Page 31 of When Wrecked Meets Ruined
“If you’re not gone in the next two minutes, I’ll throw you over my shoulder and dump your ass on the front lawn.”
She knew I’d do it, too. So she salvaged her last shred of dignity by walking away before creating a bigger scene that would only embarrass her.
“This party is lame,” she said. Two of her friends followed her out. The rest stayed.
My eyes met Evie’s across the pool. She averted her gaze and said something to Troy before leaving him poolside and walking away.
Before I could reach her, Jackson cut me off at the pass and thumped my back. “Dude, we’re doing shots.”
CHAPTERTWELVE
Evie
“What’sthe deal with you and Ridge?” Troy asked.
“No deal.” I filled the blender with ice, margarita mix, and tequila, then whizzed it up, hoping the noise from the blender would deter further conversation.
Troy and I were kind of, sort of, friends now. He was a good guy, but he was Ridge’s friend, so I didn’t want to talk to him about Ridge.
Walker and Quinn were still dancing on the patio where I’d left them earlier, but I didn’t see Ridge or Ainsley.
“No deal, huh? So that’s why you got so jealous when Ainsley was rubbing her tits in his face?”
I wasn’t jealous. I hated Ainsley. Big difference. I paused the blender and lowered my voice. “Who do you think was more jealous? Me? Or you?”
With a sigh, he pushed his hand through his wheat blond hair. “How did you know?”
I gave him a wry smile. “Because you’ve always been such a gentleman around me.”
“That’s just sad, Evie. Every guy should act like a gentleman with you.”
I held my hand over my heart. “I think I’ve finally found my perfect man. Where have you been all my life?”
He grinned. “Waiting for you at the Sunset. Obviously.”
We laughed. I’d gotten to the Sunset Grill an hour late with no hope that my secret pen pal would still be waiting. Turns out he wasn’t, but Troy was. He was working there this summer. A happy coincidence.
All along, I thought Troy was my secret pen pal. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“Why do you keep it a secret?” When Troy hesitated, I hastened to add, “Never mind. You don’t have to answer that. It’s none of my business.”
“No, it’s cool. I guess I….” He heaved out a sigh. “My parents are ultra-conservative. If they found out I was gay, they’d kick me out of the house and never speak to me again.”
“Maybe they would understand.”
“You’ve never met my parents.”
“I’m sorry. That must be hard.”
“Living a lie? Yeah, it sucks.”
I wanted to tell him that he was eighteen now and could do whatever he wanted, but family ties were the kind that binds, and it wasn’t so simple to just walk away. “Well, if you ever need a fake girlfriend, I’m your girl.”
He grinned. “Tempting. But Ridge is a good friend, and I’d rather not give him a reason to mess with my pretty face.”
I couldn’t deny that his face was pretty. But Ridge shouldn’t even factor into this conversation. “Ridge and I mean nothing to each other.”
