“It isn’t always this messy,” I feel the need to explain as I make my way over to the dresser where the necklace is stashed. “The night I was in jail, my mom ransacked my room and took all my money I had hidden. And this is what she left me.” I gesture at the floor while avoiding eye contact with him.
For the first time in a long time, I feel ashamed of who I am. To distract myself from that, I focus on getting the dresser drawer open. Like a dumbass, I use my thumb that has the sliver in it.
I hiss then pull back. “Damn sliver,” I mumble.
I set the flashlight down on the dress so I can use my good hand to rummage around. The air is quiet between River and me. I want to peek over and see what he’s doing, but I have no desire to look at the appalled expression that has to be on his face.
“It should be in here behind the drawer,” I mumble as I attempt to wiggle the drawer out with one hand. “Hold on.”
He moves beside me and brushes strands of my hair off my shoulder. When my gaze darts to him, he surprisingly doesn’t look appalled.
“Let me,” he offers.
I step back and gesture at him to go ahead. He easily gets the drawer out, and there it is, lying in behind a stack of papers. How my mother didn’t find it during her ransack is beyond me. Or perhaps she didn’t believe it had any value and left it behind.
River picks it up. He has the flashlight on his phone on, shining the light on the crown-shaped pendant with a black stone centerpiece.
“It’s pretty scratched up,” I state the obvious as I inch closer to him to get a better look. “That probably means it’s fake, right?”
He wavers. “Or old.”
“You’re pretty set on it being real,” I joke in an attempt to lighten the mood. “You hoping I’m a royal, pretty boy? That way, you don’t have to spend time with a girl from northside.”
He continues to inspect the pendant. “I like hanging out with you, Maddy, whether you’re from northside or a royal. It doesn’t matter to me. I just like you.”
I’m unsure if he knows how much his words affect me. They do, to the point where my legs feel shaky. I could say something snarky back, crack a joke, tease the hell out of him. It’d help me regain my bearings. But I can’t seem to find words—like any. So,I end up standing there silently until he’s done looking over the necklace.
“We’ll have to take it to a jewelry specialist to find out if it’s authentic.” He hands me back the necklace. “My mom can probably set us up with someone.”
I slip the necklace into my jacket pocket. “What’re you going to tell her it’s for?”
“The truth. She won’t judge or anything like that. That’s my father’s thing. Not hers.”
“Lily is having her help me get a job with this event planner she knows.”
“Stephanie?” he asks.
“They didn’t tell me her name.” I grab my phone and scan the light around my room, wondering if I want to take anything with me.
“It’s probably Stephanie. She’s nice.”
“That’s good. I’ve had a couple of nice bosses and a couple of power trippers, so I can have the shitty ones, but I’d rather not have to.” I glance at him. “Have you ever worked before?”
“My father makes Finn and I intern at his office during the summers.” He slips his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “We don’t get paid, but we have enough money that it doesn’t matter. Although, working for him sucks because it’s just a reminder of where my future is heading.”
“You’re taking over his business?”
“Yep. Right after I get married,” he bites out the words as he stares at the wall where a collage of photos are taped up. “Is that your mom?” He changes the subject as he shines the light on a photo of me and my aunt.
We’re standing in front of a waterfall after she took me for a hike. It was the one and only time I’ve gone hiking, and it was a nice day, full of no worries. But then we returned home, and sheand my mother got into a fight about my mother leaving drugs all over the house.
“That’s my aunt Ellie actually.” I step up beside him. “She’s the one who gave me the necklace.”
“She looks a lot like you,” he says, glancing at me.
“People say that a lot, and I can see it.”
“She’s pretty.”
