“Uh, you’re right?”
“Of course I am.” She gave the boys a queenly wave of her hand as they chuckled and shook their heads.
“Ready to go?” Riley asked, moving behind her grandmother and starting to push her along. The sooner she got out of here the better.
“I guess so.” She inhaled a breath of air as a breeze flowed around them. “It feels wonderful out here. Thanks for coming with me, Riley. It’s good to get out of the house.”
Riley nodded, feeling a little guilty for dragging her away from everyone. But if she didn’t leave now, she might change her mind about going to Swirlies.
“I’m glad you had a good time.”
“I really wish I could play again,” Mimi said as they slowly made their way toward the car. The rest of the players were also heading for the lot, talking and laughing on the way there. Riley fought the impulse to search for Hayden, but she kept her focus on pushing Mimi. Her shoulders tensed. So much for being able to relax.
They were halfway to the parking lot when she heard him call her name. She cringed, knowing she was being a jerk again, and ignored him.
“Sugar, don’t you hear Hayden calling you?”
Now she had no choice but to turn around. She stopped Mimi’s wheelchair and turned halfway to look at him. He was jogging toward them, her sketchbook in his hand. How could she have forgotten her sketchbook? She started to mumble a curse, then stopped herself. Funny how her language had cleaned up since she’d gotten here. But right now her mind was filled with less than ladylike words.
“I’ll be right back.” She turned, forcing herself not to dash toward him, dread pooling in her stomach.Please don’t open that book.
As he neared, he said, “You forgot this—” He tripped, and the sketchbook flew out of his hand and landed on the ground.
A wind stronger than any of the previous ones kicked up and blew open the cover of the sketchbook. Several pages flipped as she scrambled to get the book.
But Hayden picked it up first. He glanced down at the picture on the open page.
Chapter10
Stunned, Hayden stared at his image on the white page in the sketchbook. It made him remember Riley’s skill as an artist. She had captured him well, even the cowlick on the side of his head. Then realization dawned.She drew a picture of me.
He looked up to see her standing a few feet away, wisps of her brown hair blowing around her beautiful face. Without a word he closed the sketchbook and handed it to her.
She took it and hugged it to her chest. “Thank you,” she said, icicles hanging from her words.
And with that she was distant again. He marveled at how she could turn from warm to frigid in a split second. But he wasn’t irritated. He understood why, but that didn’t mean he wanted her to leave. When she started to walk away, he jumped in front of her.
“Don’t,” he said, keeping his voice low. A few members of the team were still in the parking lot, but he didn’t want to risk getting their attention.
Her eyes turned cold. “Mimi’s waiting on me.”
He saw Erma talking animatedly with Junior. “She’s occupied right now.” He looked at Riley again, this time at a loss for words. What was he supposed to say to her?Don’t leave? Don’t be an ice queen? Let me hold you again?Obviously, she had been thinking about him and, from the accuracy of her sketch, watching him. He didn’t mind that one bit. What he did mind was that she was running away from him again when she didn’t have to.
“I really need to—”
“Wait. Just... Wait right here.” He ran over to Erma and Junior. “Hey, man, would you mind taking Erma home?” he asked Junior, who was so easygoing that Hayden was sure he would say yes. He also hoped Erma understood that he wanted to spend time alone with Riley.
“Sure thing, Hay.” Junior tilted up his sweat-stained ball cap. “Anythin’ for MissErma here.”
“Why, Junior, you charmer.” Erma lifted her brow at Hayden and gave him a small nod before turning to her willing chauffeur.
Thank God Erma was so sharp.
“I’d be glad to catch a ride with you,” she continued. “You can finish telling me about that fish you caught last week. Twenty pounds, you said?”
“At least.” Junior started to push Erma toward his light-green pickup truck. “Might have been twenty-two.”
“My goodness!”
