“You can’t go back and forth like that, Elena. Don’t you see that’s the problem? You clearly want to run for governor. You were willing to lose me to do that. You can’t take it back now. If you want this, you need to do it. It will have to be without me. Even if I wasn’t with Kinsley, I still wouldn’t pretend to be your girlfriend just for a campaign.” She paused. “Now, I have to go. I’m packing a bag and staying at Kinsley’s tonight. I hope she talks to me and forgives me for letting you walk back into my life again, because this is the last time, Elena. You can stay tonight, but you need to find a hotel or something tomorrow. I’d like you to be gone by then. Good luck in the governor’s race.”
“What about the press? If they come here, what will you tell them?”
“Nothing.”
Riley moved quickly to her bedroom, tossed items for the night into a bag, and made her way back to the living room, where Elena was sitting on the sofa with a glass of her red wine.
“Riley, can–”
“I need my spare key, Elena.” Riley held out her hand. “You can lock up when you leave without it.”
“I guess this is your way of saying goodbye.”
“I said goodbye to you. I’ve done it a few times now, but this will be the last, yes.”
Elena reached into her purse, pulled out her keychain, and removed Riley’s key. She handed it to her and tossed her keys back into her bag.
“Goodbye, then.”
“Goodbye, Elena.”
Riley marched out of her apartment, got into her car, and drove to Kinsley’s. When she arrived, Kinsley’s car wasn’t in the driveway. She let herself in, checked the house, and realized she was alone. She gave Kinsley a few hours to be alone, made herself something to eat, and then texted her girlfriend. Kinsley hadn’t replied by the time she was ready to head to bed. She called, but Kinsley didn’t answer. She left two voicemails and fell asleep alone holding her phone.
CHAPTER 25
“How long do you plan to crash on my couch, hiding from your girlfriend, James?” Morgan asked.
“It’s been one night,” Kinsley replied as she sat up and stretched her now sore back. “And I’m not hiding from her.”
“That’s actually exactly what you’re doing,” Morgan replied, passing her a cup of coffee with a glare. “I can’t believe her ex has now just shown up multiple times.”
“I can,” Kinsley said, taking the cup. “I could just tell she’d be like that the moment I met her. Maybe even before I met her, when Riley was describing her to me.”
“But you’re not hiding?” Morgan sat down, moving the blanket Kinsley had used for the night. “How many times has she called? Texted?” She took a drink of her own coffee.
“I don’t know. I put my phone on do not disturb after I got here.” Kinsley took a sip and placed her cup on the coffee table.
“Is this about your parents? The cheating?” Morgan asked. “You know that just because that happened in their marriage, that doesn’t mean it’s going to happen in your relationship, right?”
“I’m aware. It’s just hard to go through that and not carry that baggage with you when you find someone you want to be with, Morgan. If you remember correctly, I also had a girlfriend do this to me once before.”
“Leave you for the ex? Yeah, I remember.”
“It’s not exactly fun, Morgan.”
“You’re a coward, James,” Morgan uttered teasingly while giving her the Morgan Burns patented side-eye.
“I’m not a coward. I’m just not ready to talk to her yet.” Kinsley laid her head back against the sofa. “I love her, Morgan.”
“Obviously.” Morgan took another drink. “Does she know that?”
“I haven’t said it yet, but isn’t it a little fast?”
“To feel it or to say it?”
“Both,” Kinsley replied.
“I don’t think there’s a ‘too fast’ or ‘too slow’ for something like that. I guess I’ve seen it a bunch of different ways now. I used to think that love at first sight was a ridiculous concept. Then, I thought that falling in love with someone after knowing them forever as friends was strange.”
“But you and Reese were–”
“I said used to.” Morgan winked at her. “I think it’s just different for everyone, and whatever works for you guys is what’s normal.”
“But I’ve had feelings for her a lot longer than she has for me. What if I freak her out?”
“I bet you’re already freaking her out by worrying about the ex after she’s told you a million times not to worry about her. She’s with you, James. If she wanted this Elena woman, she would have moved to Texas to be a governor’s wife.”
“Mistress, technically,” Kinsley corrected.
Morgan chuckled and said, “She chose you. I bet if you check your phone, you’ll have at least ten messages.”
“I don’t really want to check it,” Kinsley said.
“Because you’re afraid you’ll have no messages?” Morgan guessed.
“Yes.” Kinsley lowered her head. “Elena just seems like the kind of woman who could convince Riley to get back together with her.”
“But didn’t she try that already when Riley went to Dallas?”
“Yes, but this is, like, her version of a grand gesture.” Kinsley looked over at Morgan. “She just shows up with a crisis but tells Riley she’s willing to give it all up for her. She still has a key, Morgan.”
“To Riley’s place?”
“Yes.”
“That’s probably just because she didn’t get it back last time. Reese still has mine.”
“You and Reese are still friends that live, like, fifteen minutes apart,” Kinsley reasoned.
“True. Maybe she just forgot.”
“Doesn’t that say something, though?” Kinsley asked. “She forgot to get the key back because she didn’t really want it back at all.”
