“I don’t know, but he asked me to trust him and since I do, I kept it to myself. We just weren’t expecting you and Eddie to get together.”
She grinned at that. “Isn’t he cute and so sweet?” He was and I was happy that two of my new friends had found each other.
“I can’t believe you’ve been dating all this time,” Allison blurted out, interrupting Lily.
“We haven’t been. It was true about the picture. He was just walking me to class like I said. We’ve only been dating this last month.”
“How did it happen?” Lauren asked.
“Eddie spilled water on me at the shelter and Nate was wiping the water off my boobs. You should have seen the look of shock on his face when he realized what he was doing. It was so cute I couldn’t resist. So I kissed him.”
“That’s so adorable,” Lauren said, reaching over to pick up her drink.
“Okay enough, I’ve been asking you for over a month about him and you’ve been holding out on us. Since your tongue is loose, thanks to Lily’s wine, you’re going to spill your guts. I want every detail.” Allison stood up from the floor and sat down on the other side of me, waiting for me to speak.
I almost gave her an excuse why I wanted to keep it to myself. But this was what I had wanted to do since I first kissed him. Sit around gossiping to my friends about my hot boyfriend. So I did. I told them about our first date and nights since then. I told them since my parents didn’t give a damn, I slept at his place most nights; emphasis on the sleep. When I had no more gossip for them, we moved on to Lily and Eddie.
I woke in the middle of the night with a slight headache. The wine was not a good idea. I was in Lily’s spare bedroom and since it was a single bed, I was alone. Lauren and Lily were in her bed and Allison was asleep on the couch. I still felt sleepy, but wondered why I was so close to the wall.
I turned over, sprawling my arm out to lie across the bed. Instead of hitting the soft mattress I hit something hard. I heard a low “Umph” beside me. I jumped against the wall when I saw that I wasn’t alone. Nate lifted his head. He was wearing a shy grin. “Hi.”
I gasped. “What are you doing here? How did you get in?”
“I missed you. I was driving by and saw a light on downstairs. I thought you might be up. When I tried the door it was open.” Oh crap, we must have forgotten to lock it. It was all those fizzy drinks we had.
My first reaction was anger. Despite the fact that the door was open he shouldn’t have come in. But the guilty half-grin on his face melted the anger away until it was just a warm glow at seeing him. He’d been gone so much lately I really missed him. Instead, I lay back down and nestled into his chest, as he wrapped his arms around me. It wasn’t long before we both fell asleep.
The sound of banging in the hallway pulled me from sweet slumber, I groaned, not ready to wake up. I wanted to stay in bed with Nate’s arm wrapped around me all day. At that thought I jumped up and looked around. He was gone. Was he really here or was it just a dream?
“Lily, I have to pee, hurry up!” Allison yelled and pounded on the door again. Apparently she wasn’t much of a morning person.
I groaned again, lying back down in bed, wondering if I really had dreamt Nate’s appearance. Was he just in my mind because of all I had told them last night? But he felt so real. I could even smell his strange scent: pine and leather. I sat up, glancing around; there was no sign that he had been there. If I was dreaming I had a very good imagination.
I reached over to the bedside table to grab my phone. The clock read nine so if he hadn’t been here I knew he’d be awake heading to the shelter. It rang once before he picked up. “Hi.” His soft deep voice rolled over me, making me smile.
“Were you here?”
“What do you mean?”
My brow creased in confusion. “Well, either I dreamed very vividly of you, or you snuck into bed with me and then back out before I woke up.”
“You must have a very vivid imagination.”
“You really weren’t here?” I asked, shocked and disappointed that it wasn’t real.
He laughed. “No, I’m kidding. I was there. I didn’t think it would be a good idea for the girls to see me. I locked the door behind me though.” I heard the sound of a horn in the distance. “I’m surprised you’re up, by the look of the empty wine bottles I thought you girls would be asleep for a while.”
“I’d still be asleep if Lily had more than one bathroom.”
“Huh?”
I laughed. “Never mind, I’ll see you later.”
“I love you.”
“Me too.”
At ten Saturday morning, I began getting ready for graduation. It was at two in the afternoon, so I only had a few hours. I curled my hair, pulled it up at the back and let some loose strands hang in front. Since my makeup was finished, all I had to do was take off my robe and put on my dress. There was one knock on my patio door before it opened.
“Were you hoping to catch a glimpse?” I asked, spinning around to Nate, who was dressed in a black suit. His tie was navy blue to match my dress, which was satin with a beaded neckline.
“I would never do such a thing. But I’m not disappointed that you’re not dressed yet.” He sat down on the chair, as if to get comfy for the show.
With a smirk, I slid into the closet to change. When I came back, he frowned. “What a rip-off.”
That was the first time he made a joke in a week. He seemed different today, more himself; the sadness was almost completely gone from his eyes.
I gave him a swat on his shoulder. “I’m ready. My parents and Mona are meeting us there. Let’s go.” Once he stood up, I slid my arm through his.
The drive to the school was uneventful. I held his hand as I watched the scenery go by. He asked me a few questions about the slumber party. We had seen each other a few times since then, but only at the shelter. He was always busy afterward. I told him Allison’s reaction to our relationship. He laughed as he pulled into the crowded school parking lot.
