by Jillian Dodd
Jennifer jumped into the air, threw her arms around my neck, and kissed me.
Making things feel right again.
“Shit,” she yells, hitting the brake as the radar detector goes off and we fly by a highway patrol car.
“How fast were you going?” I ask her.
“A hundred and thirty. Shit. Shit. Shit. Look behind us. Is he coming after us?”
“We’re almost to their house. Speed up.”
She turns and looks at me. “Are you freaking nuts?”
“It’s not like he can catch you if you speed up.”
“No, but he can call ahead to all his patrolman friends. Then I’m fucked.”
“It’s about two miles. He can’t get any one here that fast. And he sure as shit can’t catch you.”
She beams at me as she drops the pedal. “If you’re wrong, you’re bailing me out of jail.”
“Deal,” I say.
“Shit! One fifty! This is nuts!”
“The road splits up ahead, get ready. You’re gonna go to the right. Nice easy curve. Slow it down. You’re doing awesome. Only about another half mile.”
She slows down to ninety.
“Okay, see that street light up ahead? Turn left there.”
She brakes hard and makes the corner.
“Okay, now I need you to go really slow. Dallas’ kids are here and they may be running around playing Ghost in the Graveyard.”
“Oh, I used to play that with my friends! Was Keatyn excited we are coming?”
“I didn’t tell her. She loves surprises.”
After we park in the driveway, Jennifer pulls me into a kiss.
A good kiss with lots of tongue.
“That was so much fun, Riley! And, for the record, I forgive you.”
“I was going to bring you flowers, but I thought you’d like this better.”
“You already know me so well. Will we have a place to stay?”
“Yeah, but we’ll probably have to share a bedroom.”
She gives me a wicked smile. “I’d like to share more than that tonight, Riley.”
“Really? Hell, I should have let you drive my car sooner.”
“You’re bad, Riley Johnson,” she says, playfully slapping my arm.
Knowing it’s going down tonight, I flirt, “You have no idea just how bad I can be.”
Keatyn & Aiden’s home - Asher Vineyards
KEATYN
The front door bursts open and Riley and Jennifer bound into the dining room, causing all of us to stop our conversation.
“What's up?” Riley says. “We were in the neighborhood. Thought we’d stop by.”
“Riley let me drive his car up here and, ohmigawd, I was freaking out,” Jennifer says animatedly. “I cruised by this cop doing well over a hundred. Riley’s radar detector blared and I hit the brakes. I figured he was turning around and coming after me. But Riley told me to go faster! That there was no freaking way he could catch us! And I did! And he didn't! And, yay! We're here!”
I stand up, being polite, wondering how in the hell this is going to work out. I purposely didn’t invite Riley because Ariela would be here. “That sounds like quite the exciting trip,” I say to Jennifer, giving her a quick hug. “We’re so glad you joined us. Let me introduce you to everyone.” I turn back toward the table. “Everyone, I’m sure you all recognize Jennifer Edwards. She and Knox are going to be working together in a Captive Films project.”
Jennifer sees Knox and waves excitedly at him.
“Jennifer,” I continue, pointing around the table. “This is my fiancé, Aiden Arrington. This is Logan and Maggie Pedersen, they’re our friends from school and run the vineyard. These are my grandparents, Grandma and Grandpa Douglas.”
“You're on the Captive Films board of directors, aren't you?” Jennifer asks Grandpa.
“Well, yes, I am,” Grandpa says, standing up to shake her hand.
“I did some research on the company,” Jennifer says with a grin.
“And this is Dawson Johnson, Riley's brother and Captive’s newest executive. He’ll be working closely with the lovely lady to his right, Vanessa Flanning, on the campaigns for Daddy’s Angel. And you already know Dallas McMahon.”
“I was probably your easiest actress,” Jennifer says, then covers her mouth. “Whoops, sorry, that didn't sound right. I mean, I was a breeze to negotiate with.”
“Yes, you were,” Dallas replies. “It’s good to see you again.”
“And this is Ariela Ross. She’s, um, planning our upcoming wedding.” Jennifer’s look falters when she hears Ariela’s name, making me wonder if she knows about her.
Knowing that Jennifer doesn’t have a filter, I quickly follow the introduction with, “And, of course, you know Knox.”
“So, did we miss dinner or time it just right?” Riley asks without skipping a beat and completely ignoring the fact that Ariela is here.
“You are just in time,” Marvel says, bringing two more chairs to the table. “I will set more places.”
“Jennifer,” I say. “Would you do me a big favor? All the kids are in the kitchen, and I know they'd love to meet you.”
“Of course,” she says, but when we get into the kitchen, she grabs my arm. “Holy shit, is that the Ariela? The girl who broke Riley's heart like a decade ago?”
“Uh, yeah,” I say.
“Well, like that’s not awkward with a capital A. I’m sorry we just showed up.”
“It's fine, Jennifer. You’re always welcome. I’m sure she and Riley will be cordial. Besides, he's here with you.”
The kids chatter with her excitedly and when we go back in the dining room, Riley is standing and staring at the table. I’m trying to determine why when I realize that Marvel has set the two additional place settings on opposite sides of the table. And the placement is awkward. Riley has his choice of sitting by Ariela or seating Jennifer next to her.