“James, you’re overthinking this. When I dated Mandy, she gave me a key after like three dates, because it was just easier. I still have it, despite the fact that we only ever went on five dates.”
“You still have some random woman’s house key?”
“Somewhere on my keychain.” Morgan shrugged. “I have like twenty keys, since the store has four keys just to run it. Then, I have my house key, the canoe rental shack keys of which there are many, the keys to the–”
“Okay, I get it.” Kinsley laughed. “Any other random keys from other women on there?”
“Just yours and Reese and Kellan’s place, which I’ve never used, for obvious reasons,” Morgan replied and stood.
“How are you with all that? We talked about it back when they first got together, but we haven’t talked about how you’re doing in a while,” Kinsley said.
“You’re changing the subject.” Morgan pointed at her. “But it’s better.” She shrugged for the second time. “It’s still a little strange, seeing the person you thought you’d share your life with sharing a house with someone else. But I’m not in love with Reese anymore. If anything, her relationship with Kellan has helped me get there sooner.”
“That’s good,” Kinsley said.
“And now, call your girlfriend.” Morgan pointed again. “Better yet, go home, James.”
Kinsley stayed on Morgan’s couch as Morgan moved to her bathroom to shower for the day. She sipped on the cooling coffee as she tried to figure out what to do. Had she overreacted about the key? About Elena just showing up and Riley allowing her to stay? She hadn’t thought so. To be honest, she still didn’t think she’d overreacted to the situation. They were finally together, and happily so. They were headed in a direction Kinsley never thought she would with Riley. When she first met the eighteen-year-old girl in college, Kinsley had been more than interested. Now, she’d fallen in love with Riley the woman. It was even better than she’d imagined.
◆◆◆
Riley had woken early to an empty bed and no messages from Kinsley on her phone. She did have
one from Elena, telling her she’d booked a flight for the following day since nothing was available today. That angered Riley, but she had to be more concerned about her current relationship than her past one right now. She texted Elena that she should still find a hotel room for that night, since she wanted her apartment back. She assumed Kinsley had decided to sleep in the guest room. She left the master bedroom and made her way toward it to discover it was empty, and the bed was made. She checked the rest of the house. She was alone. She went outside on the second story balcony and stared out at the view from the backyard. She could make out a sliver of the lake, but not much more.
It was then that she heard sounds she didn’t recognize coming from that direction. In the otherwise quiet neighborhood, they stood out. She went back into Kinsley’s bedroom, searched Kinsley’s drawers, and sought out a hooded sweatshirt she’d borrowed once before. It smelled of her girlfriend. She wondered how long she’d actually have that girlfriend now, given the mistakes she’d made and Kinsley’s reaction.
After dressing, she made her way downstairs and outside. She had yet to travel past the tree line in the backyard. They hadn’t exactly made outdoor activities a priority at the beginning of their relationship. Her face blushed at the memory of Kinsley slamming her body against the back door one day, with her fingers thrusting inside Riley. That was really as close as they’d gotten to spending any time outside unless they were on the balcony. Even out there, they’d made love once under the stars, unable to keep their hands off one another for too long.
She walked down the hill and into the trees, using the path provided. When she emerged, she was finally able to see the crystal-clear water and the pebbled beach just before it. She was also able to see Kinsley James unloading lumber from a giant pile that had been delivered at the beach’s edge, likely, by a truck.
“Kinsley?”
The woman stopped when she dropped a long piece of light-colored wood closer to the water. She glanced up and wiped her brow with her forearm, which enabled Riley to see the work gloves she wore. She also wore a pair of dirty jeans and a t-shirt. She had her hair pulled back and through a baseball cap.
“Hey,” Kinsley replied as if nothing had happened between them yesterday and everything right now was completely normal.
“Hey? Did you just ‘hey’ me? What the hell is going on?”
“I’m building a dock,” Kinsley said, motioning to the wood in the smaller pile in front of her.
“You’re what?” Riley moved closer to her, keeping her hands inside the front pocket of the sweatshirt she’d borrowed.
“Did I wake you?” Kinsley asked, moving to the other pile.
“No, you didn’t wake me. Kinsley, stop for a minute, please. Talk to me. Tell me what’s going on here.”
“I was able to get this wood wholesale this morning. It was a really great deal. Basically, half off.” Kinsley picked up two long boards, tossed them over her shoulder, and moved them to the other pile. Riley watched her arm muscles ripple as she dropped them down. It was difficult to keep her focus on the conversation they needed to have, because Kinsley looked pretty damn hot right now. “I found plans online, watched a few videos last night, and decided to get to work.”
“You’re building a dock?” Riley asked. “I keep forgetting you, basically, redid your entire house.”
“Ryan and Dave are going to help.” Kinsley moved back and forth between the piles again. “Dave’s a contractor. He helped with the house, too. That’s Stacy’s husband. You know her, right?”
“You know I have met both Stacy and Dave, Kinsley James.” Riley waited until Kinsley dropped two more boards before she walked around the pile and stood in her way. “Please tell me what’s really going on here.”
“The first time you came here, you asked me if I had a boat.”
“And you said no. So, I fail to see the sudden necessity for building a dock that will have no boat attached to it.” Riley motioned to the water beyond them.
