Ha! I had told him to go – well, I said something very final and not particularly polite. He had responded with a sudden outburst of rage, a slew of curses and ended the call.
Whatever. I was still receiving Oscar’s check every month. As long as that continued, he could do whatever he wanted. And as long as what Oscar wanted had nothing to do with me or my child, everything would be okay.
“It’s not Oscar,” I stated again when Payton raised an eyebrow. “It’s that guy I mentioned; he goes by his last name, Riker. He’s the neighbor of the couple who owns the mansion I was house sitting. Chauncey – the dog – found a hole in the fence and almost knocked him over on the beach. He wasn’t very pleased. In fact, he was really angry about it. And then he came into the office yesterday.” I winced. “He was still mad.”
“About a dog being a dog?” Payton sipped her wine and shook her head. “Sounds like a rich ass.”
I chuckled, but I wasn’t so sure. “No doubt, he is rich. He’s a Riker. But the incident on the beach… it really was my fault. And he had something in his hand that Chauncey just about ate.”
“Elena. You’re way too nice. This guy is just a filthy rich jerk who deserved a good bite.” Payton stood up. “I’ll put the kids to bed and be right back. Don’t worry about this Riker guy, okay? Money is all that matters to guys like him. People’s feelings don’t.”
I watched her grab the kids and disappear into the hall, leaning back against my comfy couch. Payton had told me not to worry about Riker, and I really wasn’t worried about him…but I was thinking about him. He had been a jerk to me twice now. Part of his ire I had deserved, and part I really hadn’t. The paperwork delay hadn’t been my fault.
The office had two legal aids usually, but my coworker had called in sick yesterday, so I was working twice as hard to keep up with the day’s tasks. All the added responsibilities put me on edge, and Riker…well, he had been the last straw.
After his frosty words in the office, I had to take a moment for myself and just breathe. When I came back into the building, Devon had told me the guy’s name was Riker and that he had asked about me after noticing I was upset. Riker had some nerve, seeing as he was most of the reason for that. But I had just smiled at Devon and told him I was fine.
Really, I hadn’t lied. I was mostly fine. I had just been off-balance from all the things that had happened lately. And Riker was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Besides, I got the impression Riker had been angry and frustrated both times I ran into him. Despite Chauncey and the delay with the papers, my second sense told me there was more going on with his life, causing his anger to boil over. I had thought about looking at his file, but I decided against it since I was not assigned to his case. Yesterday, I was just delivering papers as I was told to do - plain and simple.
I knew what hurt looked like. I knew what hurt felt like. In Riker’s eyes, eyes of a brown so pale that they almost looked gray, I could see some of the pain I had suffered. He had lost someone or someone had done something to hurt him. He certainly didn’t have the look of one of the Hamptons’ filthy rich who loved their money and often used it to pave the way to their idea of happiness. If he could use money to fix his problems, he would have done that already.
He’s just a man,I reminded myself.Money doesn’t change that. It doesn’t make him something different.Underneath the mansion, expensive clothes and entitled anger, Riker had feelings and a personality. I had seen a little of that in his eyes.
I settled deeper into the couch cushions as I heard Payton start back down the hall. It would be interesting to find out who Riker was under his cold, rude exterior.
Payton sat down and gave me the thumbs up, and we began actually watching the movie. I gave a mental shrug and put Riker out of my mind. It wasn’t like I would ever see him again anyway.
Chapter Five
Riker
Ordinarily, I loved my job. This week, it had dragged on forever.
As CEO of Sunset Security, I had a lot of responsibilities. My dad had started me out in the company as a security guard, and I had enjoyed the years I spent learning the ins and outs of the business. As time went on, I had progressed to duties that required more expertise. Then, after my father passed, the board had unanimously voted to appoint me to the position of CEO.
Like my father, I had a knack for the security business. It was brawny and brainy at the same time, and I fit both descriptions. I liked holding the position of CEO of my father’s company. I really did. Sometimes, though, I wanted to go back to my roots and work a simple guard detail.
As CEO, I attended endless meetings, made quick decisions, and dealt with piles of paperwork and annoying issues every day. If I had to do that all day, four days a week, I went stir crazy. Unfortunately, this week had been one of those weeks. I couldn’t even spare the time to oversee the installation of a state-of-the-art security system in a new bank located nearby.
Last night, Nate and Zeke met at the club as usual. And for the first time in a long time, I had preferred to debark from my private jet, take my waiting car and crash the moment I reached my bed instead of joining them. Apparently, a lack of sleep was programmed into my brain, though, from the countless Thursday evenings I had spent drinking and staying out until the small hours of the morning because I was still wide awake at 5 AM. Not really knowing what to do with myself, I had spent the morning answering emails and watching TV.
Now, I was taking a late lunch out on the large, enclosed porch where I could listen to the sound of the ocean, but I still couldn’t relax. I’d been stuck in my office all week, leaving it only for a conference room or another office. I had been looking forward to spending today unwinding, but I was too keyed up.
My toes twitched, and I couldn’t sit still. I needed to get out and do something before I “jittered myself to pieces,” as my mother had always liked to say. I could work out at the Hamptons Peak’s massive members-only gym…
Or I could go on an afternoon run. Yes, that sounded perfect. I usually didn’t do anything active during the hotter part of the day, preferring to save working out for the evening. Today, I would shake things up a bit and go for an afternoon jog to build up my heat tolerance.
I changed into comfortable shorts, slipped on a T-shirt, and velcroed the armband around my bicep to hold my phone. Then, I called Nate. “Hey,” I said when he picked up. “Are you still driving to Amagansett this afternoon to go sailing?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“You know, I really appreciate this. I decided to jog along Montauk Beach.” I convinced Nate to swing by and pick me up on his way, and shortly, I heard a car honk outside my front gate. Taking one last sip of water, I went out to meet him.
“Great day for jogging and sailing,” Nate remarked. “Do you plan to run all the way back?”
“Yep, I need a good workout. It’s been a busy week. It’ll give me a chance to work off some steam.”
