For most of the day her mind was plagued by one man and one man alone,Dean Riley.
* * * *
Peter Miller watched her walk away from him. He cursed his own bad attitude and walked back to where his best friends were waiting. Laura Cox had become a thorn in his side ever since their last year of school. He had been the most popular guy in their class and yet he’d yearned for the school’s biggest nerd.
His situation was so laughable. In college, instead of going after the cougars on campus and hot sorority girls, his obsession with Laura had stuck.
“What’s with the girl?” his friend Russell asked.
He just shook his head in response. Laura wasn’t responsible for his feelings and she already received enough attention by being brainy. He did not want to add to the problem. They may all be in college now, but some of their old classmates hadn’t grown up through puberty.
The bell rang and they made their way inside.
Peter walked to his first class. As always, he took the seat directly behind her. He didn’t listen to the teacher much, but who cared about world history, especially when you've already passed the class? The class was shit anyway and he only took it after he’d managed to get a geek to pull up Laura’s classes. Fuck, he needed his head examined. No girl like Laura would look twice at him. Not only had he been a bastard, but his reputation was far worse.
She turned around and glared at him like she did every time he sat there, then turned her attention back to the front of the class.
Peter couldn’t cope anymore. Once this month was over he was going to spend a great deal of time trying to woo Miss Cox. She was far more important to him than maintaining his jerkish reputation
Chapter Two
Laura ran out of college at the end of the day and got a ride back to Cape Falls with a friend. Classes had been plagued by the likes of Peter Miller. That guy gave her the creeps. Her friend dropped her off in town. There were still a few hours before she needed to be at work and she was in the mood for a little peace. She walked through the town towards the edge of the forest. The usual path was well worn by now. She’d found the abandoned stream years ago and she always went there to think. No one else knew about it and she could imagine for a few split seconds that this was her own little world.
About thirty minutes later she found the stream and climbed onto one of the boulders overlooking the water. Laura loved this sanctuary and didn’t want to lose any of her time here. She pulled out her diary and began writing her thoughts and feelings about the day.
Dear Diary,
Today was a nightmare. Most of my classes were with that jerk, Peter Miller. I despise him. He’s spent most of his life tormenting me in some way or another. I can’t stand it. At least in a month I’ll be free of him and I won’t have to worry about being polite. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say he was interested in me—but that’s crazy. How can that man want me? His interest in me is going to cause me trouble, probably with another one of those stupid pranks he likes so much.
My parents argued this morning over Dean Riley...
“What are you doing here?” a man's voice asked.
Laura cried out in surprise, completely absorbed in the words she was writing on the page. She turned and saw that the owner of the voice was no other than Dean Riley, the man for whom her heart beat. With her heart pounding, she quickly shut the small diary and placed it in her bag. She wouldn’t be able to live with herself if he found out how she felt.
“I’m so sorry. I’ve always come to the stream to think.” Laura gathered her things, her fingers clumsy and her entire body shaking with nerves.
“Well, I own this land. From now on you need to get permission before you come traipsing around on it,” Dean Riley replied.
“Yes. I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”
“You don’t have to keep apologizing. Who are you?” he asked.
Oh my God, he asked me my name.
Tell him then. Don’t just stand there looking like a complete idiot.
“I’m Laura. Laura Cox.”
He stared at her a few minutes more. “You’d better come to the house. It looks like a storm is brewing and I don’t want your mum or dad to think I’ve got a problem with showing their daughter some respect.”
She couldn’t believe what she’d just heard. Surely he hadn’t asked her to follow him? Laura panicked. She didn’t know what to do. The man she’d been writing about in her diary was here now, alive and in the flesh. And his ass looked too good as he walked in front of her.
“Actually, I’d better get to work. I work at the Cape Diner in town,” she replied and pointed behind her. Not that she had any sense of direction.
“You’ll get to work. Let the storm subside first.”
Laura gazed around her. How long had she sat here? The sky had turned a horrid, threatening black and showed a storm was indeed upon them. She bit her lip and followed after him.
His house was huge and as soon as she walked through the door the heat engulfed her.
The air had the scent of cigars and strong coffee.
“Here, give me your things,” he said.
Laura handed over her things and he caught her hand and walked her through his house to the kitchen.
“Sit.”
She grabbed the seat near the door.
“Do you know who I am?” he asked.
“You’re Dean Riley.”
He nodded his head and put the kettle on. “At least you know I’m not a serial killer.”
Laura chuckled and curled her legs beneath her. “Are you trying to give me a false sense of security?”
“Absolutely," he responded. "So you’re the Cox’s oldest girl?”
He knows who I am. Giddy moment. Focus.
“Yes. Do you know my parents?”
Dean shook his head. “No. I don’t know anyone. I’ve heard about you though. You’re their oldest girl who managed to get into college, right?”
“Yep, that’s me. Mum and dad had me when they were very young. They didn’t have the time or the money to go to college,” she explained.
He nodded at her words and brought over a steaming cup. She looked into the cup and smelt the scent of coffee wafting up.
“You can drink coffee?” he asked.
“Yes. I’m twenty years old. Of course I can drink coffee.”
He held his hands up in surrender. “Don’t shoot the maker.”
“I’m just going to call my mum. She’ll get in touch with the diner if I don’t get a chance to make it over there.” Laura took out her mobile phone and talked to her mum. She reassured her of her safety and told her Dean Riley had taken pity on her.