The Inn at Misty Lake: Book Two in the Misty Lake Series (25 page)

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Susan didn’t answer Riley’s calls until Tuesday and didn’t return until Wednesday. It was Friday before they saw one another. Susan was busy making up for the extra days off from work and used it as an excuse to avoid stopping by the B&B. In truth, she was afraid. No matter how often she heard she didn’t have anything to worry about, that the fact that Riley had a son didn’t mean the relationship between the two of them had to change, and no matter how often she nodded and agreed, she couldn’t quite convince herself it was true.

They’d talked a few times, but Susan had kept the conversations short and the topics mostly business. She had asked about Ryan, whether Riley had seen him again and how it was going, but hadn’t encouraged many details. And she hadn’t asked about Lissa.

So on Friday evening when she pulled her car into the driveway and parked behind Riley’s truck, her nerves got the better of her and she sat for a long time. She knew she couldn’t keep avoiding Riley, it wouldn’t solve anything and, besides, she didn’t want to. She missed him but she worried things would be different. Of course they’d be different, she corrected herself. How different remained to be seen.

The first thing she noticed as she gathered her courage and made her way to the inn was the porch torn apart and the front door blocked off. She couldn’t stop the smile that spread across her face. She’d been anxious to have the old, rotting porch replaced, but knew it hadn’t been on the schedule for another month so couldn’t help but wonder if Riley had moved things around to please her. She took a moment to imagine how it would look when the work was completed and pictured the sign that Francie had given her, Sam had worked her magic on, and that now read ‘The Inn at Misty Lake’ hanging above bushel baskets full of flowers. It would be beautiful.

With renewed purpose, she wound around to the back door and peeked slowly inside to make sure the coast was clear before barging in and upsetting work in progress. Seeing no one, she stepped inside and gasped. Her kitchen was done. Not only was the tile work finished, but the cabinets were hung, the stainless steel work counter and sinks were in place with the ceiling-mount racks hanging over them, and even the appliances had been installed. Susan could only stand and stare. The room glowed, clean and shiny.

Slowly, she turned in a circle and took it all in. She ran her hand along the cool, smooth surface of the stainless steel refrigerator before opening it to look inside and marvel at the size. She walked to the range and examined the gas burners, opened the oven doors, and touched all the knobs and dials. She went to the sinks and played with the handle and the huge spray attachment. Not expecting the water to be connected, she got a surprise when she turned the nozzle and water gushed from the faucet. Giggling, she used her sleeve to wipe the droplets, not wanting anything to sully the appearance. She examined the brick wall on the far side of the kitchen facing the lake. It was clean and glowed a soft reddish brown in the late afternoon sun. She loved how it softened the look of the otherwise somewhat sterile, industrial looking room and made it homier. The room was, in a word, perfect.

How in the world had Riley gotten it all done? A week ago the floor was only about halfway completed, the cabinets were still packaged and in the barn, and the appliances hadn’t even been delivered.

Riley watched for a minute without Susan noticing him. All the tension and exhaustion built up over the past week seemed to melt away as he watched Susan walk through her kitchen, happier than she’d been in days. If only it could stay that way.

“Welcome back.”

Her first reaction was genuine. She heard his voice and turned, beaming and anxious to share her excitement with the person who mattered the most. She almost ran to him, but then she remembered. Remembered the wedge that had been driven between them and remembered that things weren’t quite the same.

“Thanks,” was her only response.

“What do you think?”

“It’s incredible. Perfect. How in the world did you get all this done in a week?”

“I haven’t been sleeping much.”

She looked closer and saw the dark circles under his eyes and the hollow cheeks. Apparently he wasn’t eating, either. “Riley…”

He waved aside her concern. “Are you sure you like it? I wasn’t positive on where you wanted all the overhead racks. I think this is what we talked about, but I can change anything you want.”

“It’s exactly how I wanted it. I can hardly believe it’s done. And you started on the porch. Seriously, Riley, have you done anything but work?”

Again he deflected her concern. “I just started on the porch today. The weather’s been decent so I decided to get going. Having it done will make it easier to move things in. Maneuvering around the broken boards was getting old.”

This time she went to him and looked him in the eyes. It was even worse close up. “Riley, you need to slow down. I’m thrilled with everything you’ve gotten done, but you can’t kill yourself. There’s time.”

Ignoring her concern, he said, “We need to talk, Susan.”

“I know. We will. First show me around?”

Riley nodded. A little longer wouldn’t hurt.

He showed her the tile work in the bathrooms and the wood floors he’d refinished in Pine Woods and Lakeview. In the bathroom in Northern Lights, he pressed his palms against the shower tile and gave her an idea of how the color-changing tile would look when the shower was running. Susan was delighted and Riley seconded her opinion when she deemed it super cool. Susan played around for a bit before they made their way back downstairs to the kitchen.

Riley eased into the conversation with something safe. “So, you had a nice visit with your family?”

“I did. Lauren is getting so big, I could hardly believe it. I guess I should have expected it since she’s the same age as Dylan but since I hadn’t seen her in a few months, it was a shock. She smiles all the time and has the most adorable dimples.” This she could talk about.

“I’m looking forward to meeting her. Do they have any plans to visit this summer or will they wait until the wedding?”

“I don’t think they’ll be here until the wedding. Mia is back at work and life is pretty crazy for them right now.”

When there was a lull, Susan realized that, before, silence between them had always been comfortable, not tension-filled as it was now.

Eventually, Susan broke that silence. “Have you spent much time with Ryan?”

“Yes, I’ve seen him just about every day. He’s really quite a kid.” Riley’s feelings were written all over his face.

