Page 47 of Stolen Summer
“Whoa. Back up. Fiancé?” I shrieked.
“He’s quite the looker.” She winked, smiling proudly at me. “A little pretty for my taste, but I am old enough to be his grandma. You never mentioned you were engaged.”
I hadn’t mentioned I was dating! Kind of hard to be engaged when you don’t have a boyfriend. Ann knew something was up. “Cole,” I hissed under my breath, my fingers tightening at my sides.
That son of a bitch.
Who did he think he was interfering with my life?
Ann snapped her fingers, a smile forming on her mauve lips. “That’s his name. Cole. Oh, honey, you snagged yourself a rich one, haven’t you? Never thought I’d see the day when Arie Quinn lost her heart to a summer boy.”
I technically hadn’t snagged anyone. I wasn’t going to comment about my heart because it pounded with fury right now. What fucking game is he playing at? “He came into the diner?”
“After your shift ended. You should have told us. We would have gladly given you the summer off.”
I choked. “Summer?”
“It’s about damn time you had some fun, my Arie girl. Love strikes when you least expect it and often fast.”
I’m going to fucking kill him.
“We’re not getting married,” I said, my mind already a million miles away, contemplating how I planned to murder my neighbor.
“Is everything okay?” Ann asked, tilting her head to the side as she regarded me. “Do I need to worry? You look a little flushed.”
Did I? It sure as hell felt like my skin would melt off. “No. Everything isn’t fine. I’m sorry, Ann. I need to deal with this,” I said.
A sympathetic expression lit her features. “Take all the time you need, honey. We’re always here for you. With or without the job.”
“Hey, Arie,” Mir greeted as she came out of the kitchen, a pot of coffee in hand.
I gave an automatic half-smile at Mir before shifting my gaze back to Ann. “Are you sure you don’t need me? I can come back?—”
She waved her hand. “We got it covered. A few of the girls were here when your fiancé”—she paused, noticing how my scowl deepened—“came by and offered to pick up a few shifts. Everyone needs the extra cash these days.”
Goddamn it.
Is he trying to destroy my life?
Nodding, I snatched my bag off the counter, slinging it onto my shoulder. “I’ll call you later,” I mumbled because I didn’t know what else to say, half afraid I might spew something regretful and project my anger on the wrong person.
Beyond fuming, I turned and stormed out of the diner, my palm slamming on the glass door as the bell overhead chimed again. If I were a cartoon character, steam would be spouting out of my ears.
The sun blasted me in the face, no longer bright and sunny but blaring and furious, much like my mood. Cole needed to learn the world wasn’t a playground for his rich ass to toy with. The fucking audacity of him to interfere with my life.
I made it two blocks to the corner before I stopped and screamed, unconcerned about the people turning to stare at me.
Fueled by rage, I made it to the Strand in record time and soon stood outside the Rileys’ house. Striding up the porch, I pounded on the front door, waiting exactly two seconds before I incessantly rang his doorbell like I was five. When the spamming of the bell didn’t work, I went back to pounding my fist until my hand hurt.
And now I had another thing to add to my growing list of why I hated Cole Riley.
Fed up and impatient, I stalked to the side of the porch, following it to the backyard on the off chance he might be in the pool. After the late-night social gathering, I might find him passed out in the hammock.
Or…on the fucking beach?
Unexpected but not surprising.
I spotted him from the edge of the pool fence. If it hadn’t been for the elevation of the house, I might not have seen him at all. Kudos to the builder for giving such a killer view of not just the ocean but the sandy shore as well.