Friendship on Fire(48)
“Yeah, but we were kids,” Riley said.
“Yeah, you were. But that didn’t stop you from going right up to him and socking him in the nose.” Her mother shook her head. “I still remember his mother shouting at me on the phone, and I was so damn proud of you. I didn’t love that you settled the issue with your fists, but I was proud that you had taken charge of a situation that the teachers and principal failed to handle. I have faith in you, Riley. There must be something you’re overlooking. Some proof of what you’ve created.”
“Well, if there is, I can’t think of it.”
Her mother frowned. “Then you’re not thinking hard enough, and maybe, just maybe, you’ve fallen into the victim line and can’t find your way out.”
Chapter Forty
JOSH STOOD IN the lobby of the Dakota with his shoulders hunched forward and bags under his eyes as the elevator made its slow descent.
“I always knew there was more to you hiring her than just her skills.”
Josh spun around at the sound of Claudia’s voice. “What the fuck are you doing here?” He pushed the elevator button several times, wishing it would move faster so he could escape Claudia.
Wearing a pair of tight-fitting jeans, spike heels, and a GUESS Candide faux-fur jacket, Claudia looked more like she was going on a date than throwing virtual darts at her boss.
“Why? Afraid she’ll see us together? According to my sources, your girlfriend is long gone. She ran back home to hide. Oh…” She feigned a long look at her red nails, then planted one hand on her hip and set her eyes on Josh. “I guess you already know that, since you took her to the airport.”
Every nerve tightened. Josh fisted his hands, his nostrils flaring as he bit back the impulse to tell her to get the fuck out of his sight. The elevator opened and Josh stomped inside. Claudia stepped in beside him, and in the next breath, bright flashes of yellow blurred his vision as a photographer clicked picture after picture of Josh and Claudia.
“What the hell?” He covered his face. “Get out, Claudia. You’re a sick person.”
She sauntered out of the elevator. “You should have taken me up on my offer when you had the chance.”
The elevators closed behind her. Josh swore. By the time the doors finally opened on his floor, he was red with fury. He swung his apartment door open and then slammed it shut. He paced, cursing and punching the air. Too angry to speak to anyone, he ignored his ringing cell phone. Thank God Riley isn’t here. The last thing she needs is Claudia on her ass. He stomped into the bedroom and took off his dress shirt, throwing it onto the chair in the corner, and caught sight of the photo of him and Riley on the dresser. He picked up the frame with a groan, then set it it back down. He was too angry to think, much less feel anything other than the river of hate that Claudia stirred in him.
Ten minutes later, he stepped into a hot shower, letting the scalding water beat the tension from his back and shoulders. He knew he had to make a decision. What if he found no proof and Riley was stuck taking the blame for stealing the designs? What then? How could they move forward? Claudia hadn’t taken any steps toward placing formal charges against Riley for supposedly stealing her designs, which only further pushed Josh toward believing that Riley had done no wrong and that this was all some sort of game to Claudia.
Josh stepped from the shower and toweled off his lean, muscular frame. His phone rang again and, still reeling, he let it go to voicemail. It was all becoming clear to him. While he’d been worried about proving Riley’s innocence, he’d completely overlooked the bigger issue. What if she’s never cleared of the accusations? He felt himself teetering between two worlds, and he didn’t want to let go of either.
Chapter Forty-One
IT WAS NEARLY midnight when Riley finally got around to emptying her bags. She unzipped the suitcase and pulled the flap open. On top of her clothing was an envelope. Josh. She sat down on her childhood bed and brought the envelope to her nose, smelling the scent of him that remained on the fine linen paper. She ran her finger under the flap, withdrew a piece of monogramed stationery, and read the handwritten note.
Hey, babe,
This stinks, huh? I’m sorry for everything. For not coming to you before talking to the staff and for this whole mess. I believe in you, and I’ll do everything I can to get it worked out quickly so that I can come see you. By now you’re at your parents and I’m back at my apartment, wishing you were here. Never before has the thought of sleeping alone felt so lonely.
We’ll figure this out. I love you.
—J.
Riley lay back on the bed, holding the note to her chest. But will you still love me tomorrow?
