“What then?” I mirrored his pose.
“That’s for you to figure out.” He laughed. “Good luck with that.”
“You’re no help.” I shook my head as he walked away.
It was in that moment that Wes decided to add to the conversation. “Tell her you’re wrong.” He grinned. “Always works for me.” His eyes darted in Angela’s direction.
“What?” I was confused. Why was he helping me?
“Tell her you’re wrong and she’s right, and you’re sorry.” He shrugged before crossing his arms over his chest. His shirt pulled at his arms, reminding me he could break me into a bunch of tiny pieces.
“We’re talking about your daughter here,” I clarified.
“I know, and you’re both miserable. I also know that if you so much as touch her in a way I don’t like, I can break you.” He chuckled as I swallowed. “She loves you, you love her. I’m ok with that. I know you’re a good guy. I know your parents.” He laughed again. “Just fix this. I’ve had about all I can take of her moping around the house.”
I nodded as I pulled my phone from my pocket. I opened my contact list and let my thumb hover over Riley’s name. I waited a few seconds before pressing it. When it started ringing my hopes climbed, but then I came crashing down when she sent me to voicemail. I don’t know why I expected anything different, but part of me wished she’d at least listen.
“It’s Riley, I’m not here right now. Leave a message and I’ll call you back…unless you’re Caleb, then you can drop dead.” Her words sliced through me like a knife that was cutting deep below the surface. I growled as I slammed my phone down on the counter. “How am I supposed to fix this if she won’t even talk to me?” I barked at no one in particular. A few patrons turned in my direction before going back to their business.
“She’s at the beach,” Wes called from where he was packing away gear. “Party with friends.”
I paused for a moment before looking down at myself. I wasn’t really dressed for a party. My mesh shorts and gym polo weren’t really the way to impress a girl, but Riley had seen me in this more than anything else.
“Thanks.” I waved as I grabbed my keys and ran out the door. I don’t know if Wes was intending for me to leave, but he had to know I would once he gave me that information.
ooooooooo
The air was warm when I burst outside. I rushed to my truck and peeled out of the parking lot. I was driving faster than I should have, but something inside me was propelling me to the beach. I needed to see her, to talk to her, to get her to listen.
I pulled up to the public parking area. I wasn’t sure where this party was located or who was hosting it. It could have been in someone’s yard, or out on the beach. I looked to the left, then the right for any signs. It was dark by now, and difficult to see much. Finally, in the distance, I could see a fire. Shadows were moving around, and if you listened really carefully, you could hear the hum of laughter over the waves.
I started walking in that direction, hoping I’d find her. It didn’t seem that far, but the farther I walked, the farther they still seemed away. I glanced back at my truck a few times hoping that it would be ok where I parked it.
When I reached the edge of the group, no one seemed to notice me. There was a small group of couples near the fire, some dancing, some making out. There were more people in the yard of the house nearby. It had a huge deck around the back and people were spilling out onto it as well. Some guys were tossing a football on the wet sand, and there were some squeals of laughter coming from the water.
I weaved through the people, scanning the crowd for Riley. This didn’t seem like her scene but then again, she hadn’t been acting like herself since we got back. I made my way around the house, searching, when I finally spotted her. She was facing away from me, slumped on a set of steps near the front of the house. A red Solo cup was sitting beside her, but she wasn’t drinking it. I scanned the area to see if she was waiting for someone to come back, but it didn’t appear that way, so I moved closer. The soft grass hid the sounds of my steps, and until I reached her, she didn’t even know I was there.
“Hey.” I shuffled to a stop and leaned against the steps.
She jumped before glancing up, then rolled her eyes. “How’d you find me?”
“I’m getting pretty good at that, huh?” I smiled but then let it drop as I lowered myself to the grass. There wasn’t enough room to sit beside her and I didn’t want to presume that she’d go anywhere with me. “Why are you over here, when the party’s out there?”
“I didn’t really want to come.” She sighed. “I was forced into it.”
“This doesn’t seem like your scene,” I murmured.
“You don’t know what my scene is.” Her voice climbed as she turned angry eyes on me. “You think you do, but you don’t.”
“I want to.” I reached out and touched her leg, but when she recoiled, I quickly pulled it away. “I’m sorry.”
“What are you doing here?” She turned her back to me.
“I came to find you.” I shrugged. “I want to talk to you, Rils. I miss you. Don’t you miss
