Chapter 35 Invite The Devil To Church
I took that as my cue to stand, pulling Maria up with me.
He really was getting to me, and I didn’t know how to correctly categorize the way he affected me. Was he a friend? An enemy? A playboy looking for his next chase? I couldn’t quite understand him. Was this about the kiss?
“Cole? What are you doing here?” I asked, dusting off dirt from my body. Maria did the same, albeit absentmindedly, completely stunned into silence, her eyes bulging and withdrawing with each word I passed.
“It’s your late mother’s birthday,” he answered matter-of-factly.
“And?”
“I came.”
“You came. For what reason?”
“You have plans for the day, no?”
“Yes, but she’s my mom, Mr. Buenaventura, not yours. She never met you; you never knew her.”
I watched as Cole squinted, while I waited for him to say he knew my mom too. Since he’d been keeping so many secrets, what was one more?
“You’re upset,” was all he said.
“Well, no shit, Sherlock,” I replied even though I still felt a tremor of fear and unease.
I was more annoyed at how he spoke like he had everything worked out, like he knew me, like everything worked out in his own absolutely crazy, unknown plans. I wasn’t a pawn in somebody else’s game. I refused to be a new source of entertainment for some rich kid with a heavy trust fund.
My stubbornness rose to high levels. How could he be so laid-back and relaxed, strolling in casually while upending my world?
“I don’t see any reason for you to be here, Mr. Buenaventura,” I stated bluntly, fighting the urge to grind my teeth. I couldn’t even explain to myself the real reason why I was so cross and angry with him.
“Am I intruding, then? I figured donations to the Saint Louis Orphanage in your mother’s honor were the least I could do.” Cole Ryder said, unconsciously stretching his impossibly broad shoulders
“Excuse me?” I said before I could catch myself.
Cole turned, indicating with a nudge of his head toward something in the distance.
That was when I noticed two very long trailers, with my mom’s photo and name hanging on a banner on one of them.
How did he know I needed a few more things for my mom’s birth-versary memorial? And how on earth did “a few things” fit in two very large trailers?
I had no words to describe how I felt. It was overwhelming. I struggled to keep the tears at bay. I didn’t want to show him that side of me. I would not cry in front of him.
“I didn’t mean to hide anything,” Cole said in his usual, almost silent way. He spoke like he could only spare the bare minimum of words, like that alone was too much work.
His words helped distract me and keep my emotions at bay. At that moment, I agreed to one thing: Cole wanted to be close to me, and he was pulling out all the stops. Was it really worth antagonizing someone who had tried to wipe the shame of today from my face?
I decided I could try to be friendlier with him. “Try” was a strong word, since I could barely keep my mind off him anyway.
That was the best I could do for the time being.
I blinked repeatedly, clearing my thoughts. I felt like I needed to say something, to explain away my earlier reaction, even though I knew it was genuine.
“I didn’t say…” I started to explain.
“You never even talked with me when I asked. I need to talk to you,” Cole said, looking uncomfortable as he spoke, like he was holding so many words back, like he had so much pent-up frustration that I could not really know about.
I decided to put him out of his misery.
“What do you need to talk about, Cole? And can it wait till I’m back from the orphanage?”
“Yes, it can. When we’re done then,” Cole said matter-of-factly.
He stared at me the entire time, barely breaking eye contact when he spoke or blinked. I felt like a worm under a microscope, like he had placed me there just to watch me wiggle uncomfortably.
“We? You’re coming too!” Maria finally found her words, her eyes dimming into a squint. After a beat, she let out a loud, girly squeal.
“That would be awesome!!! Let’s go, right now.”
Cole took the cue and turned toward his car, packed by the trucks. There were a few other cars behind his, and they looked like they were occupied by people too. How many people did he bring with him?
“Maria!! Awesome? What do you mean awesome!” I whisper-yelled, frowning at her as I pulled her to the side, as if Cole could hear even as he walked away.
“Child, don’t be silly! It’s Cole! He’s here! He’s donating in your mother’s name! What isn’t awesome!? Stop being a wet blanket and let’s go.”
I had nothing else to say other than yell:
“You don’t get it! You just invited Cole Ryder to church!!”