Twenty minutes later, I was lined up in the gym alphabetically next to Anna Baker. Nate was near the end of his aisle directly across from Lauren. Even though there was space between them for people to walk down, I was sure they were talking. They were looking straight ahead, but their lips were moving and they both looked annoyed. You couldn’t really tell they were speaking unless you were watching closely. It looked like Lauren wanted to talk about something, but Nate was trying to ignore her. It was very strange, considering both of them told me they didn’t know each other. There was something going on between the two of them and I intended to find out what it was. I was pretty sure I had a better chance to get the answers from Lauren, even though she was pretty tight-lipped as well. I would need to think of a way to pry it from her.
I stood up as Mr. Miller, our principal, called my name. There was a loud cheer from Mona and Ben. My parents were too civilized for such a thing. When Nate’s name was called I thought I heard a low cheer coming from the back. When he looked up sharply, it stopped.
Afterwards, I hugged and congratulated everyone. Lily was showing off Eddie to the rest of the class and Allison brought ponytail-what’s-his-name from the bar. I spoke briefly to my parents, Mona and Ben before they left to get everything ready for the party. I watched the gym doors close behind them before I spun around to look for Nate’s blond hair over the sea of black robes and perfectly styled heads.
I found him stuck talking to Mr. Miller. I could tell he was trying to get away by the pleading looks he was sending in my direction. But I really didn’t want to get sucked into the Miller vortex. Once you got caught talking to him, you couldn’t get away. I smiled at Nate, giving him a wave as I slipped into the parking lot. The last thing I saw was Nate’s pleading look turn into a narrow-eyed glare.
Lauren was standing a few feet from the side door talking to an older couple. The man was in a suit and the woman in a peach dress. “Megan, come here, I want you to meet my parents.
”
I made my way over to where she was standing. Her father turned his head and I immediately recognized him from the press conference. He looked like Lauren. Both of them had the same blond hair, but while Lauren’s eyes were hazel like her mother’s, her father’s was the same familiar piercing blue eyes that I saw on her brother. Their facial features were similar as well.
Lauren took my hand. “Megan, this is my father, Will and my mother, Carolyn.” They each held out a hand. I placed mine in her mother’s first and then her father’s for a very firm handshake. They both wore big smiles, appearing to be very happy to meet me. I guess friendliness ran in the family.
“It’s nice to meet you both. Lauren was the only one who talked to me during a very difficult time. She’s been a really good friend.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you too. Lauren has told us a lot about you. We wanted to meet you when you came over, but we were both out for the evening,” Lauren’s mother said, disappointment shining from her face. Were they this involved with all of Lauren’s friends?
“We were hoping to see you the next day, but she told us you went to the shelter. Thank you so much for your help there. I don’t get to be involved as much as I like, work has me so busy.”
Now that she said it, it did seem strange that I never saw any of them volunteer. After all, it was their family’s charity. “I really enjoy spending time with the residents. I was actually hoping to give more of my time now that I’ve graduated. I’d even like to take on more responsibility. I know Julia could use some help.” I looked up at Lauren’s father, expecting a response, but he wasn’t looking at me. He was staring over my shoulder and his face took on a guilty expression.
“Oh, well, we have to go.” He took Lauren’s and his wife’s hands, guiding them away. I stared after them as they all climbed into a black luxury sedan, wondering what was going on. Why would he ignore me after I asked him a question, considering how excited they were to meet me in the first place?
“Hey, was that the Rileys you were talking to?” I turned to see Nate coming up behind me.
“Yeah, Lauren wanted me to meet them. They were very friendly, excited, even, to meet me. But when I asked him about getting more responsibility at the charity he ignored me and then just took off.”
“They’re rich. Rich people are weird.” He shrugged his shoulders as if his response explained everything.
I took a few steps closer. “Aren’t you rich?” I ignored the fact that he unintentionally called me weird as well.
“No, how could I be? I have some money that was left to me from my family, but that’s it.”
“Then how do you explain your car?”
He sighed. “What’s with all the questions?” He took my hand, rubbing the back of it softly with his thumb.
“I’m just trying to get to know you better.”
“Well, can we do this on the way? We have to get you to your party. You don’t want to be late.” He leaned down to touch his lips to mine, then pulled me to his car.
I climbed in and waited until he turned the ignition and drove out onto the street. “So how did you pay for your car?”
He turned his head. “It was my father’s. That’s why I made such a big deal about you driving it.”
Oh, now I felt like a jerk, bringing up his family. “But why did Eddie call you a Richie?”
“I told you I inherited money when my parents died. Besides he thinks anyone who has more money than he does is rich.”
“You know, I just noticed that you look like Lauren and even more like her father. Are you related somehow?” He stopped at a stop sign, about a mile from my house. If I was going to get answers, I needed to hurry up.
He sighed, his face turning into a scowl. “Megan, where are all these questions coming from?”
“I told you, I just want to get to know you more.”
He smiled slightly. “I understand, but you sound like you don’t trust me. Like you think I’m hiding something.”
