Page 102 of The Vacation Mix-Up
“No, not today.” I push off from the counter and give him an appreciative nod. “Thank you. You’ve been very helpful.”
He straightens his shoulders again and smiles. “My pleasure.”
Once I leave the desk, I head back to the cabin but pause before opening the door, remembering to knock first.
“Come in,” Riles calls out, stepping in from the balcony as I enter the room. “Oh! It’s you!” She cocks her head, her puffy eyes amused. “You remembered to knock.”
“I did.” I smile.
Chewing the inside of her cheek, she wrings her fingers together. “Thank you.”
“No sweat.” I slump onto the sofa and stretch my legs out. “How are you feeling? Because if you need more time, I can disappear for longer.”
“No. Please don’t leave on my account.” She takes a seat beside me, angles her body in my direction, and presses her knees together, her hands resting on her lap. “I feel… okay. A little embarrassed, but okay, I guess.”
“Why are you embarrassed?”
“Because you caught me talking to my deceased mother.”
“And?”
She looks down at her hands. “And that’s embarrassing.”
“No it’s not. I still talk to my dad.”
“You do?”
“Yeah, when I’m in the workshop. And I swear the stubborn bastard talks back to me, especially when I screw up the job I’m working on.”
She lets out a mild laugh, and my heart dances a little.
“I swear Mom talks back to me as well.”
Not sure whether now’s a good time to playfully bait her, I decide to do it anyway. It’ll probably backfire on me, but if it takes her mind off her sorrow, it’ll be worth it. “What did she say when you told her about the kiss? By the way, you weren’t an… how did you put it? An overexuberant donkey?”
Riles’s cheeks bloom as pink as Poppy’s bedroom walls, her mouth forming an O. “You heard that?”
I try not to gloat but fail. “I did.”
“What else did you hear?”
I scratch my head. “Can’t remember.”
“Oh my God!” She shoots to her feet, pacing while she buries her head in her hands.
I chuckle; I can’t help it.
“It’s not funny, Riley. You should’ve knocked like you just did. It’s the rule, damn it!”
“Yeah, one you broke as well, remember?” I grin like a greedy fucker, remembering the way her eyes practically licked the droplet of water from my chest.
She stops pacing. “Let’s not talk about that.”
“Why not?”
“Because there’s nothing to talk about.”
I call bullshit. She likes me; I can tell. But I need to tread carefully, for her sake more than mine.
