Page 87 of Unraveling the Truth About Love
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 alonefelt 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 asleepwaiting 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. Sheglanced 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 Wednesday.She loved that he’d thought of her in the middle of the night, then wondered why he would have waited until it wasso late to text.
She texted back,Love you too. 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 besidethe 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 withmy 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 navigatedto Google on her phone and searched Josh’s name. Her jaw dropped open when she saw the front page of theNew 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 was going on, her pulse kicking up a notch with each passing second.Frigging Claudia.Her mother’s words came rushing back.You’veconfronted 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. Silencefilled 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, sheclosed her eyes and blurted out what she’d called to say.
“You stole my drawings. You’re dragging me through who knows what kind of muddy nightmare, 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 sheneeded 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.
Claudia gasped, fueling Riley’s rant.
“It doesn’t matter to me if we prove this or not,” Riley said. “I know the truth, and so do you, and you’re the one who will have to live with the guilt of knowing how low you sank and how many lives youhurt along the way.” Riley pushed the End button on the phone.
“You did it, Ri. You really did it.” Jade wrapped Riley in her arms.
“Wow, you go, girlfriend!” Savannah laughed, embracing both Jade and Riley.
“I can’t believe you did that,” Max added.
Riley’s mother stood in the doorway with a proud smile that filled her eyes with tears. “Now, that’s the girl I raised.”
Tears streamed downRiley’s cheeks. Her legs trembled. She collapsed into her friends’ arms, hoping that she hadn’t just done the absolute wrong thing.
