Chapter Eight #2
“She’s nice. Pretty, don’t you think? She was in a relationship and it didn’t work out.” She felt herself talking faster and
faster and couldn’t seem to slow down. “Now she’s talking about maybe moving away to make some changes in her life. But I
don’t want her to go. We’ve always been tight and I need her to stick around.”
His neutral expression turned amused. “And that’s where I come in?”
“I’ve made a list of single men she could date. You’re on it.”
“Lucky me.”
She couldn’t tell if he was being funny or sarcastic. “She’s a great girlfriend. She’s funny. A teacher. Thoughts?”
He exhaled slowly. “You are one strange woman.”
“Surprisingly, that’s not the first time I’ve heard that comment.”
Ryleigh and Noah sang along with the soundtrack from The Lion King. Alex hummed more than he sang, but then he’d never been much into musicals, although with a kid in the house, he’d learned
to endure. They’d made good time on the drive down from Port Palmas and were only about thirty or forty minutes from their
Airbnb rental near Balboa Park.
The three-bedroom condo had been a total score—especially over a holiday weekend. But there’d been a last-minute cancellation
and the host had been thrilled when Alex had wanted to make the booking. While they would be eating out most meals, it was
still going to be nice to have a place to hang out when they wanted to relax. Not that there would be much time for that.
“Getting excited?” Alex asked as he slowed in the freeway traffic.
“A little. Everything is starting to look familiar.” She turned to smile at Noah. “I went to college here. San Diego State.”
“Did you like it?” he asked.
“I did. I was away and on my own, which I wanted, but also close enough to home to go back for holidays. I could just drive
myself and not have to worry about flying.”
“I don’t think I’d like being away from home by myself,” he said. “I’d miss everyone too much. Especially you and Dad.”
“I get that, but you might feel differently as you get older.”
Noah grinned. “You mean when I’m a teenager? I can’t wait for that. I want to learn to drive.”
Alex chuckled. “You’re seven, kid. You’ve got a few years to go.”
Noah sighed. “You keep reminding me.”
“Just keeping it real.”
“Oh, Dad.”
Alex gave Ryleigh a quick wink before saying, “You’re already ‘oh Dad-ing’ me. Maybe you’re older than I think.”
Ryleigh smiled at Noah. “I kind of like the idea of you growing at the normal rate, if you don’t mind. You’ll be an adult soon enough.”
“A man with a car,” Noah said, sounding thrilled at the idea. “And maybe a dog.”
“No dog,” Alex said mildly. “We’ve talked about it.”
Ryleigh knew that was true. After Kim had passed, Ryleigh and Alex had wondered if getting a pet would help Noah adjust better.
The psychologist he’d been seeing had suggested waiting. A few weeks later, Alex had decided that they weren’t ready for a
dog. They were both gone all day long and it didn’t seem fair to leave the animal home alone all the time.
“What about a cat?” Ryleigh asked, holding in a smile. “My sister got one for Ramon and—”
Two heads swung toward her. “Jax got a cat for Ramon?” Alex asked. “But he’s a bird. Cats eat birds.” He paused. “Wait, she
did this before, didn’t she? There was that cat that kept running away.”
“I’m not saying it was the best idea in the world,” she admitted and reminded them about Sam. “I’ll agree it was a strange
relationship, but they loved each other for sure. And Ramon was devastated when Sam, ah, crossed the rainbow bridge.” She
paused as she wondered if Noah was going to react to the pet death, but he seemed to be listening intently rather than getting
upset.
“Does Ramon want another cat?” he asked. “He lives in the bookstore with a lot of people around him, so I don’t think he would
be lonely.”
“I don’t think he is, but Jax feels he needs a cat.”
“Have they met yet?” Alex asked.
“No. So far Lucy’s been in the apartment, getting used to being there. I hung out with her for a couple of hours over the
past few days and she’s really a sweet girl. So pretty and friendly.”
“Thinking of getting a cat?” he asked. “You sound wistful.”
“Not wistful exactly.” It was just being with Lucy was nice. The soft fur, the purr. She liked the companionship, which was kind of pathetic. “I’m looking to make some changes in my life. Maybe a pet would be a good first step.”
She didn’t say anything else on the “change” front because she and Alex had agreed to not discuss a potential move in front
of Noah. She didn’t know how he would react to the fact that she was considering leaving town and didn’t want to risk upsetting
him before she knew her actual plans.
She would miss him if she moved, she thought. And Alex. She also knew they would miss her. Since Kim had gotten sick, she’d
become a big part of their lives. They were close and had a rhythm that worked for all of them. Funny how in a way, she was
more involved with Alex and Noah than she had ever been with Dustin. Something to think about, she told herself.
But if she moved . . . She held in a sigh. If she moved it wouldn’t be just Alex and Noah she missed. As Jax had pointed out,
she would also miss spending time with Gentry and Xander. Visits home wouldn’t be enough. And despite how her moving would
change so much, Alex was only being supportive. He didn’t tell her not to go or try to guilt her, unlike her sister.
