Chapter 19
Rya~
Whatever I’d been expecting when Koen had convinced me to meet his parents for lunch, it hadn’t been for the Wilders to be so welcoming and down-to-earth.
When Koen had first mentioned having lunch with his parents at the Rosario Country Club, I had immediately wanted to decline.
In fact, I had called Dalton as if we’d been in the middle of a five-alarm fire, and like the calm, mature, levelheaded person that he was, he’d been kind enough to point out that country clubs, polo, and skiing were probably all going to be a part of my future if I really planned on going the distance with Koen.
No matter what, he had money, and no amount of wishing that he didn’t would change that.
So, taking baby steps to accept that the guy had millions and would one day inherit billions, I had agreed to lunch with his parents on their territory.
However, finding out that Ashford and Patricia Wilder weren’t pretentious assholes felt like the biggest blessing ever.
Even though we’d only been doing this for a couple of weeks, I really cared about Koen, and I was doing my best to leave all my insecurities at the door and see this thing through.
Now, like the rest of the country club, the restrooms were rather fancy.
The counters were marble, the fixtures were all automated, the lighting was angled perfectly, and the stalls appeared to look wider than normal.
However, when I finally entered one, it was easy to see why.
To the left were the seat covers and toilet paper, but to the right, there was a miniature vanity that had a small shelf and mirror, and that was just crazy as hell.
Still, since there was a hook on the door for your purse, my guess was that the shelf might be for your phone or to set your menstrual supplies on.
Honestly, I had no idea, but rich people were different.
Nonetheless, before I could even finish hanging my purse on the door and figure out how this entire thing worked, I heard voices entering the restroom, and my heart immediately dropped as soon as I heard Koen’s name.
“I mean, what is Koen thinking?” a voice asked, and she sounded genuinely incredulous. “Why on earth would he date someone who looks like that when he can get any girl that he wants?”
“Maybe they’re just friends,” the second voice suggested. “I mean, how do we know for sure that they’re dating?”
“Well, Cindy told Tina that Kelly told her that Mr. Wilder introduced her as Koen’s girlfriend,” the first voice answered. “Why would he introduce her as his girlfriend if she wasn’t?”
“I thought Koen Wilder didn’t do girlfriends anyway,” the second voice remarked. “Maybe his father was just being polite.”
“Either way, how awful is she to allow such a thing,” the first voice said. “I mean, doesn’t she care at all that she’s embarrassing him? Doesn’t she know that people are going to talk about him and judge him for lowering his standards like that?”
“It’s probably safe to say that she doesn’t care,” the second voice said. “I mean, would you? Koen Wilder’s family is worth billions, so I’m sure the last thing that she cares about is embarrassing him.”
“It’s just a shame that he’s going to be judged and ridiculed for trying to be a decent guy,” the first voice sighed. “He was probably feeling sorry for her, so he decided to be decent, and she’s going to repay him by letting him claim her as his girlfriend in public.”
“I still say there may be something more to it,” the second voice replied. “Maybe Kelly misunderstood what Mr. Wilder said.”
“Let’s hope so,” the first voice sighed. “It’d be a real shame if Koen Wilder was taken off the market by someone who clearly cannot appreciate his station in life.”
“Well, even if they are dating, do you really see it lasting?” the second voice asked. “Once it becomes clear that she’ll never fit in without a serious makeover and some exercise, he’ll dump her.”
The first girl chuckled. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”
As soon as I heard the door open, then shut again, I hurried to take care of business, but instead of heading back to the table after washing my hands, I slipped past the kitchen entrance until I found a small alcove that I could hide inside, and once I felt that it was safe enough, I pulled out my phone to dial Dalton.
However, when he didn’t answer, I called Leandra.
I needed some quick advice, and this wasn’t anything that I’d ever go to my father for.
If he ever found out that I was struggling with self-esteem issues, he’d blame himself, and that wasn’t something that I’d ever do to him.