“Morgan and I talked about that last night. She needs a place on this side of the lake to keep some canoes and kayaks for the store. Not all year, but during the summer, it would help them out. I told her she could use the dock as long as I could use one of their store’s speed boats whenever it’s not out there, giving lake tours. They have three. She’ll keep one of them here, too. It’s a win-win.”
“So, you were at Morgan’s last night?” Riley tried to pull out the most important thing from Kinsley’s response and bring it to the forefront of their conversation.
“I was.”
“Kinsley, I was worried. I was here last night, worried. I called a million times. I left messages. I know you were upset, but you could have at least told me where you were so that I knew you were okay. Did you even listen to my messages? Did you hear how concerned I was? Did that not make you want to just tell me to fuck off right now but that you’re okay?”
“I put my phone on do not disturb. I didn’t get them until this morning,” Kinsley replied, looking down at the ground. “And I figured I’d see you when I got home.”
“But you’re not home, Kinsley. You’re outside, building a dock for some reason.” She motioned again to the water.
“Dave’s lumber guy told me if I picked this stuff up this morning, I’d get the deal. But he also had someone else interested. I had to get it and then have someone unload it.”
“You act like that’s a good excuse for not at least telling me you were here,” Riley retorted.
“And you act like it’s okay that when I went by your apartment this morning just to see if you’d gone back, you weren’t there, but I noticed Elena Rivera getting into her rental car,” Kinsley replied. “And not to leave, Riley. She was pulling out another bag. She pulled out a bag and took it back inside, like she hasn’t left yet and still isn’t leaving.”
“She texted me this morning that she couldn’t get a flight out until tomorrow. I texted her back just a few minutes ago that she needs to find a damn hotel, because she’s not staying at my place tonight,” Riley said rather loudly. “You’d know that if you came inside your house and talked to your girlfriend,” she added and marched back off toward the house. “Have fun building your unnecessary dock, Kinsley.”
Riley marched off back toward Kinsley’s house, preparing herself to just grab her things and go. She wasn’t interested in this kind of drama. She’d already had so much of that in her last relationship. She’d thought Kinsley would be different.
CHAPTER 26
“Hey,” Kinsley greeted as she stood in the doorway of her bedroom.
“I’m just grabbing my stuff before I go home to my apartment to make sure my ex-girlfriend left my damn key on the counter and that she is no longer staying in my guest room. Then, I’ll get out of your hair,” Riley replied, bending over to reach for her phone charger she’d plugged in last night.
“I don’t want you out of my hair, Riles,” Kinsley said.
“What do you want? I’m not even sure if you know,” Riley retorted, shoving the cord into her overnight bag.
“I never expected you to actually want me, Riley,” Kinsley replied.
Riley stopped moving, turned her head to Kinsley, and said, “Well, I do. I want you. I want the woman who was there for me when I was trying to figure out what to do with Elena. I want the woman who ate naked with me on top of her kitchen island. I want the woman who told me I was worth more than what Elena would or could ever offer me. I want the woman who let me try to cook her dinner, knowing it likely wouldn’t turn out well. You would have eaten it anyway, wouldn’t you? Had Elena not interrupted that night, you would have eaten it and told me it was fine.”
“You tried so hard,” Kinsley answered with a smile.
“Kinsley, I want you.” Riley threw her bag over her shoulder. “I want to be with you, but I don’t want this jealousy you seem to have toward Elena. I understood it in the beginning. Elena and I were together and planning a future when you and I finall
y got close as friends. Elena and I aren’t together anymore. You and I are. You’re my girlfriend. God, Kinsley. You’re my damn girlfriend, and you keep treating me like I’m going to run off with a woman that asked me to be her fake girlfriend yesterday, because she still wants to be the first lesbian governor of the state of Texas.”
“She what?” Kinsley moved into the bedroom then. She’d removed the work gloves and her hat but was still covered in a light sheen of sweat. “She asked you–”
“You’re not helping your case there, Kinsley,” Riley replied.
“That’s not jealousy, Riley. That’s me wondering what the hell she could have been thinking, asking you that.”
“Well, she did.” Riley shrugged. “And I told her no and to leave. You just ran out and turned your phone off.”
“I didn’t turn it–”
“You stayed at Morgan’s last night, instead of coming here,” Riley interrupted.
“And that’s not jealousy?” Kinsley replied.
“You told me nothing’s going on there. Morgan told me she thinks of you as a sister. I trust Morgan more than you trust me, Kinsley. You don’t think there’s a problem here?”
“I trust you, Riley,” Kinsley replied.
“Do you? It doesn’t seem like you do. I watched a woman kiss you on the lips. You told me you pushed her away. You told me you wanted me. I believed you. I dropped it, even though watching someone else kiss you felt like a punch to the gut. I wanted to vomit. I’ve never felt that way before, Kinsley. Not in three years with Elena did I feel like I might throw up in a parking lot at the thought of someone else kissing her,” Riley said.
“I know. I’m sorry,” Kinsley replied. “Can we just sit down and talk? Have you had breakfast?”
Time of Day Page 18
