For Keeps

CH 7 - #timing

Rhys

Songs: “Loving You Against My Will” by Gary Allan and

“Thinking ‘Bout You” by Dustin Lynch and Lauren Alaina

“WILL IT BE the usual this morning, sweetheart?” Mrs. Schaffer asked me. She owned Dazzle Donuts, and I was currently in its drive-thru.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“One chocolate glazed donut with sprinkles, a brisket kolache, and a large coffee with sugar coming right up.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re most welcome.”

I was waiting on my order when I glanced in my driver-side mirror and saw emerald eyes focused on me. Then I looked out my window at Riley parked behind me and waved. She smiled and leaned her head out her window.

“I see you’re carrying on your Saturday morning tradition,” I said.

“I see you’re carrying on yours, too.”

We both started laughing and it felt so damn good.

“Are you having your usual blueberry donut?”

“Yep, and my girls requested their usual: strawberry frosted for Rachel and Boston cream-filled for Macie.”

“What about your parents?”

“They will be enjoying their cinnamon twists shortly.”

“Good for them. Do you and your girls have some trouble planned for today?”

“Not too much.”

“If y’all need bailing out of jail, then call me.”

Riley chuckled. “I sure will!”

“Here you go, Rhys,” Mrs. Shaffer said, grabbing my attention and handing my breakfast to me.

I paid her, and she gave me the change back. Then, I asked her if she would do me a favor.

“Of course. What is it?”

“Take this.” I gave her a twenty-dollar bill. “See that pretty woman in line behind me?”

She glanced at her. “Can’t miss Riley Martin.”

“Nope, you can’t. I want to cover her order.”

“What a sweet thing to do. I saw y’all talking.”

“Yeah, we’re on friendly terms again.”

“I’m happy to hear that. I’m also happy to see you smiling again, Rhys.”

I smiled even bigger.

Before pulling out of the drive-thru, I waved at Riley. She wiggled her fingers at me and I headed back to my house to work on the covered patio. I was almost done building it.

When I walked into my kitchen, I noticed a glass I’d left out had been turned upside down, and water was all over the counter and floor. My ghost had made its presence known again. It didn’t like it whenever I failed to pick up after myself.

I shook my head, put the glass in the dishwasher, and cleaned up the mess while thinking about Riley the whole time. Outside on the patio, she stayed on my mind while I worked on the railing. Seeing her this morning was a blessing, as was salvaging our friendship. It seemed to mean as much to her as it did to me.

When our romantic relationship ended last year, no third party was to blame. Riley and I were faithful to each other. She broke up with me because she no longer wanted the life we’d planned to live together in Cypress Hills. Her dream grew beyond me and our hometown, and she moved to Fort Worth to start over.

I was devastated because I had thought everything was good between us. Even now, I still couldn’t see any signs that would’ve led me to believe Riley would break my heart. She was allowed to change her mind about her future, though. No one had a right to tell her what to do with it.

I was putting my tools away when my cellphone pinged with a message.

Jackson:Want to meet me at Nana’s Kitchen for lunch?

Me:Sure. Got to grab a shower first.

Jackson:thumbs-up emoji

I pulled into the diner’s parking lot behind my brother and parked beside him. After I got out of my truck, I noticed a white Toyota Camry a few spaces over.

“The girls are here,” I told Jackson, nodding at Rachel’s car.

“I see that.”

“Did you plan this on purpose?”

He shook his head and chuckled. “No, man. I thought they were going shopping for Riley’s wed…”

“Wedding dress. Gotcha.”

“It’s no big deal that we’re all here together. You and Riley are friends again, correct?”

“Correct.”

When we walked into the diner, I spotted the girls. They were in a booth toward the back.

“Where do you want to sit?” Jackson asked.

Before I could answer, Macie hollered, “Hey, guys! Come join us!”

I kept looking at Jackson while he grinned at me.

“You planned this. I know you did,” I said.

“I promise, I didn’t. But isn’t the timing funny?”

“Hilarious.”