I’d rather set myself on fire than ever burden him with something like that.
“Hey,” she greeted after the third ring. “What’s up? I thought you were having lunch with Koen and his parents?”
“Do you think it’s selfish for me to date Koen, knowing that people are going to judge him for it?” I asked, getting straight to the point.
“No,” she immediately replied. “However, that being said, do you feel like he’s being selfish for how people are going to judge you for dating him?”
“What do you mean?”
“C’mon, Rya,” she said quietly. “Whether true or not, a lot of people are going to automatically think that you’re dating him for everything but his character.
With his looks, money, and success, it’s impossible for him to date anyone without some people believing that she’s a gold-digger.
Haters are going to hate, chickee. It’s up to you to decide if you’re going to let them ruin your newfound happiness. ”
“God, why do people have to be so hateful?” I muttered.
“Because we’re complicated creatures,” she replied easily. “Because misery loves company. Because no one wants to believe that they’re the only ones with a crappy life. Take your pick.”
“It would just be nice if things could be different,” I said, admittedly feeling a little sorry for myself.
“So, are his parents horrible or something?”
“Oh, God...no,” I rushed out, chuckling. “In fact, they’re kind of awesome.”
“Then why the panic?”
“I overheard some girls talking about us, and they mentioned feeling embarrassed for Koen,” I confessed. “That if I really cared about him, I’d do him a favor and bow out of his life.”
“Sounds like good old-fashioned jealousy to me,” she snorted.
“I know,” I sighed. “I just...they still made a good point.”
“Again, if Koen isn’t a jerk for letting people think that you’re a gold-digger, then you’re not a jerk for letting people think that he’s dating below his station.”
“I know, I just...I just really care about him.”
“Which is why you shouldn’t insult him by acting as if he doesn’t know his own mind, Rya,” she said, sounding a lot like Dalton. “Koen’s not stupid. He knows that people are going to talk shit and judge you as a couple, but it seems to me as if he’s ready and willing to tackle the problem for you.”
“It’s just hard not to get caught up in the too-good-to-be-true thing,” I muttered lamely.
“Girl, if Koen Wilder was interested in me, I’d still be pinching myself every morning,” she chuckled. “The man’s a...well, he does seem like the entire package.”
“So, you’re saying that my insecurities are justified?” I chuckled.
“Because you have nothing to be insecure about, no,” she answered seriously. “What I’m saying is that their jealousy is justified because Koen Wilder is going to love you for all the reasons that matter, Rya.”
“You’re the best, Leandra,” I told her, meaning it.
“I have my moments,” she quipped. “Now, get off the phone with me and go make your future in-laws proud.”
I let out a deep breath, knowing that she was right. “I’ll call you later.”
“Good,” she said, and I could hear the smile on her face. “I want to hear all about it.”
I hung up, then took another deep breath.
I knew that it wasn’t fair to make Koen pay for the cruelty in my past, and that was something that I was going to have to work hard on.
A lot of it was just knee-jerk reactions to what I was used to, and just because I’d come to accept certain things in life, that didn’t mean that I deserved them, and I needed to wrap my mind around that.
Sticking my phone back in my purse, I wiped my sweaty palms on my pants, then made my way back to the table.
As soon as Koen noticed me, he immediately stood up, then waited for me, pulling my chair out when I finally approached the table, and I couldn’t lie and say that those kinds of manners weren’t a turn on.
“Thank you,” I said as he helped me push my chair back in.
“You’re welcome,” he replied politely, and what a contrast to when we were alone in my bed.
“Well, we were talking, and while I don’t want to get ahead of myself, I was thinking that we could have a small get-together in a couple of weeks, and instead of barbecuing, we could see if that taco truck that Koen’s been raving about is willing to cater,” Mrs. Wilder said, re-starting the conversation, and it really was so hard not to like her.
In fact, it was hard not to like all the Wilders.