Friendship on Fire (27 page)

THE LAST THING Riley felt like doing after spending the day with her friends was going out to dinner with her parents, and to Christos of all places, the most expensive restaurant within sixty miles. She stood before her closet in her pink lace bra and matching thong, freshly showered, her hair dried, makeup on, and a frown on her face as she flipped through her dresses with a loud sigh.  She hadn’t heard from Josh since that strange whispering phone call. The nerves in her stomach pinched so tight, she knew she wouldn’t be able to eat a thing, much less feign pleasantries. Riley eyed her sweats, the desire to curl up in them with a big bottle of wine and a thick blanket in front of a sappy movie so she could wallow in her worries and drink away the ache of missing Josh was so strong that she considered doing just that.

“Fifteen minutes, sunshine,” her father said from behind her closed door.

“Okay,” she called. She wished Josh would call. It had been hours since they’d spoken. What could he possibly be doing? She picked up her cell phone and checked her messages.

“Thank God,” she said, scrolling to Josh’s text.

My heart + your heart = happiness. Xo J.

“That’s the corniest thing I’ve ever read,” she said aloud.
I love him. I trust him. I miss him. God, I miss him
. Instead of wrestling with the unfairness of the situation and thinking about how Josh shouldn’t be dragged through the mud with her, or how he didn’t deserve the web she was stuck in, she took a giant leap of faith and texted back,
You’re a romantic fool. I love you. Thank u 4 sticking by my side. Please come home 2 me.

The room looked brighter, and Riley knew her mother and Max were right. She could spend her whole life worried about what might happen next, or she could believe. She could trust. She could love. Riley chose love.

With her attitude adjusted, she went back to leafing through her clothes. She’d worn every outfit a hundred times. She scrutinized herself in the full-length mirror that hung beside her closet. She turned to one side, then the other. Riley didn’t believe in scales. She didn’t care what she weighed as long as she felt good about how she looked and felt healthy, and as she ran her hands along her sides and down her hips, she swore something had changed, though she didn’t feel any physical difference.

She moved tentatively toward the back of her closet, reaching behind the winter coats in the back and retrieving a dress she’d made while she was in college. She had no idea if it would still fit, but it was one of her favorite designs.  She ran her fingers along the red silk, thinking about what she told the customers in Macy's.
Ninety-nine percent of feeling good is looking good. If you dress in sweats, you’ll feel sluggish, but throw on the right outfit, and you’ll immediately get a new boost of energy.
She pulled the dress from the rack.  Riley slipped the cowl-neck dress over her body, shimmying against the silken fabric, then belted it with the matching silk tie. Admiring the elegantly finished cuffed sleeves, she turned to face the mirror and slammed her eyes shut, silently praying she looked at least passable.

A knock on her bedroom door brought her eyes open. She gasped at the image in the mirror. The combination of the hint of cleavage exposed by the low gather of the cowl and the mid-thigh hem were pretty, but it was what she felt inside, the illumination of her heart, the explosive love she felt for Josh and accepted more and more with each passing second, that made her feel breathtakingly stunning.

“Wow,” she said to the empty room.

“Honey.”

“Yeah, coming, Mom.” She slipped her feet into a pair of nude heels and pulled open the door.

“My word.” Her mother’s eyes ran down her body.

“Too much?” Riley asked, covering her waist with her arm.

“Goodness, no. You are a vision, Riley. You look like you’ve just walked out of a fashion magazine.” Her mother thrust a package into her arms. “We have to leave, but this just came for you.” She called over her shoulder, “Sweetheart, come here and see your little girl.”

A moment later, her father stood behind her mother, one hand on her mother’s shoulder and the other on his slim hip. “Sunshine, you are gorgeous.” He whistled. “Beauty and brains, you’re a dangerous combination. No wonder that woman is accusing you of horrible things. She must be jealous.”

Riley felt her cheeks warm. “Daddy.”

He wrapped his arms around Riley. “I love you, sunshine.”

“I’ll be down in a sec, okay?” Riley watched her parents descend the stairs; then she went to work opening the package. Her pulse kicked up a notch when she withdrew a box of gingerbread cookies, along with a note—not in Josh’s handwriting—
Comfort food
. She dug deeper and found a compact disc of Hunter Hayes, featuring her favorite song, “Wanted.” She brought it to her chest and closed her eyes.
Josh
. She tossed aside the packing and withdrew the last item from the box. A photograph of a bouquet of peach roses, with a note taped to the back.