Marvel is ready to serve us, and he is not a patient man. “Miss,” he says to Jennifer, pulling out the chair next to Knox and beckoning her to sit. “Please have a seat, Mr. Johnson.”
Riley doesn’t move. He just stares at Ariela like she's a live grenade about to go off.
“Um,” Riley says to Marvel.
Oh, if he says he doesn’t want to sit next to Ariela, I am going to kill him. I give Aiden the eye, begging him to step in and do something.
But Knox quickly jumps into the fray. “Oh, Marvel, we mustn’t separate the love birds. Ariela, dear, why don’t you sit by me?”
Ariela gives Knox a grateful nod and switches chairs. I notice that Jennifer looks disappointed.
When everyone gets settled, Marvel serves our first course.
Riley’s got one arm around Jennifer, trying to pull her closer.
He’s messing with her hair, kissing her hand, and saying flirty stuff about later tonight.
I keep trying to get everyone to talk about something to drown it out, but I think we all feel like we’re watching a train wreck about to happen.
Ariela looks sad, and I feel bad for her. It’s obvious that Riley is purposefully trying to make Ariela jealous, because he keeps glancing up to see if she’s watching.
They say in acting that timing is everything.
And Knox is a damn good actor.
I knew when he called Jennifer and Riley the lovebirds that he was up to something.
He has waited until just the right time to start flirting with Ariela. He’s spent the first two courses letting the tension build. Letting it appear like the more he gets to know her, the more interested he is.
And his subtlety is much more believable than Riley’s obvious show.
Knox leans a little closer to Ariela and speaks softly, holding her eyes and hanging on every word she says.
If I didn’t know that Knox is crushing on Jennifer, I’d think he was totally mesmerized by Ariela.
And the more mesmerized Knox seems, the more Riley stops talking to Jennifer.
Now
, he’s shoving food into his mouth like he’s mad at it.
“What you do must be so interesting,” Knox says to Ariela. “Planning weddings that bring a couple’s love to life.”
“I’ve never thought of it that way, but that is what we do. Showcase a couple’s love by finding elements from their past to share in a fun way. At a wedding I did a few weeks ago, they had massive amounts of candles because when he proposed he had over 200 candles in the room. Instead of numbers on each table, they had the couple’s favorite songs. When they kissed after the ceremony, everyone threw pink rose petals because those were the first flowers he gave her.”
“So romantic,” Knox says. “I, myself, have never been married, but I’m looking forward to the day I find that special someone. What you do must be so fulfilling.”
“It is. I like doing weddings, but I plan a lot of different events. Personal, charity, and corporate.”
He leans closer to her, casually draping his arm across the back of her chair.
“Really. Well, then, maybe you could help me. I’m thinking I’d like to hold a private event.”
“How many people?” Ariela asks.
“Very private,” Knox flirts. And he is good at flirting. Ariela even blushes when he winks at her.
“That sounds fun,” she says.
Aiden nudges my knee under the table, getting my attention, and then darting his eyes toward Riley.
Riley is now staring straight at Knox. He’s gripping his knife and fork so hard, I’m surprised they haven’t broken in half.
I give Vanessa a pleading glance.
She elbows Knox and says, “Knox, give her a break. She’s off the clock.”
Knox ignores her, turning his full attention back to Ariela, leaning almost directly in front of her and looking very much like he’s going to kiss her.
I close my eyes tightly, hoping he doesn’t take it that far.
“Oh, it will be,” he says, laying his hand on top of hers and gently stroking it. “Lots of candlelight. Music. And very intimate.”
Riley shoves himself back from the table, anger raging in his eyes.
“Leave her the fuck alone, Knox! She’s fucking married!”
“Sit down, Riley,” Jennifer says, running her hand down his arm. “It’s really not any of your business.”
“Shut the fuck up!” he yells at Jennifer, shaking off her hand. “This isn’t any of your business.”
“It is my business when you bring me here on a date only to ignore me, because it’s driving you crazy that Knox is flirting with your married ex-girlfriend. So, you fuck off!” she yells, pushing back from the table and running out of the room in tears.
Riley shakes his head and curls his fists into tight balls.
He leans across the table, looking at Ariela in disgust. “This is your fault. You don’t get three weeks. I want you out of here now!”
“Riley, stop it!” Aiden and I say. But it’s too late.
Ariela bursts out the front door in tears.
Grandpa pushes his chair back from the table and stands up with a presence. He walks around the table and grabs Riley by the scruff of the neck.
“You will not talk to any woman in this house with such disrespect. Not to mention with such foul language. Apologize. Now.”
Riley shuts his eyes tightly, takes a deep breath, but doesn’t say a word.
“If that’s the way you want it,” Grandpa says, dragging him out the French doors to the courtyard.
“I knew there were gonna be some fireworks when he showed up, but I didn’t expect all that!” Dallas says, laughing and trying to make light of the situation.
Knox gives us all a smirk and puts his napkin on the table. “Well, if you’ll all excuse me, I think I’ll go console Jennifer.”
“He totally did that on purpose,” Vanessa says, squinting her eyes in realization.
