Captive Films: Season One (30 page)

“Well, like that’s not awkward with a capital A. I’m sorry we just showed up.”

“It's fine, Jennifer. You’re always welcome. I’m sure she and Riley will be cordial. Besides, he's here with you.”

The kids chatter with her excitedly and when we go back in the dining room, Riley is standing and staring at the table. I’m trying to determine why when I realize that Marvel has set the two additional place settings on opposite sides of the table. And the placement is awkward. Riley has his choice of sitting by Ariela or seating Jennifer next to her.
 

Marvel is ready to serve us, and he is not a patient man. “Miss,” he says to Jennifer, pulling out the chair next to Knox and beckoning her to sit. “Please have a seat, Mr. Johnson.”

Riley doesn’t move. He just stares at Ariela like she's a live grenade about to go off.
 

“Um,” Riley says to Marvel.
 

Oh, if he says he doesn’t want to sit next to Ariela, I am going to kill him. I give Aiden the eye, begging him to step in and do something.
 

But Knox quickly jumps into the fray. “Oh, Marvel, we mustn’t separate the love birds. Ariela, dear, why don’t you sit by me?”

Ariela gives Knox a grateful nod and switches chairs. I notice that Jennifer looks disappointed.

When everyone gets settled, Marvel serves our first course.

Riley’s got one arm around Jennifer, trying to pull her closer.

He’s messing with her hair, kissing her hand, and saying flirty stuff about later tonight.
 

I keep trying to get everyone to talk about something to drown it out, but I think we all feel like we’re watching a train wreck about to happen.
 

Ariela looks sad, and I feel bad for her. It’s obvious that Riley is purposefully trying to make Ariela jealous, because he keeps glancing up to see if she’s watching.
 

They say in acting that timing is everything.
 

And Knox is a damn good actor.
 

I knew when he called Jennifer and Riley
the lovebirds
that he was up to something.
 

He has waited until just the right time to start flirting with Ariela. He’s spent the first two courses letting the tension build. Letting it appear like the more he gets to know her, the more interested he is.
 

And his subtlety is much more believable than Riley’s obvious show.

Knox leans a little closer to Ariela and speaks softly, holding her eyes and hanging on every word she says.

If I didn’t know that Knox is crushing on Jennifer, I’d think he was totally mesmerized by Ariela.
 

And the more mesmerized Knox seems, the more Riley stops talking to Jennifer.
 

Now, he’s shoving food into his mouth like he’s mad at it.

“What you do must be
so
interesting,” Knox says to Ariela. “Planning weddings that bring a couple’s love to life.”

“I’ve never thought of it that way, but that is what we do. Showcase a couple’s love by finding elements from their past to share in a fun way. At a wedding I did a few weeks ago, they had massive amounts of candles because when he proposed he had over 200 candles in the room. Instead of numbers on each table, they had the couple’s favorite songs. When they kissed after the ceremony, everyone threw pink rose petals because those were the first flowers he gave her.”

“So romantic,” Knox says. “I, myself, have never been married, but I’m looking forward to the day I find that special someone. What you do must be
so
fulfilling.”

“It is. I like doing weddings, but I plan a lot of different events. Personal, charity, and corporate.”

He leans closer to her, casually draping his arm across the back of her chair.
 

“Really. Well, then, maybe you could help me. I’m thinking I’d like to hold a private event.”

“How many people?” Ariela asks.
 

“
Very
private,” Knox flirts. And he is good at flirting. Ariela even blushes when he winks at her.

“That sounds fun,” she says.

Aiden nudges my knee under the table, getting my attention, and then darting his eyes toward Riley.

Riley is now staring straight at Knox. He’s gripping his knife and fork so hard, I’m surprised they haven’t broken in half.
 

I give Vanessa a pleading glance.
 

She elbows Knox and says, “Knox, give her a break. She’s off the clock.”

Knox ignores her, turning his full attention back to Ariela, leaning almost directly in front of her and looking very much like he’s going to kiss her.
 

I close my eyes tightly, hoping he doesn’t take it that far.

“Oh, it will be,” he says, laying his hand on top of hers and gently stroking it. “Lots of candlelight. Music. And
very intimate.
”

Riley shoves himself back from the table, anger raging in his eyes.
 

“Leave her the fuck alone, Knox! She’s fucking married!”

“Sit down, Riley,” Jennifer says, running her hand down his arm. “It’s really not any of your business.”

 
“Shut the fuck up!” he yells at Jennifer, shaking off her hand. “This isn’t any of
your
business.”

 
“It
is
my business when you bring me here on a date only to ignore me, because it’s driving you crazy that Knox is flirting with your married ex-girlfriend. So, you fuck off!” she yells, pushing back from the table and running out of the room in tears.

Riley shakes his head and curls his fists into tight balls.
 

He leans across the table, looking at Ariela in disgust. “This is your fault. You don’t get three weeks. I want you out of here now!”

“Riley, stop it!” Aiden and I say. But it’s too late.

 
Ariela bursts out the front door in tears.
 

Grandpa pushes his chair back from the table and stands up with a presence. He walks around the table and grabs Riley by the scruff of the neck.
 

“You will not talk to
any
woman in this house with such disrespect. Not to mention with such foul language. Apologize. Now.”

Riley shuts his eyes tightly, takes a deep breath, but doesn’t say a word.

