Riley's Pond (New Adult Romance) (19 page)

“You have to tend Dirk, don’t you?”

“Am I that transparent? Afraid so. Jaxson starts graveyards again and Dad finally has a night off so he’s taking Mom on a date.”

“Sounds wonderful, actually. I could use someplace to hide tonight.”

“Oh? Care to indulge me?” I waved a fry in front of her nose, watching her eyes cross. “I’ll trade you a greasy potato stick for information.”

“Michael called.”

The fry dropped from my fingers and I pulverized it against the table with my thumb. “So what did ‘Mr. Wonderful’ want?”

“He wants to know when I’m coming home.”

Hating the whirlwind of emotions building, jealousy gaining fast, I leveled my gaze to hers and let a fake smirk pull one corner of my mouth. “You told him
never,
didn’t you? That you are madly in love with a guy who looks insanely hot in a polo shirt and pleated khakis?”

Taylor’s eyes dropped and her smile disappeared. My world wobbled. Something felt wrong, scaring me.

“Lie to me, Taylor. Tell me I don’t have to worry about this Michael dude. Please.”

She looked away, but I still caught the shimmer of tears in her eyes. A lump rolled down her slender throat and a deep sigh pushed her boobs upward. Another hard swallow slid before she faced me.

“Riley, can we not talk about this right now? You have to get back to work in a few minutes and I don’t want to spend it talking about stupid shit like Michael Barnes.” She reached across the table and took my hands. “I love
you,
Riley. Not Michael.”

The wicked smile on her lips barely eased my anxiety.

“Can you come out to my car for a few minutes and play ‘tongue tag’? Maybe you could check out my new
stripes,
and later, if we drug Dirk and get him to bed early, you can check to see if my tattoo shows through?”

We left our half eaten burgers on the table and headed for the Mini.

**

I think Dirk had as big a crush on Taylor as me. He managed to plant himself between the two of us during the movie, laughing at everything Taylor said. When I tried to stretch my arm behind him to touch the angel driving my hormones insane, Dirk pretended to scratch the back of his head, knocking my arm away. I allowed that for about five minutes.

“Hey, dufus, move my arm again and I’m going to tell Taylor you’re in love with her and want to kiss her.

“I do not! You’re such a loser!”

“Riley,” Taylor scowled, pushing the most adorable sexy pout on her lips. “Stop teasing. I already know Dirk is madly in love with me, and because he put more popcorn in my bowl than you did, I’m thinking of dumping you and dating him.”

Dirk turned three shades of red and giggled. Taylor twirled a lock of his hair making it worse. “Tell you what, Dirk. If you’ll go upstairs and leave me alone with Riley so I can break up with him in private, I’ll give you a kiss goodnight.”

He didn’t have time to react. Taylor cupped his face in her hands and planted a big kiss on his lips. Dirk’s eyes went wide. He quickly rubbed her kiss off his mouth.

“Gross!” He handed me the bucket of popcorn. “She’s all yours.”

We couldn’t help laughing. Taylor instantly filled the space between us, curling under my waiting arm. “Night, Dirk.” She blew him a kiss and he took off up the stairs, shutting the door.

“You’re wicked, Taylor.”

“I think he tried to slip me the tongue. Want to check and see if you can taste his breath in my mouth?”

I recoiled into the corner of the couch. “Okay, now you’re grossing
me
out.” I’d also strategically stretched my legs out, making a nice “body bed” for Taylor to lie on. She played into my tangled web of deceit, slowly crawling on top of me until her lips fit perfectly against mine.

“You’re so obvious, Riley Martin.”

“I know, and you fall for it every time.”

“I fall for
you
every time.”

My arms folded around her and I braided my fingers through her silky hair. “Taylor, I know we’re young, but I’m serious when I say I can’t see my future without you. My heart hurts thinking about you leaving me in a couple of weeks.”

“What if I told you I was thinking of waiting until after Christmas to leave?”

“I’d say I’m the happiest guy in the world. But then what?”

