“I get that,” she said softly, then drew in a breath. This was what she’d wanted to avoid—revealing anything personal to him. But he was so distraught and so honest with her that she couldn’t stop herself.
“I never felt that way about Maple Falls, or any place, for that matter. My mom and I moved around a lot before I came to live with Mimi. Motels, trailer parks, a cheap apartment or two. I can’t remember them all. I missed a whole year of school when I was eight because we didn’t have a permanent home. Mom dropped me off at Mimi’s when I was thirteen, and I haven’t seen her since.”
“Riley, I’m so sorry.” Pain entered his eyes. “I had no idea you had it so rough. I knew you lived with Erma back then, but I didn’t know anything else about your family.”
She averted her gaze. “No one did at school. At least I kept hoping they wouldn’t find out.”
“As far as I know, they didn’t. I never heard anyone talk about your mom... or you.”
That sounded so pathetic, even though it had been necessary. “That was the goal. If I kept my distance, no one could ask too many questions I didn’t want to answer.”
“Which was why you kept to yourself.” He paused, shifting on the couch to face her. “Is that the reason you’re so distant now?”
Maybe she should have kept her mouth shut. But there was something inside her that wanted to continue talking. Just admitting that she’d been afraid of the school kids finding out about Tracey gave her some relief.
“Yes. It’s hard to keep secrets in a small town, and I’m sure there are people here who know about my mother. The Bosom Buddies all know, of course, and they did a good job of knocking the gossips down a peg whenever they could. But there were people who did talk about us behind my back. I didn’t want to dig up the past again.” She swallowed the lump in her throat. “I shouldn’t have said anything. You’re the one upset, and here I am talking about myself.”
His mouth lifted in a half smile. “Hey, I’m glad you shared that with me. It can be hard to show people the real you, the one who struggles and hurts. I haven’t been able to. Until now.” He leaned closer to her. “I don’t have to pretend with you, Riley. I know I can trust you.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because I feel it here.” He took her hand and put it over his heart. “What do you feel?”
She felt his muscled chest beneath his Price’s Hardware work shirt. She also felt the hammering beat of his heart against her palm, spiking her own pulse. “I feel... you.”
He leaned forward, his eyes turning smoky gray. A smile played on his lips as he lightly kissed her. When she responded, he drew her close and extended the kiss.
More than once during her teen crush on Hayden she had imagined kissing him, and even more recently she’d thought about it a few times, knowing it would never happen. But fantasy and reality had collided, and she was in heaven.
When he drew away, lightly nipping her bottom lip one more time before they separated, she could barely breathe.
He was grinning at her. “I gotta say, I feel a whole lot better now.”
The distant sound of the bell ringing above the front door of the store brought her back to earth.Nowshe had a customer? How was she even supposed to stand up after experiencing a kiss like that?
“I should see who that is,” she said, breathless.
“I better get back to work too.” He moved his face closer to hers. “Thanks,” he whispered.
“For what?” she managed to say.
“Listening. Talking. And... the other stuff.” He winked and got up from the couch. “I’ll show myself out,” he said, then left through the back door.
She leaned back against the sofa, her fingers pressed to her lips as she tried to regain her senses.Customer. There is a customer up front. Right. I should go see what they want.
Finally her brain engaged, and when it did, she felt another shock. Against her better judgment, she had revealed too much to Hayden. On the other hand, that reveal led to a kiss that reached into her soul and left her wanting more. It also left her wondering where she and Hayden went from here.
***
Somehow Hayden had managed to make it through the rest of the workday without losing his mind. Quite a feat since all he wanted to do was go back to Knots and Tangles, grab Riley in his arms, and kiss her senseless. Not only had he felt like he’d unloaded a burden he’d been carrying with him for longer than he could remember, but her response to his kiss sent his senses skyrocketing.
Beyond the kiss, though, something important had happened. Riley had opened up to him, and more pieces were falling into place. He’d had no clue she lived such a difficult life before moving in with Erma, and he suspected she was still holding back a lot about how bad her childhood really was. Her confession also made him realize how ridiculous he’d been for thinking her distant attitude had anything to do with him. If he’d experienced the same kind of neglect and then felt the need to hide it from everyone, he wouldn’t have been in any hurry to come back to Maple Falls either.
With all that on his mind, how was he supposed to focus on hammers and nails?
Finally closing time came, and he drove over to the ball field for Tuesday’s practice, Riley still on his mind. At least his frustration over his family and the changes in his hometown had settled, or he’d be jumping out of his skin, not a good look for a softball coach, even for a church league team.
When he reached the field, he shifted his focus to softball and coaching the players. After what happened with Riley today, he was glad she hadn’t ended up being his assistant. It was hard enough not to think about her when she wasn’t here.
