by Jill Sanders
Suddenly, Riley remembered that her cousin didn’t know about her having dinner with Carter last weekend.
“Um.” She bit her lip and her cousin’s eyes narrowed.
“You’re about to lie to me.” Lilly pointed a finger at her nose.
“No, I…” Riley jumped up quickly and walked over to flip off the open sign. “I’m heading home. I have dinner plans with the folks.”
She turned and bumped solidly into Lilly, who had her arms crossed over her chest.
“Spill,” she said, blocking her path.
“After dinner,” she admitted, since it was the truth. “A while ago.”
“Where?” Riley knew her cousin wouldn’t budge until she had more details.
“His place.” She shrugged. “I invited myself up there… you know, to get a look at the place.” She was getting good at lying. She smiled.
Since Lilly remained silent, Riley took that moment to step around her cousin and grab her purse. “Come on, let’s lock up.”
Since last year, when they’d almost been shot by Corey and Carter’s grandfather’s ex-lover, Reece, neither of them was ever alone in the shop. Which meant, if one had to leave, they both closed up.
It was one of the reasons they were looking to hire a few part-time workers.
“Fine, I wanted to head to the bookstore before I went home anyway.” She leaned down and picked up the box of knobs.
“What are you doing with all those?” she asked as they walked out the back door.
“A project,” Lilly answered, balancing the rest of the pizza on top of the box of knobs. “It’s a surprise.” She shrugged.
“Okay. Oh…” She snapped her fingers. “Carter wants the dresser in the storage room.”
She unlocked her car and tossed in her purse.
“Good, because Blake has already earmarked it for his place.” Lilly smiled. “Can I pick ’em or what?”
“Yes, yes.” She waved her cousin off. “And Blake knows her shit too.” She got in. “See you in the morning.”
“Night.” She waved.
Riley drove through town, past her tiny apartment above the local grocery store, Sarah’s Nook, and her family’s restaurant, the Golden Oar, to the outskirts of town, where her family owned several homes along the same stretch of street.
Her parents lived in the same home her grandparents had lived in and her father, aunt, and uncle had been raised in. The old place sat on a small bluff, just off the beach. The view was amazing, but nothing like Carter’s new place. Just down the street were Lilly’s parents’ place and her uncle Todd and aunt Megan’s bed and breakfast.
The house Lilly and Corey were building was just down the way as well. She slowed down and just got a glimpse of it as she passed. It already looked like a finished home, with the exception of exterior paint and an incomplete front porch.
Every time she visited the home, jealousy reared its awful head, so she kept her eyes forward and parked behind her brother’s old truck.
When she stepped through the front door, Butch, her father’s old mastiff, greeted her with a low woof.
“Some guard dog you are.” She scratched Butch’s head. The dog instantly dropped a ball at her feet. “Nope, not falling for that trick. You say once, but two hours later… I’m the fool.” She kicked off her shoes and hung up her purse on the coat rack.
“Mom,” she called out.
Her father, Iian, had been deaf since his eighteenth birthday, when a boat accident had taken his father’s life and cost him his hearing.
“We’re in here, sweetie,” her mother called out.
She walked into the living room and stopped short when she saw Conner sitting next to a pretty blonde woman.
“I didn’t know we could bring company,” she teased. “I’m Riley.” She held out her hand to the woman.”
“I’m a Riley, too.” The woman practically squealed it.
“Oh.” Riley’s eyebrows rose. “How… fun.”
“Actually, I’m Hallie Riley.” The woman giggled.
“How, nice,” Riley finished. “Is Dad in the kitchen?” she asked her mother.
“Yes, dear, why don’t you…”
Riley was already down the hallway. Why did her brothers date the dumbest women they could find? she thought to herself as she stepped into the large kitchen.
Here, her father was a god. Iian Jordan may not have his hearing, but he was by far the best chef in the Western states.
When he glanced up, she used sign language to say, “This one’s special.”
He chuckled and signed back. “Be nice. I dated a few… special ones before your mother came along.”
“No.” She shook her head and signed. “You didn’t. Mom told me.”
He laughed. The richness of her father’s voice always got her. Walking over, she wrapped her arms around him and held on.
“What was that about?” he asked into her hair. He didn’t like to use his voice, but when he did, she loved the feel of his chest vibrating against her cheek.
Leaning up on her toes, she kissed him. “I love you,” she said clearly so he could read her lips.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, a frown on his lips as he moved back to sign.
“Nothing, just…” But her father’s eyes were still running over her. They zeroed in on her neck, and his frown turned into a scowl.
“You have a hickey.” He pointed to the spot on her neck where Carter’s mouth had been less than an hour ago.
“I do not!” she said as she rushed for the mirror in the hallway.
“Who do I have to kill?” Iian said from across the room. Turning back to him, she shook her head.
“It’s not, it’s just red sauce from pizza.” She wiped the sauce away. It must have been left there after Carter had run his mouth over her skin.
Still, her father’s eyes narrowed on the spot as he moved closer. “Do you have something to…”
Just then, her mother walked into the room.
