Second Chance at the Riverview Inn (Riverview Inn)

On her phone she had the email all written with both Jo and Micah in the address line.

This was business, she was aware. But she still felt flushed. Excited.

“Come on, Helen,” she breathed. “Be a grown-up.”

She hit Send.

Within minutes there was a reply from Micah. Breathlessly, she opened it.

You drive a hard bargain, Helen. This all looks good to me, I’ll see you there.

Right.

She stared at the words, stunned at how easy he made them seem like friends. The underlying intimacy, all while being completely businesslike. See? Take a page from—

A text message binged on her phone.

From Micah.

You’re awake?

I am, she responded, her heartbeat in her throat. How are rehearsals?

Great. Miguel’s back. He brings a good energy. How are you?

If she wrote, I miss you, what would happen? Anything? Would he shut her down? Maybe that would be a gift, putting an end to this little infatuation.

I miss you, she wrote.

Silence on his end. Not even three dots. Well, she thought, there’s the—

Her phone rang. It was Micah, and she was so surprised she accidentally dropped it in her blankets, and then it got lost for a second and by the time she answered it she was sure he’d have hung up.

“Hello?”

“Helen.”

Just his voice in her ear changed the chemistry of her whole body. She was a puddle in this single bed. “You left,” he said. “Without saying a word.”

“I know. It just…seemed easier.”

“Was it?”

Nothing about this week had been easy. She’d missed him every step of the way. “No,” she said. “I barely know you and I miss you.”

“Barely know me?” he laughed. “You know more about me than just about anyone in the world, Helen.”

He made it seem so simple. Like the time frame didn’t mean anything. Like his rock-star status and her single-mom-living-with-her-parents status didn’t mean anything.

“I’m moving out,” she said.

“Really? Where are you going?”

“Just an apartment in Catskill but…not until after the picnic. There’s just too much going on before that.”

“What does Bea think?”

She loved that he asked about her. It was the smallest thing, but she just loved it.

“The complex has a pool, so she’s happy.”

“Good,” he said. “You both deserve to be happy.”

“How are things with your brother?”

“We’re working on it. Hey,” he said. “I have to go, we’re about to go back into rehearsal.”

“It’s midnight!”

“Well, it’s not like we start at dawn, you know what I mean? But listen…can I call you again? Tomorrow night?”

“Sure,” she said. “Of course.”

“It’s a date,” he said.

The Next Night

“I prefer disco?”

“That is what he said. In, like, the thickest Russian accent I’ve ever heard. I prefer disco.”

“And he’s a bodyguard?” she asked. “With a twin brother? And you’re okay with it?” She rolled over onto her side in her bed. She’d turned the light off on her bedside table and now was in a quiet, dark cocoon full of his voice.

“Well, the disco is a bit much. But having a body man again is a good thing. My brother and I need help getting over some bad habits. I think this will help.”

“That’s very grown-up of you,” she said. “I can’t be around to bail you out of jail all the time.”

“Well, that’s a shame. Maybe we should do it once more, for old times’ sake?”

“You got a strange idea of fun, Micah.”

“You loved it. Don’t pretend.”

She couldn’t. She couldn’t pretend. Or lie. “I had so much fun,” she said.

“So, when you are factoring me in for the picnic, please factor in my new shadow, Ivan.”

“His name is Ivan?”

“It’s very cold war around here,” he laughed. “But he’s a nice guy. He was an Olympic wrestler.”

“This gets weirder and weirder.”

Everything was weird. These phone calls were strange. Her feelings were freaking her out

She was falling in love with him. It was happening and she didn’t know how to stop it. She didn’t want to stop it.

“Micah,” she said. Why are you calling me? Why are you doing this? Do you feel what I feel? Am I wrong? Am I crazy?

“Hey, sorry, Helen. I have to go,” he said after some noise on his end of the line. “Tomorrow night?”

“Sure.”

The Next Night

“You sent out the press release about the picnic,” Micah said.

“We sold out of tickets in ten minutes, Micah,” she said. It had been a wild day. She’d sent out the press release and put up all the social media, tagging Band of Outlaws and Micah’s Instagram and TikTok accounts, and almost immediately Micah did an Instagram live about the picnic and what Haven House did, and then everything went out of control.

“That’s good, right?”

“We’re going to need more food. More drinks. More security,” she said with a laugh.

“Do you need help with that? Financially?”

“You have done more than enough. You changed the game for us, Micah. I don’t know how to thank you.”

“You did it, Helen. With all your blackmail. How are all the preparations going?”