“Shall we?” he asked, motioning toward the girls.

“After you.”

When we reached them, Riley looked up at me, smiled, and said, “Hi.”

It was only one word, but the breathy way she said it, plus the look in her eyes, had my heart racing even more. I returned her greeting and then told Rachel and Macie hello. Jackson sat on the side of the booth they were on, leaving me the space beside Riley.

“Is it okay if I sit here?” I asked her.

“Absolutely.”

“Thanks.”

After I took my place beside her, she smiled at me again, making me want to move even closer to her. But I stayed where I was.

“We just ordered,” Macie said. “You guys figure out what y’all want real quick, and then we can chow together.”

Riley leaned over and rested her shoulder against my bicep. “You’re going to have chicken-fried steak with white gravy, mashed potatoes, fried okra, and a glass of sweet tea with lemon, right?” she asked, knowing my answer.

“Yep, and so are you.”

“I certainly am. By the way, I appreciate you paying for my donut order this morning. You didn’t have to do that.”

“I wanted to.”

She sat back up straight but kept staring into my eyes. I finally looked away because of all that I was feeling. The main thing was the tug-of-war happening inside me while sitting here.

Although Riley and I were on the same page about our friendship, she was still engaged to another man. And although she’d said our friendship wouldn’t cause any problems with him, I was still concerned that it might once Riley told him about us—unless she didn’t. It wasn’t as if she and I were going to be around each other all the time anyway. I’d be lucky to see her a few times a year.

Tired of grappling with matters, I let my concern go and tried to relax.

“So, was your tea leaf reading with Ms. Lenora spot-on again?” Jackson asked Macie.

“To no surprise.”

“Just like Rachel’s.” He looked at her sitting beside him and winked.

“I better be the second person you inform of any good news ,” Riley told Rachel.

“You will be.”

“Who’s calling me with it?” I asked, holding up my hands.

“I volunteer,” Riley said.

“But I’m the uncle. I should be second in line like you.”

“Never mind!”

“I’m kidding.”

“Me too.”

“Then you’ll call me?”

“I’d be happy to.”

Macie huffed. “And who in the hell is calling me?”

“How about I do a three-way call with you and Rhys?” Riley asked her.

“I guess I’m okay with that.”

Everyone started laughing, and then I asked Riley how her reading went with Ms. Lenora.

“Surprisingly, it wasn’t spot-on like all the other times.”

“What was in your tea leaves?”

“The shape of a bird in flight. Ms. Lenora said it means newfound freedom. She also held my hand for a vision and saw an onyx and a sapphire resting on my palms. It was like I had to choose between the two, which I did. I chose the sapphire by wrapping my fingers around it.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, but I don’t know what it means. Ms. Lenora doesn’t either. We’re both stumped.”

“Maybe you’ll figure it out in time.”

“I hope so.”

Riley and I stopped talking but continued staring into each other’s eyes. Then we looked across the table to see Jackson, Rachel, and Macie watching us with amused expressions.

“What?” Riley and I asked them at the same time.

All three shook their heads and said, “Nothing,” also at the same time.

I looked back at Riley. She smiled at me, and we shrugged like we didn’t know what to think. I did, though, and I believed she did, too, but had played it off as I’d done. The way we stared at each other a moment ago was the same as last night at Cheers and Beers when we two-stepped. My brother, Rachel, and Macie liked seeing Riley and I getting caught up in each other again, which explained their smiles.

While all of us were eating, Jackson asked me if I wanted to catch the Texas Rangers game on TV with him later.

“Thanks, but I’m itching to cast a line. It’s been too long,” I said.

“Like what? Two days?”

“Three. Get off me.”

Jackson chuckled. “Let me know what you catch, man.”

Riley suddenly gasped and pointed in the air. “This song! ‘Thinking ‘Bout You’ is my latest fav! Have y’all heard it?”

“Of course, but I’m surprised you have, city girl,” Rachel teased.

“I told you that I still listen to country music!”

