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My eyes widen as I register her words too late, when a tall, hulking figure stands before our booth, with two big glasses in his hands as he looks down at us, smiling.
I try to suppress the panic in my face, but judging by Ava’s amused grin, I'm doing a horrible job.
“Ladies, fancy running into you here.” His eyes bounce from Ava to me, lingering on me a second longer, before returning to Ava as she speaks.
“Girls' night,” Ava explains with a kind smile. “Figured we needed it.”
“Hard day?”
Ava gives me a brief look before answering. “You could say that.”
Riley nods, understanding, as he places the two glasses on the table before us. “Well, I’m not going to interrupt your night, but I thought you girls might want a couple of drinks. On the house.”
I look down at the drink as Ava asks, “Not alcoholic?”
“You crazy, you just had a baby. I’m not that stupid. It’s just Coke,” Riley explains, and I can’t help but scoff, saying before I can stop myself, “I think I’m gonna need something harder than this.”
Riley raises his brows. “That bad of a day, huh?”
“Let’s just say, I don’t want to be able to walk on my own by the end of the night.”
His brows go higher towards his hairline, a question appearing in his eyes that Ava answers before I can stop her. “It’s almost time for her to leave the house.”
He nods, understanding appearing his face as he looked down at me and I roll my eyes, so sick and tired of this broken record of a conversation I feel like I’ve had multiple times, only driving the issue through my heart and twisting further. I exclaim, making several people in the bar look at me, “You know what? I’m done! I don’t wanna fight anymore. They want the house? Take the house, because I don’t want it.”
Riley blinks at my outburst, his brows furrowing. “So where are you gonna live?”
I shrug, irritation still bubbling. “I have no idea, but I’ll figure it out, thank you.”
Riley nods to himself, deep in thought, before saying the last thing I thought he was going to say. “You could stay with me.”
I look at him, waiting for the punchline because I barely know this guy, aside from that drunken mishap months ago and the time he’s spent helping me pack up my family home, and he is offering for me to live with him. He is aware I don’t have a job to contribute to the rent yet, right? No way in hell am I putting myself in that situation.
He does not laugh, and I feel Ava’s eyes moving between us. “You’re not serious.”
“Why not? I have a spare room.”
“And I don’t have a job yet. How in the hell am I going to help pay rent?”
He shrugs. “I’ll take care of it until you do.”
I scoff. “So I’ll be squatting in your apartment?”
“Mia, maybe just-“ Ava tries to reason with me, but I cut her off. I refused her and my brother’s offer because I don't want to be a burden, so why would I do that to Riley?
“Thanks, but I think I’ll take care of it.”
“Okay.” Riley shrugs, leaning down until his hands rest on the table in front of me, bringing face close to mine with a challenging look in his eyes when he asks, “When do you need to be out?”
I narrow my eyes at him and say through gritted teeth, “I have to be out by the end of Sunday.”
Riley winces. “Two days? That’s fucked up. But it shouldn’t be a problem for you, as you clearly have a plan.”
He narrows his eyes in suspicion at me, knowing that I don’t and daring me to take his offer.
“I will not be living with you for nothing.”
He shrugs again, rising to stand at his full height. “Fine, I’ll talk to Danny and get you a job here. Problem solved. You will have a place to live and work.”
