Chapter 83 Finding Riley
Finding Riley
"Oh—ahhhhh!" Gray let out an enormous sigh as he slowly woke up in Daniel's spare room.
He couldn't believe how well he'd slept, considering everything that had been going wrong lately.
After their conch fritters dinner, he and Daniel had decided an early night was just what they needed.
They'd stopped by Riley's place to see if she'd made it back yet, but she wasn't there.
She'd probably gone out to drop Johnny's keys off and thank him for lending her the boat.
Maybe grabbing dinner while she was at it.
No need to fill her in on the craziness of the past few days; better to let her enjoy the rest of her day off.
"Dude! What is that noise you're making in there? Sounds like you're not alone!" Daniel called from his room across the hall, laughing as Gray continued groaning.
"Daniel, I don't know what magical sheets are on this bed, but that is the best sleep I've had in days! Pretty sure I'm making it official with you and moving in!" Gray joked, and both men laughed, knowing full well the only person Gray would actually move in with was Riley.
As they got up and got ready for the day, Gray hoped that Riley's trip had gone well. He was looking forward to hearing if she'd found any eagle rays. Her departure from the dock the other day had left things awkward, and he wasn't sure if she was upset with him or if he was just overthinking.
Grabbing their sandals, they headed out onto the porch that wrapped around Daniel's house.
Today was Marta's turn to drive. When Gray first arrived, he thought it was weird that even though everyone had their own vehicle, they still took turns carpooling.
But after a few weeks, he understood the benefit.
Not only did it save on gas, but each team that drove in together also ate lunch together.
Trainers on the first shift of the day would also organize the nighttime gatherings.
Marta pulled up a few minutes later, and Gray and Daniel filled her in on the previous night.
"Yeah, I couldn't stay there, not with all her stuff.
Who knows what she would have tried! I'd imagine accidentally crawling into bed with me again.
That was some crazy overstepping!" Gray said, shaking his head.
Marta, surprised to see Gray with Daniel that morning, agreed they'd made the right call after hearing everything.
"Well, I am looking forward to finding out about Riley's trip!
" Marta smiled in her rearview mirror at Gray, who was in the backseat.
She knew he was eager to see Riley, and Riley was the last pickup for the morning carpool.
But when they pulled up at her house, all three of them exchanged worried glances.
Riley was always outside, ready to go, and typically teasing whoever was driving about being late.
Today, she wasn't on her porch, and the house looked dark, with no lights on inside.
The only sign Riley was home was her Jeep parked out front.
"Hmm. I'm only a few minutes late; I was expecting her to be out here already." Marta pulled up beside Riley's Jeep, and the three of them headed for her front door. But when they got there and looked inside, they all gasped.
"Riley!" Gray yelled as Marta fumbled with the keys. Inside, on the living room floor, they could see Riley curled up in a ball with a very upset Bear draped across her. Marta unlocked the door, and they raced in.
"Riley," Gray said more softly as he kneeled beside her, Bear whining quietly, not leaving her side.
Riley slowly moved and looked up at Gray, and it surprised him—her eyes were puffy and bloodshot like she had been crying for days.
He tried to pull her into his arms, but when she realized who was beside her, she pushed herself up and shoved him away.
"What are you doing here?" Riley started to cry again, and Marta swooped in, gathering her friend into her arms. Daniel got Bear to move aside, while Gray stood there, unsure of what to do. There was so much anger in her eyes. What had happened?
"Riley, what happened? Why are you on the floor? It looks like you've been crying all night. Did your trip go badly?" Marta asked gently, smoothing Riley's wild hair. Riley just gaped at her.
"What happened to me? How about what Gray was up to? Nothing happened on my trip, but apparently, while I was gone, Gray made sure he wasn't missing out on anything." Riley pushed herself up, lunging at Gray.
"How could you?! If you wanted Shelley here, you should have just said so! Why did you pretend you hadn't asked her to come? I thought you weren't interested in her, but you sure made a fool of me. Get out!" She shoved him again, pushing him toward the door.
"What are you talking about? I don't want Shelley here, and I am definitely not interested in her." Gray's eyes pleaded with Riley. What was she talking about?
"Oh, that's great. So, you don't want her here, but you're fine shacking up with her and sleeping with her? Tell me, how long after I left did you wait before getting her to your house?" Riley broke down, sobbing again, and Marta held her tightly.
"Riley, what are you talking about?" Marta said firmly.
"The entire team has been trying to figure out how Shelley got here and uncover the lies she's been telling.
But Gray did nothing with her." Marta motioned toward Gray and Daniel.
"In fact, Gray stayed with Daniel last night because, to put it bluntly, Shelley is a hot mess.
" Marta held Riley's face, making sure she understood.
"But..." Riley sputtered, looking from Gray, who looked hurt, to Daniel, who was holding Bear, and then back to Marta.
"I went to Gray's place last night, and Shelley answered the door.
She was practically naked, and Gray, you were in the shower.
She said... I don't even remember exactly what she said, but it was obvious you'd been intimate with her.
So, I ran, and when I got home, I just couldn't think.
I must have fallen asleep on the floor." Riley's tears slowed, but she was still confused.
"I wasn't at my place yesterday, and I definitely did nothing with Shelley," Gray said gently.
"She must have seen you coming and decided to mess with you.
Oh, Riley, I'm so sorry! Daniel and I came by here last night, but you weren't home, so we assumed you were dropping off Johnny's boat keys.
I didn't think you'd gone to my place. We have so much to tell you.
" Gray stepped closer, and Riley let out a final sob before grabbing hold of him, letting him support her.
He hadn't broken her trust. She had taken Shelley's word at face value without knowing the full story.
"Come on, let's get you ready," Marta said, her voice gentle.
"We'll go to work, and compare notes from last night.
Then, fill you in on what's been happening.
My sweet friend, I'm so sorry you spent the night thinking such terrible things.
But this man here, he would never betray you.
" Marta patted Gray on the shoulder, giving him and Daniel a little push toward the door so she could help Riley get sorted before they left for work.
And Marta knew as soon as they rounded up Shelley, she'd have a lot to say.
No one hurt her friends. Not on her watch.