Page 158 of The Woman By the Lake

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Riggs

Riggs sat slouched on the pads sitting in the furniture he built out of logs for his outside seating area, his feet up on the low table he’d also made, staring through the trees toward the lake and making a decision, because Nadia was right.

He didn’t have enough outdoor area, and none of it gave the best perspective to enjoy the view.

So that summer, in between commissions, he was going to build a deck.

He planned to set it a few steps down, so it wouldn’t mess up the view from the windows, doing this from a hole he was going to carve into the outside wall of dead space at the landing, which afforded the kitchen a view and separated the living room from the dining room. He was then going to install French doors that led out to a huge-ass deck with a walkway down to the pier.

Next year, he was going to build a balcony off his bedroom, and maybe another smaller deck off the guest room.

When that was done, his pad would be perfect.

It was Friday, early evening.

Maribeth had flown in on Wednesday, and Nadia had driven to Seattle to pick her up.

Riggs and Ledger didn’t meet Nadia’s friend until Thursday night, due to girl time and spa appointments.

He and his son had walked over for dinner, and Riggs had learned that Maribeth was just like Nadia, except petite, slim, Black, and unlike Nadia, who was making a pass at dressing like a nature girl instead of an heiress (and she sometimes failed), Maribeth obviously had money, and although she wasn’t in your face about it, she didn’t hide it.

She was also outgoing, smart as fuck, funny as hell, cool with him in a way he sensed also held some gratitude, and great with Ledger.

Though she was more of the outgoing part than Nadia, and Riggs reckoned it was only because Nadia had sustained the recent blows she’d been dealt. He’d caught glimpses of the brightness inside that had dimmed because of that shit.

Once she settled into a life without her mom in the world, she’d come back to herself.

He’d see to that.

They’d had a nice dinner, Riggs had expended the effort of tearing Ledge away from Gia, and they’d gone home.

That day, Murphy had shown, and Nadia and Maribeth left the men to it to have guy time. The women were coming over soon for drinks and dinner.

Riggs thought about Gia, and how she was with Harry, and how that gave him peace of mind.

Also how he knew Nadia thought she was going to get an invoice from Hutch, but she wasn’t, since Riggs had already paid for the dog and the training.

When she figured it out, it was going to be fun.

On this thought, he smiled before he lifted his bottle of beer to his mouth and took a sip.

He heard ice rustle and looked to the side to see Murphy pulling a fresh one out of the cooler that sat between them, but his eyes were on Riggs.

“I gotta talk Emma into moving back,” Murph declared. “The shit you piled on me when I met her and got lost in her, I can’t return if I’m in Cali. This woman I’m about to meet owns your dick, brother, and I gotta get mine back.”

“I was being an asshole back then, so have at it. I deserve it,” Riggs invited.

“Took everything I had to stop Em from coming with me so she could lay eyes on this Wonder Woman who tamed the Untamable Doc Riggs,” Murphy ribbed.

“She’s welcome any time,” Riggs returned before another pull on his beer.

“Yeah, I feel that, Riggs,” Murphy replied. “I remember not giving a fuck you razzed me unrelentingly. I knew I was going back to Emma, so what did I care?”

“I now see why it was so fucking frustrating I couldn’t get under your skin,” Riggs remarked.

“That’s why I’m gonna let you off the hook,” Murph announced. “Because, if I approve of this woman once I meet her, I can just be happy, after you had to put up with that bitch who fucked you over so goddamned bad, that you finally have a good one in your life and get it.”

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