“Yes. The church softball team needs an assistant coach.”
“And you’re volunteering? Mimi, that’s a terrible idea.”
Her smile dimmed. “Excuse me, butIamthe current assistant coach.”
“Oh.” Riley filled her glass again and sat at the table, her pulse finally dropping to a normal rhythm. “You can’t do that now.”
“Correct. Which is why I thought of the perfect replacement.” She beamed. “You.”
“Oh no,” Riley held up her hand. “Not me.”
“Why not you?”
An argument ensued, and of course Riley lost. Out of guilt over the condition of her grandmother, the house, and Knots and Tangles, she dropped the subject, hoping Mimi would come to her senses. After working all morning and most of the afternoon at the yarn shop, taking inventory and marveling at how one person could possibly collect so much yarn over the years, she was optimistic that Mimi would see her progress and tell her to stay the rest of the day. However, at three o’clock sharp Mimi ordered Riley to head over to the ball field.
Now that she was here, she felt more uncomfortable than ever—and not because her overworked muscles were still trying to recover from her run. She wasn’t surprised that Hayden was taking it all in stride. At least Mimi had the grace to ask him first—or rather, give him advance warning. The fact that she didn’t trust her feelings when she was around him was another issue, and now her grandmother was forcing them to work together, under the guise of exercise and fresh air. Riley glanced down at the slight pudge of her stomach, barely camouflaged within her plain, navy-blue T-shirt, and felt the ache in her legs from taking another run this morning. The one thing she couldn’t argue with Mimi about was that she needed to exercise more. The fresh air was a bonus.
She stared out in front of her, peering through the chain-link fence surrounding the ball field as the team settled into practice. She had to admit the players were good. Tanner, whom she remembered from high school but never had any classes with, was an excellent shortstop, and the blond woman at second base, whom she did not recognize, was decent too. Even Olivia, who, according to Hayden, still needed to learn how to hold her bat correctly, had a competitive spirit. The petite woman had been Riley’s class valedictorian, and she had more guts than Riley did. At least she wasn’t hiding in the dugout.
Almost an hour later, Hayden told the players to take a break, and everyone headed toward the dugout and a large upright cooler she’d seen the Mathis boys carry over. Riley jumped up and started filling the paper cups beside it with water and handing them to everyone, glad for something to do. When she handed a cup to the blond woman, Riley realized who she was.
The tall, sophisticated woman looked her over. “Mother said you were back in town.” Harper took a sip of water. Even though everyone else was sweating, she was fresh and unbothered. Her muted red lipstick didn’t leave a trace of color on the edge of the white paper cup.
Harper Wilson. Riley didn’t know her well, but she was all too familiar with her type. Her mother, Madge, was a Bosom Buddy, and there was a strong resemblance between mother and daughter. Harper had a perfect figure, wore perfect clothes, and based on the car she drove, she obviously had money. Tracey always told Riley that women like her were to be avoided.
“They think they’re better than us,”she’d said after one of the few times she showed up to a parent-teacher conference at Riley’s second elementary school in three months. The teacher had been pretty and nice, but Tracey said beautiful women were rotten on the inside.“She’s as phony as the day is long. All them kind of women are. Don’t you forget it, Riley Jean.”
Riley never did. Two days later, Tracey pulled her out of that school, and they moved to another apartment in another city with another one of Tracey’s endless string of boyfriends.
“Welcome back to Maple Falls.”
Harper’s kind tone tugged Riley out of her reverie. “Thanks,” she mumbled, handing Eddie a drink, which he instantly downed, then held out his cup for more.
“Appreciate it.” The large man went to the edge of the bench and sat, a smile on his ruddy face as he joked with Jesse and Jackie. Everyone was enjoying themselves, while she was strung up tighter than a fiddle bow. She poured herself a cup of water and drained it quickly.
“Are you staying with Erma permanently, or will you be looking for a place of your own?”
She turned to Harper again. “Once my grandmother is back on her feet, I’m returning to New York.”
“It must be so exciting to live in New York City. I’ve only been there to see Broadway shows, and of course to shop. They have the most amazing stores, don’t they?”
“Uh, I’m usually busy with work.”
“You’re an artist, right? Mother mentioned that, I think.” She laughed and leaned forward. “My motherlovesto talk. Sometimes I just tune her out. Then again, I suppose everyone stops listening to their mothers from time to time.”
Riley’s fingers tightened around the cup. Did Harper know anything about Tracey? Did anyone here know the truth about her mother?
“Maybe we can get coffee sometime while you’re here.” Harper picked up her large red handbag from the bench and fished out a business card. “My personal number is on the back. Give me a call and let me know when is good for you.”
As Harper walked over to Hayden, Riley looked at the card. Wilson Real Estate. Harper Wilson, Broker. Riley tucked the card into Mimi’s glove. She didn’t have any intention of calling or having coffee with Harper. She was here to help her grandmother, not to make friends.
The players had left the dugout and were off in small groups talking and joking with one another. Riley sat on the bench, trying not to notice how close Harper was standing to Hayden. Although Madge was a Bosom Buddy, she had joined the group after Riley left Maple Falls, so all she knew about Harper was that her family was rich, she’d attended private schools, and now, that she owned her own real estate company. Riley had nothing in common with her.
Tracey’s words came to mind again.“They think they’re better than us.”
Harper hadn’t acted like she thought she was superior to Riley. In fact, she was nice. Friendly.Or maybe she was just interested in advertising her business.
She glanced at Harper still talking to Hayden, and she couldn’t help but notice what a striking pair they made. Both had blond hair, although Harper’s blond-on-blond highlights, while well done, clearly weren’t natural. Both were lean, tan, and gorgeous. A surge of envy shot through Riley, and she hated herself for it. What did it matter to her if Harper and Hayden made a good-looking couple? Even their names were obnoxiously cute together.Yuck.
