The Treble With Men (Scorned Women's Society #2) - Piper Sheldon Page 0,14
I changed the subject putting on a relaxed tone.
“Busy.” He grinned as he stood and grabbed my glass to refill it.
“I messaged you online. After … camp.”
“You did?” He held up the glass to the soft lights in the walls to check the level then poured a little more.
“Yeah. Just a few times. I knew you were romping all over the world, making it big. But I thought maybe you’d want to catch up.”
There was so much left unsaid after camp. Maybe getting closure on that time of my life was more important than I’d realized, because his reappearance felt like hope.
He sat in the chair across from me and spun us so that our knees almost touched. “My assistant might have thought it was spam. He helps manage all that. It’s been a whirlwind since graduation.”
“I’m sure. You’re so successful now. I’m not mad. I’d just wanted to let you know I was thinking of you.” I shrugged. I’d gotten over being mad and upset. A lot of people disappeared from my life after I lost my scholarship. I had gained the SWS. They were true friends. I’d traded up and I had no regrets. Except for Roddy. His sudden disappearance had hurt the most after everything we had gone through. Then again, grief hits everyone differently; he had coped as best as he could.
He leaned forward and rubbed a thumb over my cheek. “If I had known you’d reached out to me …” His gaze dropped to my lips. “I thought of you a lot. I regret not finding you sooner.”
Though it was crazy, it really felt like he was about to kiss me. I brought the glass to my mouth and took a long sip of champagne.
“But I’m here now. We’re together again and that’s all that matters.” He leaned back in his chair and smiled at me. “You’re so beautiful.”
I shook my head and studied my hands in my lap. It wasn’t that I wasn’t flattered; I just didn’t know what to say. I had little control over my appearance, which was totally subjective. Exterior beauty was never a good indication of the quality of content inside.
“Tell me about you,” I said, hoping he’d go with the subject change. “Where do you even live now?”
“Oh boy, where do I start? I lived in LA for a while. Too fake.” He grimaced. “Then New York. Too jaded. Then I traveled for work. Now, I use my folks’ house as my permanent address to keep it simple.”
“Are you going to be here in Knoxville for a while?”
He held up his glass. “I’m starting to think it would be nice.”
I sucked in my bottom lip. The little bit of champagne hit me suddenly, and I was ready to call it a night.
“I should probably get going. This has been so great—catching up. But I have an early morning.” I tried to stand but I moved too fast and got a head rush. I sat back down to steady myself. “Can I have some water?”
“Of course. But let’s not wrap this up just yet. We’ve hardly talked.”
“Yeah.” I shook my head. “No. I mean that sounds good, but I think I need to go find my parents. They’d love to meet you. I told them all about you every time I got back from camp.”
“I can’t wait to meet them. They’re probably wonderful. Of course, how could they not be? Look at their daughter.”
“Yeah, they’re great.” I smiled. He said everything just right. “Roddy, can I have some water?” I thought I had already asked but maybe I hadn’t. “I don’t feel great.”
“You always did have a sensitive constitution. Remember that one time we stole peach schnapps from the camp counselors and snuck out to the lake at midnight? That was a great night.”
“We had some great times.” I smiled even though the thought of that lake only added to my nausea. “Water. Please.” I knew my voice sounded firmer than I meant it too.
He let out an exaggerated sigh. “Okay. I’ll be right back.”
“Can you find my parents too? I’d like to go home.”
He chuckled. “Sure, lightweight.”
I had my head back and eyes closed before he was even out of the room. I just needed the room to stop spinning. I heard the door open and his steps recede. I must’ve fallen asleep because it seemed like he was back in the room only a second later. The door opened and shut softly.