Everyone giggled, and then the table chat moved on to the upcoming Fourth of July parade and fireworks show in town. While the girls and my brother discussed it, I kept listening to the song on the diner’s radio, wondering why Riley liked it so much.

She excused herself to use the restroom after the song ended, saying she’d drank too much tea. She had two glasses like me, and now, I also needed to relieve myself.

“I’ll be back in a minute,” I told Jackson, Rachel, and Macie. They nodded at me and continued their conversation about the Fourth of July festivities.

I stepped out of the men’s restroom into the hallway when Riley stepped out of the women’s restroom, coming face-to-face with her. We both smiled.

“Fancy meeting you here,” I said.

“You too.”

“I have a question for you.”

“Okay.”

“Why is ‘Thinking ‘Bout You’ your latest favorite song?”

“Are you sure you want to know?”

“I wouldn’t have asked.”

Riley briefly paused. “It describes what I’ve imagined happening between you and me.”

“Reconnecting?”

“Yes.”

“That’s why I liked the song the first time I heard it. I’d been imagining the same as you.”

“And look at us now—friends again. It’s so wonderful.”

“Yeah, it really is. I have another question for you. How long had you been imagining us reconnecting?”

Riley paused again, but longer this time. “A while,” she finally said.

“Define ‘while’ for me, if you don’t mind.”

“Months, Rhys.”

I searched her eyes, wondering exactly how long she’d been wanting us to come back together as friends. I’d wanted that and more to happen ever since she ended us.

“It’d been months for me, too,” I told her.

We kept staring at each other, and then Riley glanced down the hallway. “We need to get back to everybody, don’t you think?”

I reluctantly nodded and held out my arm. “After you.”

As she walked ahead of me, I watched the flow of her body moving. All it did was make mine ache for hers that much more. When we sat back down in our booth, my brother, Rachel, and Macie smiled at us as they’d done earlier.

“Everything come out alright? You two were gone for a while,” Jackson said.

I raised an eyebrow. “Everything came out fine. Are y’all about ready to go?”

They said they were, so I asked our waitress to bring our checks. A moment later, someone behind me said, “Hi, babe!” rather loudly. I peered over my shoulder to see a tall guy with dark hair and eyes walking up. He was looking straight at Riley.

“Chad! What are you doing here?” she asked.

“I wanted to surprise you. See your family. Your parents told me where you were.”

“What happened to you and Cameron playing golf today?”

“He has a stomach virus.”

“Aw, that’s terrible.”

I looked at Riley. She gave me a backward smile and said, “Um, I need to…”

“Yeah. Sorry.”

I got up out of the booth so she could join her fiancé. Chad and I had never met before, but I’d seen his and Riley’s engagement announcement and picture in the Cypress Hills Gazette. Without question, he was older than her, but I didn’t know by how many years. However, I did know he looked like a typical city slicker with his pompadour haircut, fancy clothes, and Rolex watch. Drop him off in the woods and he wouldn’t survive a day.

As Riley stepped over to Chad, he grabbed her hand, pulled her closer, and kissed her on the lips while looking over the top of her head at me. Something was off about him. Hell, the entire situation felt off.

Riley nodded toward me while telling the weirdo, “You know everyone here except for Rhys.”

He gave all of us a snap wave and then focused back on me.

“I’m Rhys Silverman,” I said, extending my hand to shake his.

“I’m Chad Nolan.” His hand was as soft as a woman’s.

“Nice to meet you.”

“I can’t say the same about you. Explain to me why you’re here with my fiancée.”

“Chad! Why are you being rude?” Riley asked. She looked appalled.

“How many secret dates have you been on with this redneck since we’ve been together? Has it been each time you came home?”

I wanted to say something to the smartass but held back because I didn’t want to make things worse for Riley.

“This isn’t a secret date! This isn’t a date at all!” she said angrily. “My girls and I were already here when Rhys and Jackson came in. This is the first time that Rhys and I have eaten together since we split up last year.”

“But is this the first time you’ve seen him since then?”

