Episode 209
RIDERS ON THE STORM
Sienna
“Lord,” I say to Emily. “Look what’s coming.”
June saunters towards us, clad only in the same damned towel she’s had on since… Well, all day as far as I can tell.
“What happened to Misty?” she asks. “Sebastian and Alex brought her out to the deck to have Darby take a look at her.”
Emily rolls her eyes.
“She’s dehydrated,” I offer. “But is the doctor seriously going to examine Misty on the deck?”
June shrugs, her towel hanging precariously over her tits. “Don’t ask me. Maybe they’ll bring her inside.” She looks at her perfectly manicured nails. “You two missed a fab buffet luncheon.”
Luncheon? Call it lunch, you pretentious model.
But it’s not June I’m angry with.
“We’re not hungry,” Emily says.
She’s right. My stomach may be hungry, but my mind can’t stand the thought of food.
I’m happy for Brett and the guys. Truly. Their friend isn’t dead after all.
But there’s some serious baggage there. I can sense it. It’s abundantly clear in the way Brett and River have completely ignored Emily and me since Jake’s arrival.
“Well, get hungry, because we’re having a bachelorette celebration for Ariel tonight, and I know you two don’t want to miss the festivities.”
I force a smile. “Of course not. We’re Ariel’s bridesmaids, after all.”
“Yes, we’ll be there with bells on, and all that,” Emily says dryly.
“I guess I’ll head upstairs,” June says. “I want to talk to that gorgeous newcomer.”
“Jake?” I ask.
She nods. “Do we have any other gorgeous newcomers?”
I stop my jaw from dropping. “Why are you looking for him?”
“It’s a delicious surprise.” June flashes a smile that promises something devious.
Emily sighs. “Can’t wait.”
June heads toward the stairway.
I turn to Emily. “What the hell do you suppose that’s about?”
“I don’t have a bloody clue. Nor do I care.”
“We should care, though. This is for Ariel.”
Emily exhales a sharp breath. “You’re right, of course. I hope Alex doesn’t do anything stupid and call off the nuptials in light of Jake’s arrival.”
I widen my eyes. “No. He wouldn’t.”
“Wouldn’t he?”
I regard Emily’s fair complexion, her sparkling blue eyes. She and I linger in silence after June disappears upstairs, her towel flapping.
“She’s up to something,” I murmur.
“June is always up to something,” Emily agrees. “She’s only slightly less manipulative than Misty. The question is what—and who—is she aiming at this time?”
I glance at her. “Jake?”
Emily twists her lips. “Obviously. But that’s not what worries me.”
I shift my weight, arms crossing. “What are you thinking?”
“If June stirs the pot just right, Alex might walk away from the whole thing.”
“No,” I say again, shaking my head. “He wouldn’t.”
Emily lifts one shoulder. “I hope not. I believe he’s deeply in love with Ariel, but Jake being here changes things.”
I press my lips together. “Jake being alive shouldn’t change anything. Alex loves her. Love doesn’t just go away.”
Yet that’s exactly what I’ve feared since Jake showed up—that Brett’s feelings for me have somehow changed.
Emily looks at me sideways. “I know. But we’ve seen how weird River and Brett have been acting since Jake showed up.”
“Like they’re holding their breath,” I say. “Or waiting for a bomb to go off. Or wanting to kick the snot out of each other.”
“Exactly. If they’re this tense…”
“Then maybe they know something we don’t.”
The thought sits heavy between us. It’s too quiet now. That uneasy hush right before a summer storm splits the sky in two.
“Ariel’s not even in this room and I feel like we’re all orbiting around her,” I say.
Emily leans in slightly. “That’s because everyone’s waiting to see what happens now that Jake is back.”
I glance toward the staircase. Still empty. Still quiet.
“What are we going to do if Alex panics?” I ask. “If he calls off the wedding?”
Emily goes still for a moment. “We hold the line. We remind him what matters. That love like that—real love—doesn’t vanish just because the past shows up wearing someone else’s face.”
I blink at her. “That was poetic.”
“I’m British,” she says. “It happens.”
I smile, but it’s weak. “You know, I’ve never seen Brett so unsteady. And it’s not just him. It’s all of it. Misty fainting. June scheming. The guys acting like they’re sitting on a landmine.”
It feels like something’s coming. Not just drama, not just another scandal. Something final. Like the last move on a chessboard that’s been in play longer than any of us realized.
Then footsteps on the stairs.
Emily slowly turns her head.
I already know. I feel it.
Jake.
He’s descending. But what makes my stomach twist isn’t the sight of him.
It’s who’s on his arm.
June.
She’s changed. No longer just in a towel, but a slinky sundress that clings to her curves like it’s trying to seduce the air. She holds onto Jake’s forearm, and her smile is smug enough to slap.
Jake doesn’t look smug. He doesn’t look pleased or even interested. He looks…controlled.
Measured.
But he lets her hold on.
Emily exhales sharply. “Oh, bloody hell.”
“Tell me this isn’t a move,” I whisper.
“It’s a warning shot.”
Jake doesn’t even glance our way as he and June cross the room, their path cutting through the tension.
And just like that, everything shifts.
The storm hasn’t started yet. But the sky’s about to break.