6. Mila #3
“Parker is Mila’s brother and my best friend, remember?
” Ryker answered her, and it sounded like he was annoyed.
He deserved to be annoyed. There could be nothing that Barbie was providing to him other than sex, and I bet it wasn’t even good sex.
I wanted to scream or tell Lara how frustrated I was, but I knew that I would just sound like a broken record if I kept complaining about Barbie.
“Eh,” Barbie said. “So, is your dad coming?”
“No,” Ryker said in an abrupt voice.
“Ryker comes up to hang out with my family. His dad has never come,” I said, wanting Barbie to know that Ryker and I had a long past and would continue to have a long future. “His dad is usually too busy with work.”
“You know him?”
“Duh,” I said and grinned at Lara. “I’ve been friends with Ryker for years.
Of course, I know him.” I wanted to say more.
I wanted to add that Hudson Walker and I were like old pals and that I had him on speed dial, but that was a lie.
And I didn’t tell lies, at least not in front of the one person who could discredit me in seconds.
I wanted to make Barbie jealous of me, but I knew Ryker wouldn’t appreciate me pretending to be good friends with his dad when I’d barely held five conversations with him in all the years I’d known him.
“Yeah, humph.” She made a weird noise and turned back to the front of the car.
“So, what’s it like having to follow in the great Hudson Walker’s footsteps?
” she asked Ryker, and my jaw dropped. Barbie really had no filter.
I wondered if she was deliberately trying to rile up everyone in the car, if she truly had no clue, or if Barbie was just a nosey bitch.
“I’m currently driving, so I wouldn’t know,” Ryker said, his tone still slightly off. I poked Lara in the arm gently. I was hoping that Barbie would keep prodding and that Ryker would go off on her. That would be epic. That would make the whole torturous evening worth it.
“I mean, what’s it like working for the man who is?—”
“That’s his dad,” I said, cutting her off, annoyed for Ryker.
Even though I wanted to see Barbie crash and burn, I didn’t want Ryker to feel bad.
I knew how much he hated questions about his dad, and I wanted to protect him more than I wanted to see her go down in flames.
I guess that really was proof that I had deep feelings for him.
“Not some random man that you think he should be impressed by because he’s famous and rich. ”
“It’s okay, Mila.” Ryker’s eyes met mine in the rearview mirror before he made a right-hand turn back up the main road to the lake house. “I don’t mind answering questions; it comes with the territory.”
“Okay,” I said and shrugged.
“Barbie, I don’t know what you expect me to say.
He’s my dad. He’s a businessman. I work for his company.
I prove myself just like every other employee.
Just like Mila has to prove herself, as she now works for her family business as well.
” He pulled up the driveway, switched the engine off, and looked back at me.
“Sometimes I wish that I worked somewhere else, that I could do something else. Sometimes, I wish that certain expectations weren’t set for me, you know?
” His eyes bored into mine, and it was as if he were talking directly to me and me alone.
“I know what you mean.” I nodded. “Sometimes, I feel that way too.”
“It can be hard.” He nodded. “The path to success isn’t an easy one, even if your dad owns the company; you just have to show what you’re capable of.
” He ran his hands through his silky hair.
“And that’s exactly what I’m going to do.
I’m going to show what I’m made of, and I’m not taking any prisoners. ”
“Whoa, enough serious talk, baby.” Barbie laughed and ran her hand across his face. “Let’s go to bed. I want you to show me exactly what you’re capable of right now.”
“Mila and I are going to our room. Thanks for driving, Ryker,” she said, sounding anything but thankful as she jumped out of the car.
I followed suit, slamming the car door behind me as I got out.
“I swear I’m going to slap that girl,” Lara said as we made our way into the cabin. “She’s absolutely awful.”
“I know,” I said as we walked to our room. “She really is.” We closed the door behind us. I walked over to my bed, sat down, and lay back. “This is going to be a long weekend.” I sighed.
“Yes, it is, but don’t worry. I have a plan.” Lara winked at me.
“What plan?” I asked suspiciously.
“I’ll tell you in a few minutes.” She pulled her top off. “I’m headed to the shower now. I need to wash off this sweat from my body, and I want to deep condition my hair for tomorrow.”
“Right now?” I rolled my eyes at her, and she grinned.
“No time like the present.” She laughed.
“Fine, I’ll go in the shower after you, and then we can talk. I want to know what you have up your sleeve.”
“You’ll love it. Trust me.” I had a bad feeling that putting my trust in Lara wasn’t going to work out for the best.
I walked out of the shower and dried my hair with my big, fluffy towel.