Riley took a deep breath and glared at Chad. “No, it isn’t,” she admitted.

“Meet me outside by my car.”

Chad gave each of us a go-to-hell look and started walking toward the exit.

“Rhys…” Riley said, coming up to me. “I apologize a thousand times over for what Chad just did. I am so embarrassed.”

“He should be the one apologizing and the one who’s embarrassed. Not you. Are you okay?”

“I don’t know what I am right now.” She reached for her purse in the booth. “Here, let me give you some money for my lunch.”

“I’ve got it, mia bella.”

She kept staring into my eyes and then nodded. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“I’m sorry about all of this,” she said, looking at Jackson, Rachel, and Macie. They waved her off, letting her know there was no reason for her to apologize, just as I’d done.

“Are you leaving with Chad?” Rachel asked.

“Yes. I need to talk to him in private.”

“Are you going back to Fort Worth today?”

“Maybe. My mood is completely shot now, so…”

“Stay until tomorrow. Please. I need some more sister-time.”

“And I need some more BFF-time,” Macie added.

Riley shrugged. “I’ll see. Talk to y’all later.”

Before she left, she stepped up to me and hugged me. I wasn’t expecting her to do that, but I welcomed it and hugged her just as tightly. Once she was gone, I sat back down in the booth, not believing the turn of events.

“I told you that Chad is an arrogant ass,” Macie said to me.

“Have you seen him act like that before?”

“Not to that degree.”

I looked at Rachel. “What about you?”

“No.”

“How has he been around your momma and daddy?”

“Nice, but still with an air of cockiness.”

“So, what’s their opinion of Chad?”

“They’ve never said anything negative and won’t because of Riley.”

“She told me that she’s happy with Chad? Do you think she is?”

“No.”

“What about you, Macie?”

“No, I don’t think she’s happy.”

“Then why is she with Chad?”

“Although I don’t get it, she loves him. That’s one reason why she stays with him. The other two are her time invested in her relationship with him, plus her parents have already spent a small fortune on her wedding. Riley would kick Chad to the curb if it weren’t for those two reasons.”

“Did she tell you that?”

Macie shook her head. “She doesn’t have to. I know her better than she knows herself.”

“So do I,” Rachel added. “My sister feels stuck and is determined to make things work with Chad. She probably thinks she can change him.”

“Are your parents aware of what’s going on?”

“I don’t think so. I haven’t said anything to them about it, and they haven’t said anything to me.”

“Why didn’t you tell me about it? You too, Macie? And I’m guessing you also know about this fucked up situation. Right, brother?”

He shook his head yes. “I didn’t say anything to you because there was no point. What would you have done if I had? Ride in on a white horse to save Riley? You two weren’t even speaking.”

“Had I known about her predicament, I would’ve called her. She may not have listened to what I had to say, but my gut tells me otherwise.”

“And then what? Do you think Riley would’ve ditched Chad and come running back to you?”

“No. I think she would’ve ditched him and then ran back to herself. The Riley that I know wouldn’t put up with any man’s bullshit. She just needs to be reminded of who she is.” I stood up and placed some cash on the table for her lunch and mine.

“Where are you going?” Jackson asked.

“To see if my high school sweetheart has left with that son of a bitch yet.”

“I’m going with you.”

Rachel and Macie said they were, too.

In less than a minute, the four of us were peering out the diner’s front window, watching Riley and Chad argue beside his car. Then he grabbed her by her upper arms and started shaking her. He was doing it so hard that her head bobbled forward and backward.

“Oh, hell no!” I yelled, running toward the exit.

As I neared Riley and Chad, I demanded that he take his hands off her. He cut his eyes at me and smirked.

“And if I don’t, what are you going to do about it?” he shouted, no longer shaking Riley but still touching her.

“This!”

I punched him square in the nose, knocking the goddamn smirk off his face and sending him to the pavement.

“Rhys, stop!” I heard my brother yell from behind me.

Then he, Rachel, and Macie were pulling me back from Chad. I wanted to rip the motherfucker apart.

