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Clearly flustered, Annie pushed back her hair while she quickly marched to the front door. “It was lovely having you here. I hope you have safe trip home.”
Chapter Seventeen
Afew minuteslater, Craig stopped in front of the house Vivian wanted to buy. Vivian got out quickly and walked toward the front door while the other two were still getting out of the car. Hopefully, it wouldn’t take long. She needed to be alone to figure out how to handle this whole new long-distance thing with Aiden.
“Geez, it’s cold!” Riley exclaimed from behind. Vivian turned around. Riley had her camera in front of her and was clicking away happily.
With a soft groan, Vivian turned back and unlocked the front door. She hadn’t slept a wink, she wanted to cry. She really didn’t want to be photographed now.
“I suppose you’re used to this cold,” Riley was saying as she and Craig approached the house.
“We’ve been here for about a year now,” Vivian said while she waited for them to join her. “And I’m still not used to the cold. But the views”—she pointed toward Copper Mountain—“make up for any inconvenience.”
“It’s so beautiful,” Riley said as Craig entered the house before them and disappeared to the side of the house.
Vivian turned to follow him, but Riley touched her arm. “Look, I don’t know how you feel about my brother, but I have to ask, has he told you about Samantha Taylor?”
Vivian nodded. “Yes, he told me this morning. The fact that she’d nearly taken her own life has clearly devastated him.”
“Aiden has a big heart,” Riley said. “Ever since he was little, he’d bring stray cats, dogs, friends, you name it, home. He made a point of making friends with the marginalized, the ones nobody else wanted to sit with, talk to. He became a journalist, hoping to make this world a better place. But after Samantha ended up in the hospital, he was different. He doesn’t get involved in what he writes about, and the joy he’s always found in his work is gone. Instead of engaging, of getting involved with the lives of those he writes about, he’s only been observing. He also doesn’t talk about his work like he used to. It’s as if he has closed himself off not to feel anything. His stay here in Marietta has changed him, though,” Riley continued. “Knowing you has changed him—even if he doesn’t want to acknowledge it yet.”
“Do you know what happened to Samantha?” Vivian asked.
Riley frowned. “You know, that’s a good question. I don’t know, but we should be able to find out.”
Craig returned, and he and Riley walked toward the part of the house Vivian wanted to turn into the office where she could see her patients.
Grateful for the short reprieve, Vivian followed them slowly. She’d only met Aiden a week ago, but the way he’d gone out of his way to help a small boy he didn’t know had showed her exactly what kind of man he was, even if he’d forgotten it.
Craig looked around as Vivian entered the room. “I can see why you like this place,” he said. “I wouldn’t mind living in a house like this and having an office on the side.”
Riley raised her eyebrows. “My advertising-guru cousin settling down in a small town like Marietta?”
Craig smiled wryly. “Life without traffic and deadlines sounds infinitely better than the reality back in the city.”
Laughing, Riley grabbed his arm. “Who are you, and what have you done with my cousin? Come on, let me get you back to the city lights. Vivian, I like your house. You should buy it. With a little TLC, it could be a beautiful home. And it’s big enough.”
Vivian nodded. “That’s one of the reasons why I like it. Even if I turn this whole area into an office where I can see patients, the rest of the house is big enough for me to live in.”
“I was talking about when you get married.” Riley grinned.
Vivian smiled wryly. “No plans to marry. Aiden and I are going to try the long-distance thing. If everything works according to plan, I’ll see you at the end of March.”
Riley’s eyebrows shot up. “Really?”
“We should hurry if we want to say goodbye to Aunt Janice, Riley,” Craig said as they all walked out onto the porch. “Otherwise, we’ll miss our plane.”
Vivian locked the front door. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll walk back to Annie’s.”
“Don’t be silly,” Riley said. “It’s way too cold outside.”
“I’ll be fine. The house is literally just around the corner. Have a safe trip.”
Riley put her arms around Vivian and hugged her. “Don’t give up on getting him to commit to something more than a weekend here and there, okay? You both deserve so much more. I’m going to try and get hold of Samantha,” she whispered in Vivian’s ear.
Craig patted her arm. “It was nice to meet you, Vivian. We’ve enjoyed our stay in your beautiful town. Something tells me we’ll be back.”
Vivian walked with them to their car. “Drive safely!” she called out as they drove away.
