Marly came strutting up in another pair of red-soled heels. She had on shorts that were so short, they left nothing to the imagination. She wore a tube top crop top, which showed off her shoulders and her flat stomach.
“Hi, Riley, that’s so sweet that you hang out with the help. Is it like sponsor an employee day?” she asked.
While she sounded sweet, she was anything but. Her voice made me want to gag. The look she shot me made me want to push her in the pool. William would have to drain it, though, after all that makeup on her face bled into the water.
I could only wish.
“Marly, I don’t recall inviting you here,” Riley said with a sharpness to his tone.
“You didn’t, but you ghosted me, and I wanted to see what was going on.”
“Well, I’m not interested, Marly. We had fun while it lasted, but you read too far into whatever it was,” he said.
His eyes were firm; he was not wavering from his rejection of her. Inside, I giggled like a schoolgirl. It was like watching the queen bee slip in milk in the cafeteria or watching her walk around with a red stain on white pants. It was cruel, but Riley had taught me how to be that way.
“Why? Are you sleeping with her? Is she so good that you completely forgot about me?” she pressed, trying to make herself look like she was going to cry. I could see through her manipulation. She wanted to see if Riley would take her back if she cried. I seriously hoped he didn’t fall for her bullshit. He might not have been a straight As kind of guy in high school, but he was smart enough not to flunk out. Hopefully, he was smart enough to see this for what it was.
Riley’s shoulders tensed, and his back straightened.
“What happens between Emma and me is none of your business. You do not get to come here uninvited, intrude on our date, and insult her. I think it is time for you to leave.”
He said date. He called this a date.
We weren’t dating; this wasn’t a date. I said I would hang out as friends, not a date. I wanted to correct him, but I felt that would do more harm than good in front of her.
Marly rolled her eyes.
“Fine, I’ll leave. Losers like her will only bring you down. Good luck next week. I’ll be rooting for Jared,” she said, cold as ice before stomping through the side gate.
“What a bitch,” I said, loudly enough for her to hear as she walked away.
“Yeah, she is,” he echoed.
“What did you see in her?” I asked, softer this time.
“You want honesty?”
“Of course,” I answered.
“Her body is rocking,” he said.
“You are such a guy,” I told him.
“What answer were you expecting? She clearly doesn’t have any brains, and she’s not nice. I don’t care about a girl with money. I’ve got plenty of that.”
I snorted at that.
“So this is a date?” I asked him.
I tried to keep the annoyance from my voice, but I wasn’t very successful.
“Sorry about that. I had to shut her down completely. Letting her know I was on a date was the only way I could think to do that. Sorry if it made you uncomfortable.”
“It’s okay, but she’s going to talk, you know? She is pissed. She is going to tell people we are together, and we aren’t. I made that very clear, not even several hours ago.”
“Like I offered earlier, we can fake date. It’s too late to take back what just happened with Marly. You are right, she’s going to tell everyone she knows that the wild Rodeo Romeo is settling down with a girlfriend. We might as well embrace it,” he said with a smile.
I could punch him. This whole scenario played out too well in his favor. I wouldn’t put it past him to stage this whole thing to get me to agree. But I could see through girls like Marly; it was real. Her insecurity and jealousy were real.
