Ember squeezed her hand. “That’s great news, isn’t it?”
Ally nodded. She had to press her lips together to stop herself from letting out a sob. Of course it was great news. It was such a damn relief. But there was still that self-loathing deep inside that seemed to be slowly eating its way out.
“She’s safe and that’s the main thing,” Brooke said, smiling at her. “Though I bet Nate will be reaming her out when he sees her. Man, it’s tough being a parent sometimes. One day we’ll all be talking like this about Nick and wondering where I went wrong.”
“It’s tough being a kid, too,” Ally said. “Poor Riley. First her mom dies, then she moves here and has to make a whole bunch of new friends. And now…” She couldn’t say it again. She could think it, though. Riley had been let down by the two people she thought she could trust.
“And now she’s safe.” Brooke finished the sentence for her in an entirely new way. “They’ll be back later and this will all be forgotten in a week.”
“I’ll be back in my apartment by then.” Ally smiled wanly. “That’ll be a good thing for everybody.”
“But you’ll still be seeing Nate, won’t you?” Ember asked. “This doesn’t change things between the two of you, does it? It’s embarrassing, yes, but it’s not the end of the world.”
“I don’t know.” Ally shook her head. “I guess we’ll have to wait and see what happens next.”
Maybe tomorrow she wouldn’t see that expression on Riley’s face every time she closed her eyes. The confusion that morphed into hurt and disgust before she turned on her heel and ran away.
Yeah, maybe tomorrow would be a better day. Because God knew that today was pretty much rock bottom.
25
Nate pressed the buzzer to his sister’s apartment, and glanced at the policeman standing next to him. He’d picked Nate up from the airport, driving him along the freeway to Kirsten’s apartment in Bay Village. The weather in Boston was a contrast to the warmth of Angel Sands, and he found himself shivering. And worrying about Riley once again. He could guarantee she hadn’t worn appropriate clothing.
“Hello?” Kirsten’s voice echoed through the speaker.
“It’s Nate.”
“Come on up.”
“Would you like to come, too?” Nate asked the policeman.
“No, sir. I’ll let you go see your daughter. I’ll call in to your local PD to let them know she’s safe.”
Nate reached for the man’s hand, shaking it vigorously. “Thank you,” he said.
“Any time.”
It only took a couple of minutes for him to catch the elevator up to the eighth floor, where Kirsten’s two bedroom apartment could be found. He knocked softly on the door and she opened it immediately, her lips curling up into a smile when she saw her brother standing on the other side.
“She’s in the spare bedroom sleeping it off,” she said quietly, standing back to let Nate into her apartment. “I don’t think she slept at all for the past day or so, and it’s caught up with her.”
“That makes two of us.” Every muscle in his body ached from a combination of the flight and the worry. But it was his head that hurt the most. The pounding headache that had begun with Riley’s surprise arrival back in Angel Sands hadn’t dissipated at all.
“You want to see her?” Kirsten asked.
“You read my mind.” The urge to check on her, make sure she was okay, was overwhelming. He’d spent the last five hours feeling completely helpless, buckled up in an airplane while his daughter was here in Boston.
“You go and I’ll go make us some coffee.” Kirsten walked into her small kitchen, leaving Nate in the hallway. He pushed the door of the guest bedroom open, just enough to look inside. Sure enough, there was Riley curled up on the bed, her face resting on her hands, her eyes closed as she rhythmically breathed in and out.
His arms twitched with the need to touch her. To hold her. To make sure she really was okay. But Kirsten was right, she needed this sleep. His own needs would come second.
“There you go.” Kirsten slid
the mug into his hands as he joined her in the kitchen. “It’s not Déjà Brew standards, but at least it has caffeine in it.”
“Just what I need.” He took a sip and closed his eyes as the bitter liquid coated his tongue. “This is damn fine coffee.”
“I bet you haven’t had anything to eat or drink all day.” She rolled her eyes at him. “Oh, and I made you a sandwich.”