“Hiya, Riles.”
Riley banged her head on the boot lid of the car she was changing the brake light on. She stood and rubbed at the spot she’d hit, feeling a lump already forming. She turned to see her best friend walk over to her.
“Kelsey? What are you doing here? You’ve only been out of hospital two weeks. You’re supposed to be on bedrest.”
Kelsey looked tired, even more so than when Riley saw her three days ago. Kelsey had come home two days after her operation and although she wouldn’t admit it, it had taken its toll. Jennifer had been keeping a close eye on her, not letting her get out of bed, and Riley visited when she could.
Pretending she wasn’t avoiding Jennifer would be a lie. The urge to pull her close and kiss her was so strong, Riley had taken to not going over to the sisters’ house as much as she normally would.
“I was going crazy just sitting around. Jen’s hovering hasn’t helped.”
“She’s just looking out for you. She’ll go mad if she finds out you’re here,” she warned.
“Well, we won’t tell her, then,” Kelsey said with a sly grin.
“How did you get out?” Riley wiped her hands on a dirty rag and studied her. Dark circles ringed Kelsey’s eyes, and her lips were dry and cracked. She didn’t look good at all, not like the vibrant woman she once was. A sickening feeling settled in Riley’s stomach.
“She had to go into work for a few hours. I took the chance to do a runner.”
Kelsey looked like she was about to pass out, her face had drained of colour and her step faltered. Riley took her by the elbow and guided Kelsey into her small office. She gestured to the ergonomic office chair. “Here, sit down.”
“So, how’s my best friend doing?” Kelsey asked once she was settled, resting her hand on her bump.
Kelsey was doing a good job of acting normal, but it wasn’t hard to see how much she struggled to catch her breath. The sweat gathering on her forehead also clued Riley in to how much of an effort sitting here was.
I should get her home, now. “I’m great,” she said instead.
“I’ve known you most of your life. Please don’t lie to me.”
No way was she going to add to Kelsey’s health problems. She looked like she could keel over at any moment. “I’m not lying, everything is fine.”
Kelsey raised her eyebrows. “I know you’re keeping something from me. What is it?”
Kelsey had always been too astute at reading her. She also wouldn’t miss the fact Riley hadn’t been to her house as regularly as she ordinarily was. Riley looked at Kelsey expectantly. Kelsey wouldn’t let it drop, she was too stubborn, so she might as well get it over with. The sooner she told Kelsey, the quicker she could get her home. She went to her desk and leaned back against it.
“The day of my dad’s funeral, my mother was waiting for me at my house when Jenny dropped me off.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah, that’s not all. It turns out Dad wasn’t my biological father. She had an affair. Dad found out and kicked her out.”
“But he said he had an affair?”
“I know. I don’t know if he was trying to protect me from the truth or maybe he did after he found out about me. She said he hit her, kicked her out, and forbid her from seeing me. I don’t know how much of that is true and I really don’t care anymore. What has pissed me off is it turns out she married my biological father and they now have a son. I have a nine-year-old brother.”
“Wow.” Kelsey leaned forward, as much as she could with her bump in the way, and grasped Riley’s hand. “How come you didn’t tell me any of this?”
“How could I? You have your own things happening at the moment and I didn’t want you worrying about me.”
Kelsey looked hurt. They had never kept secrets from each other, and this was a pretty big announcement. If Riley were in Kelsey’s shoes, she’d be majorly pissed off too.
“You’re my best friend. You should have told me; I could have helped you.”
“I know. But it’s okay. I talked to Jenny about it. She was a great help.”
“Jenny? You’re blushing.”
Seems like Jenny isn’t the only one with a blushing problem. “Yeah. We kinda, sorta, maybe, might like each other.”
“I knew it! She said you were getting along, and I know when you’ve been at the house you two haven’t argued, but I never thought it was more than you trying for my sake. I want details.”
Riley moved away and stood at the other side of the small office. How could she put into words her feelings for Jennifer? She was in danger of falling in love with her, if she hadn’t already, but they were far from being at that stage. She wasn’t even sure if a relationship was something Jennifer was looking for. Just because she said she was attracted to her didn’t mean Jennifer wanted to pursue it. “There isn’t much to tell. We’ve chatted a few times, flirted, admitted we’re attracted to each other, but it hasn’t been more than that.”
“Why not? What’s stopping you both?”
