Fall For Me by Melanie Marks Read Free Book Online Page A

said.   “But she didn’t want to.” He ran his hands through his hair, not seeming to want to go on, but he finally did anyway. “I guess her and Jones—their feelings are mutual.”
    I opened my mouth in indignation, but Finn laughed. “Well, okay then,” he said all merry as can be, “see ya.”
     
    ***
     
    The next day at work, I was filling drinks at the soda fountain for a table, and Riley was standing nearby, getting ready to leave. But when he saw me, he hesitated, then came over and mentioned maybe the kids and Finn and I shouldn’t come to his house while Ava was around anymore.
    “She seems to be, I don’t know, a little bit, uh, jealous,” he said.
    I widened my eyes. Ava was beautiful—like gorgeous. Super gorgeous. She was jealous of me? I was kind of surprised, and mystified.
    “Jealous of me? Why?”
    “Well, not you. Or maybe you. The whole situation really,” he said, not seeming to want to talk about it. “She has it worked into something it’s not.”
    “Riley,” I said, hoisting up my full tray, “what are you talking about?”
    “She thinks you guys come over a lot—which you don’t. And she thinks you take advantage of me—which if you do, I haven’t really noticed. But,” he picked up my second tray for me, then didn’t go on, but started on a new tack. “Look, if she’s at my house, could you not be?”
    It wasn’t like I went to Riley’s house. I didn’t. I used his extra parking spot, ‘cause he lived right at the beach and finding parking was a pain during the summer. But I hardly ever actually went in to his house. The kids did—they adored Riley and he seemed to have adopted them since Dad died. I mean totally bonded with them—so they’d go in his house sometimes after swimming in the ocean to warm up in his hot tub, but I never did—went in with them—except on “occasion” with Finn. But I had always tried really hard to get out of it … ‘cause, you know, I used to think Riley hated me.
    Still, I shrugged, like his request was no big deal—like I wouldn’t dream of going to his house with Ava there, ‘cause really I wouldn’t. For so many reasons.
    “Sure,” I said breezily, though feeling slightly punched in the stomach, though really it seemed I shouldn’t feel hurt or even care—except that Ava was a witch and it sucked that Riley chose her over me. Okay, it was totally irrational of me to feel that way—I knew that. I did. I mean, she was his girlfriend and I had a boyfriend of my own—though Finn seemed to have the hots for another girl these days—a skank. Still, I tried to reason with myself—there was no reason to begrudge Riley happiness with the girl he adored—despite what a witch she was.
    Anyway, that was the end of the conversation.
    But then a few nights later, Finn and I took my little brother and sister to the fair again since when it’s in town that’s all the kids want to do—go to the fair—and well, their dad just recently died, so we took them and then—wham—ran into the “couple”—Riley and Ava.
    Justin, of course, wanted to go on the bumper cars with Riley and Jillian dragged him over to the ring toss wanting him to win her a stuffed animal.
    Riley seemed thrilled to see us. He really, truly, genuinely loved Justin and Jillian. He did. And they loved him. It was a beautiful thing. But I saw Riley glance over at Ava, like: What can I do? They love me .
    Ava rolled her eyes, the witch. So, I tried to drag my siblings away—since Riley had, nicely, asked me to back off when she was around. But the kids wouldn’t leave without a fight, and Riley didn’t seem to really want them to go.
    Finally, Riley came up with a compromise of sorts, suggesting, “Jones, we’ll take the kids for a while. You and Finn can be alone—like a date—go on the rides and stuff.”
    That was a strange offer from Riley. Finn and I had been “dating” for over four years, we didn’t need an excuse to be alone … but,