Josh asked me to get these for you, but finding them at a moment’s notice was impossible. I’m so sorry, and I know he’ll kill me, but this is the best I can do. Love, Savannah.

Savannah?
Riley flipped open her laptop and Googled the meaning of peach roses. Within seconds, she had her answer.

Peach roses—closing the deal; let’s get together; gratitude

Her heart swelled, and she knew she’d made the right decision. When she leapt, Josh would be there to catch her.

JOSH BARRELED INTO his father’s house after the four-hour flight, during which he’d come to realize just how much Riley meant to him, how much the few short weeks had changed his outlook and his heart, which was bubbling over with love. Even the anger he felt toward Claudia had subsided, as if he’d left it behind when the airplane had taken off.

Hugh grabbed Josh’s arm as he came through the door. “Josh, is it true?” A few days’ worth of stubble peppered his chin and cheeks, and the gray button-down shirt he wore was a refreshing change from his typical T-shirt and racing jacket.

Josh beamed. “Hell, yes. I need to shower. Where’s Dad?”

Treat embraced Hugh. “Good to see you.”

“Dad? How about me?” Dane called from the next room.  He appeared in the hall and pulled Josh into a hug. “Get over here. I’m happy for you, bro.”

“Thanks, but it’s not a done deal yet.”

The heavy hand on his shoulder nearly brought tears to Josh’s eyes. “Dad,” he whispered as he turned to the man who had always been there for him. Hal Braden stood three inches taller than Josh, and as Josh walked into his arms, he took comfort in the strength of his father’s embrace. He feared the day that strength would diminish and his age would erase his father’s commanding presence. His dark hair was now streaked with gray and not quite as thick as it once had been.

“I hear this is a big night for you,” his father said.

“I hope so,” Josh said. He looked around the house where he’d spent his formative years, where he’d learned most of life’s hard lessons, and where he’d lost his mother. He swallowed past the lump in his throat and forced a smile. “Still talking to Mom?” he asked.

His father clenched his jaw and flexed his biceps, a habit he and Rex shared. “Son, I’ll never stop talking to your mother,” he said in a serious tone.

“Good, Dad. Good. Where’s Rex?” Josh asked.

“He and Jade are meeting us at the restaurant. Savannah and Max are already there.” Hal looked at his watch. “Seems to me you have about ten minutes before we need to walk out the door. You about ready?”

“Quick shower and shave.” Josh headed down the hall toward his childhood bedroom.

THERE WAS A war going on in Josh’s gut as he stepped from Treat’s Lexus SUV and stood before the restaurant.

Treat came to his side and swung an arm across his shoulder. “Second thoughts?”

“No, just nervous as shit,” Josh admitted. He was done hemming and hawing. Riley was the women he wanted to spend his life with, and he was ready to tell her. He knew she might not want to return to New York after the mess she’d already gone through, but his heart drove him to her, and he wasn’t going to turn away—no matter what was going on in his gut.

“That’s good. If you weren’t nervous, there would be something wrong with you,” Treat said.

“What if she says no?” Josh asked.

Treat shrugged. “Then you try again and again until she says yes.”

Josh handed Treat the package they’d bought earlier that morning. “You’ll make sure Rex knows what to do? And Savannah?”

“Sure will,” Treat said.

“She won’t say no, Josh,” Hugh said. “You’re every girl’s dream. You’re wealthy, handsome, and quite a catch with your social status.”

“None of that matters to her,” Josh shot back.

“But the thing that does matter is too obvious to mention. You’re a good man.” Hugh patted him on the back and took a few steps forward, allowing Dane to come to Josh’s side.

Josh wouldn’t have believed those words came from Hugh’s mouth if he hadn’t heard them himself.
My baby brother is growing up
. “That means the world to me, Hugh. Thank you.”

“You’re crazy, you know that? You sure you really want to tie yourself down? Take yourself out of circulation? Get that old ball and chain?” Dane grinned.

“Get outta here,” Treat said.

“Oh God, you just spent time with Mr. Lovesick? No wonder you’re doing this,” Dane teased. “No, really, Josh, I’m happy for you. I’ve got your back. You need anything, I’m here.”

