Page 40 of Rescuing Riley
Chapter Fifteen
The driveinto the city was horrible. Boston had traffic, but not like the Bay Area. The cars were backed up for miles on the Golden Gate Bridge.
Josh had said rush hour started at five in the morning and that by nine, most commuters were at their desks.
The clock in the car read 9:15 a.m. He’d been so wrong.
Maybe summer vacation was responsible for all the traffic. The GPS indicated that Riley had thirty minutes to her destination, which was a short five miles away.
Taking in a much-needed breath, Riley gripped the steering wheel as she hit the gas, only to move an inch before she pumped the brakes. It had been like that for the last forty minutes.
Traffic was the bane of her existence. Maybe she should find a place in the country, away from the bustle of the city—any city.
You love the energy, the atmosphere, and the fast-paced city life.Riley had grown up listening to horns blowing outside her bedroom window and the noise of engines purring at all hours of the night.
The marine layer hovered over the city in the distance, and the temperature was a cool fifty-five degrees. Riley pushed the down button to crack a window then closed it quickly when too much exhaust from the cars suddenly filtered in.
She had plenty of time to think about what she would ask Taylor, and the more Riley noodled on everything the woman had told them, the more something bothered her. Taylor hadn’t sounded as concerned as Riley and Josh were about Liza. It almost sounded as though she knew Liza was fine. Riley wasn’t holding out hope that Taylor would tell her anything. But if Taylor was being loyal to Liza, there was something commendable in that. But by golly, if Taylor knew anything, Riley would do her best to yank it out of the woman.
Riley pumped the brake when her phone rang and shut down the radio. Then she hit the connect button.
“Riley, it’s Josh. Did you make it?”
Riley giggled. “Um, no. I’m sitting on the bridge in traffic. You’re worried about me, aren’t you?”
Quietness ticked over the line. Riley had to look at the screen of her phone to see if they’d gotten disconnected. “Josh, are you there?”
“Yes, I’m worried. I hate that you’re doing this alone.”
She warmed at the knowledge that Josh was worried about her. But she couldn’t sit around anymore and wait for information on Liza.
“What time is your dad’s appointment?” Maybe Riley could take his mind off of her.
“In about an hour. But I want you to call me after you speak with Taylor.” His voice was deep and husky, causing the butterflies in Riley’s stomach to take flight. He also sounded as if he were the leader of an army. She imagined some of his Navy SEAL training was idling on the surface, waiting to come out and take charge.
“Yes, sir,” she teased.
“And Riley,” he said softly that time. “After we find Liza, would you like to get dinner and go to a movie?”
Those butterflies fluttering around in her belly went wild. Riley wanted to blurt out “yes, yes, yes.” But a little voice in the back of her mind was cautioning her. She had to get back to Boston and her job soon. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could stay. Her assistants were doing a great job filling in for her, but they could only do so much for so long. Moreover, Riley had the wedding of all weddings coming up in about a month. The mayor of Boston’s daughter was getting married. Riley had been fortunate to secure that contract two years ago. She had to be there and not just for the wedding day. The two weeks prior to a wedding were always an extremely busy time to get every detail ready for the big day.
“Can we find Liza and then talk?” He had to know that she was returning to Boston.
Silence ticked—one second then two. “Sure.” Disappointment laced his tone. “My dad is calling me. Talk soon.” Then the music filled the car.
The last thing she wanted to do was hurt Josh or get hurt herself.
One date doesn’t mean marriage.Maybe not, but it could lead to feelings that they couldn’t explore if they were on opposite ends of the country.
Riley tuned in to the radio as she inched another foot. She couldn’t think about her love life, so instead, she ran through some questions in her head that she would ask Taylor when she arrived.
After forty-five minutes, Riley was walking into Stitches, Inc. Her body was tense from the stop-and-go traffic, and it didn’t help that she’d been gripping the wheel so tightly, she thought her fingers were going to fall off.
Candace, the receptionist who’d caught Josh in Liza’s office, was sitting at the reception desk. When she lifted her blue eyes and found Riley, she winced. Then a scowl formed.
Riley imagined someone had reprimanded the woman or at least Taylor had told. Either way, Riley didn’t regret what Josh and she had done. She would’ve done anything to find her best friend.
Candace stood up, smoothing a hand down her soft, gray, sleeveless dress. “Liza isn’t here.” Her lips were pursed so tightly that her red lipstick cracked.