Standing a few yards away, I glanced back and forth between him and Riley. Then I focused on her. She glared at me like she was hurt by what I had just done.

“You’re going to pay for this, Rhys Silverman,” Chad said as he got back on his feet and wiped the blood off his nose. “I’m calling the cops and filing charges against you.”

“It won’t do you any good. You’re in my hometown.”

“Then my attorney in Fort Worth will handle this.”

“When you talk to him, don’t leave out that you manhandled Riley in front of four witnesses.”

“Fuck you!”

“I suggest you get your sorry ass out of here before I hand it to you again, city boy.”

“Chad, please just go,” Riley said, her voice cracking.

He stepped over to her. “You’re crazy if you think I’m leaving you here. You’re coming with me. We’re going to your parents’ house, and then you’ll pack your bags and follow me back to Fort Worth.”

“No, I’m not doing any of that. You overreacted about all of this and have made such a wreck of things.”

“I didn’t overreact! You ate lunch with him!” Chad yelled, pointing at me. “You‘ve also seen him on other occasions that I knew nothing about until today, and you did who-knows-what with him all those times. This is wrong, Riley. Every single bit of it!”

“No, it isn’t! You just don’t understand the history between Rhys and me.”

Disgust covered Chad’s face, and he scoffed. “I’m fucking gone. Have a nice life.”

He got into his BMW and sped off, making gravel fly into the air behind him. When he was out of the parking lot, my brother, Rachel, and Macie let go of me. Then I walked over to Riley.

“Are you okay?” I asked, lightly touching her shoulder.

She flinched away. “No, I’m not okay, Rhys. I won’t be getting married now.”

“Because of me?”

“Because of Chad and you. You both overreacted.”

“I did not! Riley, I never laid my hands on you when we were together, and I will not stand back and watch any man do that to you. I don’t care who he is. Chad just abused you.”

“That wasn’t abuse.”

“It damn sure was! Has he ever shaken you like that before?”

Riley paused and then looked at Rachel. “Sister, please take me to Momma and Daddy’s.”

“Okay.”

After the girls left, I asked Jackson, “Was I wrong for knocking the hell out of Chad?”

“Nope.”

“Then why does Riley think so?”

“Chad put her in a hell of a position, but she included you in her lashing out. Her world just imploded, man.”

I dragged my hands down my face. “What can I do to fix it for her?”

“I don’t think there’s anything you or any of us can do. Riley is going to have to figure this out on her own.”

“This is killing me. Seeing Chad shake her like a rag doll, I know he’s done that to her before and probably worse.”

“Probably.”

I glanced around. “I’ve gotta get out of here.”

“Where are you going?”

“Not home, for sure, or I’ll be crawling the damn walls. I think I’m just going to cruise the backroads.

I heard my cellphone ping with a message, so I pulled it out of my pocket.

Macie:I know you’re worried about Riley. Just breathe. I’ll keep you posted on how she’s doing.

Me:Thanks.

Macie:She’s going to ask for a leave of absence from work. If it’s approved, she’s planning to stay here.

Me:For how long?

Macie:A week. She said she needs time and space to figure out what to do about this mess.

Me:That she’s partly blamed me for.

Macie:You’re not to blame in any way, and she knows it. She’s already admitted it and regrets pointing her finger at you. Hang tight, buddy. I’ll be in touch soon.

Me:thumbs-up emoji

After telling my brother about Riley’s plan to stay in town, he asked me how I felt about it.

“Relieved for now,” I said. “Riley is safe in Cypress Hills with all of us, but when she returns to Fort Worth, that won’t be the case because Chad isn’t going to leave her alone.”

“But they’re over. He told her to have a nice life.”

“It doesn’t matter. Riley is the best thing that’s ever happened to him and he knows it. After he licks his ego’s wounds, he’ll crawl back to her, beg for her forgiveness, and then ask her for a second chance. Wait and see.”

“Do you think Riley would give him one?”

“I pray she doesn’t.”