“Well, you said you were going to graduate early, and I don’t start Harvard until January, so maybe we could go to college
together.
”

“I hate that my birthday missed the cut off and I’m a year behind you in school. It makes
you
seem so old
.
”

“What? Are you saying I’m
old
?” Taylor shrieked, tickling my sides.

“Okay! Stop!” I fingered a loose golden curl. “So why Harvard? Does this have to do with Michael? You never did tell me about your phone call.”

Taylor sat up. “Thanks for the major buzz kill, Riley.”

I remained reclined in the corner of the couch, but raised my knee for Taylor to lean against. I watched as she fiddled with her fingers, picking at them like they were covered in lint.

“Babe. Talk to me.”

She pulled her knees to her chest. “My dad is up for partnership with his law firm—the firm Michael’s father owns. Because of my grades and more so, Michael’s interest in me, I received a scholarship to Harvard from the firm. Most of the lawyers who work there, including Dad, are Harvard alumni. If I turn it down, I might put his partnership in jeopardy.”

“Wait. I thought you wanted to be a teacher.”

“I do, but with my dad’s law office backing me, I have a good chance of becoming an associate attorney there and working my way up the ranks. Then I could move to any law firm I wanted. The pay is a damn straight more than being a teacher.”

But Michael works there. He’ll be working his way up the ranks, too. Taylor’s.

I had to choose my words carefully. I brushed her hair over her shoulder so I could watch her face.

“But would you be happy as a lawyer?”

What about me? Where did I fit in? Did I fit in?
Shit.

I mentally tore down the caution tape. “What about Michael? Me?”

She snuggled back onto my chest. “You’d be with me in Boston, remember? Michael and I would run into each other at the office, but my heart and mind would be constantly lusting you. Besides, the only attorney job that appeals to me would be one that helps people who can’t afford an attorney. Unfortunately, doing work for “free” isn’t something Michael’s firm believes in, so my time there would be short.”

A minute near Michael is too long.

What was I thinking? I couldn’t afford Harvard, even if I got accepted. But, I also couldn’t lose Taylor. This fantasy bubble was about to burst if I didn’t come up with a new one
fast.

“
What if you could go to any college, where would you go?”

“Well, Cornell University is probably ranked the highest, but I like the idea of University of Colorado in Denver. Far away from Boston.”

“And Michael.”

“Yes, and Michael. What about you?” She slid her lips across mine. “What college do you want to go to when you
grow up
?”

“Ouch! Hit me with the age thing. I told you. I want to be a pediatrician. Cornell would be great, but too expensive and too close to the ghosts from your past. California has earthquakes. Colorado sounds perfect.”

Taylor raised her little finger. “Pinky swear that one year from now if we’re still madly in love with each other, we’ll meet under the school marquee at University of Colorado on the first day of school.”

A whole year?

I pushed the panic down and linked my baby finger around hers. “I ‘pinky swear’ that in one year I’ll still be insanely in love with you and will go wherever makes you happy.” I tugged her closer, teasing her lips open with my tongue and tasting deep. “I just want you to be happy, Taylor.”

And with me.

Her eyes sparkled with unshed tears. “No one’s ever asked me what would make me happy.”

“Well, I am. Your happiness is vital to mine, got that?” She nodded and I kissed the tear trickling over her cheek, hating to see her sad. God, I loved her so much. I desperately wanted to know about her phone call with Michael, but I didn’t want to cause her anymore pain.

Instead, I hooked my finger in the neckline of her shirt and pulled it out. “Hey, didn’t you promise me some private time with those stripes? And what about the panties under these tight jeans? Are they like your “Sunday School” ones?”

“Why don’t you find out?” she challenged.

I slipped her shirt off without a fight. Pink and blue stripes never looked so sexy. I ran my finger along the inside of the waistband of her jeans until I felt the elastic lace. I hooked my finger through and tugged, testing my
thong
theory.

“Ouch!”

“Church worthy,” I laughed.

Her hand smoothed over the aching lump in the front of my jeans. “Boxers or briefs?”

Suddenly, the second stair creaked.

