Once Cold. Блейк Пирс

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      Finally she said, “I don’t think so, Blaine. Things are just too complicated right now. Thanks for asking, though.”

      Blaine felt a pang of disappointment. Not only was Riley turning him down, but she didn’t seem to be leaving any future possibilities open.

      But there was nothing to be done about it.

      He watched the rest of the game with Riley in silence.

      Riley was still thinking about Blaine over dinner that evening. She wondered if maybe she’d made a mistake. Maybe she should have accepted his invitation. She liked him and missed him.

      He’d even invited Gabriela, which was sweet. As a restaurateur, he had appreciated Gabriela’s cooking in the past.

      And Gabriela had made a typically delicious Guatemalan meal tonight – chicken in onion sauce. The girls were enjoying it and chattering about this afternoon’s soccer victory.

      “Why didn’t you come to the game, Gabriela?” April asked.

      “You’d have enjoyed it,” Jilly said.

      “Sí, I enjoy the futbol,” Gabriela said. “Next time I will come.”

      This seemed to Riley like a good time to mention something.

      “I’ve got good news,” she said. “I talked to my Realtor today, and she thinks that selling your grandfather’s cabin should bring in quite a bit of money. It should really help with college plans – for both of you.”

      The girls were pleased and talked about that for a while. But soon Jilly’s mood seemed to darken.

      Finally Jilly asked Riley, “Who was that guy at the game with you?”

      April said, “Oh, that was Blaine. He used to be our neighbor. He’s Crystal’s dad. You’ve met her.”

      Jilly ate in sullen silence for a few moments.

      Then she said, “Where’s Ryan? Why wasn’t he at the game?”

      Riley gulped anxiously. She’d noticed earlier that Ryan had come to the house during the day to take his things. It was time to tell the girls the truth.

      “There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell everybody,” she began.

      But she had trouble finding the right words.

      “Ryan … says he needs some space. He’s – ”

      She couldn’t bring herself to say more. She could see by the girls’ faces that she didn’t need to. They understood all too well what she meant.

      After a few seconds of silence, Jilly burst into tears and fled the room, hurrying upstairs. April quickly followed to console her.

      Riley realized that April was accustomed to Ryan’s on and off attentions. These disappointments must still hurt, but she could handle them better than Jilly could.

      Sitting at the table with only Gabriela, Riley started feeling guilty. Was she completely incapable of maintaining a serious relationship with a man?

      As if reading her thoughts, Gabriela said, “Stop blaming yourself. It is not your fault. Ryan is a fool.”

      Riley smiled sadly.

      “Thanks, Gabriela,” she said.

      It was exactly what she needed to hear.

      Then Gabriela added, “The girls need a father figure. But not someone who will come and go like that.”

      “I know,” Riley said.

      Later that evening, Riley looked in on the girls. Jilly was in April’s room, silently doing homework.

      April looked up and said, “We’re OK, Mom.”

      Riley felt a flood of relief. As sad as she felt for both girls, she was proud that April was comforting Jilly.

      “Thank you, sweetheart,” she said, and quietly closed the door.

      She thought that April would talk to her about Ryan whenever she felt ready. But Jilly might have a harder time of it.

      As she went back downstairs, Riley found herself thinking about what Gabriela had said.

      “The girls need a father figure.”

      She looked at the phone. Blaine had made it clear that he would like to get their relationship going again.

      But what would he actually expect of her? Her life was packed full with kids and work. Could she really include anyone else in it right now? Would she just disappoint him?

      But, she admitted, I do like him.

      And he clearly liked her. Surely there had to be room in life for…

      She picked up the phone and dialed Blaine’s home number. She was disappointed to get his answering machine, but not surprised. She knew that his work at the restaurant often kept him away from home at nights.

      At the sound of the beep, Riley left a message.

      “Hi, Blaine. This is Riley. Listen, I’m sorry if I acted a little distant at the game this afternoon. I hope I didn’t seem rude. I just want to say, if your dinner offer still stands, count us in. Give me a call whenever you can to let me know.”

      Riley immediately felt better. She went to the kitchen and poured herself a drink. As she sat sipping it on the living room couch, she found herself remembering her conversation with Paula Steen.

      Paula had seemed at peace with the fact that her daughter’s killer would never be brought to justice.

      “It’s nobody’s fault, and I don’t blame anybody,” Paula had said.

      Those words now troubled Riley.

      It just seemed so unfair.

      Riley finished her drink, took a shower, and went to bed.

      She’d barely fallen asleep when the nightmares started.

      Riley was just a little girl.

      She was walking through some woods at night. She was scared, but she wasn’t sure why.

      After all, she wasn’t really lost in the woods.

      The woods were close to a highway, and she could see cars going back and forth. The glow from a streetlight and a full moon both lit her way among the trees.

      Then her eyes fell on a row of three shallow graves.

      The dirt and stones that covered the graves were shifting and heaving.

      Women’s hands clawed their way out of the graves.

      She could hear their muffled voices say …

      “Help СКАЧАТЬ