She brushed aside the guilt. It wasn’t her fault her Mimi was set in her ways. What was Riley supposed to do, stay in Maple Falls for the rest of her life? She was an artist—at least she was trying to be—and that couldn’t happen in a backwater Arkansas town.Even worse, I could end up like Tracey.
Scowling, she straightened, batted at the mosquito that landed on her arm, then stood. She’d do what she could to clean up the house and store before she went back to New York. But before she left, she would stand her ground with Mimi. Her grandmother couldn’t keep living like this, and she couldn’t expect Riley to give up her dreams because she didn’t want to change.
And what exactly would I be giving up?Fame, fortune, friends?She didn’t have any of that, except she did consider Melody her friend. But just because she hadn’t reached her goals yet didn’t mean she should hang up her dream, tuck her tail between her legs, and come back to Maple Falls. That was something she would never, ever do.
She went inside and readied for bed. When she laid down and pulled the soft sheet and light blanket over her, she fought to settle her mind. What should she tackle first? The front yard or the back? The store or inside the house? She expected to be up all night trying to come up with a plan, but instead she quickly fell asleep, not realizing she slept until pale sunlight filtered through the gauzy white chiffon curtains covering the bedroom window.
Riley rolled out of bed, ran her fingers through her hair, and threw it up in a messy ponytail. She quickly dressed in running shorts, a T-shirt, and sneakers, then crept down the hallway and peeked into Mimi’s bedroom. Her grandmother was still asleep with her cast propped up on the hill of pillows Riley made for her last night. Soft snores drifted through the room. Riley stepped back, then quietly went outside. The sun was just above the horizon, the sky streaked with shades of blue, lavender, and peach. Birds greeted her with their cheerful chirping. Despite her troubled thoughts from last night, she felt optimistic this morning. A lot of work lay ahead of her, but she would get it done.
Breathing in the fresh, slightly humid air, she sighed. When was the last time she’d gone out for a run? Before leaving for New York, she had enjoyed running and tried to fit one in a few times a week. While art and working at Knots and Tangles were her escapes, she always felt better after a good run. She wasn’t a fast runner, and she would rather have a root canal than join a 10K or any kind of marathon, although she had trained herself to run those distances.
When she arrived in New York, she had quickly abandoned running. Art school and the work-study program she was enrolled in had taken up all of her time. After graduating, she was busy trying to make ends meet while working on producing and selling her mixed media creations. She had no time to run, much less ample green space to run through. She’d jogged a few times in Central Park, but it wasn’t the same as running in Maple Falls or hitting the trails in nearby Ouachita National Park.
Riley stretched her legs, hearing the snap and creak of her bones and tendons complaining about years of neglect. She jumped up and down a few times, then hit the road, settling on a slow, steady pace. Before long she found herself on the running trail in Maple Falls Park. It was small but had a decent-size pond with a sidewalk surrounding the water where people could run or walk. It was hardly a trail, but it would do.
She was halfway around the pond when she heard someone call her name. She muttered a curse, glad Melody wasn’t there to hear her. Naturally, of all the mornings people could run in Maple Falls Park, she had chosen the same time ashim.
Embarrassment filled her. The last person she wanted to witness her lumbering gait, sweaty face and back, and overall lack of stamina and athleticism was Hayden Price. She didn’t want to be a complete witch and ignore him, either, so she peeked over her shoulder and gave him a quick nod of acknowledgment. When she realized he was gaining on her, she picked up her pace. Hopefully he would let her plod along in peace.
No such luck. Letting him know she saw him was a mistake. He didn’t slow down. Instead, he was closing the gap between them. She sped up, and within seconds her heart rate had spiked, she struggled to breathe, and the muscles in her leg burned with every stride. She knew she couldn’t keep running at that speed, and she certainly couldn’t outrun him. Against her will she slowed, then finally stopped, bending at the waist and placing her hands on her knees. Even her knees were sweaty.
“Hey.” Hayden stopped beside her, not sounding the least bit exerted. “Are you okay?”
With effort she lifted her head, still gasping for air. She managed a nod. “F-fine.”
His brow furrowed. “You don’t look fine. Why don’t you sit down for a minute?” He gestured to one of the weathered benches a few paces ahead that seemed to be one weak breeze away from keeling over.
She started to shake her head, hoping he would just leave her alone to catch her breath so she could eventually resume her run. Her breathing wasn’t slowing as fast as she wanted it to, and then her legs started to feel like Jell-O in an earthquake, and she knew she had to relent. She made her way over to the bench and plopped down on it, hoping she wouldn’t end up with splinters in her butt.Don’t sit next to me, don’t sit next to me, don’t...
He sat next to her, leaning forward and peering at her sweat-covered face. “Did you bring any water with you?”
Of course she didn’t. She was so unused to exercising, she hadn’t even thought about it. “No. I was just going for a quick run.”
“Did you run here from Erma’s?” he asked. When she nodded, he said, “That’s not a quick run.”
She eyed him, annoyed. “Where’s your water?”
“Uh, at home,” he said with a sheepish expression. “I’m just doing five miles this morning, so I didn’t think I needed it. Now I wish I’d brought some so I could share it with you.”
Riley sat back against the bench, staring at him. Was he even real? The ends of his hair were damp with perspiration, so at least he was human. But how could he be so attractive, so athletic, and sonice? He must have a girlfriend stashed somewhere. Maybe even a fiancée. She glanced at his left hand. No ring, so she knew he wasn’t married. He was the type to wear a wedding ring.
She squeezed her eyes shut. The last thing her brain needed was to ponder about Hayden’s romantic life. Hadn’t she done enough of that in high school?
“Riley?”
Opening her eyes, she finally lifted her gaze. “Yes?”
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
Her legs still felt weak, but if she sat here long enough, she could at least walk back to Mimi’s. Running was out of the question, although if she had the strength, she would book it out of here immediately. The next best thing was to encourage him to leave.
“Yes. I’m okay.” She tried to hide the fact that she was still slightly breathless. She wasn’t sure if it was from the exercise or because Hayden was sitting so close to her. “Don’t let me keep you from your run,” she said, waving him off.
“You’re not. I was almost done.” He leaned back against the bench, his shoulder almost touching Riley’s. If he noticed, he didn’t act like it.
She thought about scooting away, but she was nearly at the edge of the bench and there wasn’t any room—unless she wanted to land on the concrete sidewalk. Why were these benches so small?
“Can I ask you something?” Hayden said.
