by Avery Lane
Riley stayed quiet. She wasn’t sure if that was true. The lawyer she had contacted had been solely focused on getting Evan to sign the papers at all.
“She started the business before you were even married,” Gabriel said. “She only got the office after. So you’re wrong. You’re not getting anything.”
Riley cocked her head. I never told him that.
She backed up just a bit.
I know I never told him that.
Suddenly, Gabriel let go of Evan so forcefully he stumbled off the curb and into the street. He regained his footing just in time to stay on the sidewalk.
“You should go,” Gabriel said to him. “You know, while I’m still feeling generous.”
Evan was still fuming, but he knew he had been defeated.
After one more scathing glare at Riley, he turned and walked off.
11
Riley kept quiet about Gabriel’s little slip up.
It was clear to her now that he was a creep, but she hadn’t figured out to what extent. And she wanted to.
How did he know she had started the business before she married Evan? Sure, it was public record, somewhere, but why would he even look it up to begin with?
And better yet, how did he know to come upstairs when he did? Could he hear through the vents what was going on in her office? Or was he…just there? For reasons that Riley couldn’t figure out?
After thanking him profusely for what good he did do (creep or not, he had saved her), she accepted Gabriel’s offer to go to a 24-hour diner a few blocks over. She retrieved her phone and her binders and stuck it all in a tote, and even let Gabriel carry them for her as they walked there.
Riley thought maybe that appearing unsuspicious would be the best way to assure she’d be safe until they got somewhere more populated.
Because now it was clear Gabriel was as two-faced as everyone else around her.
In the diner, she tried to remain chatty and casual, flashing the occasional smile as they ordered milkshakes and a plate of mozzarella sticks and disco fries to share.
Riley looked around. There were at least two servers, a cook, and a manager on duty. At the window booth was a pair of off-duty but uniformed policemen on a second round of coffee.
Feeling safely surrounded, she knew then that she couldn’t hold her question for another second. So Riley blurted it out.
“How did you know when I started my company?” she asked. Her voice sounded alien to her. Threatening.
“You told me,” Gabriel answered, furrowing his brows.
“No,” Riley shook her head. “No, I didn’t.”
“There’s no other way I’d know,” he frowned.
“I’ve been admittedly a little…off lately, but I know for a fact that I didn’t tell you when I started my company and now I need to know why you felt the need to look it up.”
“Alright,” Gabriel sighed. “I mean, I look up everyone I date. Don’t you? Isn’t that just what people do now?”
“Facebook, I get. Any social media, I get. But you dug so deep that you found New York State’s records of when I started my LLC? Really?” Riley blinked. Oh my God. Another thing struck her. She was pretty sure she hadn’t even told Gabriel how long she and Evan had been married. This was worse than she thought. “What are you? Are you a cop? Private investigator? Why do you know so much about me? Who sent you?”
The server sidled up beside their booth, smiling wide as he set down their milkshakes. Riley watched as Gabriel’s eyes flicked back and forth, as if trying to figure out how to back out of their situation. She had him cornered now.
Finally, he exhaled, leaning back against the booth as he ran a hand over the stubble accumulating on his jawline.
“Okay. I’m sorry,” he began. “I didn’t really want to do any of this at all.”
Riley’s heart pounded hard against her chest. Her pulse flared up everywhere it knew to – her temples, her wrists, her throat. She even felt it in her forearms and biceps where Evan had made contact.
“So you were stalking me?” Riley hissed. “You were following me? You lied to me. Who are you, even? Do you even work in the studio downstairs? Or was that some made up story to explain why you’re always so conveniently nearby?”
“I work downstairs. I own that company. That’s not a lie.”
“Well, who else do you work for?” Riley raised her eyebrows along with her volume. Her voice cracked. She couldn’t believe what was happening. She felt like some hardened interrogator on one of those police procedurals. “Is it Evan? Did Evan send you? Was all that just for show before?”
“No, Jesus, of course not,” Gabriel replied. “It’s not Evan.” He heaved a thundering sigh, looking just as distressed as she did now. He couldn’t even make eye contact.
“Then who is it?”
“It’s…” He hesitated. For a moment, Riley could see him trying to come up with another lie. But then the stress in his eyes suddenly dropped away. He was resolved now. Gabriel looked up, catching Riley’s gaze as he regained his grounds. “It’s Judy. Your mother.”
12
The stress and sleep had caught up to Riley in the ugliest manner.
She knew she looked like hell and she really preferred not to look like hell when meeting up with Judy since Judy would definitely have something to say about it.
But she couldn’t even bring herself to care about that now. Not when Judy had sent a spy to keep tabs on her.
God.
She could feel herself tearing up. Not just for the betrayal, but because she had momentarily believed a man like Gabriel might actually be interested in her.
How embarrassing.
She had run from the diner as soon as Gabriel revealed that Judy was involved. Left him with her full glass of milkshake and the bill. Riley didn’t care. She just wanted to get away from him. She’d let him pay for everything this time – because she wanted him to pay in some form for what he had done.
Riley looked out the window of her car, blinking back tears.
Judy was just so good at this. In her efforts to help Riley, she always did so much more harm than whatever aid she was hoping to provide.
