Friendship on Fire(52)

Treat leaned forward. “Jay, Teterboro Airport, please.” He turned to Josh. “I chartered a flight to avoid any further media hassles. Listen. We don’t know if what I said is true or not, but when you reach Reggie, you can find out. None of that matters, though. She’s been fired. She’s been served, and if you’re sure Riley is innocent, then I’m damn sure that between the sexual harassment suit and what I told her, she’s not stupid enough to take her to court.”

“What a fucking mess,” Josh said. “And what a relief.” Laughter bubbled out of him. He threw his head back and scrubbed his face with his hands. “Damn. I always knew it would feel good to be rid of her, but never did I imagine it would feel this good.”

“You’re not rid of her yet. As your attorney said, filing the sexual harassment charges against her will probably keep her from taking any of this public, and the security tapes from your office will validate the harassment claims, but she still needs to save face with her accusations about Riley. There’ll be something that comes back at you. This isn’t anywhere near the end of it.” Treat narrowed his eyes, grabbing Josh by the shoulders. “Even though you’re confident about all of this, there’s still the chance that Riley is in the wrong. You still have no proof.”

Josh couldn’t ease the smile on his lips. The freedom that releasing Claudia from JBD brought felt like a noose had been removed from around his neck, and if he’d learned one thing from the past few days, it was that his father had been right. After feeling what he’d felt for Riley, his life would never mean anything if his heart wasn’t full.

Josh nodded. “I have all the proof I need.” He covered his heart with his hand.

Josh and Treat pulled their cell phones from their pockets at the same time.

“Who are you calling?” Treat asked.

“Texting Savannah. I need another favor.” He texted her, then began typing another message.

“Who else?” Treat asked, reading the response from Max.

“Riley.”

“Why? I thought you weren’t going to tell her yet.”

Josh smiled. “Because I miss her.”





Chapter Forty-Five


THE LAST THING Riley felt like doing after spending the day with her friends was going out to dinner with her parents, and to Christos of all places, the most expensive restaurant within sixty miles. She stood before her closet in her pink lace bra and matching thong, freshly showered, her hair dried, makeup on, and a frown on her face as she flipped through her dresses with a loud sigh. She hadn’t heard from Josh since that strange whispering phone call. The nerves in her stomach pinched so tight, she knew she wouldn’t be able to eat a thing, much less feign pleasantries. Riley eyed her sweats, the desire to curl up in them with a big bottle of wine and a thick blanket in front of a sappy movie so she could wallow in her worries and drink away the ache of missing Josh was so strong that she considered doing just that.

“Fifteen minutes, sunshine,” her father said from behind her closed door.

“Okay,” she called. She wished Josh would call. It had been hours since they’d spoken. What could he possibly be doing? She picked up her cell phone and checked her messages.

“Thank God,” she said, scrolling to Josh’s text.

My heart + your heart = happiness. Xo J.

“That’s the corniest thing I’ve ever read,” she said aloud. I love him. I trust him. I miss him. God, I miss him. Instead of wrestling with the unfairness of the situation and thinking about how Josh shouldn’t be dragged through the mud with her, or how he didn’t deserve the web she was stuck in, she took a giant leap of faith and texted back, You’re a romantic fool. I love you. Thank u 4 sticking by my side. Please come home 2 me.

The room looked brighter, and Riley knew her mother and Max were right. She could spend her whole life worried about what might happen next, or she could believe. She could trust. She could love. Riley chose love.

With her attitude adjusted, she went back to leafing through her clothes. She’d worn every outfit a hundred times. She scrutinized herself in the full-length mirror that hung beside her closet. She turned to one side, then the other. Riley didn’t believe in scales. She didn’t care what she weighed as long as she felt good about how she looked and felt healthy, and as she ran her hands along her sides and down her hips, she swore something had changed, though she didn’t feel any physical difference.

