Money (The Keatyn Chronicles Book 10) (18 page)

“
She
’
s amazing. Sweet. Sincere. Soft. Confident. I love her red lips and how she looks equally sexy in high heels and bare feet.
”

“
Not once in that list did you mention a single materialistic thing,
”
he comments.
“
You and Vanessa are sort of opposite in that respect.
”

“
How so?
”
 

“
Whitney left you with no money, but with something more important.
”
 

“
My girls.
”

“
Exactly. And Bam left Vanessa with more money that she knows what to do with, but without the one thing she wanted.
”

“
She came over the other night wearing nothing but a fur coat he gave her. She used to hate the coat.
”

“
Probably because it was something he gave her to make up for being an asshole. He was always trying to buy her love instead of trying to earn it.
”

I study Aiden, knowing I don
’
t need to say it, but that I should.
“
I watched the movies before I went to work at Captive.
”

“
The Keatyn Chronicles
?
”

“
Yeah, and I
’
ve never really apologized for being such a dick to you in high school.
”

“
All
’
s fair in love and war,
”
he says, repeating a line from the movie and what I had actually told Keatyn when we dated briefly in high school. Whitney had sent me a text
—
a simple text,
baby, please
—
begging me not to go away with Keatyn for the weekend but stay with her and try and work out our relationship. She had devastated me when she had broken up with me a few months before and to have her now saying she made a mistake, was what I had longed to hear. I realized too late, that I was an idiot for not staying with Keatyn and tried to win her back. For a short period, she dated both Aiden and I.
 

“
You wooed her. How did you know what to do? What would affect her?
”

He shrugs.
“
I was just there for her when she was upset. I took her chocolate cake.
”

I think back to the movie.
“
And gave her a four-leaf clover for luck, put stars above her bed, ran a feather earring across her neck, and brought her dirt. None of those things really cost money.
”

“
I bought her a purse she loved and some gorgeous gold feather earrings. But it’s not what you spend that matters, Dawson. You have to find what touches her soul and give from yours freely.
”

“
I was going to give her this.
”
I show Aiden the necklace I planned to give Vanessa tonight.
“
It
’
s just something the girls and I found in Venice, but the butterfly stands for rebirth and the infinity symbol on its wings reminded me of our path back to each other.
”

“
Why didn
’
t you give it to her?
”

“
It felt insignificant after seeing all those jewels. Hard to compete with them.
”

Aiden smiles at me.
“
Here
’
s a tip, Dawson. All
isn
’
t
fair in love and war, but the victor always plays with heart.
”

In the car - L.A.

RILEY

I
’
m on my way to the hotel to meet Shelby when I get a text.

Ariela:
 
I
’
m really sorry the note upset you. That wasn
’
t my intention.
 

I don
’
t reply, instead I call Logan. Once we exchange greetings, I get to the subject at hand.

“
So tell me about this new guy she brought in to be her assistant.
”

“
Kyle? I don
’
t know much about him. Seems like a nice enough kid. Good looking. Funny. Maggie and Grandma were drooling over him.
”

“
And what about Ariela?
”

“
They seem close. But they must not be too close because he thinks that Maggie and I are renewing our vows, so Ariela doesn
’
t trust him enough to tell him everything.
”

“
Is she fucking him?
”

“
Hmm, not sure. Based on the way he acts around her, I
’
d say he wants to but hasn
’
t. Why the twenty questions? I thought after homecoming you two made up? She even told us about the premiere girl getting pregnant. I was under the impression she wasn
’
t going to let that interfere with your relationship.
”

“
Did she tell you guys about the note?
”

“
What note?
”

“
On graduation day, she was too chicken to tell me in person that she was going to Princeton.
”

“
What do you mean? She told you in person then ran to her parents
’
car and left.
”

“
Yeah, I know. But that wasn
’
t her plan. Apparently, she didn
’
t have the guts to tell me in person, so she was going to leave a note on my car. But as she was going to my car, she ran into me, blurted everything out, and forgot to give me the note. She
’
s kept it all these years though. She gave it to me at homecoming and made me read it last night.
”

“
And, what did it say?
”

“
That she had to go to Princeton because it was her dream, that she hoped I would understand, and that she hoped we could stay together.
”

