Keeping Her Secret Read Online Free Page B

up his hands. “Girl talk, I see. Can’t get in the way of that.”
    Colt, of course, knew a little bit more. Though, exactly how much, Riya had no idea.
    Concern darkened his features. “You sure?” he whispered.
    “Yeah, we’re here for the next four weeks. We’ve got to make it work.”
    He glanced over her shoulder toward his sister and gave Riya a doubtful shrug. “Good luck.” He turned, and the two boys shuffled toward the tennis courts.
    Courtney startled when Riya returned to the dining hall. She cast panicked glances at the door.
    “Everyone’s gone,” Riya said.
    Their aloneness did nothing to calm Courtney. She hugged her arms to her chest and tried to walk past Riya to the door. “I’m just going to find my friend Bridget,” she said. “You should catch up with Colt.”
    “I wanted to talk to you first.” Riya didn’t block Courtney’s way, but she didn’t move out of it, either.
    “We don’t have anything to talk about,” Courtney said, but she didn’t leave, which encouraged Riya.
    “Court,” Riya sighed. “We were friends, remember? Not just friends, but best friends. We did everything together.”
    “I remember.” Courtney tightened her arms, squeezing her stomach. “But you want to be something other than friends.”
    “No, I don’t,” Riya said. Both Riya and Courtney had changed in the last four years. Of course, Courtney’s beauty had only increased, but that wasn’t all there was to it. Riya had no idea whether or not this cold version of Courtney was someone she could forgive for what happened four years ago. “We were kids. It was a stupid kiss. I was experimenting.”
    “But you do…like girls?” Courtney asked.
    Riya ran a hand through her ponytail. “Yeah, I do. I don’t hide it anymore.” She watched Courtney carefully. “And you don’t. Like them, not in that way.”
    Courtney nodded. “But you don’t like me? In that way?”
    Trying to read Courtney’s expression, Riya took a deep breath. The truth—“I don’t know yet. Give me a few days or weeks”—wasn’t what Courtney needed to hear. For now, she needed to feel safe. So Riya lied. “You’re not really my type, Court.”
    Courtney’s head snapped to attention, and her blue eyes bore down on Riya’s face. She’d probably never heard those words aimed at her before. “What is your type, then?”
    Riya didn’t answer right away. Truth was, she didn’t know how to answer. As far as she knew, she didn’t have a type. She liked individual people, not everyone who checked off criteria on an arbitrary list.
    Courtney filled the silence. “That girl Delores plays softball, and she’s about as opposite from me as you can get, so—” She stopped speaking at Riya’s laugh. “What’s so funny?”
    “Dee is straight as an arrow.” She paused, considering. “And are you trying to set me up?”
    Courtney’s brow creased in confusion. “But, softball and…” she trailed off.
    “You thought she was a lesbian because she plays softball? You’re the last person who should rely so much on stereotypes.”
    “But she wears black tennis shoes,” Courtney insisted.
    Riya shrugged. “We weren’t all born with your incredible fashion sense.”
    Courtney’s arms dropped to her side as the revelation sunk in. “How do you even know? This is your first day.”
    “We met. She’s in my cabin.”
    Courtney dropped her gaze and chewed on her lip.
    Weird that a simple statement would elicit such a response. “What is it?”
    “Delores is in my cabin.”
    Riya smiled her friendliest smile, despite her stomach plunging. “So that means we’re roomies, just like we always talked about.” Great , Riya thought. That meant she’d have to keep this friendly feelings charade up 24-7.
    Silent seconds stretched out between them. Riya steeled herself for her final plea. “Look, this has been so uncomfortable so far. I just want to have fun this summer. I’m sure you do, too. And I’d like for us