Page 13 of Unforgettable
“Haven.” Vicki’s voice came through loud and clear. “How did it go?”
I slowed at a stop sign and saw the freeway sign looming up ahead. “Not sure. The chick who I suspect outed me was there.”
“Who is she?”
I pressed on the gas. “Crap. I didn’t get her name.” I’d been so focused on Ryker that I hadn’t even asked who she was.
“Is she his girlfriend?”
“He doesn’t have girlfriends.” At least that was the rumor, and if my father was right about Ryker sleeping around, then the blonde was just another conquest. “I guess I’ll have to ask Ryker.” Which meant another visit. Maybe my subconscious purposely hadn’t asked her name so I could see him again.
No way.
If I did return to his house, I would give the man what he wanted.
So what? You want him, and one time wouldn’t hurt him or you.
She snickered. “Damn the bad luck.” A beat of silence ticked. “Oh, wait. Come to think of it, he’s giving a talk at the sorority meeting on Wednesday.”
I zipped onto the freeway, merging with traffic.
Ryker didn’t strike me as a guy who gave speeches. “What about?”
“According to the resident assistant of our dorm, the football team does a fundraiser every year for a local charity. And they make the rounds to get the word out. So you definitely should come with.”
I might not be available if my father locks me up.
I hadn’t given Vicki an answer when she’d asked the night before, but now I really wanted to go, more out of curiosity and the fact that I could corner Ryker in public. I didn’t trust myself alone with him.
Watch it, missy. Someone could be snapping pictures of you and him again at the sorority event.
Well, I wouldn’t be sitting on his lap, and surely just talking to the man couldn’t piss off my father.
“Okay, I’m in.”
The sound of her clapping boomed through the speakers. “Great. Good luck with your dad today. I’ll be here if you need me.”
Despite the warm feeling flooding my chest at how Vicki and I were becoming good friends, I didn’t want to involve her in my personal dealings with my dad. No one needed to be subjected to my father and his scrutiny.
“I’ll see you later.” I hit the end button, and music filled the car. I sped down the highway, passing vehicles, listening to Jason Aldean. I had to clear my head before I got home. Or rather, I had to prepare myself for the meeting with my father, and God only knew what interaction I would have with my evil stepmom. I was sure she would have something to say about the picture of Ryker and me.
My mind drifted back to Ryker and the blonde who’d barely been dressed.Why didn’t I get her name?It was so unlike me. My father had taught me at a young age to know a person’s name because it was essential to know who I was dealing with.
Pfft.I’d failed big time on that lesson. The campus was big, but considering she was tied to Ryker, I could get more info on her. Besides, I could spot her in a crowd.
I eased up on the gas as I changed lanes and headed off the freeway. After another fifteen minutes, I was pulling into Hale Ranch. Father had had the name engraved prominently on a white wooden gate at the entrance.
I slowed to ten miles an hour, looking out at the horses grazing in the distance. One of my father’s hobbies had been racing horses. He’d given up the hobby when my mom died seven years ago. She’d loved horses and the race circuit. The Kentucky Derby had been one of her favorite times of the year.
I wheeled down and around the large fountain in the circular drive then came to a stop just past the front door. I wasn’t staying long. Otherwise, I would’ve parked in my normal spot in the back, where the ten-car garage was located.
I checked myself in the mirror to make sure I appeared put together. The last thing I wanted to hear from my stepmom was how bad I looked. Then again, I could be perfectly made up, hair in place, clothes pressed and crisp, and she would still drop some derogatory comment about how I dressed or that my makeup was too much or not enough.
Why are you trying to please her? That was a question I always asked myself. But I never had a good answer. Deep down, I wanted my father’s approval, and if she approved of me, then maybe my father would pay more attention to me or at least show me he cared. The word “love” wasn’t thrown around in my house, not from my dad anyway. My mom had always told me she loved me, but my father didn’t seem to have a loving bone in his body. I wasn’t sure if he even told his wife he loved her.
Marriage to him was a contract, although I remembered pieces of my childhood when my mom was alive, he’d doted on her. I hadn’t seen him show that kind of love to his current wife, although I’d been away at boarding school since I was thirteen.
I got out of the car with my purse in hand then rolled back my shoulders. Before I ascended the stairs to the portico, the front door opened.