And suddenly, memories of her tenth birthday flickered in her mind.
Ten was a big deal. She had entered double digits. And Judy wanted to throw her the party of a lifetime.
But Riley didn’t want that. Because Riley didn’t have friends. And you needed friends to have guests at your birthday.
Judy went ahead anyway, surprising Riley with an extravagant birthday party at a Victorian teahouse on the Hudson. All the girls from her grade were there, clothed in frilly dresses of satin and tulle, seated around little tables with three-tier platters of scones and tea sandwiches.
And they were actually excited to see her.
Riley was thrilled. And for six years after, that birthday was marked as the best day of her life.
That was until her high school “best friend” Jennifer revealed that they had all been bribed. Parents included.
Like the guests at her tenth birthday party, Gabriel wasn’t real. Gabriel was someone sent by Judy to monitor and control Riley’s life. Another humiliating and horrifying example of Judy’s meddling.
The Uber stopped in front of a beautiful Carroll Gardens townhouse.
Riley thanked the driver and stepped out.
She was at the address that Judy had provided when Riley had finally gotten in touch with her. To her surprise, Judy was in the city visiting a friend and insisted Riley go to her rather than the other way around. She knew this was another one of Judy’s tactics to temper her behavior. She assumed Riley would be less likely to explode in the presence of whoever this friend of Judy’s was.
Riley sure hoped Judy’s mysterious friend was ready to get the earful she was about to give her mother.
When the front door opened, it wasn’t Judy greeting her on the other side.
It wasn’t even anyone Riley would suspect could actuall
y be a friend of Judy’s.
Gabriel stood in the doorframe, practically filling it, looking at Riley in a sheepish manner.
“What’s going on?” Riley asked. “What is this?”
“This is my house.”
“You’re my mother’s friend?” Riley furrowed her brows in disgust. “Please tell me this isn’t some sort of Mrs. Robinson thing.”
“Jesus, Riley!” Gabriel’s expression matched hers now. “Just come in, she’s inside.”
Riley followed, more confused than ever.
As she did, she marveled at the beauty of the townhouse’s interior.
It was old-fashioned with its hardwood floors, crown molding, and the occasional stain-glassed panels trimming the windows. The ornate décor of gold-framed oil paintings, grandfather clocks, and porcelain figurines didn’t look like anything a thirty-five year old man would readily choose.
Riley wondered for a second if Gabriel was a professional sugar baby. Or a gigolo. One of those gorgeous men that got paid to accompany rich old ladies. Maybe Judy thought it was more economic to hire someone like him rather than an actual private investigator.
Gabriel led Riley to a back parlor facing a small, well-kept backyard.
Judy sat in the window seat, looking as regal as she always did. Her grey hair was cut short with the exception of a longer, stylish swoop of waves that hung over her forehead. She wore a billowy white blouse tucked into navy slacks.
For a woman of seventy-one, Judy could still pass for someone twenty years younger. She was as stately and beautiful as Riley always remembered her to be. The impossible standard she knew she’d never reach. Preserved forever at the prime of her life.
The same couldn’t be said for the woman sitting beside her.
Riley recognized the woman to be Margaret, one of Judy’s friends from their town upstate. She used to be a frequent visitor – a jolly ball of fun and goofiness that Riley always looked forward to seeing. Margaret’s hair was a different color every time she visited – and it was never a color that occurred naturally in humans. As a child, Margaret seemed like the coolest adult alive.
It never made any sense to her that Margaret could be friends with someone as stoic and serious as Judy was, but she had noticed that her mother was always a little more relaxed and eager to enjoy herself in her best friend’s presence.
It had been thirteen years since Riley had seen Margaret, and she was looking nothing like she used to. Her wild-colored hair was just white now. There was no jolliness or fun or goofiness left in her shriveled frame.
Margaret sat like a shell of her former self, staring out into space as Judy held her hand.
Riley felt gut-punched.
Judy definitely did this on purpose. She knew Riley wouldn’t dare tear into her in the presence of Margaret looking the way she did.
What a manipulative move.
It was surprising still because Judy wasn’t really the manipulative type. She was smothering, overbearing, overwhelming, and meddling, but she had always been straightforward about her actions. Manipulative was Evan’s thing.
But then again, Judy had hired someone to spy on her. She had him do the lying and manipulating for her. That still counted, right?
Maybe she was being unfair…maybe she was over-interpreting it all in her anger. Maybe she owed Judy a chance to explain. Did that mean she owed Evan a chance to explain?
No. God, no.
But she didn’t really know anymore. She felt like she didn’t know anything anymore.
All she knew now was that she was standing next to a man she had once thought was a date and looking at a very sad Judy with a very frail Margaret.
“Riley,” Judy said, tilting her head as she gazed at her daughter. She let go of Margaret’s hand and held her arms out. “Riley sweetheart, I’m so sorry.”
Riley stood unmoving.
Judy got up, embracing her tight. She rested her pointy chin atop Riley’s head, as she always did when hugging her. Though she couldn’t see Judy’s face, she knew her mother was crying.
