Page 24 of The Heir

“I just did,” she shrugged. We walked toward my bedroom. I changed in the bathroom down the hall and let Ash have my room to change. I met her back inside my room and noticed the dried out lavender rose from Shad was on my bed.

“Did you move that?” I asked, picking up the flower and placing it back on my dresser.

“Oh, what?” she replied, looking at herself in my full-length mirror.

“This rose over here?” I called to her.

“No, I don’t know what you mean,” she responded, walking out.

“Never mind,” I said, taking in her suit. “Love your suit.” It was a green, one-piece, low cut suit but still covered all the basics.

“Thanks, it’s old but the only one I’ve got,” she smiled. “I didn’t think to bring a cover-up, which would have been smart.”

“Oh, I have tons of them. They are in that drawer there. Have your pick,” I said, pulling my hair back into a high ponytail while motioning to the correct drawer with my elbow. She pulled out a black dress cover-up, and even though she was shorter than I was, it fit her fine.

“You ready?” I asked, turning to her. “I think I heard the doorbell. There are probably a few people already here.”

“Yes, let’s have the time of our lives,” she said, pulling me from my room, our arms linked together. I couldn't help but like her. She was so nice, and she made being her friend very easy. I needed that.

It was two hours into the pool party, and I was standing over by the speakers when I first heard Ryker’s booming call. I turned from the drink table to look where I had heard his voice.

“Emma!”

I walked over to where Ryker stood, beside Ash at the edge of the pool.

“Hey, Ry, you finally made it,” I gave him a quick hug and smiled.

“Of course—Wouldn’t miss this rager.”

I looked around, and there were what appeared to be fifty or so students from Oak High, way more than I had expected. People were dancing, swimming, eating, and they seemed to be enjoying themselves. I wanted Shad to get there before Ryker was done with practice, but he hadn't arrived. What was keeping Shad? Did he really have such a long shift at work? Was Shad as busy as Ryker had suggested?

“Yeah, who would have thought?” I shrugged.

“Me, I knew it,” Ash said with a grin. “You want to go swim, Ryker?”

“Oh, yeah, sure,” he said, running fingers through his hair. Ash smiled at me. I watched as Ryker stripped off his shirt to reveal an athlete’s body. He was bulky with big muscles from all the hard work of playing football. I knew he was a very attractive boy, and I watched as Ash’s eyes grew large, taking him in. I tried not to laugh. Ryker did not seem to even notice.

“See you later, Em,” Ryker said before he dove straight into the water. I was grateful he was no longer glaring at Ash. He seemed to be trying to be less of abear. I sat down in a chair in the corner and watched all of the people I had known for years talk and mingle inmybackyard. It was so weird to me, seeing them all at my house. I was grateful to Ash and Mary for helping with the party, even if I wasn’t exactly in thepartymood. That was when I noticedhim, stepping through the glass sliding door of my house. His hair was perfectly styled in that careless, messy way. He wore black slacks and a white, buttoned, collared shirt with a dark red, tie and a black belt. I wondered if he had ever attended a pool party before because his outfit was severely lacking in pool party vibes. I watched as girls in bikinis made their way over to him. He smiled polite smiles at them, but kept his gaze at eye level as he did so. He walked on, looking around. I hoped he was looking for me.

I stood up and made my way to the food table, trying to remain calm.

“There you are. It would seem that at your own party, you are hard to find.” I turned around to see his handsome face, looking at me. I took in steady breaths, as again, the familiar song emerged between us. I could hardly breathe.

“Well, are you not fashionably late?” I asked, popping a chip into my mouth to disguise my breathlessness.

“Yes, sorry about that. I had to take care of some things for our family business.” He pursed his lips.

“Oh yeah, what kind of business?” I asked, grabbing another chip from the bowl.

“It’s kind of like a detective agency. I mostly file paperwork and do office tasks—It helps pay for my gas. I should have texted you. That would have been the proper thing to do.” He looked irritated at himself, and I couldn't help but smile.

“You have a swimsuit on under all that?” I asked, motioning to his body.

“No, I wasn’t able to change, I came straight from work, actually. Are you going to swim?” he asked, looking at my cover up dress.

“Yes. And you should go back to your house and change; it won’t be much fun without a suit, and I mean aswimsuit.”

He smiled wide, “I assure you, Emma, I am already having plenty of fun.” He winked at me, and I tried to stop the heat that was rising in my cheeks, but I knew it was there, and I couldn't hide it. Winking seemed to be a thing he did often, I liked it.

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