Page 45 of Now and Again

‘If you’ve got three hours to scroll.’

‘We could just put the news on?’

‘I can’t eat to the news,’ Riley told her, grimacing. ‘I’d lose my appetite.’

‘Fair enough. Let’s just switch it off. We could just, I don’t know, talk or something.’

‘What a bizarre notion.’

Riley turned the TV off as Juliet took her first bite, enjoying the zing of her pineapple, despite the earlier ribbing. ‘Thanks for ordering, by the way. It was nice of you. I wasn’t expecting…’

‘What?’ Riley asked, holding a slice aloft, the cheese dripping, half eating it, half pouring it into her mouth. Juliet thought the lack of grace she was displaying was endearing.

‘Well, you and me, we haven’t eaten together since the first night I got here,’ Juliet reminded her.

‘I don’t come down to dinner because I’m avoiding my dad. Not you.’

‘Yeah, same, I guess,’ Juliet said without thinking.

Riley burst out laughing. ‘Oh, so she admits it, at last. You hate my dad. I knew it.’

‘I don’t hate him. He’s just… not my cup of tea,’ Juliet said, trying to dial it back. She hadn’t meant to get so easy with Riley, who was technically the boss’s daughter. If it got back to him what she’d said, it wouldn’t be great.

‘Juliet, relax. I’m not about to dob you in, am I? He’s a bastard. Always has been,’ Riley assured her.

‘That’s not for me to say,’ Juliet said.

Riley rolled her eyes. ‘Fine. But at least try to remember thatIhate him.’

‘I do remember,’ Juliet said, taking her second slice.

‘Oh. Yeah,’ Riley said. ‘Back then.’

Juliet smiled thinly. ‘You don’t have to say it like that.’

‘Like what?’

‘Back Then. I can practically hear the caps.’

Riley burst out laughing. ‘I’m just… giving it its due.’

‘I see,’ Juliet said evenly. She sort of wanted to say more about it. But what else could she say? ‘So you and your dad, it’s never been easy between you two?’

‘Oh, no,’ Riley began sarcastically. ‘He was practically Santa Claus when I was young. Hugs and gifts and belly laughing. Nothing but good times.’

‘You don’t like being serious, do you?’ Juliet said, afraid it came out like a criticism. She was just trying to drill down a level into Riley. How many chances like this would there ever be? She’d had one or two, but she had this feeling that any minute, the door would shut.

‘I have nothing serious to say about him. What am I gonna do, talk about how he’s ruined my chances of a lasting relationship by only showing me his total lack of regard, thereby cementing the idea that I’m worthless?’ Riley said nonchalantly.

Juliet swung her head to look at Riley, shocked.

Riley blinked. ‘You know when you start talking, and you think what’s gonna come out is going to be funny…’

‘And instead, you end up saying something way too real?’ Juliet finished.

‘That’s the one. Can we pretend I didn’t just say it?’

‘If you want,’ Juliet said.

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