“I’m so, so sorry,” she repeated. “I was wrong. I was just desperate. When I heard you two were working in the same building, I just asked him to check up on you if he could, that’s all. I didn’t mean to make this into such a mess.”
Riley couldn’t bring herself to hug her mother back.
She was surprised by how remorseful Judy was. That was definitely not what she had prepared for. Riley had geared up to fight and scream about how she was sick of Judy violating her privacy and treating her like some defenseless child. She was planning on shaming Judy for hiring a potentially dangerous stranger to learn about Riley’s life. She wanted Judy to know that her actions of concern were more detrimental than helpful.
But it seemed now that Gabriel wasn’t hired at all.
She was pretty sure she had figured it out now.
Gabriel must’ve been one of Margaret’s sons.
Riley had never met any of Margaret’s kids because they were a bit older and they were boys – nothing she was interested in as a child. But she remembered hearing about them and how insane her household was with all the giant men lumbering about.
Riley found it in her to raise her arms, patting Judy gently on the back. It was the most she could muster up in her confusion.
The gesture was what made Judy finally back away. She held Riley at an arm’s length, gazing at her with that sickly amount of love that she was never able to accept.
“I haven’t seen you in ages,” Judy said. Riley braced herself for the dramatic concern over her ragged appearance. The last time Judy had seen Riley was Christmas, when she was admittedly still somewhat well-adjusted to her life and not stuck in a whirlwind of traumatic changes.
But Judy didn’t say anything. Instead, she let go of Riley quickly, as if she suddenly realized she had exceeded the quota of affection that Riley could handle. She backed up again, sitting beside Margaret who remained staring into space as she had before.
“This was my parents’ place before they moved upstate,” Gabriel explained, gesturing for Riley to take a seat on a tufted bench along the wall across from their mothers. She sat down, too surprised still to protest. “I took over the deed when the last renters moved out then moved in when I got back to the states. Then I moved my mom down when my dad passed away, so I can take care of her. So we’ve been roommates for a year.”
Riley then realized what this meant for Judy. Her only real friend had left town. There was no one left up there for her mother. She was even more alone now than she’d ever been.
“She’s gotten worse since Teddy died,” Judy explained. “I come down every once in awhile to say hello.”
“I usually call Judy when my mom’s having a good day,” Gabriel continued. “It gets kind of extreme now. There are days where she can even call Judy on her own and then days where she’s like this.”
“We had a good day yesterday when I first got in.” Judy took Margaret’s hands into hers again. “She was chatty and we even painted together like we used to.”
“So…” Riley whispered. Her voice was hoarse. “You take care of Margaret on your own?” She looked up at Gabriel, whose eyes were still on his mother. He was smiling at her in a way Riley had never smiled for Judy.
“We have an aid for when I’m working,” Gabriel said. “And Judy helps too.”
“I’m barely ever here,” Judy chuckled. Her eyes gleamed, flattered and proud. “Gabriel just doesn’t like admitting that he’s a saint.”
“I’m no saint,” Gabriel said. “Far from it. I just want to be here for my mom because, well, she’s my mom and she’s wonderful. Even if her brand of parenting fostered a deep anxiety that I still suffer from today.” He smirked at his own joke.
“We parents never know what we’re doing,” Judy laughed awkwardly. She had on a stiff smile and her eyes were fixed on the ground.
“So,” Gabriel said, clapping his hands together. “I’m craving ramen
. How about you, Judy? You want some of that spicy miso we got last time?”
“Oh!” Judy perked up. “Yes, I would!”
“Alright then!” Gabriel replied. He looked over at Riley, tilting his head towards the front door. “You. Come help me carry some takeout.”
13
“I should’ve just told you upfront that I knew Judy.”
Gabriel and Riley sat at the counter of the ramen shop, waiting for their orders. Clouds of fragrant steam rolled through the air between them. Riley kept her eyes fixed on the chefs working, still unsure of how to handle all that she knew now.
“Especially after you said everything about your relationship with her,” Gabriel continued.
“Did she tell you not to tell me?”
“She said not to tell you that I was asked to look out for you,” he explained. “But she didn’t say I couldn’t tell you that we knew each other.”
“So why didn’t you?”
“The first time we met, I recognized you from the photo Judy showed me,” Gabriel said. “The only thing was in real life, you were a whole lot cuter than I expected.”
“Because I’m small?” Riley scoffed.
“Because you’re hot.”
“Oh,” she blushed.
“So I didn’t mention it because I thought it’d hurt my chances for a date.”
“I see.”
“Which was dumb. And for sure creepy. I see that now.”
“When you said you grew up in New York, I thought you meant the city.”
“Nope. We grew up in a town right next to yours. Judy actually said she and your dad moved up because of my parents.”
“Really?” Riley found that surprising. Judy seemed like she’d be the one who moved out of the city and convinced her much more outgoing best friend to join her.
“Yeah, they were really close,” Gabriel nodded. “I mean, they still are when my mom’s like, you know, normal.” Riley scrambled to say something comforting, but she noticed that Gabriel’s attention wasn’t even entirely on the words he was saying. His eyes were fixed on their food as the chef packed up their first order.