“If that’s the way you want it,” Grandpa says, dragging him out the French doors to the courtyard.

“I knew there were gonna be some fireworks when he showed up, but I didn’t expect all that!” Dallas says, laughing and trying to make light of the situation.

Knox gives us all a smirk and puts his napkin on the table. “Well, if you’ll all excuse me, I think I’ll go console Jennifer.”

“He totally did that on purpose,” Vanessa says, squinting her eyes in realization.
 

“It’s easy to prey on a desperate man,” Grandma states.

Keatyn & Aiden’s home - Asher Vineyards, Sonoma County

RILEY

I’m pissed.
 

No, I’m beyond pissed.
 

Why the hell is Knox flirting with Ariela?

And why the hell does she seem to be enjoying it.
 

They’re talking softly.
 

Going on about weddings.
 

Like Knox gives two shits about weddings or any kind of wedding planning.

Then he puts his arm around the back of her chair.

I’m going to fucking kill him if he doesn’t stop it.
 

I was trying to make Ariela jealous earlier by flirting with Jennifer and insinuating something was going to happen between us tonight.
 

But, then, Knox starts doing that thing he does.
 

The smile, the flirt, the dimples.
 

I’ve seen him put the moves on girls everywhere.
 

And the beauty is they don’t even look like moves.
 

He asks them questions about their life and pretends to be interested in their answers. It makes him look caring and sensitive.
 

And I can see him doing it now.
 

How is Ariela falling for his bullshit?

Especially when he starts talking about having her plan an event for him. His last
event
involved four cases of tequila and a local college’s dance team.
 

He found glitter in his house for weeks after.

Then.
 

 
He puts his hand on Ariela’s.

I lose it.

I don’t know what I say when I stand up. It’s a blur of fury.
 

 
Until Grandpa grabs the back of my neck and drags me outside.

“What the hell was that?” Grandpa says. “You need to go back in there and apologize to everyone.”
 

“Fine, I’ll go back in there,” I yell.

“You can’t go off half-cocked.”

“I don't even know what the fuck that means,” I say, spitting out the words. As soon as the old codger lets go of me, I might just punch him.
 

But the man is strong. He pushes me down to my knees.
 

“Don't go off half-cocked means don't go off all pissed when you don't know the facts. But, in this case, it means you need to calm yourself down. I'm ashamed of you, son.”

He finally releases me, by shoving my head forward toward the ground. I want to just lie down on the ground and cry.

Grandpa leans over me and says, “Get up.”

I stare at him, almost daring him to touch me again.
 

“You’re thinking about punching me, aren’t you? That what you want to do? Take your anger at yourself out on an old man? I have a better idea. Go punch that tree. Go on now. Do it. I dare you.”

I pound my fists into the ground madly then push myself to standing.
 

Punching something sounds like exactly what I need to do, starting with that bastard Knox.
 

 
I want to kill him. Fucking
intimate private affair
. Touching her hand.
 

I slam my fist into the tree hard, hear cracking noises, and my first thought is that I just broke the fucking tree. That’s how pissed I am.

But my anger is instantly replaced with pain.
 

“Fuck!” I yell, grabbing my hand. I can’t see it in the dark, but I can already feel it swelling. “I just broke my fucking hand,” I mutter.

“Probably did,” Grandpa says nonchalantly. “That's what happens when you go off half-cocked. You do something really stupid.”

I plop down into a chair, cradling my hand and knowing he's right. Who in their right mind punches a massive tree?
 

“Now, for the most important question, Hollywood,” Grandpa says, sitting down beside me. And although I know he’s mad at me, the fact that he just called me Hollywood tells me he’s not holding it against me.
 

He looks me in the eye. “Now, tell me, which hurts more? Your hand or your heart?”
 

Even though my hand is throbbing, it’s no comparison to the way my heart feels.
 

“My heart,” I say, feeling completely broken.

“Then go talk to your girl, Riley. Tell her how you feel. Stop holding it all inside and trying to pretend. And tread lightly so you don't muck it all up. You go with your hat in your hand—or in this case, your hand in your hand—and you apologize to that girl.”

“Apologize for what? She's the one who—”

“Not for what happened in the past. For what happened at dinner. You owe a lot of people apologies for that, but I’d start with her.”

I sigh.
 

My hand pounding.
 

My heart broken.
 

“This isn't you. I know you have a lot of chickens in the hen house, but you’ve always been respectful of them. You weren’t respectful to that little cutie either. You need to fix it and get your shit together.”

“Yes, sir,” I say, getting up. I start to go toward the door, but then stop and turn around. “Thanks, Grandpa.”

He gives me an acknowledging nod.

I cradle my hand against my body, go back in the house, cut through the dining room—purposely ignoring everyone there—and head out the front door to find Ariela. I close the door quietly, see that Vanessa's car is still here, and wonder where Ariela went.
 

I walk down the hill, instinctively, remembering the last time I hurt her feelings.
 

We’d been dating for a year. It was homecoming weekend and my brothers were back at Eastbrooke for it. Homecoming weekend is always one big party and it didn’t help that my brothers were feeding me shots. I was a little drunk and some older chick was flirting with me. I flirted back—feeling like a big man on campus—touched her arm, used a little of the Johnson charm on her. I didn’t intend for things to go any further than flirting.