Riley didn’t answer, truly because she didn’t know.
“Is it me?” Kelsey asked.
“Jenny has a lot to cope with right now. Work, studying, and yes, your health and the little one on its way. I also have stuff to figure out myself. It’s just not the right time.” It was a lame excuse, but it was true: they did have a lot going on. Maybe once everything was sorted they could try.
“There will always be things standing in the way. You can’t let that stop you from being happy.”
“There’s no rush. Besides, we’ve only been getting along the last couple of weeks. We’ve spent seventeen years fighting. It’s a new dynamic we’re both adjusting to.”
Kelsey slowly stood and went to Riley, shaking her head. “I can’t believe you never told me any of this.”
“Kelsey Marie Wilson! Get your ass back home now!” Jennifer’s tone was furious.
They turned to look out the window of the office. Jennifer stood by the garage door, hands on her hips, her face a deep red. Even pissed off she was beautiful. She strode into the office, not once looking at Riley. The dismissal stung.
“Jen, what are you doing here?” Kelsey asked.
“I got back home and saw your car missing. I might have known you’d be here.” She shot a glare at Riley. “You’re aware she’s supposed to be on bedrest?”
“Not her fault. She didn’t know I was coming.”
“Well she should have sent you home the minute you arrived.” She looked back to Riley. “Do you really want her falling ill again?”
Jennifer had every right to be angry. Kelsey hadn’t been home long, and her preeclampsia was a serious problem. But Kelsey was stubborn. Riley couldn’t make her do anything. Feeling the need to defend herself, Riley said, “That’s not fair.”
“Shit. I’m sorry. I’m just worried about her.” Jennifer’s face softened as she gave Riley a sad smile.
Her first reaction to Riley was always anger. Just because they were attracted to each other didn’t mean that would suddenly change. Riley had to face the fact that they probably wouldn’t have a future.
“I’m leaving now anyway.” Kelsey glanced at Jennifer. “And yes, I’ll go straight home.” She turned back to Riley. “Come by and see me when you’ve finished work. I want to know about the ass kicking you’re about to get.”
“Thanks,” she said dryly. “Do you want one of us to give you lift? You don’t look to great.”
Kelsey waved her hand in the air, dismissing her. “Nah, I’ll be fine.”
“Are you sure? I’d feel better if you let us take you.”
“Stop fussing.” She turned on her heel and walked away.
Riley watched as Kelsey slowly made her way back to her car. After she had pulled away, she looked at Jennifer, who was studying her intently. She wondered if Jennifer was trying to calm the urge to have a go at her again. “Before you start, I swear I didn’t know she was coming.”
“I know. I’m sorry. I just don’t want anything to happen to her.”
“Me neither. So, how have you been?”
“Distracted.”
Riley approached her and took her hand, glad Jennifer didn’t pull away. Perhaps there’s hope for us yet. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. It’s been hard not to touch you when you’ve been at the house, which is less than I would have expected you to have been.”
“It’s hard to be around you for the same reason, so I kept my distance as much as I could.”
“Kelsey misses you. I guess that’s why she came here today.”
“She knows about us.”
“I figured she did. So now she does, perhaps you can go back to coming over all the time? To see Kelsey of course.”
Riley grinned. “Of course.” An idea formed and she prayed Jennifer would agree. It would be a true test if she was willing to see if they had anything between them. “What are you doing Thursday night?”
Jennifer furrowed her brow. “Studying probably. Why?”
“I want to take you out, on a date.”
A huge smile blossomed on Jennifer’s face. “That would be lovely, as long as Kelsey agrees to behave and not abscond again.”
“I’ll make her promise.”
“Okay. Thursday it is. I’ll see you before then, though, right?”
“Definitely.”
“I better go before the urge to stay gets worse.”
“Okay.” Riley watched her leave, her gaze glued to the sway of Jennifer’s hips. She was heading for trouble. Her crush had turned into full-blown lust and she hoped Jennifer was feeling it too. It would be just her luck to fall in love for the first time only for it not to be reciprocated. Jennifer had always been out of reach, a silly daydream. The possibility of actually being with her rattled Riley, but in a good way.
†
“Wow. You look nice,” Kelsey said as Jennifer walked through her bedroom doorway. She was propped up in her bed, gossip magazines spread over her lap.