She moved tentatively toward the back of her closet, reaching behind the winter coats in the back and retrieving a dress she’d made while she was in college. She had no idea if it would still fit, but it was one of her favorite designs. She ran her fingers along the red silk, thinking about what she told the customers in Macy's. Ninety-nine percent of feeling good is looking good. If you dress in sweats, you’ll feel sluggish, but throw on the right outfit, and you’ll immediately get a new boost of energy. She pulled the dress from the rack. Riley slipped the cowl-neck dress over her body, shimmying against the silken fabric, then belted it with the matching silk tie. Admiring the elegantly finished cuffed sleeves, she turned to face the mirror and slammed her eyes shut, silently praying she looked at least passable.

A knock on her bedroom door brought her eyes open. She gasped at the image in the mirror. The combination of the hint of cleavage exposed by the low gather of the cowl and the mid-thigh hem were pretty, but it was what she felt inside, the illumination of her heart, the explosive love she felt for Josh and accepted more and more with each passing second, that made her feel breathtakingly stunning.

“Wow,” she said to the empty room.

“Honey.”

“Yeah, coming, Mom.” She slipped her feet into a pair of nude heels and pulled open the door.

“My word.” Her mother’s eyes ran down her body.

“Too much?” Riley asked, covering her waist with her arm.

“Goodness, no. You are a vision, Riley. You look like you’ve just walked out of a fashion magazine.” Her mother thrust a package into her arms. “We have to leave, but this just came for you.” She called over her shoulder, “Sweetheart, come here and see your little girl.”

A moment later, her father stood behind her mother, one hand on her mother’s shoulder and the other on his slim hip. “Sunshine, you are gorgeous.” He whistled. “Beauty and brains, you’re a dangerous combination. No wonder that woman is accusing you of horrible things. She must be jealous.”

Riley felt her cheeks warm. “Daddy.”

He wrapped his arms around Riley. “I love you, sunshine.”

“I’ll be down in a sec, okay?” Riley watched her parents descend the stairs; then she went to work opening the package. Her pulse kicked up a notch when she withdrew a box of gingerbread cookies, along with a note—not in Josh’s handwriting—Comfort food. She dug deeper and found a compact disc of Hunter Hayes, featuring her favorite song, “Wanted.” She brought it to her chest and closed her eyes. Josh. She tossed aside the packing and withdrew the last item from the box. A photograph of a bouquet of peach roses, with a note taped to the back.





Josh asked me to get these for you, but finding them at a moment’s notice was impossible. I’m so sorry, and I know he’ll kill me, but this is the best I can do. Love, Savannah.



Savannah? Riley flipped open her laptop and Googled the meaning of peach roses. Within seconds, she had her answer.

Peach roses—closing the deal; let’s get together; gratitude

Her heart swelled, and she knew she’d made the right decision. When she leapt, Josh would be there to catch her.





Chapter Forty-Six


JOSH BARRELED INTO his father’s house after the four-hour flight, during which he’d come to realize just how much Riley meant to him, how much the few short weeks had changed his outlook and his heart, which was bubbling over with love. Even the anger he felt toward Claudia had subsided, as if he’d left it behind when the airplane had taken off.

Hugh grabbed Josh’s arm as he came through the door. “Josh, is it true?” A few days’ worth of stubble peppered his chin and cheeks, and the gray button-down shirt he wore was a refreshing change from his typical T-shirt and racing jacket.

Josh beamed. “Hell, yes. I need to shower. Where’s Dad?”

Treat embraced Hugh. “Good to see you.”

“Dad? How about me?” Dane called from the next room. He appeared in the hall and pulled Josh into a hug. “Get over here. I’m happy for you, bro.”

“Thanks, but it’s not a done deal yet.”

The heavy hand on his shoulder nearly brought tears to Josh’s eyes. “Dad,” he whispered as he turned to the man who had always been there for him. Hal Braden stood three inches taller than Josh, and as Josh walked into his arms, he took comfort in the strength of his father’s embrace. He feared the day that strength would diminish and his age would erase his father’s commanding presence. His dark hair was now streaked with gray and not quite as thick as it once had been.

“I hear this is a big night for you,” his father said.

“I hope so,” Josh said. He looked around the house where he’d spent his formative years, where he’d learned most of life’s hard lessons, and where he’d lost his mother. He swallowed past the lump in his throat and forced a smile. “Still talking to Mom?” he asked.