The Blind Date

And this one I know.

River parks his classic Beamer and gets out with a smile. “Ladies, are you out here awaiting my arrival?”

He hands Mom a bouquet of flowers, kissing her on the cheek. “No. If you must know, the gardener just left.” Mom throws me a side-eyed look of disappointment. Ugh, not disappointment!

“I think I’ll put these in water,” Mom tells River.

Once she’s in the house, River whispers, “Damn, what’d you do?”

“I didn’t go along with her matchmaking dreams. She hired a guy to come help plant corn in the garden and then called me over to help so we could meet. She’s out of control!”

“Corn? Mom never grows corn!”

I growl, “That’s what you got out of what I said?”

River grins and I realize he’s pushing my buttons. That’s what brothers are good for.

“So, is he a nice guy? I need to vet him if he’s going to be my brother-in-law. It’s in the big brother contract,” River teases, putting an arm around my shoulders.

“Shut up!” I squeal, pushing him off me.

River laughs and leans up against the boxes of memorabilia. I’m betting he has no idea what’s in the boxes with his name, the same way I don’t know what’s in the boxes with mine. More proof that they’re Mom’s memories more than ours.

“You staying for dinner?” River asks.

I shake my head. “I got the gardening call, so you must’ve gotten the dinner call. Besides, I’ve got a date.”

I want to take the words back as soon as they pass my lips. I should not have said that, but I was so distracted with the whole Kyle thing that it slipped out.

River smells blood in the water. Mine.

“A date? Who’s the lucky guy?” he asks, prodding gently and teasing for now. “The gardener?”

Your best friend!

But I can’t tell him that. I don’t want to tell him that. At least not yet.

“Oh, uh . . . nobody special,” I say, hoping it sounds believable.

It must work because River frowns. “Then you shouldn’t go out with him. You deserve the best, Riley. The most special.”

That’s . . . actually really sweet. I wonder if River thinks Noah is special. They’re best friends, so River has to see Noah’s good qualities.

I think about confiding in him, the words on the tip of my tongue.

It’s Noah.

But I don’t say it. That’s something Noah and I need to discuss and decide together. Especially since I think the big brother vetting might be a little more personal this time than some random guy Mom introduced me to.

“Thanks, River. Can we keep the whole date thing quiet, though? I don’t want to get Mom’s hopes up,” I joke with an eye roll.

“Maybe,” he drawls out. “What’s in it for me?”

He’s kidding. Sort of. “How about when Mom tries to match you up with the new seamstress who’s making the living room curtains, I’ll help you out too?”

River pales. “Is that really why she asked me to dinner?”

I shrug so I don’t have to lie. “Seems to be her MO today, so there’s no telling who’s gonna show up to your dinner. I’m sure you’ll like her, though. She’s probably sweet . . . and nice . . . and smart.”

River groans. “Those are all code words for ugly, Riley, and you know it.”

I hold my hand out. “I’ve got your back if you’ve got mine.”

He shakes on it, and I tell him goodbye, asking him to tell Mom bye for me too. Yeah, I’m a wimp, but I’ve got to get ready for my date, so I hustle to my car and nearly peel out before Mom wants to go over how I could’ve made a love connection with Kyle.

That distracted comment to River about my date is going to come back to bite me in the butt. I know that. But at least for tonight, I got out of there free and clear.

I’m halfway home before I realize that I didn’t take a single picture today and won’t have anything to post to push that drama-filled photo down in my feed. But I do decide right here and now that I’m not going to read those comments when I get home.

I’m going to get cleaned up and have a lovely evening with Noah. Without Mom’s interference, River’s interrogation, or my followers’ commentary.

Tonight is just for me, Riley Watson.

Chapter 14

Riley

We must be jinxed. It’s the only explanation.

Three nights.

Three long, straight nights, and still we haven’t been able to get what we both want.

I went into our date Sunday evening with every intention of being ‘I am Riley, hear me roar’ and doing exactly what I’ve been wanting to do with Noah.

The universe had other plans. Plans that had nothing to do with the dates Noah organized or our growing desperation.

I know he wants me. I can see the hunger burning in his eyes as soon as he sees me when he picks me up. And I can feel it haunting his kisses as he lets me off at the door. He knows I feel the same way.