three peered over the railing.
“Shayda?”
My mouth gaped open. It was Jayne.
“What happened to you guys?” she asked as Troy secured the canoe and helped me out.
“We took a little detour through Carol’s place and ended up in the lake,” he replied.
“We were starting to get worried,” said Ryan.
“Are you all right? You’re soaked!” Jayne exclaimed as we climbed up the stairs.
“What are you guys doing here?” I asked.
“Didn’t he tell you?” Jayne shook her head. “This is Troy’s place. We would have driven up if the traffic hadn’t been so bad. I am so sorry we lost you!”
“Who’s this, Troy?” Carol sidled up to him.
I felt like a dripping mess as she surveyed me with her salon permed hair and artfully ripped sweatshirt.
“This is my friend, Shayda,” replied Jayne, bristling as Carol’s hand lingered possessively on him. “Troy, your neighbour just showed up uninvited.”
The two girls glared at each other.
“Why don’t we go inside so you guys can dry off?” suggested Ellen.
“There’s no need for all of us to go.” Ryan pulled her back into his lap.
“There’s no need for anyone to go.” Troy extracted himself from Carol and pulled me away from Jayne. “Excuse us, ladies.” He took me by the elbow and guided me up the stone stairs to the sprawling mansion.
I shrugged him off as he let me inside. Everything about the expansive interior spoke of old money, the kind that we had before the revolution.
We stopped at the base of a sweeping staircase. It looked like something out of a flamboyant television set, like Krystle Carrington or J.R. Ewing could come gliding down at any moment.
“Shayda, I—”
“Could I use your bathroom?”
“Of course. The guest en suite is up the stairs, second door to your left.”
My foot had barely touched the first step before his hand covered mine on the banister.
“Aren’t you going to ask why I didn’t bring you straight here?” he said.
I thought of the heart-slamming moments under the pier. Climbing over the fence. Jumping into the water. Clinging to him like my life depended on it. And something snapped inside me. The cool, calm veneer I was trying to hold on to, cracked.
“I don’t know, Troy. Maybe you’re just a spoiled, rich kid who gets a kick out of making a fool of someone like me.”
“Someone like you?”
“Look at me.” I laughed. “I don’t belong here, in your swanky place with your soaring ceilings and your gleaming floors. I don’t know this culture, this lifestyle. I may not be sophisticated enough to play the kind of games you play, but that doesn’t mean you get to humiliate me.”
“Humiliate you?” He looked stricken. “I just wanted to spend some time with you.”
“Why?” I tried to keep the hurt from my voice. “I’m not some carefree young girl you can drag around town with you.”
“Haven’t you ever done something just for the heck of it? Kicked up your heels and lived in the moment?”
“Living in the moment may work for you, Troy. The rest of us have to think about paying the rent.”
“Really? Is that what was on your mind? Paying the rent?” He quirked an eyebrow in amused skepticism. “Are you telling me you didn’t have any fun tonight?”
“You know what would have been fun, Troy?” I glared at him. “Fun would have been if you had actually brought me here instead of tricking me. Fun would have been hanging out on that deck, pretending I was just like everyone else for one evening. Fun would have been anything except this!” I gestured to my wet, wilted form.
The grand vestibule echoed with the sound of my shuddering breath.
“That’s it. That’s it, Shayda. Lash out at me. Heck, lash out at the whole world,” he said. “I’ll take the anger, the rage, any day over that awful, broken look you had on before.”
Anger? Rage? The realization blindsided me. I couldn’t remember the last time I was so furious, so openly unrestrained with
“Shayda?”
My mouth gaped open. It was Jayne.
“What happened to you guys?” she asked as Troy secured the canoe and helped me out.
“We took a little detour through Carol’s place and ended up in the lake,” he replied.
“We were starting to get worried,” said Ryan.
“Are you all right? You’re soaked!” Jayne exclaimed as we climbed up the stairs.
“What are you guys doing here?” I asked.
“Didn’t he tell you?” Jayne shook her head. “This is Troy’s place. We would have driven up if the traffic hadn’t been so bad. I am so sorry we lost you!”
“Who’s this, Troy?” Carol sidled up to him.
I felt like a dripping mess as she surveyed me with her salon permed hair and artfully ripped sweatshirt.
“This is my friend, Shayda,” replied Jayne, bristling as Carol’s hand lingered possessively on him. “Troy, your neighbour just showed up uninvited.”
The two girls glared at each other.
“Why don’t we go inside so you guys can dry off?” suggested Ellen.
“There’s no need for all of us to go.” Ryan pulled her back into his lap.
“There’s no need for anyone to go.” Troy extracted himself from Carol and pulled me away from Jayne. “Excuse us, ladies.” He took me by the elbow and guided me up the stone stairs to the sprawling mansion.
I shrugged him off as he let me inside. Everything about the expansive interior spoke of old money, the kind that we had before the revolution.
We stopped at the base of a sweeping staircase. It looked like something out of a flamboyant television set, like Krystle Carrington or J.R. Ewing could come gliding down at any moment.
“Shayda, I—”
“Could I use your bathroom?”
“Of course. The guest en suite is up the stairs, second door to your left.”
My foot had barely touched the first step before his hand covered mine on the banister.
“Aren’t you going to ask why I didn’t bring you straight here?” he said.
I thought of the heart-slamming moments under the pier. Climbing over the fence. Jumping into the water. Clinging to him like my life depended on it. And something snapped inside me. The cool, calm veneer I was trying to hold on to, cracked.
“I don’t know, Troy. Maybe you’re just a spoiled, rich kid who gets a kick out of making a fool of someone like me.”
“Someone like you?”
“Look at me.” I laughed. “I don’t belong here, in your swanky place with your soaring ceilings and your gleaming floors. I don’t know this culture, this lifestyle. I may not be sophisticated enough to play the kind of games you play, but that doesn’t mean you get to humiliate me.”
“Humiliate you?” He looked stricken. “I just wanted to spend some time with you.”
“Why?” I tried to keep the hurt from my voice. “I’m not some carefree young girl you can drag around town with you.”
“Haven’t you ever done something just for the heck of it? Kicked up your heels and lived in the moment?”
“Living in the moment may work for you, Troy. The rest of us have to think about paying the rent.”
“Really? Is that what was on your mind? Paying the rent?” He quirked an eyebrow in amused skepticism. “Are you telling me you didn’t have any fun tonight?”
“You know what would have been fun, Troy?” I glared at him. “Fun would have been if you had actually brought me here instead of tricking me. Fun would have been hanging out on that deck, pretending I was just like everyone else for one evening. Fun would have been anything except this!” I gestured to my wet, wilted form.
The grand vestibule echoed with the sound of my shuddering breath.
“That’s it. That’s it, Shayda. Lash out at me. Heck, lash out at the whole world,” he said. “I’ll take the anger, the rage, any day over that awful, broken look you had on before.”
Anger? Rage? The realization blindsided me. I couldn’t remember the last time I was so furious, so openly unrestrained with
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