Chapter Twenty-Seven
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
The ride to Edaville Railroad in Carver took a little over an hour. Carver was near Plymouth, which was just over the Cape Cod Canal bridge. They sang along to Christmas carols as they drove and Aidan explained some of the history of Edaville Railroad to them.
“Did you know that the railroad started as a way for the owner to haul cranberries from the bogs he owned in the area?”
“No, I had no idea. I assumed it was always meant as an amusement park,” Riley said.
“It kind of organically grew into that when people started wanting rides on the trains and it was popular around Christmas especially, so they opened it up to the public.”
“That’s so cool.” Riley knew that the area was one of the biggest growers of cranberries, and the national company, Ocean Spray, was located nearby in Middleboro. There were lots of cranberry bogs on the Cape, too, but smaller ones. Sometimes they would flood over in the winter, and she and her sister used to go ice skating on them. She smiled at the memory.
When they pulled into the parking lot, it was almost four thirty and the place was absolutely packed.
They waited in line and Aidan bought tickets for all of them that included a ride on the train and unlimited rides on the attractions. Luke wanted to ride the train first so that’s what they did. They waited their turn, then climbed aboard and rode the old-fashioned steam train all around the many bogs on the property. As they rode the sun set and the sky grew dark. And the lights came on—so many festive lights all around them. It was really beautiful to see. The look on Luke’s face was one of wonder. Riley felt it, too, that magical feeling that she’d always loved so much and generally only experienced around the holidays.
When the train ride ended, they headed over to the amusement rides and rode on most of them, except the Ferris wheel, which was being repaired. Riley’s favorite was the bumper cars, which they did a second time, because Luke loved it, too. It was almost six thirty by then and Aidan asked if anyone was hungry.
“I noticed a hot dog stand, we could do that or find something else?” he asked.
“I want a hot dog!” Luke announced.
Riley laughed. “That actually sounds really good to me, too.” Riley seldom ate them but once in a while, at a cookout or a baseball game, they hit the spot.
When they got closer to the stand, Luke asked if he could go get them.
Aidan pulled a couple of twenties out and handed them to Luke. “Here you go, buddy, we’ll follow along to give you a hand when they’re ready.”
Riley and Aidan walked along slowly while Luke ran ahead to order the hot dogs.
“Are you having fun?” Aidan asked.
Riley smiled. “So much. Thanks for including me. I haven’t been here in a million years.”
Aidan laughed. “I can’t really picture you here with Jack. How are things going with him? Do you think you’ll get engaged?”
“It has been almost two years. I think we’re heading in that direction. We don’t really talk about it, though, because a lot has to happen first. Jack is on the partner track and that won’t happen for another year or two and then he’ll still be working crazy hours for a while. Eventually it will slow down.”
“Eventually. Are you sure you want to stick around that long? You must really love him.”
Did she? Riley hadn’t ever felt head over heels madly in love with Jack. But she liked him quite a lot. And so far it had worked for both of them that neither was in a rush to get married.
She just smiled and looked off into the distance where one of the trains was chugging along, sending swirls of steam into the cold air.
There was a long moment of silence before Aidan turned and faced her directly. “It’s funny, I’ve only been in love twice, but both times it kind of slammed into me and I didn’t want to wait. The first time she didn’t feel the same way.”
Riley felt a pang as she knew he was referring to her. She looked into his warm eyes, his handsome face, and couldn’t help wondering for a moment what her life would have been like if she’d stayed with Aidan.
Aidan smiled and his eyes lit up. “But the second time, she was just as crazy about me and we got engaged six months after we started dating. When you know, you know.”
“I suppose. But sometimes the timing just isn’t right.” Riley sighed. “It wasn’t that I didn’t love you, Aidan,” she said softly. “I just wasn’t ready to marry anyone and moving off-Cape was important to me. With Jack, the timing isn’t right for us now but in a few years it may be.” She realized as she said it that she was also trying to convince herself that she was making the right choice.
“Well, I’m glad things are going well for you and that you both seem to want the same things,” Aidan said a little stiffly. It took Riley by surprise as he’d given no indication that he might still have feelings for her. A minute later, though, she told herself she’d imagined the vibe, as Aidan was laughing again as he passed her a hot dog and a bottled water. She added a little ketchup and mustard and they brought their food to a picnic table and sat. Luke had ordered a large box of fries for them to share as well.