“It’s easy to prey on a desperate man,” Grandma states.
Keatyn & Aiden’s home - Asher Vineyards
RILEY
I’m pissed.
No, I’m beyond pissed.
Why the hell is Knox flirting with Ariela?
And why the hell does she seem to be enjoying it.
They’re talking softly.
Going on about weddings.
Like Knox gives two shits about weddings or any kind of wedding planning.
Then he puts his arm around the back of her chair.
I’m going to fucking kill him if he doesn’t stop it.
I was trying to make Ariela jealous earlier by flirting with Jennifer and insinuating something was going to happen between us tonight.
But, then, Knox starts doing that thing he does.
The smile, the flirt, the dimples.
I’ve seen him put the moves on girls everywhere.
And the beauty is they don’t even look like moves.
He asks them questions about their life and pretends to be interested in their answers. It makes him look caring and sensitive.
And I can see him doing it now.
How is Ariela falling for his bullshit?
Especially when he starts talking about having her plan an event for him. His last event involved four cases of tequila and a local college’s dance team.
He found glitter in his house for weeks after.
Then.
He puts his hand on Ariela’s.
I lose it.
I don’t know what I say when I stand up. It’s a blur of fury.
Until Grandpa grabs the back of my neck and drags me outside.
“What the hell was that?” Grandpa says. “You need to go back in there and apologize to everyone.”
“Fine, I’ll go back in there,” I yell.
“You can’t go off half-cocked.”
“I don't even know what the fuck that means,” I say, spitting out the words. As soon as the old codger lets go of me, I might just punch him.
But the man is strong. He pushes me down to my knees.
“Don't go off half-cocked means don't go off all pissed when you don't know the facts. But, in this case, it means you need to calm yourself down. I'm ashamed of you, son.”
He finally releases me, by shoving my head forward toward the ground. I want to just lie down on the ground and cry.
Grandpa leans over me and says, “Get up.”
I stare at him, almost daring him to touch me again.
“You’re thinking about punching me, aren’t you? That what you want to do? Take your anger at yourself out on an old man? I have a better idea. Go punch that tree. Go on now. Do it. I dare you.”
I pound my fists into the ground madly then push myself to standing.
Punching something sounds like exactly what I need to do, starting with that bastard Knox.
I want to kill him. Fucking intimate private affair. Touching her hand.
I slam my fist into the tree hard, hear cracking noises, and my first thought is that I just broke the fucking tree. That’s how pissed I am.
But my anger is instantly replaced with pain.
“Fuck!” I yell, grabbing my hand. I can’t see it in the dark, but I can already feel it swelling. “I just broke my fucking hand,” I mutter.
“Probably did,” Grandpa says nonchalantly. “That's what happens when you go off half-cocked. You do something really stupid.”
I plop down into a chair, cradling my hand and knowing he's right. Who in their right mind punches a massive tree?
“Now, for the most important question, Hollywood,” Grandpa says, sitting down beside me. And although I know he’s mad at me, the fact that he just called me Hollywood tells me he’s not holding it against me.
He looks me in the eye. “Now, tell me, which hurts more? Your hand or your heart?”
Even though my hand is throbbing, it’s no comparison to the way my heart feels.
“My heart,” I say, feeling completely broken.
“Then go talk to your girl, Riley. Tell her how you feel. Stop ho
lding it all inside and trying to pretend. And tread lightly so you don't muck it all up. You go with your hat in your hand—or in this case, your hand in your hand—and you apologize to that girl.”
“Apologize for what? She's the one who—”
“Not for what happened in the past. For what happened at dinner. You owe a lot of people apologies for that, but I’d start with her.”
I sigh.
My hand pounding.
My heart broken.
“This isn't you. I know you have a lot of chickens in the hen house, but you’ve always been respectful of them. You weren’t respectful to that little cutie either. You need to fix it and get your shit together.”
“Yes, sir,” I say, getting up. I start to go toward the door, but then stop and turn around. “Thanks, Grandpa.”
He gives me an acknowledging nod.
I cradle my hand against my body, go back in the house, cut through the dining room—purposely ignoring everyone there—and head out the front door to find Ariela. I close the door quietly, see that Vanessa's car is still here, and wonder where Ariela went.
I walk down the hill, instinctively, remembering the last time I hurt her feelings.
We’d been dating for a year. It was homecoming weekend and my brothers were back at Eastbrooke for it. Homecoming weekend is always one big party and it didn’t help that my brothers were feeding me shots. I was a little drunk and some older chick was flirting with me. I flirted back—feeling like a big man on campus—touched her arm, used a little of the Johnson charm on her. I didn’t intend for things to go any further than flirting.
Even drunk, I wouldn’t have cheated on Ariela.
It was just harmless flirting. Or, so I thought. Until I realized Ariela was standing there, watching me, her eyes full of tears.
She shook her head at me and took off down the hill.
I stumbled behind her all the way to the lacrosse field, where I found her sitting on the bleachers crying.
I decided in that moment that I would never do anything to make her cry again.
And I never did.
Until she came back into my life. Now, all I want to do is hurt her.
Because having her here is killing me.