“
What the fuck?
”

“
That was my exact response.
”

“
Why didn
’
t she mail you the letter? Or message you? Or one of us? Anything?
”

“
Exactly. Why didn
’
t she? If she was as heartbroken as she claims to have been, why didn
’
t she send it?
”

“
Did you ever contact her after that?
”

“
Fuck no.
”

“
Maybe that
’
s why she didn
’
t send it.
”

“
It really doesn
’
t matter anymore. We agreed to talk this week, but I
’
m bailing on that. At the wedding, I
’
ll tell her I don
’
t want to see her again, and she can go back home.
”

“
Uh
—”
 

“
Uh, what?
”

“
She agreed to work for Asher, helping to design our new wedding and event space. She
’
ll be around.
”

“
Shit. I
’
m the one who encouraged her to take the job.
”

“
Riley, maybe you should talk to her in person before you make a permanent decision. She
’
s been working really hard. The wedding is going to be beautiful. Want to know what Maggie told me?
”

“
Probably not.
”

Of course, it doesn
’
t stop him from saying,
“
Ariela told Maggie that she thinks making Keatyn
’
s wedding perfection will prove her love to you.
”

“
That makes no sense.
”

“
Women never do,
”
he says.

I pull up to the hotel and leave my car with the valet, our conversation replaying in my head and wondering what the hell I should do. It
’
s hard to forgive someone who caused you so much pain
—
let alone let them back into your life.
 

My heart wants to go to the vineyard, hold Ariela in my arms, and have her tell me she still loves me.
 

I want her to keep telling me that until I believe her.
 

Because after reading the note, I’m not sure I ever will again.

As I knock on the door to Shelby
’
s bungalow, I focus on the task at hand. I
’
m here to take Shelby out for dinner, get to know her, and then fuck away any and all thoughts of Ariela.

When Shelby answers the door, my jaw drops to the floor.

“
I look different, huh?
”
she purrs, handing me a glass of champagne.
“
I learned something today, Riley Johnson.
”

“
What
’
s that?
”

“
Do you remember the good champagne we had in New York?
”

“
Uh, yeah.
”

“
I found out that it
’
s actually a cheap brand. I think the sommelier steered you wrong.
”

“
Oh, that sucks,
”
I say, feeling bad for lying to her.
“
Um, you look amazing.
”

She does a little twirl, allowing me to check her out. Her hair has been changed from its usual bleached blond to a softer shade with brown undertones. Undertones are probably something a guy like me shouldn
’
t know about, but I do. Keatyn always has very precise descriptions for the actresses she wants cast in our movies. Anyway, Shelby looks gorgeous, and I can
’
t help but appreciate it. Her boobs are restrained in a low-cut gown that has sheer mesh covering her cleavage while still giving a hint of the creamy skin beneath. The rest of the black dress drapes fluidly over her curves, but isn
’
t the skintight version she usually prefers. Her makeup is soft and pretty rather than harsh and dark. The effect is stunning, really.

“
I
’
ve been totally pampered today,
”
she says, reaching for my zipper.
“
I
’
d like to pamper you in return.
”

I grab her hand.
“
Although I would love to have your kind of pampering, you look too beautiful. Let
’
s go to dinner first.”

She freezes, staring at me with wide eyes.
“
Really, Riley? You think I look beautiful? Like not just hot, but actually
pretty
?
”

“
Yes, you look beautiful. And I told you, I want to get to know you better. Let
’
s go eat then when we come back
I
will pamper you.
”

She grabs my face and kisses it then puts her arm in the crook of my elbow, allowing me to escort her out the door.

At dinner, I learn more about her family. And the picture is not pretty. She ran away at sixteen and has been on her own ever since. Her mom worked two jobs to make ends meet and she had a deadbeat stepfather. When Shelby started developing, he took notice. Although he hadn
’
t done anything inappropriate yet, she says she knew it was coming. He
’
d snuck into her bedroom one night and told her what they were going to do. Fortunately, her mom got off early, and he didn
’
t have the chance. She didn
’
t stick around to find out if he was serious. She moved in with an older guy, and together they went to Vegas. She got a fake ID and worked underage as a dancer. After they broke up, she moved to L.A. with dreams of becoming an actress.