As they ate, Riley watched Aidan and Luke laughing and her thoughts drifted again, imagining what her life would have been like if she’d married Aidan. They’d probably have a child about Luke’s age. And Aidan was so good with Luke. It didn’t surprise her at all that he was a devoted father. He’d always been kind and thoughtful. He’d been a great boyfriend. But he’d been ready to get married and she wasn’t even thinking of marriage to anyone at that point. She didn’t feel mature enough and selfishly, there were things she wanted to do first. And moving off-Cape and living in a big city was top on her list.
She had no regrets. She’d loved living in Manhattan and until recently, she’d loved her job, too. But she knew she would get another one. It was just a matter of time. What she was a little less sure of were her feelings for Jack. She’d been in love with the idea of a life with Jack. He was handsome and smart and they had fun together. But he was also busy and often unavailable as work always came first. And she hadn’t minded so much.
But now that she’d been in Chatham and had been busy almost every day with her family or spending time with Aidan and Franny, she realized how much she liked being around people. And how lonely her life with Jack really was. She saw him once or twice a week, if that. She occasionally went out with friends after work, but most nights she stayed in, with Lily curled up in her lap. She’d grown used to that. But she was starting to wonder if it was enough.
Maybe she was just being overly sensitive because she wasn’t working and had more time on her hands. Once she had a job and was working normal hours again, she’d probably fall right back into that routine and be fine with it. She was usually tired at the end of the day and didn’t want to go out every night anyway. But maybe it would be nice to come home to someone? She and Jack hadn’t talked about living together, and maybe they should. That might be a good next step, possibly.
“You look deep in thought,” Aidan commented.
“Oh! Just thinking ahead to my job interviews this week,” she lied. “I’m a little nervous.” That part was true.
“I have no doubt you’ll kill it. Just be yourself and tell them what you can do. They won’t be able to resist.” His eyes met hers and he smiled. She felt his warmth and his faith in her and it restored her confidence.
“Thanks, I hope so.”
After they finished eating, Luke wanted to go on a few more rides. They finished up with a walk through the museum and the room with all the model trains. Luke was very enthused about that. “Dad, that is the coolest thing ever. I would love to have a train set like that.”
“Might be tough in our room at the inn,” Aidan joked. Luke’s face fell and Aidan immediately clearly regretted the joke. “Once we get home, though, we’ll have plenty of room and can look into that. Sound good?”
Luke grinned, happy again. “Awesome.”
They finished up with a visit to Santa. Luke stood in line and sat on Santa’s lap for a minute. He whispered something in Santa’s ear and Santa nodded and looked quite serious. Luke was all smiles when he ran over to them.
“Did your talk with Santa go well?” Aidan asked.
“Really well. I can’t tell you what I asked for, though. It’s a secret between me and Santa.”
Aidan smiled. “Okay, buddy, fair enough.” He glanced at Riley. “Are we good to go?”
It was snowing lightly as they headed home. Luke fell asleep a half hour into the ride and Riley and Aidan talked softly the rest of the way. Their conversation was light. Aidan talked about the restoration at this house and how it was going.
“It looks like we might be back around the New Year, hopefully.”
“It must be hard not being there. I mean, the inn is great but it’s not home.”
Aidan nodded. “No, but it’s nice knowing people there. It’s been good for both of us to be around friends during the holidays.”
“It is nice. I haven’t been around this many people in a while either. Usually it’s just me and Lily and a few times a week, Jack,” Riley said.
“Do you still love living in the city?” Aidan asked. She smiled at his tone, which clearly conveyed that he just couldn’t imagine anyone loving it.
“There’s a lot to love about it. It’s so different from the Cape, much louder and busier. But it’s home.”
Aidan pulled into her mother’s driveway and glanced at the back seat where Luke was sound asleep. “Please tell your mother I said hello. Looks like this guy is out cold. I should get him to bed.” He smiled softly at Riley. “It was a great day. Good night.”
“Good night, Aidan. Thanks again for today.” Riley almost hated for the evening to end. She’d enjoyed Aidan’s and Luke’s company more than she’d expected. She got out of the car and watched as Aidan backed up and drove off. Once they were gone, she felt a rush of loneliness that was confusing. She turned toward her mother’s house, where the cheerful glow of the Christmas tree glimmered through the living room window. It was warm and welcoming and Riley’s spirits lifted as she stepped inside.