“Are you?” I really didn’t mean to blurt that out. But now that I had…
He seemed shocked by the question. “Of course not. Why would you think that?”
I couldn’t answer that in one sentence. I just had a feeling that he always held things back. He still never explained what happened on the boat after he told me he loved me. Every time I noticed something strange about him, like his eyes, he made up some excuse. Plus there was a whole week of him saying he was so busy and couldn’t spend time with me without much of an explanation.
All of these things were on the tip of my tongue, but instead I just said, “Never mind, we’re here.”
He pulled up to my house and I was disappointed to see that the driveway was overloaded with cars.
“Are you ready?” he asked, taking his seatbelt off and opening his door.
“No,” I grumbled, but climbed out anyway. Together we walked around the house to the back patio where everyone was gathered.
Chapter Twenty
The Garden Party
“There’s our guest of honor,” my mother cooed as we made our way to where she stood talking to the mayor. “Megan, you remember Mayor Gibbons.” She laid her hand on his shoulder.
“Yes, hello. Mayor, have you met Nate Green?” I shook the mayor’s hand, glaring at my mom, who was in her glory.
“Yes, I have. I’ve donated to Riley House a few times. I’m quite impressed at what a man so young has accomplished there. The Rileys are lucky to have you.” He reached his hand out to shake Nate’s. “I hear you’re skipping college to work at Riley Department Stores.”
A woman in a black and white uniform came up with a tray of champagne glasses. The mayor withdrew his hand from my boyfriend’s and handed each of us a glass before taking one himself.
“Yes, part time, but my focus will be on the shelter,” Nate explained as he took a drink of his champagne.
The mayor nodded and moved onto me. “How about you, Megan? Your mother tells me you haven’t decided what school you want to attend yet.”
“No, I don’t know what I want to do for a career. And I don’t want to spend my parents’ money until I do. I’m going to work at the charity full time until I can figure out what I want.”
His smile was warm and his eyes were sincere. “That’s good. Put your free time to good use.”
My mother took advantage of the lull in conversation and started talking to him about my father’s work. I took that as a hint for us to leave. I grasped Nate’s hand again and wandered over to the food table.
The rest of the afternoon was spent mingling with my parents’ acquaintances and business colleagues.
Before I could look away, Mandy’s mother caught my eye. I looked around for an escape, but found none. Nate was busy talking to an older bald man in a business suit and Mona was busy speaking to the caterers. Unable to find a way out, I tensed for the inevitable confrontation.
Madeline was suddenly in front of me. “Congratulations, Megan.” She pulled me into a quick hug, the strong smell of her perfume making my eyes water.
“Thank you, Madeline. I’m so happy you could come.” My words were said through gritted teeth, obviously fake. But in this world that was the only emotion understood.
“I would never miss a Banks party. I’m sorry Mandy couldn’t come, but she wasn’t sure if you’d want her here, considering what happened. I tried to tell her that you wouldn’t mind. You two are best friends; of course you’d want her at your party. But she wouldn’t listen to me.”
I planted a phony smile on my face. “Oh, I’m sorry, but she must not have told you that I no longer consider her my friend.”
She gasped in horror, raising her hand to her mouth. “You can’t mean that. You two were so close. You’d do anything for each other.”
“Well, would you consider leaving your friend as she’s driving off to a burning building and not calling to see if she’s okay a friend that would do anything for the other? What if that sa
me friend stood by while her boyfriend threatened you? Would you still consider her a friend? Because I don’t.” I walked away, leaving her standing with her mouth hanging open.
After dinner, I excused myself to use the ladies’ room. I walked away from Nate, who was cornered between the food tables by Mrs. Erickson, who was flirting with him. The dirty look he gave told me he would get back at me later. Since it was the second time I’d left him when he needed me, I knew he wouldn’t forget.
I used my bedroom bathroom and after I touched up my makeup I thought I’d better head back to save Nate.
I noticed a man standing near Nate’s car. It was parked outside my patio door. His back was to me as he gazed at the backyard as if waiting for someone. “Hello, can I help you?” I asked, heading toward him.
When he turned around, I was surprised to see who it was—Conner, the man from the grocery store. “Oh, hi. What are you doing here?” I stood beside him, leaning against Nate’s car, but pushed off instantly. The black paint reflected the hot sun, almost burning me through my dress. For some reason it didn’t bother Conner.
He smiled. “I just started at your father’s company and he asked me to come. You look beautiful.” He was wearing his leather jacket again. I was just wearing my strapless dress and I was still hot. The sun was glaring down on us. If it wasn’t for the breeze, the heat would be unbearable.
“Thank you. I really hate this kind of thing, especially when they pretend it’s about me. But I shouldn’t say that about your new boss.”
“Megan! Step away from him, now,” Nate’s voice boomed from behind me.
I turned to look at the side of the house and saw him coming around the corner, having slipped away from the party out back.
“Oh, hi Nate. It’s all right, this is Conner. He helped me at the grocery store. Can you believe he got a job at my father’s office? What a coincidence.”
Nate rushed over to us so fast I barely saw him move. Before I knew what was happening, he was shoving me behind him.
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