Chapter Seventeen
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
But after breakfast was over and they headed home, Riley found Jack back in the kitchen on his laptop. He looked frazzled as he ran a hand through his hair, which was tousled and going in every different direction. He hadn’t showered yet or eaten anything, but he did have a half-empty coffee cup by his side. He looked up when he heard them walk in.
“Did you sleep all right?” Riley’s mother asked. “There are bagels or I could make you some eggs if you’re hungry,” she offered.
“I was just thinking about toasting up a bagel, actually.”
“I’ll do it for you.” Riley sliced a bagel and put it in the toaster. When it was done, she put it on a plate and handed it to him, along with a tub of cream cheese.
“Thanks.” He spread a thick layer of cheese on the bagel, while Riley made another cup of coffee for herself. Her mother excused herself to head upstairs and do some laundry. Riley settled at the kitchen table with her coffee and watched Jack for a moment as he absentmindedly ate his bagel and stared at the laptop screen.
“Are you making any headway?” she asked.
He nodded. “Yes. Getting there. There’s still a lot more to do, though.”
“You won’t have to work all day, will you? I thought we could drive around and I could show you more of Chatham and maybe tonight we could have a nice dinner at one of my favorite restaurants.”
Jack turned and looked at her—frustration and exhaustion written clearly across his face. “Riley, have you seen the weather reports? We’re getting a huge storm, either late tonight or tomorrow morning. If it’s really bad I might not be able to get out of here on time. I hate to cut this short, but given the storm and what’s going on with work, I think maybe I should head back this afternoon. I can’t risk getting stuck here and I really should work on this tomorrow to get ahead of it for Monday. You understand, don’t you?”
Riley sighed. She did understand. If the storm was really bad, flights would be delayed or even outright canceled. And she could tell Jack’s attention was elsewhere. As usual.
“I can drive you to Hyannis after lunch. You might as well eat your leftovers before you go,” she said.
Jack grinned. “You really are the best. I hate to go, but I don’t think we really have a choice on this.”
There was always a choice, but Riley knew what was most important to Jack, and it was becoming clear that it wasn’t her.
Riley drove Jack to the airport after lunch and he was able to get on a three o’clock flight back to New York. He knew she was disappointed and pulled her in for a hug when he got out of the car.
“I’m so sorry about this, Riley. I really did want to stay the whole weekend. But it looks like Mother Nature had a different idea about that.” His eyes twinkled and he searched hers, hoping for her to smile in return. But she couldn’t manage it. There was nothing funny about the situation to her. She was disappointed that Jack didn’t want to take his chances and spend time with her and her family. So what if there was a storm and maybe he’d have to miss a day of work? But she knew that was impossible for him to even consider. Work always came first. Always.
“Have a safe flight back, Jack. And good luck with your case.”
He kissed her goodbye and she kissed him back. But there was no joy in it for her. She watched him walk into the airport with his carry-on bag and then she drove away. She felt restless and irritated and decided to stop at Trader Joe’s, which was right near the airport. They could use more cheese for upcoming wine and cheese hours and roaming the aisles at Trader Joe’s always cheered her up. She was a little bit hungry, too, which was always a dangerous thing in a grocery store. She stocked up on a bunch of different cheeses, including her favorite cheddar that had a hint of a Parmesan taste to it. And she found a new one, a cheese spread that used the same cheese.
She bought more of the wine that had been a hit with everyone and she found a few new ones to try as well. She grabbed some grapes and a few boxes of crackers and then checked out.
She noticed as she drove back to Chatham that the wind had picked up and the sky was dark. They were definitely in for a storm at some point. Maybe Jack had made the right decision—the responsible decision, to head home early. As much as she hated to admit it. Though it could still turn out to be nothing. One never really knew.
Riley dropped everything off at the inn before heading home. She walked through the living room on her way out the door and stopped short at the sight of two small feet in dark green socks sticking out from under the tree. She walked closer to get a better look, and then smiled. It was Luke, snuggled in the corner behind the tree. He was lying on his back, reading a book.
“Hey, Luke, how do you like it back there?” she asked.
“Is that Riley?”
“It is. I just stopped by for a minute. We’ll be back soon, though.”
“It’s so awesome back here. My dad said it was okay if I read here for a while.”
“It’s totally okay. I used to love it back there.” Riley remembered the many happy hours she and Amy spent behind the Christmas tree over the years. And she’d done what Luke was doing right now so many times when she’d been by herself. She could stay back there for hours with a good book. “What are you reading? Anything good?”
“ Diary of a Wimpy Kid . I’m on book three.”
Riley smiled at the excitement in his voice. “I’ve heard of that one, and you’re already on book three. It must be pretty good.”
“It’s awesome!”
Riley laughed. “Well, I’ll let you get back to your reading. We’ll see you in an hour or so for hot chocolate.”
“Cool. See ya later, Riley.”