Dateline Matrimony (Hot off the Press! 3)

He hadn’t been to the diner for breakfast since she’d become his tenant.

She’d seen his uncle as much as she had Riley. Bud made a point to greet her and the children each time he stopped by to see his nephew—three or four times since she’d moved in. Trying to speak as offhandedly as Serena had, she said, “Riley and his uncle are taking Mark fishing tomorrow. Mark’s so excited he can hardly wait.”

Marjorie nodded. “I heard Mark talking to Cameron about the fishing trip. I wasn’t surprised. Bud loves fishing and children. He’s been an honorary uncle to a lot of boys in this town. I always thought it was a shame he never had children of his own.”

“He and Riley seem close.”

“They’ve always been close, especially since Riley’s parents retired to Florida. Riley stays in contact with his parents and visits them in Florida a couple of times a year, but he seems to enjoy having his uncle Bud close at hand.” Marjorie sipped her coffee, then added, “You needn’t worry about your son when he’s with Bud and Riley. They’ll take good care of him.”

Teresa wondered if Marjorie had read her mind. It hadn’t been easy for her to give permission for Mark to go on this fishing trip—for several reasons. One being that she didn’t want to infringe any more than necessary on Riley’s personal time. But he and Bud had been the ones to make the offer, she reminded herself.

“I do tend to be overprotective of my kids,” she admitted. “But I know Mark misses having a man in his life, and he’ll enjoy spending an afternoon with Riley and Bud.”

“I was always overcautious with mine, too,” Marjorie confessed. “It’s hard not to be when you read the newspapers. But you can trust me when I say that your son will be completely safe with Riley and Bud O’Neal. I would tell you if I had any reason to believe otherwise.”

“Thank you. I’d already decided it would be all right or I never would have told him he could go. But it’s nice to have you confirm my decision. There’s no one whose judgment I trust more than yours.”

A burst of laughter came from the den, Cameron’s deep chuckle blending with the children’s high giggles. The women all smiled. “The kids are getting kind of loud,” Teresa commented.

“They aren’t half as loud as Riley gets when he plays the game with Cameron and Dan,” Marjorie said, then immediately asked, “so, how are you and Riley getting along?”

Uh-oh. That was a well-intentioned matchmaker’s smile if Teresa had ever seen one. Surely Marjorie didn’t think Riley O’Neal was a good match for a single mother. She kept her tone casual when she replied. “We get along very well. We always nod and smile when we cross paths.”

That didn’t seem to satisfy the older woman at all. “I would think you’d see quite a bit of each other, living right next door the way you do.”

“We’ve both been busy,” Teresa answered vaguely. “Riley has his work, and I have mine. I make sure the children don’t encroach on his time or property, though he often wanders out to talk to them when they play in the backyard.”

“And does he ever wander over to talk to you?”

“Mother,” Serena murmured warningly.

Marjorie widened her eyes the way she always did when she was trying to look innocent. “I’m just asking.”

“I know what you’re doing. And so does Terry. Leave her alone.”

Marjorie sighed wistfully. “But they make such an attractive couple. And Riley seemed so taken—”

Serena shook her head, then looked wryly at Teresa. “She’s shameless.”

“In this case, she’s also misguided.” Teresa softened the comment with a smile, but she meant every word of it.

Marjorie seemed about to say something in her own defense but was interrupted when Mark burst into the room. “Mom, you have got to see this game. It’s so cool. And Cam’s the best player I’ve ever seen.”

Relieved at the distraction, Teresa allowed herself to be towed into the den to watch the play.

She only hoped Marjorie had gotten the message. But she had a foreboding that it wouldn’t be the last time Marjorie tried to nudge her in Riley’s direction.

Chapter Six

Mark was sitting on the front stoop of his side of the duplex when Riley stepped outside his door early the next afternoon. “Hi, Riley! Is it time yet?”

Riley couldn’t help but grin in response to the boy’s eagerness. “Almost. As soon as Bud gets here. How long have you been sitting there?”

“Just a little while. Mom was getting tired of me asking her if it was time yet, so she said I could sit here and wait for you to come out.”

Riley noted the boy was dressed appropriately for the outing in jeans, sneakers, a pullover and a thin jacket. A Tennessee Titans cap rode low on his forehead, shading his face from the sun.

“What are your mom and your sister going to do while we’re fishing?”