Chapter
Ten
Rowdy
The knock on the front door is urgent, and first, I jump out of my skin, thinking it’s the cops.
But cops usually announce themselves.
Most of my friends let themselves in the back door without any sort of prelude.
My brain does a quick breakdown of who it could be as I shut off the game and head to the door.
I don’t dare hope it’s her, but somewhere deep down I know it is.
I check the camera app on my phone and confirm my suspicions.
On the live feed, there Riley is, squatting down to pet Panini, the border collie/German shepherd mix who lives on my porch.
I press the talk button. “Can I help you?”
Riley jumps, pressing a hand over her heart. “It’s Riley,” she says, standing upright. Panini gazes up at her adoringly, sitting pretty at her feet. Some security dog.
“Riley…Riley…I’m sorry, Riley who?”
“Rowdy, I don’t have time to joke around. I have to talk to you about something.”
“Ever heard of texting? Calling? Oh wait. No, you must have lost your phone.”
“Rowdy.”
“Surely you lost your phone, otherwise I think you would have texted me back about getting together to practice making small talk.”
She rubs her temples. “Rowdy, can I please come inside? It’s about the gala.”
“Uh-oh,” I say teasingly. “You’ve come to tell me that Wilson Rogers III is planning on being there and you need me to give you a crash course on manners.”
“Manners? I didn’t break into your house! I didn’t let everyone in town assume we were dating! I wasn’t the one who asked someone at Robin’s Deli and Groceries about the sort of things I buy!”
Yeah, I’d better let her inside before the neighbors start to complain about all this shouting while their little ones are trying to take their naps.
I throw open the door and greet Riley with a huge smile. “That’s better than staring at you on the security camera. Come on in, I’m done fucking with you. For now.”
Riley enters and casts her gaze around the living room. Once a formal parlor, I’ve turned this old Arts and Crafts home into a bachelor pad. Except for the oil-painted canvases that cover the walls. Black-capped chickadees. Blue herons. Red-tailed hawks. A sunset over blue-green hills. All done by her.
I watch her reaction closely.
She looks at me with regret in her eyes. “How many of these do you have?”
“Seven in here. Eleven in my bedroom. A couple more in the kitchen and bedroom.” Riley shakes her head, then closesher eyes tight like she’s counting down in her head to calm her nerves.
“We have to…we have to cancel.”
I take a step back. “They’re canceling the gala?”
Riley shakes her head. “No. I’m so sorry, Rowdy. I really regret getting so annoyed with you just now. The thing is, I have to uninvite you as my guest.”
That, I wasn’t expecting. I run my hand through my hair. “Why?”
