Page 77 of Unforgettable
As I headed in, Zack came out of nowhere and grabbed the handle. Opening the door, he waved me in. “After you, my lady.”
The little girl inside me blushed. Zack was a handsome boy with a chiseled jaw and eyes the color of dark chocolate.
Silence followed us toward the library for a beat.
“Were you dating Leigh long?” I asked, turning a corner.
“Since the end of our sophomore year. Are you dating her brother? I saw you get out of the car with him.”
I giggled as though I were back in high school. On top of that, all those butterfly feelings I hardly experienced swarmed my belly. “Nah. Just friends.”
“No offense,” Zack said, “but Ryker doesn’t do girls as friends.”
“Maybe he’s turning over a new leaf.” I liked the idea of being friends with Ryker, although I wasn’t sure how long our friendship would last considering I wanted to jump his bones.Friends with benefits could work.
Zack opened another door for me. “Leigh would like that.”
I would too, but thoughts of friends and girlfriends faded as we walked into the library, which was filled with a hum of chatter. Zack went over to a young lady whom I remembered from the funeral service. I believed her name was Jessica if I weren’t mistaken. She was tall, curvy, and had long, wavy brown hair and big dark eyes.
I scanned the room, looking for my new friend when Mr. Bridges came up to me. “Haven? What are you doing here?” His baldhead was shiny as ever.
Here we go.I was glad I’d given my father a heads-up. “To support a friend.”
“You mean Ryker,” he said.
I narrowed my eyes. “Yes.” I had no reason to lie.
“Does your dad know?” he asked.
I glared at the nice man. “So you know why my father hates him.” It wasn’t a question because the resolve in his eyes told me he knew exactly why my father didn’t want me with Ryker.
“You may not believe this, but your father wants the best for you.”
A not-so-nice laugh erupted from me. “My father wants what’s best for him.”
“Believe what you will.” Mr. Bridges started to leave.
I caught his arm. “Wait. So my father really thinks that Ryker is no good for me because… what? He sleeps around?”
“Your father thinks you can do better.” Then he melted into the crowd.
Unbelievable.
Not once in my memory had my father talked to me about boys, men, dating, or anything having to do with love. I’d learned about the birds and the bees at boarding school and in sex education classes. I shouldn’t have been shocked, though. My father hadn’t told me he loved since way before my mom died.
I shoved Mr. Bridges’s words into an imaginary drawer for the moment. I’d almost told Mr. Bridges that my father had nothing to worry about. But maybe my father had a keen sense of what type of men I liked. If I compared my father to Ryker, they had a lot of similarities. They were both powerful in the sense that they could command a room. They were confident, handsome, and strong-willed, although the one difference was compassion. Ryker had that. My father didn’t, or if he did, I hadn’t seen that side of him since my mom was alive.
Ryker was talking to Principal Holland near where the artwork was displayed. Groups of parents, teachers, and kids were scattered around. Some were talking while some were sipping drinks out of red cups.
As soon as I joined Ryker, he draped an arm around me like we were going steady.
A butterfly flapped its wings inside my stomach.
Principal Holland’s eyebrows lifted slightly. “Glad you could join us, Ms. Hale.”
“I’m here for a friend.” I leaned into the hunky quarterback.
“Good talking to you, Ryker. I’ll be sure to call you when we’re ready to take down the display.” Then the principal moved on to mingle with other families.