“Thanks. It’s not too much, is it?” Jennifer looked down at herself. It had taken her two hours to decide what to wear on her date with Riley. She finally settled on a lime green summer dress that stopped mid-thigh. She hoped the colour would remind Riley of the bikini she wore the day Riley noticed her for the first time.
“You look hot. Riley will blow her cool the second she sees you.”
Jennifer ran her fingers through her hair, making the soft waves bounce around her shoulders. “God, I’m so nervous. It’s been ages since I went on a date.”
“And your first with a woman.”
“Yes. And with Riley no less. Nothing like starting simple.”
Kelsey threw off her covers and slowly rose to her feet and crossed to Jennifer. Taking her hands in her own, she said, “You’ll be fine. You know her. You’ll go out, have a nice time, and hopefully not murder each other.”
“Are you okay with this?” She needed to make sure that dating her sister’s best friend would be okay. She didn’t want to make Kelsey feel like she was stealing Riley. Not that anyone could separate the two of them. Their friendship was the strongest one Jennifer had ever seen. It had made her jealous all these years, but all the responsibilities she’d had, had kept her from making many friends.
“What? You going out with Riley? I’m completely fine with it. I’ve been trying to get you two together for years.”
Kelsey sat on the edge of the bed, looking exhausted from standing. Jennifer thought about cancelling tonight. She wouldn’t be able to forgive herself if something happened to Kelsey. Then she shook her head. Kelsey would be fine. She had a phone and would call if there was a problem. Jennifer sat next to her, careful not to wrinkle her dress.
“How did you even know I liked her?”
Kelsey looked at her as if she were dumb. “It wasn’t hard to figure out. You spent so much time going off at her, it made sense you were deflecting your true feelings.”
“I can’t believe it took me so long to figure it out. And you’re sure you don’t mind, your sister and best friend?”
Kelsey took her hand again. “I just want you two to be happy.” Her smile was sad, and Jennifer wondered if Kelsey wasn’t telling her something. “And if that’s you two together, then I’m all for it.”
“Are you sure you’ll be okay tonight?”
“I’ll be fine. I’m going to order a pizza and binge-watch Netflix all night.”
“No more running around the neighbourhood?”
“No, I promise.”
Jennifer stood, smoothing her hands over her dress, making sure it settled right and wasn’t tucked into her underwear, because that had happened once before and was highly embarrassing. “You make sure you call if you need anything.”
The doorbell dinged, and her pulse rocketed. Her palms began to sweat as the realisation that she was going on a date with Riley finally hit her, hard. “She’s here.” She had never been this anxious about a date before. She didn’t think she could go through with it. “Oh, God.”
“Calm down,” Kelsey said, trying her best not to laugh but failing. “Just enjoy yourself.”
With a nod, Jennifer said, “I’ll see you later.” She casually walked down the stairs, resisting the urge to rush. She might have a whirlwind of butterflies in her stomach, but Riley didn’t need to know that. She opened the door and all her breath left her in a long whoosh of arousal. Riley stood there, all brooding and sexy. She wore dark jeans, which looked new, and a crisp white shirt under a grey waistcoat. Her hair was gelled back off her face.
“Hey,” Jennifer murmured, her voice coming out gravely.
Riley stared at her, mouth hanging open, making Jennifer feel all kinds of self-conscious.
“Are you okay?”
Riley cleared her throat. “You, um, look amazing.”
“Thank you.” Jennifer smiled, her gaze travelling over Riley’s body. “You look very handsome yourself.”
“These are for you.” Riley held out a pouch full of bonbons, a red ribbon cinching the cellophane.
“My favourite.” She took the pouch and clutched it to her heart. “That’s so sweet.”
“Are you ready to go?”
“Yes.” She looked behind her to see Kelsey sitting on the top step of the staircase, watching them, looking very pleased with herself. “Bye, Kelsey.”
“Bye, you two. Have her back by midnight.”
“Goodnight, Kelsey,” Riley said.
They walked down the path to an Audi R8 Jennifer had never seen before. She wondered if Riley had rented it for the evening.
“Sorry, she’s rather enjoying this,” Jennifer said.
Riley opened the door for her. “I am too.” She gestured to the car with her chin. “I didn’t want to pick you up in my dirty truck. A customer owed me a favour and let me borrow it.” She went around to the driver’s side and slid into her seat. The engine roared to life and they were on their way.