Twenty

LIES AND BROKEN PROMISES

Taylor

Only two weeks remained before I returned home as demanded by my mother. Riley hated my change of heart, but ever since Grammy discovered the ripped package with the rubber we intended using, things had grown horribly uncomfortable between us. She interrogated me every time I left the house and waited up until I got home to repeat the same. Riley could only come over when she was there to chaperone. I didn’t dare ask if I could stay longer, nor was I sure I could handle her constant monitoring.

I started working afternoons at the
Denim and Ruffles Boutique
, not for the money, but because it got away from the “grandmother watchdog” and gave me something to do while Riley worked. I also snagged some killer deals on the new stuff that shipped in on Thursdays.

At first I worried Mrs. Martin wouldn’t speak to me after finding me tangled with Riley on the basement sofa. How Riley managed to cover me so fast with the afghan off the back of the couch, shocked me. I refused to acknowledge he might have performed the same maneuver on Kaylee enough times to perfect the skill. Still, it bought me enough time to hide my sweater and bundle the knotted yarn around me. I almost burst out laughing when she offered hot cocoa to warm me.

Leaving the boutique at four o’clock gave me enough time to get home and change before Riley picked me up at six. I’d barely pulled the Mini into the driveway when my cell phone rang. Expecting Riley, I answered before checking the caller ID.

“Taylor?”

“
Dad?”
I hadn’t talked to my father since the day I indulged myself with a new car and had to actually ask permission to put it on the credit card. Someday, I’d like to know the limit on that card, if it allowed me to purchase a car
.

“
Hi, sweetheart. Sorry I haven’t called, but to be honest, I wasn’t sure you’d talk to me.”

“Probably not. You left us, Dad. You picked someone else’s family and walked out on ours.” My world bubbled under a veil of unexpected water and the kernel in my throat threatened to strangle me.

“Taylor, it’s more complicated than that. Your mother and I have struggled with our relationship for years.”

“Because you’ve had a hard time being faithful to your marriage vows.”

“All right, stop. I didn’t call to argue my moral standing. But keep in mind, Taylor, there are two sides to every story. Someday when you’re done hating me, ask your mother about her therapist, Dr. Shephard.”

His revelation brought me up short. Mom wasn’t the best parental example, but not because of immoral behavior. Just self indulgence. I guess taking the literal meaning of lying on a counselor’s couch to accept personal
therapy
could be considered “self-indulgent.” Given the story Grammy so freely shared with Riley, however, Dad’s news shouldn’t have surprised me. But it did.

“Are you saying
Mom
had an affair?”

“She’s the one who’ll have to color in those pictures for you. Jealousy has a way of turning to vengeance if fed, not that that justifies my actions by any means. Speaking of which, I had a strange conversation with Michael yesterday. Is it true you two are no longer an item?”

After my surprise phone call, I wrote Michael an official “Dear John” letter, telling him
in writing
I never wanted to see him again.

My breath hitched. Why did Dad suddenly care about my personal life? I hesitated on wanting to share intimate details but decided if I told him, the message would get back to Michael, reinforcing the fact our relationship had ended.

“Yes. I don’t want to marry Michael. I never did. I only pretended to make everyone happy and well, make sure it didn’t screw up your chances for partnership. Since I’ve been at Gram’s, I’ve had time to think about what I want. Dad, I’m not going to Harvard either. I’m sorry if that messes everything up, but I don’t want to be a lawyer. I want to be a teacher.”

“A
teacher?
Where the hell did this come from? Who’s talking such nonsense into your head? Is Michael right? Are you involved with some ‘hick’ in that godforsaken farm town?”

“I beg your pardon! Not that it’s any of your business, but
yes,
I’m dating someone who treats me far better than Michael Barnes ever did. And if you’d paid attention to
my
life the past few years instead of your buffet of vaginas, you’d know I’ve wanted to be a teacher for a long time.
Never
a lawyer.”

Dad’s tone edged of steel. I’d crossed a line. “Young lady that’s enough ugly talk. You can sling all the mud you want in my face, I don’t give a damn. But I’ve
always
paid attention to your life, as much as your mother allowed. You’re right, I didn’t know you were serious about being a teacher, but if that’s what you want, I’ll talk to the board members and get the scholarship withdrawn. But I think you’re making a mistake.”