Know Me Well (Wishful 3)
“I just…I hope she’s not taking advantage of Matthew McSweeney.”
“Why should she be taking advantage of him?
“He’s an old Air Force buddy of my dad’s, and he made the egregious mistake of telling her at some point that if she ever needed anything, she should just let him know.”
“Most people don’t make that kind of offer if they don’t mean it, Ri. Besides, asking for a job isn’t the same as expecting some kind of handout.”
“I know. It just worries me. She’s barely been out of her last relationship a month. I don’t think she should be moving on to somebody else.”
“Do you think there’s something else going on?”
“She likes him. And why shouldn’t she? He’s a super nice guy. But she has a history of continuing to ask for things—especially from nice guys. And since she’s got that damsel in distress thing going on, they’re usually all too happy to give them to her.”
Autumn was quiet for a long moment “Which part of this bothers you more? That she doesn’t have a problem asking or that she has no problem accepting?”
“What?”
“I love you, but you’re terminally allergic to asking anybody for anything, and I know how much you despise anything you perceive as charity. Not everyone is like you, sweetie, and that doesn’t make them bad people.”
“I don’t think she’s a bad person. I just think she should take some more personal responsibility instead of always expecting someone else to bail her out and take care of everything.”
“And it sounds like she’s finally doing that. She came home, got a job right off. Has she asked you for anything since then? Other than to stay with you?”
Riley frowned. “Well, no, actually. Besides the fact that she just can’t seem to not talk to me in the mornings, she’s mostly been staying out of my way since the flood. I guess she realizes I’m about two inches from snapping.”
“Then maybe give her the benefit of the doubt. Maybe she really is turning over a new leaf. All that aside, you’ll feel better once the repairs are finished. Liam will make it right,” A
utumn assured her
“He’s certainly trying. He’s already replaced the water heater upstairs, and ripped open the walls and ceiling, but it’s still not dry enough to fix yet without danger of mold.” The chaos was getting to her. She could hear the drone of fans and dehumidifiers outside the office door.
“He feels really bad about what happened.”
Riley sat up. “You’ve talked to him?” Had he told Autumn about the kiss? Of course not. If Autumn knew about that, she’d have been on Riley’s doorstep as soon as he hung up the phone demanding to know why Riley hadn’t spilled the beans herself.
“Yeah. He’s kicking himself pretty hard.”
“It wasn’t his fault. He keeps saying it is, but it’s not like he’s psychic. He couldn’t have known the water heater would blow up.”
“Yeah, but since since when does Liam ever admit he isn’t all knowing, all seeing, and in control all the time?”
That would be the last time the Devil wore ice skates. So, never. They had that in common.
“Point taken. It’s going to be a big job when he gets to it, and I’ll probably have to close for a little while.” Riley couldn’t think about that. “The wood floors are ruined and have to come up. The bottom of the sheetrock has to be replaced. And the ceiling. There’s damage in the store room too, though, obviously, that’s lower priority. It’s…a mess.”
And that didn’t seem to phase him in the least. As her world had imploded, Liam had risen to the challenge and taken control. Which was exactly what he did, what he needed. A mission. Since things had gone all to hell for her, he seemed to have found a rhythm. Which was great for him. She just wished it hadn’t happened at her expense. Remembering what he’d said about not being sure if he was cut out for civilian life, she wondered if having a crisis to deal with would make him miss the Marines all the more or if he felt more settled.
Regardless, once he got started, he was going to be all up in her space. As if she needed more opportunity to feel awkward. In the wake of the flood, he hadn’t tried to talk to her about the kiss again, which was just as well. She didn’t need the added mortification of him trying to gently explain why he wasn’t interested. He hadn’t kissed her back. That was all the explanation she needed. Message received, loud and clear.
“I know it’s awful, and I know you’re stressed. But you will get through this.”
“I know. I know. This, too, shall pass. I just hope it passes before it bankrupts me.”
Jessie stuck her head into the office, bringing with her the perpetual wind tunnel the pharmacy had turned into. “Molly’s here.”
“Hey, I need to go. Molly’s here. I’m due to go work on the playground assembly at Waldrop Park.”
“Oh good. You need to do something away from work and home. Get your mind off stuff.”