Fuck.
Veronica?
Really?
I had resolved that she would be somewhat in our lives by taking care of Janelle. Our phone conversation was stilted when I’d called to accept her offer. I didn’t apologize for my boorish behavior, and she didn’t apologize for the way she gave it back. But we came to an agreement for her to watch Janelle when I’m out of town, and Janelle can stay at her condo, which is closer to Janelle’s school.
Weirdly, I’m not nervous about this new situation. Even though Mrs. Blair was fully competent, diligent, and eagle-eyed, it never felt right. And I’m starting to realize it has nothing to do with her twenty years of age and experience over Veronica (and that’s a rough guess as to her age) but rather that Mrs. Blair never made a personal connection with my sister. It was nothing more than a job to that woman, and in hindsight, that must’ve been awful for Janelle. She had just come to live in a new home, away from our mother who has taken care of her—and I use that phrase taken care of loosely.
Janelle was thrust into a new environment with no real friends and a brother who wasn’t around half the time, then forced to stay with a stranger who wasn’t overly warm and fuzzy.
No matter what my negative vibes are regarding Veronica, which may or may not be warranted, Janelle has a true emotional connection with her.
Veronica makes my sister happy and she cares for her. While I thought it was ridiculous that she gave my sister a joyful Christmas with some—okay, a shitload of—decorations, this tells me she’s the better choice than someone like Mrs. Blair.
Ultimately, this is going to be a better fit, and it’s put me at ease. Whether I can put Veronica out of my mind regarding all things not related to Janelle is another question.
Aaron snaps his fingers in front of my eyes. “Man… where did you go? You zoned.”
I shake my head. “Sorry… thinking about Janelle.”
“Pretty cool Veronica is going to watch over her, huh?”
“Yeah, cool,” I mutter.
“So you’re good for Scrabble?” he presses.
Christ, I don’t want to do this. I don’t want to have to be in a room and be sociable with Veronica.
But I have resolved to be there for my teammates and become a true member in their eyes, so I smile and nod. “Yeah… would love to help you out.”
CHAPTER 10
Veronica
Arranging the vegetable tray should be keeping my mind occupied, in conjunction with Clarke’s nonstop chatter. She and Aaron are going on a five-week trip through Europe over the summer break, and she’s planned the entire trip with the help of Google Maps. She’s regaling me with the major points of interest they’ll hit, many of which I’ve been to in my travels with Jace, but I love hearing her excitement. She’s never been to Europe.
You would think that carefully placing rows of sliced cucumbers, halved cherry tomatoes, and tiny cauliflower florets would stop my mind from wandering to Riggs Nadeau.
But I can’t stop thinking about the fact that at any moment, he’ll be arriving here at Aaron and Clarke’s house to play Scrabble.
It’s obviously more than four people getting together to play a board game. Aaron filled me in on the surprise proposal that will be spelled out on the Scrabble board, and I have to give the guy super bonus points for coming up with something so cute and clever. Aaron likes to make grand gestures. He loves to surprise Clarke with jewelry and quick, lavish getaways when the schedule allows.
I have no idea if she’s expecting a proposal, not just tonight but on any night in the future. She doesn’t take anything for granted, and I believe she just assumes that she and Aaron will be together forever so he’ll propose when and if the time is right. She’s very laid back about it, and I don’t think she’ll see it coming tonight. This is especially so because she would expect Aaron to propose in some monumental way.
Not with a small gathering of friends.
I have no clue why Aaron invited Riggs to be a part of this. He’s not even close friends with the guy, so I don’t understand why he gets to share in this happy occasion. I asked Clarke why Aaron invited Riggs, and she replied, “He’s trying to be a part of the team now. Aaron wanted to include him in something that was more family oriented than going out for some beers.”
That confirmed to me that Clarke has no clue she’s about to be proposed to, and I stifle a giggle. She’s going to flip out, and despite my dislike of Riggs and the bitterness over having to share this occasion with him, a rush of excitement for my best friend floods my veins.
Hopefully, Riggs won’t dampen that feeling.
I haven’t seen or heard from the guy since he called two days ago to accept my offer to watch Janelle while he’s on road trips. He didn’t apologize for his behavior, nor did I expect him to. Moreover, I’m glad he didn’t, because then I would be expected to apologize as well.
And I don’t want to.
While he was cool and reserved on the phone, I didn’t detect that disdain he normally has in his voice when talking to me. I’m a smart woman, and my best guess is Janelle came to my defense after they left the shop. I know she wanted his reasons why he wouldn’t let her stay with me. Riggs seems like a straight shooter, not a man to sugarcoat anything. I’m quite sure he told her exactly how he felt, and I also bet it had something to do with the fact that I’m rich and divorced.
I saw what looked like disgust when I quipped about marrying and divorcing rich, which I don’t throw about to brag but rather in self-deprecation, or in that particular case, I knew it would irritate him—and that brought me a small measure of happiness.
Whatever the reason, he actually told me he was grateful that Janelle would be staying with me, and I could hear the truth in his voice. That, at least, meant something, and it was a compliment.
But it doesn’t mean I want to hang out with him or be friends. Initial impressions are lasting, and our first meeting set in my mind that he is an incredibly unlikable guy.
I’m just going to have to hold my tongue and do my best to refrain from making any caustic remarks. The number one goal is to not do anything that would ruin Clarke’s night, given it will be one of her happiest ever.
“I’m glad Riggs is coming,” Clarke says out of the blue as she stirs a homemade ranch dressing to go with the vegetables. When I was married to Jace, our personal chefs made homemade dressings all the time. These days I’m a convenience, buy-the-bottle type, so I had to learn to adjust to those little things after the divorce.
I try to sound breezy about Riggs coming. “Really?”
She nods with a gorgeous smile, setting the bowl down. “Aaron said he’s opening up and is actually a pretty funny guy. They went out after the game night before last and had a lot of fun with him.”
I can imagine he might be fun after being plied with alcohol. In a sober state, though, he seems quite dour.
“You know,” Clarke drawls mischievously, “he’s single.”
My eyes snap up to her. “So what?”
“You’re single,” she points out.
“Well, aren’t you Miss Observant,” I reply with every bit of sarcasm I can manage. I focus my attention back on the vegetable tray because there’s nothing more to talk about on this subject.