Was she making a mistake in even considering relocating to San Diego? Was she going in search of something or simply reacting
to what had (or hadn’t) happened with Dustin? Hopefully seeing San Diego in person would help her decide. While they would
be doing the usual fun touristy things like going to the zoo and the Model Railroad Museum, she would have time to explore
on her own. Alex and Noah had tickets to one of the puppet shows. She would drop them off, then drive through neighborhoods
and swing by a couple of elementary schools—just to get a feel for what it was like in the area.
The GPS directed Alex to exit the freeway. As he drove down the off-ramp, Ryleigh pointed out the window.
“See all those trees there?” she asked. “That’s Balboa Park.”
“Whoa, that’s huge.”
“It is. There’s so much to do.”
“I can’t wait for the zoo. I want to see the hippos.”
“Not the lions and tigers?”
“Them, too, but hippos are funny.”
The GPS led them to a quiet neighborhood tucked in behind the park. It didn’t take long for them to find the condo building.
They took their luggage up the elevator and found the unit.
The condo was bright with floor-to-ceiling windows and an open floor plan. The large living room led to the dining area and
a large kitchen. Modern stainless steel appliances gleamed in the afternoon light. The main bedroom was on one side, the two
guest rooms with a shared bath were on the other.
“Noah and I will take these,” Alex told her.
“What? No, you take the main bedroom.”
He shook his head. “We’ll do better sharing a bathroom.”
Noah smiled at her. “It’s a guy thing, Ryleigh.”
“But I’ll feel guilty.”
“Live with the pain,” Alex said, then pointed toward the other end of the condo.
She made her way across the tile floor. The main bedroom was big, with a king-size bed and a balcony. The bathroom was huge
and included a large soaking tub. Maybe tonight she would take it for a test-drive, she thought with a smile.
It only took a few minutes to unpack, then she met up with Alex and Noah in the living room.
“Let’s drive down to the Embarcadero,” Alex said. “We’ll walk around and get an ice cream that will ruin our dinner.”
“Yes, please!” Noah jumped in place. “I want to ruin my dinner with two flavors.”
“Sounds good,” she said. “Afterward, we can go by the grocery store we passed on our way here and stock up with what we need
for breakfast.”
They’d agreed that they would have that meal in and not worry about cooking the rest of the time.
Alex nodded. “I saw a sandwich place next to the grocery store. We’ll get those to-go for tonight.”
Noah reached out his hands to them. “I’m ready for ice cream. Let’s go!”
They drove to the waterfront where Alex found parking. They got their ice creams and walked along the boardwalk. The air was
warm and smelled of salt water. She breathed in the scent. Sure there was a much smaller pier back home, but somehow this
felt totally different. There were more people and lots of ships in the harbor. She felt the energy and found herself relaxing.
Whatever she decided, she was determined to enjoy the weekend.
“This is nice,” Alex said quietly as Noah ran to the railing to stare at the aircraft carrier that was part of a collection
of historic sailing ships. “Getting away. We haven’t since Kim died. We visited my folks last summer, but that wasn’t much
of a vacation.”
“You were still in shock.”
“It makes me think I should plan something with Noah over summer vacation. He’ll be going to the park program every day, which
he likes, but we should do something more.”
“Harris takes the kids to a different baseball park every summer,” she said. “They drive there, stopping along the way, then
go to a few games. It’s their thing.”
Alex grinned. “I’m not that much into baseball.”
“No one is.” She laughed. “My point was you could think about a road trip. Or what about Disneyland? How long has it been
since Noah went?”
“Years. Disney, huh? Would you enjoy that?”
“Me? Am I invited?”
They stared at each other. Alex shook his head.
“Sorry. I just assumed you’d be with us. I didn’t mean to presume on your summer plans.”
She touched his arm. “Don’t start acting like a lawyer with the fancy talk. We do a lot together and it would be fun to hang
out on vacation. Let’s talk when we get home.”
“We will. Because you might be too busy to take the time. If you decide you like it here.”
“I’d make time,” she told him.
Noah raced back and flung himself at her. “I want to go see that ship,” he said, pointing to the Midway.
“I don’t think we have time this visit,” she said. “But maybe it would be fun to think about coming another time.”
“Have you been on the aircraft carrier?” he asked her.
“When I was in college. It’s very big and there are lots of military planes on the main deck.”
Alex ruffled his hair. “Thinking you want to go to sea or maybe learn to fly?”
“I want to fly,” Noah said. “And go really, really fast.”
“Excellent goals,” his father said. “Especially the really, really fast part.”
They all laughed, then started for the car. Ryleigh fell into step with them, thinking she was glad Alex had suggested the
two of them come with her. Visiting San Diego alone wouldn’t have been very much fun, but with them, she knew she would have
a great time.