "You hungry?"
"What?"
"Let's go get something to eat." His phone rings and he hits the button on the steering wheel to answer it. "Hey Nate, what's up?"
"TJ just called. He wants us to get there early if we can for a staff meeting. I told him I'd tell you and Riley."
"She's here. She heard you. I got you on speaker."
"You're with Riley?"
"Hey, Nate," I say. "I left work. It's a long story. I'll tell you when we get to the pool. What time are you heading over there?"
"In a few minutes. But tell me now. What's going on?"
"Remember that girl who tortured me back in junior high?"
"I kind of remember you talking about her. The one who was only here a few months?"
"Yeah. Her mom bought the salon and she's helping to run it."
"It's Kari," Brad says to Nate. "The girl you set me up with."
"No shit?"
"Yeah, I went to the salon today to get my hair cut and there she was. She was being a total bitch to Riley. I would've quit too."
"You quit?" Nate asks.
"Yeah," I say. "And so did my mom. I can't work for Kari. I'll find something else."
"Like what? Riley, you've looked for jobs before and nothing pays as well as the salon."
"I don't care. I'd rather work three jobs than have to work for Kari."
"So you and your mom are both out of work," Nate says, sounding annoyed.
"We didn't have a choice. We can't work for them."
"Riley, nobody likes their boss. That doesn't mean you quit."
"Let it go, Nate," Brad says. "This is Riley's decision, not yours."
"But it's the wrong one. And as her friend, I have to tell her that."
"As my friend, you should support me," I say, my voice cracking. I don't want to cry, but I'm about to after hearing Nate second-guess my decision, making me feel stupid for leaving my job when I have no money.
"Nate, we have to go. We'll see you at the pool." Brad ends the call. "Don't listen to him."
"But what if he's right? What if I made the wrong decision?"
"You made the decision that's right for you. You can't go there every day and be treated like that. Kari will only get worse. You made the right decision. Forget what Nate said." He slows down, then does a U-turn, heading toward the road that goes to the pool. "You need to go back and get anything?"
"No. My stuff's in my locker."
I'm quiet the rest of the ride, wondering if I shouldn't have quit. Nate always does this to me. He makes me question my decisions and doubt my ability to make them.
Why can't Nate be more like Brad? Why can't he support me, even if he doesn't agree with me?
"It's been a good day," Brad says as he parks in the lot outside the pool.
"Good?" I look at him like he's lost his mind. "It's one of the worst days ever."
"Even the part where I told you I love you?"
"Well, no. That part was good."
He takes my hand. "Think about that and forget the other stuff. It'll all work out. You said so yourself."
"Only to make April feel better. I'm not sure I believe it."
"Guess you'll have to wait and see." He lets go of my hand and we get out of the SUV.
"Riley!"
I turn back and see Nate racing up to me. "Hi, Nate."
He glances at Brad. "Go on inside. I need to talk to her."
I nod at Brad to go on without me. When he's out of earshot, Nate says, "About what I said earlier. Brad's right. It's your decision. I just didn't want you quitting because you don't get along with someone."
"It's more than that. If I stayed, Kari would go out of her way to make my life miserable. And her mom is just as bad. I told you how she—"
"Yeah. I know. So do what you need to do, okay?"
I nod. "Yeah."
"Let's go." He walks off, motioning for me to follow him. I do, but I don't feel any better after what he said. His words were right, but his tone wasn't sincere. He still thinks I shouldn't have quit.
When the pool closes at five, Nate invites me to go to dinner, but I tell him I'm tired and want to go home. Brad tells him he's going out for drinks with a guy he met at the gym. We're both lying. The truth is, Brad is picking me up and we're going out.
I used to feel bad lying to Nate, but I don't anymore. I'm tired of feeling guilty for being with Brad. Just because Nate wouldn't like it doesn't make it wrong. It's not wrong to be with someone who makes me happy. Someone I love and who loves me back.
I can't believe Brad loves me. I keep thinking it was a dream and he didn't really say it.
"How's your mom?" Brad asks when he picks me up. I was waiting outside and jumped in as soon as he pulled up.
"Better than I thought she'd be. She wasn't drinking."
"Did you guys talk at all?"
"No. She didn't want to. She went in her room to sleep. Lou's coming over at seven, so the later we stay out the better."
"How about all night? We could sleep in the back."
I laugh. "Yeah, okay."
"I mean it. This thing's got plenty of room. If I put the seats down, it's just like a bed. I even have a sleeping bag if you get cold."
"I think Nate's mom would notice if you didn't come home."
"I'm an adult. I can do what I want."
"But she'd worry. She'd call police and have them looking for you. Or she'd call your parents. Hey, are they still coming here this weekend?"
"They say they are, but I'll believe it when I see it. You're still coming to dinner with us, right?"
"I will, but I'm nervous they won't like me. I guess it doesn't matter. They don't know we're dating. They'll just think I'm Nate's friend."
He rolls down his window. "It's a nice night. You want to get some dinner and eat at the lake?"
"We don't have a lake."
"Not in town, but there's that one just outside of town. Let's try it. It's something we haven't done before."
"Okay."
We stop and get dinner, then drive out to the lake. Nobody's there because it's just a lake. There's no picnic tables or benches to sit on. But the lake's pretty to look at, and it's nice having the place to ourselves.
When we're finished eating, Brad puts the seats down in the back of the SUV and we lie there, looking out at the lake.
"I don't have anywhere to go tomorrow," I say, watching the ripples in the water.
"You have the pool."
"Not until the afternoon. I'm used to getting up early and going to the salon."
"You'll find another job."
"But what if I don't?" I turn on my side, facing him.
He does the same, his eyes locking with mine. "Come with me."
"Where?"
"To New York. Come with me. It's a huge city. There are plenty of jobs."
"Brad, you know I can't leave here. Not when my mom's such a mess."
"Your mom will be fine. If you come with me, we could be together. This wouldn't have to end after the summer."
"Is that what's going to happen? We're breaking up?"
"I wasn't planning on it but..." He looks down. "I guess I don't know."
"We can't really keep this going if you're halfway across the country. So I guess that's our answer." I choke up at the thought of having to tell him goodbye. Up until now, I haven't let my mind go there, choosing to believe the summer would never end. But it will, and soon. It's July. Brad's leaving next month.
Better If He Goes (Always You Book 1) Page 22