Page 36 of Rich Girl
“A trip to where?” Jeanine demands to know.
I chew on my bottom lip, wondering if I should tell her where I am and why. In the end, I decide with only half of the truth.
“I’m in New York.”
I take a deep breath in and brace myself for a barrage of questions. She doesn’t disappoint.
“You’re in New York and you didn’t ask me to go with you? Why? When? Again, why?”
I want to take back the words and just come up with a different story, but it’s too late. Besides, I have to remember way too much. Earlier, when Ray asked about the friend I live with at the hotel, my mind went completely blank. Thank God he didn’t ask more questions.
Turning my blinker on, I merge onto the ramp, letting out a huge sigh of relief when I manage to do it without running into anyone. I don’t remember the last time I drove like this. I have a car, but I also use a car service.
“Jeanine, I’m so sorry, but I have to let you go. I’m in the middle of something.”
I turn on my blinker again when I have to take a left at the end of the ramp.
“Oh my God, are youdriving?”
Her tone of voice annoys the crap out of me. I wonder if this is how I sound to others. How I sound to Ray. No wonder he didn’t fall at my feet the second that we met last night.
“I am driving,” I admit to Jeanine, trying really hard not to roll my eyes when I say it. That’s only because I am scared of taking my eyes off the road.
“Hayden, this is weird and out of character. I’m going to report it to the group,” she announces, referring to Adeline and Emma. I want to beg her not to make a big deal out of this, but I know that if I do, she’ll be like a dog with a bone, and not rest until she knows why.
“Report away.”
She continues talking, but I can’t pay attention to her while I’m driving. This is stressful enough, I don’t need the pressure of having to process words on top of that.
“Too bad you don’t have that guy’s address,” she says at some point. “You could check him out, make sure he’s as hot in person as he was in the picture.”
“What guy?”
The words slip out of my mouth just as I connect the dots, and I know exactly who she’s talking about.
“The guy from theHolidatesapp. The really hot dude, remember? He was from New York.”
I play stupid. “Was he? I don’t remember.”
The welcome sign to Ray’s town comes into view. He said his shop is on the main street. I have no idea what that means. Is that the name of the street? Or there’s an actual street that’s the point of attraction in town so they think of it as being the main street of the town?
“Listen, Jeanine,” I cut her off. “I really need to go. I’ll call you later.” With that, I end the call.
I slow down, staring left and right, in awe of everything that I’m seeing. This town looks like it’s the movie set of any Hallmark Channel movie. I had no idea such places existed in real life.
There’s a diner, a bakery, a flower shop, a hardware store, a fire station. Behind that, there’s a sign for what has to be the smallest library in existence. In the distance, I notice a large sign with the wordsPark & Towon it.
“Very clever, Ray.”
Since I know he’s not back yet, I decide to get a drink from the most adorable coffee shop I’ve ever seen. It even has a small bench right outside the door. I could sit there, get some fresh air and people watch.
I slowly pull into a parking spot, looking over the wheel to make sure that I am in between the lines. When I put the car inPark, I want to sob in relief. This was the longest I’ve ever driven myself to anywhere. I’m not built for this.
On shaky legs, I get out and pat the small purse I still have strapped to my chest. I never took it off earlier. I look around, turning into a small circle before stepping onto the sidewalk.
“This is adorable,” I mutter to myself. “I’m dying for a cup of coffee.”
A bell rings when I push the door open, and I feel like I stepped back in time. I am fairly sure that it is a good thing that I just want a plain cup of coffee. No fancy drinks here, and there’s a faint musty smell in the air.