RILEY AWOKE THE next morning to commotion downstairs. She climbed out of bed and took a quick shower in an effort to wake up. She hadn’t slept well after falling asleep waiting for Josh to call and convincing herself not to call him. What if he was wavering in his support of her? What if he was having second thoughts about them? She hadn’t wanted to hear the difference in his voice then, and now she felt guilty. She’d left him to tackle the situation head-on and alone, while she was in the safety of her parents’ house with the support of family and friends. She glanced in the mirror and sighed. The stress of the past two days was evident in the dark rings under her puffy eyes.
She checked her cell phone for messages and read a text from Josh that had come in at four in the morning. Know I love you today. I can’t wait to see you tomorrow. She loved that he’d thought of her in the middle of the night, then wondered why he would have waited until it was so late to text.
She texted back, Love you 2. Call me later?
Riley pulled on her skinny jeans and a thick, comfortable sweatshirt, intentionally veering as far away from designer labels as she could. She needed comfort today. This week. Maybe forever.
On her way down the stairs, she heard Jade’s voice, then Max’s, and then Savannah’s. What is going on? She crept silently to the wall beside the kitchen and listened.
“What she needs is a girls’ day out to forget about all this nonsense,” Jade said.
“And a girls’ night out,” Savannah added. “I can’t believe that photo. Maybe she won’t see it.”
What is she doing here? What photo? She had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.
“I still can’t believe this is actually happening,” Max said. “I mean, one minute I’m in love with my bridal gown, and the next minute it’s the center of some scandal. How is Josh handling it all? Treat couldn’t reach him last night.”
“He’s not answering his phone,” Savannah answered. “But I spoke to the PI he hired, and it looks like they’re working as hard as they can to figure it all out. The photo though…poor Riley.”
Riley crept back upstairs and closed her bedroom door. She navigated to Google on her phone and searched Josh’s name. Her jaw dropped open when she saw the front page of the New York Post. A photo of Josh and Claudia in the elevators at his apartment building stared back at her. She narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing Josh’s face, then zoomed in, hoping to see an obvious Photoshop marking or anything to indicate that the picture had been faked. She read the article, which was sketchy, at best, claiming that the two were “seen together” in the lobby of his apartment building.
She checked her text messages, then her voicemails. Nothing from Josh. Was that why he hadn’t called last night? She lay back on her bed, wondering what the hell was going on, her pulse kicking up a notch with each passing second. Goddamned Claudia. Her mother’s words came rushing back. You’ve confronted bigger rivals in your life than some New York woman. She sat up and dialed four-one-one.
“Claudia Raven, Manhattan, please.”
After calling three wrong numbers, she finally connected with the right one. Riley took a deep breath and held the phone with a trembling hand. Claudia answered on the first ring.
“Hello?”
Her casual tone threw Riley off. “Claudia?”
She didn’t respond. Silence filled the airwaves, and just as Riley opened her mouth to speak, Claudia said, “Riley Banks. What on earth might you want? Oh, I saw your boyfriend last night.”
The taunting sneer in her voice came through loud and clear and sent Riley’s mind careening in ten different directions. She stood in an effort to walk some confidence into her shaking body and spinning mind. When that didn’t work, she closed her eyes and blurted out what she’d called to say.
“You stole my drawings. You’re dragging me through God knows what kind of muddy hell, and you’ve obviously pulled no punches getting that picture of you and Josh.” Riley didn’t realize she was yelling until her bedroom door flew open and Jade, Max, and Savannah tumbled in. Her mother stood in the doorway, giving her the courage she needed to continue.
“Well, let me tell you something, Claudia Raven. I might not be a savvy New Yorker, but I’m a Weston woman and Weston women are proud, honest, and strong. If you think your tactics will tear me away from Josh, you’ve got another thing coming. You could be naked in the pictures, for all I care. I know Josh, and he wouldn’t touch the likes of you if his life depended on it.” Her eyes jumped from Max’s wide eyes to Jade’s thumbs-up, then up to Savannah’s wide, mischievous smile, and finally landed on her mother’s nodding head.