Chapter 21
Rya~
Even though I was embarrassed, I was trying really hard not to be.
When that waitress changed my order, I’d been flabbergasted, but I hadn’t wanted to come off like a ‘Karen’, though it’d been warranted.
Instead, I’d fallen back into my old habit of pretending that people’s rudeness didn’t bother me, and while the Wilders were being awesome, I really just wanted to go home to reset.
However, instead of going home, I was walking the grounds of the country club with Patricia Wilder while Koen and his father had stayed back at the restaurant to talk business.
“I think you’ll really love the lake,” Mrs. Wilder said conversationally as we walked down a pebbled path in the back of the club. “It’s a mixture of fake and real roses, and that’s why Ashford said it was an optical illusion.”
“Well, you definitely have me curious,” I said, trying to sound agreeable.
“It’s just around this corner,” she stated, and when we finally approached the clearing, it was just as perfectly manicured as the rest of the grounds, only there was a small lake smack dab in the center.
Now, while the entire thing had to have been man-made, it looked stunningly natural. The water was a deep blue and there were floating roses that looked brighter than they should. It really was a pretty sight, and I could only imagine how much it cost to keep this thing looking so lovely.
“Since most of the members are men and come out here to golf, drink, or talk business, it’s usually quiet back here, so it’s a good place to regroup if you need to,” Mrs. Wilder said, and that’s when it dawned on me why she’d been so eager to show me the lake.
Mrs. Patricia Wilder and I were going to have a heart-to-heart.
As she took a seat on one of the white benches that were lined near the lake, she said, “These benches are also quite comfortable. They’re nothing like those wooden or metal torture devices that you find at city parks or wherever.”
Taking the hint, I sat down next to her, ready to get this over with. “It really is beautiful out here.”
“You know, I understand that you and Koen have only been dating a short while, but I’m kind of curious as to what all he’s told you about his family,” she said, getting straight to the point.
“Not much,” I admitted. “I mean, he’s spoken about his childhood, college, and cutting his teeth on the mailroom floor of Wilder Technologies, but...but that’s about it.”
She gave me an understanding nod. “That would make sense. After all, that’s part of a new relationship, isn’t it? Needing to learn everything about one another because you just can’t seem to get enough of the person.”
“Yeah, something like that.”
“Well, do you mind if I tell you a little something about myself?” she asked, surprising me. “You’re very important to my son, and so I’d love for us to become friends, Rya.”
She sounded so sincere that I couldn’t help but say, “Of course...I’d like that, too.”
“Good, good...” she murmured softly. “I’m glad to hear that.”
“Mrs. Wilder-”
“Patricia,” she quickly corrected.
“Patricia, while I would like for us to become friends, what’s the real reason you brought me out here?” I finally asked.
“To tell you a little about myself,” she answered. “That part was true, Rya.”
“Okay,” I replied a bit warily.
“Do you know where Lordt is?” she asked, and I immediately nodded. It was a small town right before you got to Raven. “Well, I grew up there.”
While I didn’t want to be rude, I couldn’t help but gawk. “You did?”
She smiled kindly. “I did. My father left us when I was about four, and my mother spent her entire life working to make sure that I never went hungry.”
“Most good mothers do,” I remarked. “Though I wouldn’t know. My dad’s the hero in my story.”
“Well, the important thing is that you did have a hero, dear,” she said. “So many children don’t, and it breaks your heart if you think about it too long.”
No doubt about it, Patricia Wilder was going to have me in tears by the time that this conversation was over.
Nevertheless, I wanted to have this talk with her because I cared about her son, and I really wanted things to work out between us.
I wanted things to work, and so I was willing to use all the tools available to me, and Mrs. Wilder was proving to be one of those tools.
“Anyway, watching my mother work so hard to give me a good life was what had made me want to become a pediatrician,” she went on. “I wanted to be a sort of safe haven for children, and all the years of school and hard work had been more than worth it to be able to do what I do now.”
“How were you able to afford college and medical school?” I asked, feeling comfortable enough to broach the subject since she was the one who brought it up.
“Believe it or not, being poor is what made it all happen,” she answered.
“Since we never had extra money for anything other than my birthday and Christmas, I spent a lot of my time at the library since it was free. So, after having nothing but straight-A’s all throughout school, that had gotten me the scholarships that I had so desperately needed. ”
“And med school?”
“More of the same,” she said as she leaned back against the bench. “Since I knew nothing but being poor, I had spent my college years studying my ass off and working during my free time, which I could admit there hadn’t been enough of.”
“When did you find time to date, much less meet Mr. Wilder?”
She smiled, and it was one that you could actually feel. “One evening, I’d been on the bus in Hayland, and it’d been pack, leaving Ashford no choice but to sit next to me.”
“Well, since you’re stunning, I couldn’t imagine that he’d felt it much of a hardship,” I chuckled.
“Thank you, dear,” she laughed. “However, back then, I had huge circles under my eyes, my face was also pale, my hair barely brushed, and I dressed for comfort, not to impress. Anyway, after asking me if he could sit next to me, we went on to ignore each other like normal people. It wasn’t until I woke up drooling on the poor man that he’d been forced to finally address me. ”
My hand came up to my mouth. “Oh, my God...how embarrassing.”
“Believe it or not, that’s not the crazy part,” she grinned.
“It’s not?” I asked incredulously.
Mrs. Wilder shook her head. “The crazy part was discovering that, instead of waking me up, Ashford had ridden around for almost two hours with me asleep on his shoulder, and that had been the beginning of the end for me. I’d fallen in love with the man before the bus had finally dropped us off.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah, wow,” she agreed with a fond smile on her face.
“We’d gotten off the bus, he had asked for my number, and we’ve been together ever since.
So, all that to tell you that Koen wasn’t raised with a silver spoon in his mouth, Rya.
Yes, we have quite a bit of money now, but that came with lots of years of hard work and sacrifice, and I’d love it if you could give Koen a real chance to show you that he’s more than just his bank account.
He cares about you a great deal, Rya, and I’d like to believe that we had raised him to value character over money. ”
“While I appreciate you giving me a better understanding of who your son is, the world that you guys live in is still rather intimidating,” I confessed. “Though I am doing my best not to let it be the main focus of our relationship.”
“All I’m asking is that you give us a fair chance, Rya,” she said, though not unkindly. “And don’t be afraid to be who you are, no matter where we are. Koen doesn’t care about you for the way that he thinks you should act, dear. He simply cares for the girl that you are.”
“Thank you,” I said, meaning it. “I really appreciate you telling me all this.”
“Well, it’s not every day that my son has someone in his life that he wants us to meet, and so I hope that what happened earlier didn’t ruin things.”
“I’ve learned long ago that it’s not our place to take responsibility for other people’s actions,” I replied easily. “Your family had nothing to do with what that server did.”
“Honestly, I can see why Koen is so enamored of you, Rya,” she said, making my cheeks turn red.
“You’re such a breath of fresh air. All this time, I’d been so worried that he’d never find anyone who was going to see past his money to really love him, but now that he has you, I don’t have to worry anymore. ”
“You’ve just met me,” I pointed out. “How can you possibly know that?”
“Because you stopped my son from causing a scene that he really wanted to cause,” she chuckled softly. “A gold-digger would have reveled in that girl getting fired on her behalf.”
“Are you guys going to get her fired?” I asked, wanting to know.
Mrs. Wilder shook her head. “No, not at all. However, I can see us eating at home more now.”
Yeah, the Wilders were turning out to be really good people.