“When will dinner be ready?” her mother signed. “I don’t think I can take much more of… this.” Riley laughed, causing her mother’s eyes to turn to her. Riley knew her mother was signing now so the woman in the next room wouldn’t hear them. “You abandoned me alone with her. Now it’s your turn. Go entertain them until dinner is ready.”
“What did I do…” Her mother gave her that look she and Carter had just been talking about. Riley slumped her shoulders and walked back into the living room to deal with her brother and his latest girlfriend.
Even with the guest, the family dinner was fun, as always. Jacob had shown up late, as usual. Their father always joked that he’d be late for his own funeral.
The fact that her brothers were looking more and more like their father always made her a little jealous. It wasn’t as if she took after her mother, either. Her mother was taller with gorgeous brownish-red hair.
Riley dyed her hair a bright blonde since she’d been stuck with dirty blonde locks. Where she’d gotten them, she didn’t know.
At one point, her mother had confessed that she took after her aunt, who had died of cancer long before her parents had married. Still, that didn’t help her in her daily struggles to look good, so she used the same color box she’d tried on her sixteenth birthday. Now it was her signature look, and she loved it still.
She was in the kitchen, helping her mother clean up after dinner, when her mother turned to her.
“So…” She handed Riley the clean plate for her to dry. “I heard a rumor.” Her mother leaned her hip on the counter and ran her eyes over her. “And from the sparkle in your eye, I’m thinking it’s true.”
“What?” she asked, setting the plate down. “No, first, who told you? Then what?”
“Lilly.” Her mother smiled when Riley groaned. “And I’m going to assume it’s true.”
“She caught us kissing.” She nodded.
By the way her mother’s eyebrows shot up, Riley let another groan loose. “Damn
, that wasn’t it?”
“Who?” Her mother took her shoulders. “Who were you kissing?”
“Wait.” She shook her head. “What did Lilly tell you?”
“That you’d had dinner with Carter.” Then her mother’s smile grew. “Carter.” The way she said his name, she knew her mother had guessed as much.
“It wasn’t…” She thought about what Carter had said. That it was just sex. Her heart sank a little as she turned away. If she couldn’t keep her emotions from her cousin, she sure as hell couldn’t keep them from her mother. “It was just a kiss.” She put the plate away in the cupboard.
“Just kisses can lead places.” Her mother walked over and rested her hands on her shoulders.
“Don’t say that to Conner,” Riley joked.
Her mother sighed. “If that boy settles down with someone I don’t like… I don’t know what I’ll do.”
Riley hugged her. “You’ll love her because he’ll love her,” she said against her mother’s shoulder.
“True.” She leaned back and looked into Riley’s eyes. “Remember what I said.” Riley nodded. “Now, let’s grab your father and take our dessert out to the back patio.”
“You have dessert? But you told…” Riley laughed remembering that her mother told Conner she’d forgotten to get a dessert that evening. “You’re sneaky.”
“I don’t think Conner and Hallie Riley cared to stick around much longer anyway.” Her mother pulled out a French silk pie from the refrigerator. “Your father is a genius at cooking, but I’m the one who loves to bake.”
“Mom?” She waited until the three of them were settled on the back patio with Butch laying at her feet. Since she wanted her father to hear the question, she signed along, holding her slice of pie on her lap while she asked, “How did you know Dad was the one?”
Her father chuckled quickly, then when her mother glanced over at him, he looked away and took another bite of his pie.
“I knew long before he did,” she said.
“Bull.” Since her mother hadn’t signed, Riley glanced over at her dad, who threw his chin up in defiance. “I knew long before you. The moment you yelled at me on the playground in first grade. I was just too afraid to go after you.”
“It’s an old argument.” Her mom waved towards her dad. “I’d always hoped your father would work up the nerve to ask me out. We actually went to a dance together once, but…” She smiled. “Then he didn’t call me again.”
“What happened?” she asked her father. “Got cold feet?”
“No.” He frowned. “I… had my accident and lost my hearing and then your Aunt Abby passed and, well, I thought I’d give her some space.”
“Seven years’ worth of space.” Her mom chuckled. “He almost lost me several times.”
“I didn’t think you or anyone would want a damaged…” He stopped when her mother reached over and kissed him.
“I’d want you regardless,” she said, causing her father to smile back.
“Same,” he whispered.
Seeing her parents looking into each other’s eyes as the light died made her heart swell with hope. Someday, she told herself, she’d find someone to look at her the way they looked at each other.
Chapter Seven
The day of the party finally arrived. He and Blake had been working overtime to get the yard and the rest of the house ready.
He’d even spent a full day painting the upstairs hallway, since he figured people would need to use the second bathroom up there.
Blake had finished the bathroom in a soft blue and added several pieces from Riley’s store to finish it off.
He’d worked for two days straight to get the yard looking better. He’d even visited the local nursery and purchased a few hundred dollars of new plants for around the outside stairs and patio area.
He had to admit, the place was looking pretty good.
At eight in the morning, Riley was already pulling into the driveway.