“Thanks, Dane.” Josh looked over at each of his brothers, feeling the absence of Rex and Savannah like missing limbs. He’d see them inside, but he wished he had a private moment with each and he wondered if they felt the same. Treat, Dane, and Hugh stood before him. Josh felt support coming off of them in waves.

“Boys?” their father said. “May I have a word with Josh?”

“Of course,” Treat said.

Dane’s phone vibrated, reminding Josh to get rid of his. Josh took his phone from his pocket and handed it to Treat.

“Can you hold on to this? I don’t want it vibrating, and I’m too nervous to mess with the buttons right now.”

“Yeah.” Treat looked at it. “There’s a missed call from Reggie. You might have your answers.”

“I’ve already made up my mind, and I’m doing this no matter what the answers are,” Josh said. He watched Treat and the others head toward the restaurant.

Hal wore a pair of dark slacks, a cream-colored dress shirt, and a dark tie. Set against his ever-present tan, massive height, and dark, emotional eyes, he looked like an aging movie star.

“Son, I wish your mother were still alive to see this night. She’s proud of you.”

Josh didn’t miss the present tense his father used when speaking of his mother. “Thanks, Dad. I wish she were here, too, and I can only hope she’d have been proud.” Josh felt the lump return to his throat.

“She’s here with you.” He touched his jaw, as if he were thinking, and then he put his hands on Josh’s shoulders in the same manner Treat had in the car on the way to the airport. “Son, I assume you know what you’re doing with Riley Banks. She’s a nice girl and she comes from a respectable family. And I assume you know what you’re doing with regard to all that nonsense that’s going on back in that big city you live in.  You’re an intelligent man, and you make good decisions, always have.”

“Thanks, Dad,” Josh said. His father’s eyes searched his, and his grip on Josh’s shoulders hadn’t eased. “Was there something else you wanted to say?”

“Yes, there is. Come with me.”

Josh followed his father to the edge of the woods at the far end of the parking lot.

“Dad, we don’t have much time. I want to get in there before Riley notices the family.”

“Rex is holding them in the lobby. Relax. Make time for your dear old dad. Listen, son. Look in there and tell me what you see.” He pointed to the woods.

Josh could barely think straight. Anxiety prickled his nerves, and his pulse hadn’t calmed since they’d stepped off the plane.

“I don’t know. Trees, dirt, rocks.”

“Okay, that’s pretty good. What else?” his father urged.

He stared into the woods, trying to think like his father. Like a rancher. He came up empty. He shifted his focus, much like he did when he was designing. If inspiration didn’t come from one presentation, he took it apart and started again, looking from many different angles. He began at the treetops, following the bare branches down to where they met the ground. Dead leaves layered the earth, interrupted by large rocks and fallen branches. Nothing came to mind, so he shifted his focus and began anew. He set his eyes on the ground. The earth. The foundation. Like a streak of lightning, inspiration set in.

“I see a solid foundation upon which life has grown,” Josh said.

“Better. I’m not going to torture you over semantics. Son, that foundation is all those trees have. It’s what gives them nourishment. It accepts their roots, thorns and all, and it accepts the leaves as they fall, covering its beauty. The rocks that are embedded into that foundation probably caused hurt at first, burrowing into the depth of it, or sinking in fast and hard—either way, that foundation had to move and shift to accept them. It had to give. And as you can see by that enormous boulder to your right, sometimes it had to give a lot.”

He looked directly into Josh’s eyes and laid his hand over his own heart. “The heart of the foundation has to be open enough, and secure enough, to allow that change to happen and to accept it even when it hurts or when it makes the appearance of the foundation not quite as attractive.”

Josh’s throat tightened.

“Son, I’m proud of you. It takes the strongest of men to endure what you have and to deal with what’s ahead of you. It would have been a hell of a lot easier to back away. There are a million women in the world. You’ve always been empathetic, loving, and strong. Seeing you put your love for Riley ahead of everything else proves you’re with the woman you were fated to be with.” He took Josh in his arms and whispered in his ear, “Your damn mother made me say the whole woods thing. I would have just given it to you straight, but she thinks that a designer is all about presentation and layering.”

“Dad,” Josh managed. God, he loved him.

“And Treat told me about you feeling like you could rip someone apart. That’s a good thing, son. Family knows no boundaries.”