Page 43 of Wild About You
She snorts. “I guess I have a LOT of character then.”
“How’d you meet River?” I ask, eager to turn the conversation off me.
“At the record store. When I first got here, Ty and I were living in his small one-bedroom apartment by the arena. He was always at practice or working out. I guess he still is, but I didn’t know anyone then. Anyway, I got bored one day and walked around hitting all the shops and stores. I was frozen solid by the time I got to the record store. I didn’t have any money on me to buy anything, but he let me hang out there. He even offered me coffee while I warmed up. Then he played me some of his favorite records, and…” She shrugs again.
I realize in that moment how very little it takes to win over a teenage girl. I’m not knocking it, it was a nice gesture, but knowing more about him and how he let his underage girlfriend drink and miss curfew, I worry that his motives that first day were a one-time occurrence and he isn’t really that nice of a guy.
“What about you?” she asks.
“Oh, I met my boyfriend in a business writing class my junior year. We were friends for about a year before we started dating.”
Her head tips to the side. I realize then she meant me and Tyler.
“Do you love him?”
I swirl my fork around as I decide how honest to be with an eighteen-year-old. “He’s great.”
“You didn’t answer the question.”
“We’re keeping it casual. He’s busy with classes and he works at his family’s gym part-time. I have student teaching and now hanging with you.” I lean closer and give her a playful smile.
“How long have you been dating?”
I think for a minute. “About three months. Wow, longer than I thought.”
“Didn’t you date my brother for like a year?”
“Eight months.” My pulse races. I do not like being cross-examined by his sister. I feel like if she keeps prying, I’ll spill everything and answer every single question she asks. And she does not need to know how I was head over heels in love with her brother and he broke my heart. “But we were young, and we only saw each other once a month, sometimes less.”
She nods slowly. “He talked about you.”
“He did?” I’m not sure why I’m surprised.
“Yeah. He came home for a few days over Christmas that year and his screen on his phone was this picture of you two kissing on the beach. I didn’t recognize you that first week of school, but now I can see it. He said you were the most amazing person he’d ever met.”
I remember that photo. Remember taking it. Remember the way his kiss made me feel.
Damn, an hour alone with Everly and I’m already cracking. This is going to be harder than I thought.
River comes over after dinner. He’s a good-looking kid, skinny with tattoos and a lip piercing that he continually glides his tongue over. There’s something about him that rubs me the wrong way, even forgetting that he let Everly drink too much and miss her curfew. He soaks up attention from Everly but he’s almost indifferent in the way he interacts with her.
I stay in the kitchen where I can’t hear them unless I strain, but where I’m close enough that they know I’m around. I have no idea how much privacy to give her. Tyler didn’t give me any rules for Everly, and I hadn’t thought to ask. My parents basically let me do whatever I wanted. Then again, my boyfriend was three hundred miles away.
I’m doing a Google search on parenting teenage girls when Tyler texts,Hey. Everything going okay?
I’m about to reply when my phone rings in my hand.
“Hello?” I answer with amusement. “I was just about to respond. Did you think I called it quits already?”
“No, I was just too nervous to wait.”
“She’s fine. Relax. River came over and they’re watching a movie.”
“I don’t think it’s possible to relax where Everly is concerned. She hasn’t given you a hard time?”
“No, she’s been great. We did run into a food issue, though. Meaning, there is no food in this place. I’ll take her tomorrow morning to pick up some stuff. Any allergies or things I should be aware of for the household?”
“No, but Lynn, Ash’s housekeeper, comes by on Tuesdays. There’s a list on the fridge. Add anything you want there and she’ll grab it.”