He had to go pick up the chairs and tables and the flowers she’d ordered, but he took a moment to enjoy the cup of coffee and donuts she’d brought along.
“Wow, everything looks amazing,” she said, stepping out onto the deck.
He shoved another donut into his mouth and followed her outside.
“Thanks.” He smiled down at his handiwork. “It took a full weekend, but I got it done.” He glanced around the freshly cut grass and new bushes.
“I love the roses.” She walked over to the potted flowers and touched the pink petals.
“Thanks. When they get bigger, I’ll move them to the side of the house, but the guy said they could remain in these pots until then.”
“They add some color up here.” She took a moment to appreciate the view, and he allowed her to, since he was enjoying watching her.
She was dressed to work, but he’d seen the garment bags she’d carried in and knew she’d change for the dinner.
“What do you need me to do first?” he asked, turning away from the beauty of the sunlight hitting her face.
“Tables and chairs.” She turned to him. “It’s going to take a while for us to set those all up. Along with the tent, which should be here…” She glanced down at her watch. “In about an hour.”
“Right.” He nodded. “I’ll head over and grab them.”
“It might take you a few trips.” She pulled out that notebook of hers. “There are six large tables and four smaller ones. Along with a hundred chairs and the flowers.”
“Right,” he agreed again. “I’ll get started.” He turned to go.
“Is there…” She stopped.
He raised his eyebrows slightly. “What?”
“Any rooms you don’t want guests to go into?” she asked finally.
“No, we should be good,” he said after thinking about it. “I don’t really have anything for people to get into. My home computer is a laptop that I hardly use.” He shrugged.
She chuckled. “You are so not like other men I know. My brothers still have Xboxes and have computers to play the latest games Luke has come up with.”
“Luke?” He thought about it then nodded. “Right, Luke Crawford, Modark creator.”
She laughed. “Tell me you’ve never played that game.”
He sighed. “I’d love to, but… I can say, however, that Corey and I were too poor and too busy to get a copy for ourselves. We did have a friend or two that we would sneak out and join in a game or two. When we found out that the creator of Modark lived in Pride”—he smiled—“well, that just sort of sealed the move here for both of us.” He leaned on the railing. “I remember when Luke walked into Baked for the first time with his wife, Amber, and their two kids.”
“Hannah and Reece.” She smiled. “I used to babysit them.”
“Sounds like you had enough kids in town to keep you busy.”
“It’s what I opened Classy and Sassy with. That and some money that my grandmother on my mother’s side left me after she passed a few years back.”
“I’m sorry,” he said automatically.
“I’m sorry about your grandfather. I know I said so earlier, but…” She touched his hand. “I’ve overheard about some of the hell your parents have put you and Corey through since then.”
“And there will be more.” He shifted. “Until they die, I think they’ll torment us, trying to get their hands on anything and everything we have.”
“They left you alone before…”
“Yeah, before they knew we had any money. The moment we opened the shop…” He bit his lip, realizing what he’d just admitted.
Her frown told him that she hadn’t missed the hint.
“Corey didn’t say…” She tilted her head. “He told me he hadn’t heard from them until your grandfather passed.”
He sighed and looked out over the water. “Yeah, he hadn’t.” His eyes turned to her blue ones and locked. “Don’t tell my brother,” he pleaded. “I dealt with them back then.”
; “What happened?” she asked, but just then they both heard a truck bumping up his driveway.
“That will be the tent delivery,” he said. “I’ll head out and start carting up the tables.”
She nodded. “I’ve arranged for everything. They should be ready at the back entrance of the Oar.” He nodded and turned to go. “Carter?” He turned and glanced over his shoulder at her. “Let’s finish this discussion later.” He nodded again and left.
For the next three hours, he drove back and forth from the Golden Oar, carting tables in the back of his truck. When all the tables had been delivered to his house, he started with the folding chairs.
On one trip, a sandwich and a cup of soup were shoved in front of his face. He ate them quickly and continued working, since he still had the flowers to pick up. And then he’d have to help Riley set everything up.
By the time he delivered the last load to his house, which included a bed full of flowers, it was only two hours before guests would start to arrive.
He was surprised to see that most of the tables and chairs were already set up under the massive tent.
She had also strung lights around the top of the tent and plugged them in with some extension cables she must have found in his garage.
“This all looks amazing,” he said. She shoved tablecloths in his direction.
“Help! We still have these and the flowers to set up. Then there’s the music…”
He stopped her by leaning in and kissing her.
Her hair was askew and there was dust all over her shirt and face. She looked good enough to devour.
“What was that for?” She smiled up at him when he pulled away.
“You have dirt on your nose.” He used a finger to wipe the spot away. Instead of coming off, it smeared more, and he laughed. “Okay, I think I just made it worse.”
She groaned and swiped at her face with her T-shirt.
“Don’t, it looks good on you.”
“I’ll need to shower…” She bit her lip.
“You can use my shower.” He nodded towards the house. “I’ll finish this up.”
She narrowed her eyes. “There’s still a lot to—”