AllFreeNovel
Share Us
On Monday, we visited the funeral home and made arrangements. It was one of the hardest things I had ever had to do. I wasn’t sure how my father was still standing upright.
The funeral would be the following Saturday afternoon. I’d already talked to my instructors and told them that I was coming back to training but would need to leave a little early on Friday to make my flight back. They told me I could drop out of the class and step into the next one, but my father probably would have knocked me out if I’d done that. He was right. I needed to finish what I started—as hard as it would be to be away from family right now.
On Tuesday morning, I checked to make sure that everything was off in my house before I left for the airport. I was driving myself since I would be back in a few days. It was easier for me to do that than have someone come down to pick me up.
I was just about to leave when there was a soft knock at the door. I pulled the door open and startled back. I hadn’t seen Riley since Saturday night. “Riley.”
“Ethan,” she said as she wrung her hands. “Can we talk?”
I exhaled loudly through my nose but stepped back to hold the door open. “I only have a few minutes before I have to leave.”
“You’re leaving?” She seemed surprised as she crossed the threshold. That wasn’t all she appeared either. She looked exhausted.
“Yeah, I need to go back to class, but I’ll be back on Friday night for the weekend.”
“Oh, well, I should let you go. Maybe we can talk then.” She turned back to the door, and suddenly I needed her to stay. I stepped into her path, her surprised eyes flashing to mine.
“You were with my mom when she died. Why?”
Riley shuffled back slightly. “I was trying to help. I knew that everyone would be there that afternoon. My mother and I were cooking for the picnic so that your mom didn’t get worn out.”
“What did she say to you before she died?”
“Um…” She looked away and gnawed on her bottom lip for a moment. “She asked me to go get your father.”
“What else did she say, Riley?”
“Nothing.” I knew Riley well enough to know that she was hiding something. I stepped forward, and she moved back until the wall was behind her.
“Riley, I’ve been in a class for four weeks learning to tell when people lie. I know you aren’t telling me something, Riley. What aren’t you telling me?”
“It was personal, Ethan. It has nothing to do with you.”
“Nothing to do with me?” My voice rose. “You were with my mother for days before she died. Why you? Why not one of her own kids?”
She shook her head, her eyes wide. “I don’t know. She didn’t want to bother you guys.”
“But she bothered you?”
“I’m on summer break,” she said quickly.
“Why didn’t you call me and tell me?”
“She asked me not to.”
“Riley, you knew my mother was sick, that she was dying. You should have called me and told me.”
Riley blinked rapidly. “I’m sorry, Ethan. I’m sorry that I didn’t call you, but if I had, would you even have answered your phone?”
“What are you talking about?”
She crossed her arms over her chest, and I stepped back slightly to avoid contact with her. “Now that you have a new girlfriend, would you even have answered your phone?”
“New?” I spiked a brow at her and laughed. “Are you referring to yourself as the old one? Because I’m pretty sure that was never a description that you wanted.”
She looked away. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come here.” She started to step around me, but I grabbed her arm.
“Why did you come here?”
“Because I wanted to tell—” She swallowed as her eyes shot off to the side. “I wanted to say I was sorry—for everything, Ethan. I’m sorry about what happened the night you left. I’m sorry for not calling to tell you about your mother, and I’m sorry she’s gone.”
As I stared at her, I knew there was something she was holding back. “What is it that you aren’t telling me, Riley? Things get serious with Joe? Or did you all break up, and you’re crawling back to me for one last good time in bed?”
She lifted her face, and there was that rebellious nature that I had fallen in love with—my heart started to race, and I almost grabbed her face and brought her lips to mine.
“The last thing I would ever do is crawl to any man, including you, Ethan Winston.” She yanked her arm out of my grasp and pushed her way around me.
She rushed down my front stairs and around the corner, and I sighed. I glanced at my watch and realized I had to get moving, or I was going to miss my flight. I would find a way to talk to her this weekend.