I was eager to hear what Lara was going to tell me, but as I watched her sleeping, with her mouth slightly ajar, I knew I wasn’t going to find out tonight.
So, instead, I grabbed my phone, put on my boots, and walked into the living room.
I couldn’t sleep yet, and I felt the urge to speak to my grandfather.
“Hi, Nonno,” I said when he picked up. “I hope it’s not too late.”
“It’s never too late for my Mila,” he said, his voice gruff. “How is the lake house?”
“It’s fine.” There was little I could do to hide the sadness in my voice.
“What’s wrong?”
“I wish that sometimes I didn’t feel so lonely.”
“You’re there with your friends, no, Mila?” His tone was questioning, and I knew he was worried.
“Yeah, Lara is here. So is Ryker and his girlfriend or whatever. And Parker will be here tomorrow.”
“So why do you feel lonely?”
“I don’t know.” I bit my lower lip and grabbed my coat so that I could head outside.
“Did you and Lara fall out?”
“No, Nonno.” I zipped up my coat against the evening chill. I walked down the driveway and headed toward the path that would take me to the lake.
“Some days I just feel like I’m so alone, no matter how many people are around me. I feel like I’m the only one who really knows what’s going on inside of me.” I arrived at the lake, the one place I knew would bring me some solace.
“You’re not alone, Mila. You know you always have me. What’s really wrong? Is it Ryker?” His voice was astute, and I tried not to cry.
“He’s never going to want me, is he?”
“If he’s the one for you, he will already know. If he’s not, it doesn’t even matter.”
“How did you know that Nonna was the one?” I asked as I headed to one of the wooden chaises and sat down.
“You know this story.” My nonno’s voice became sentimental. “I’ve been telling you the story since you were a little girl.”
“Tell me again.” I leaned back and hugged myself as the cool wind hit my face. I cast my eyes out at the big, dark lake and then at the night sky and the sea of shining stars above.
“I was working for my uncle, who owned a bakery.” This story always transported Nonno right back to his time in Italy. “I used to deliver the bread to all the people in my village. It was a lot of people.”
“I know, Nonno.” I laughed. “You were a very hardworking young man.”
“And there was one lady—she was the most beautiful girl in the village.”
“Aunty Maria.”
“Yes.” He nodded. “Every boy in the village wanted a kiss from Maria. Every boy but me.”
“Because you were so focused on your job delivering bread.”
“I was focused, yes,” he said seriously. “And I was saving up for a new bike. Even little boys in Italy wanted fancy, shiny bikes.”
“But then you saw Nonna.”
“Then I saw your nonna,” he said, his voice full of love. “She was throwing a rock down the street.” He laughed. “It hit my bag, and a loaf of bread fell into the street.”
“And you were so mad.”
“I was so mad until I saw her face, and then she put her hands on her hips and told me that I should be more careful where I was riding.”
“And you told her she should be more careful with her girl throws.”
“Yes.” He laughed. “Who told me to say that? She then threw another rock, and it hit my bike. I jumped off my bike and walked over to her.”
“And she asked you if you were going to give her a free loaf of bread to say sorry.”
“And I did.” He laughed. “I was only fourteen, and she was only thirteen, but I knew, I knew as sure as I knew I had two arms and two legs, that your darling nonna was going to be my wife.”
“And she knew right away as well.” I sighed. “I miss her.”
“So do I.” He cleared his throat. “Every single day.”
“You know what my favorite memory is?” I said wistfully. “Do you remember that Christmas when Ryker came to stay with us, and you and Nonna took us out for hot chocolate, and Parker was being a spoiled brat and didn’t go because he wanted ice cream?”
“Of course.”
“Nonna told me she saw you and her in Ryker and me. I thought that was a sign that we were meant to be. Nonna knew from the beginning that I had a thing for him, and it wasn’t awkward talking about it because you two fell in love at such a young age.”
“It was a different time, Mila.”
“Yeah, I know. Sometimes, I wish it wasn’t.” I sighed. “I hate that he brought that girl, Barbie. I don’t even know what he sees in her.”
“He’s still young, Mila. Men these days don’t settle down young. Look at Parker.”
“I don’t know what Parker’s problem is. You know Lara has the hots for him. I don’t know how to tell her that he’s nothing but a player.”
“It’s not up to you to get into your brother’s business.”
“But Lara’s my best friend.”
“Even more reason why you shouldn’t get involved.”
“I feel like a bad person.”
“Love isn’t easy, Mila. It’s not all flowers and candy.”
“I know that, Nonno.”