“I thought so after the time I spent with him.” She waited but Riley didn’t offer any more. “How are things with his mother?”

Riley began to roam around the kitchen. On a sigh, he said, “It hasn’t been easy.”

“Oh?” It was all she could manage.

“She’s, well, she’s making some decisions about the future…about whether she’s going to stay in the area or head back home, wherever that may be.”

Susan just stared at him, her heart pounding in her chest. Something told her she wasn’t going to like what was coming.

“She’s talking about leaving, saying she’s not comfortable in Misty Lake, that people are talking behind her back, and that no one has made her feel welcome.”

“Small town, she probably should have expected that.”

Riley shrugged. “I’m worried about her leaving with Ryan. I don’t think she’s well and I’m not convinced she’s capable of taking care of him. She seems to be in a daze sometimes, she’s moody, forgetful, she doesn’t show much interest in Ryan’s well-being…I can’t help but worry.”

Susan thought back to her first impression of the woman and being fairly certain Lissa was an addict. It had only been a few minutes, though, and it was possible she had read Lissa wrong. While she didn’t feel any sense of loyalty to the woman, she didn’t want to falsely accuse her, either. “So what are you saying?”

“I don’t really know what I’m saying. I don’t want to leave here…I can’t leave here. My business, my family, my life is here. But I don’t know how I can let her take him away.”

“Leave? You’re thinking about leaving?” She could hardly get the words out.

When Susan’s eyes widened and the color drained from her face, Riley rushed to explain. “No, I’m not. I’m just trying to figure out what to do and she’s not making it easy. I don’t want to be thousands of miles away from my son. I’ve tried to convince her to stay somewhere nearby. Even if she’s not in Misty Lake she could be in Minnesota. She argued that she doesn’t know anyone and I guess I understand that.” Susan remained stony and Riley continued hesitantly. “She’s hinted that the only way she’ll stay in Misty Lake is if we are in some kind of relationship. She thinks that will keep people from talking and maybe even begin to accept her. I told her—”

“What?” Susan interrupted. “What do you mean, a relationship?” The words burned in her throat and came out shrill.

“There’s no relationship. There’s not going to be a relationship. I’m just trying to figure out how to keep my son in my life. Can you understand that?”

It was Susan’s turn to pace. Could she understand? She honestly didn’t know. Everyone she’d talked to—Sam, her mom, Mia, Cassie— had all said the same thing. The fact that Riley had a son didn’t mean their relationship had to change. They’d all told her, over and over, that things would work out, that she just needed to give it some time and be patient while Riley figured things out with the boy’s mother. Easy for them to say, they weren’t in the middle of it. They weren’t listening to the man they love talk about moving across the country or working on a relationship with another woman. She was supposed to understand that? And be patient? How? She turned back to face him.

“I don’t know, Riley. It’s a lot to process.”

“I know and I wish I could tell you more but things are just very unsettled right now.”

She didn’t like his answer, but his appearance worried her and she didn’t want be the cause of even more stress. “How’s Ryan handling everything?” It seemed easier to focus on the child.

“He doesn’t know what’s going on…at least I haven’t told him anything. I’ve just been trying to spend as much time as I can with him.”

“Did he know before they came to Misty Lake that you were his father? Is he old enough to understand what that means?”

“He doesn’t know. I’m not certain how he’ll take the news, but based on how he’s dealt with what sounds like quite a bit of disruption in his life up to this point, I have to assume he’ll take it in stride.”

“He doesn’t know you’re his father? They’ve been here for a week. Why not?”

“Lissa wants to wait until he’s comfortable with me, I guess. Although, like I said, nothing much gets to him. I agreed to go along with it until the paternity test is done.”

Susan snapped to attention. “Paternity test?  You’re not even certain he’s your son?” Susan’s voice was rising and she was unable to stop it. The absurdity of the situation struck her, and forgetting her earlier concerns, now wanted to scream sense into Riley.

“It’s not that I doubt it, I just want something official to prove it. Lissa doesn’t have his birth certificate or any other documentation with her so it seems like the logical thing to do.”

“Logical? I would say so,” she scoffed. “Why haven’t you done it yet?”

“Lissa said Ryan is terrified of the doctor and she wants him to get settled here before springing it on him. He’s due for a check-up, I guess, so she’s going to combine the two. She said she made an appointment for next week. She’s taking him to a clinic out of town to avoid gossip.”

“She’s taking him? Don’t you have to go along? I assume a sample is needed from you, too.”

“She’s taking him to a pediatrician. They will collect the sample there and send it to the lab that does the testing. I guess I can have a sample collected anywhere and forwarded to the lab.”

“Hmmm…”

“Listen, Susan, it’s just something to make things legal. If it comes down to a custody battle, I’ll need that on my side.”

Susan didn’t answer, just eyed him skeptically.

“Can we talk about us now? I’ve missed you so much. Can’t we try to get things back to the way they were before?”

“I’ve missed you, too,” she conceded, “but it seems like you have a lot to deal with right now. I think you need to take care of that before we can think about anything else.”

“No. It doesn’t have to be that way. I’ll admit there’s a lot going on, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have time for you…for us.”

She studied him. “When’s the last time you had a decent night’s sleep, Riley?”

He merely shook his head at her concern. “I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not. You look like you’re ready to fall down where you’re standing. Are you eating?”

“Of course, I’m eating.” He scratched his head as if trying to remember. “I had an energy bar this morning…maybe that was yesterday…I know I had an ice cream cone with Ryan last night...” he continued muttering and looking confused.

“Go home, have something to eat and get some sleep.”

“I’m picking up Ryan in about thirty minutes. Come with me? Please? He asks about you and about Gusto, I know he’d love to see both of you.”