Riley's Reverend

by Kirsten Osbourne

  “I’ve seen the two of you interact, and I don’t think you would say anything positive unless you meant it. I can’t wait to hear her sing.”

  “She’s truly amazing.” Riley shrugged. “My cousins and I have very varied talents, but we all have something. I like to write poetry, but don’t tell anyone. My sisters would tease me mercilessly.”

  “Isn’t that what sisters are supposed to do?”

  “It’s certainly all I’ve seen from my sisters.” Riley shook her head. “Actually we’re all really close. When Bobling comes home, we’ll be a complete set once more.”

  “What are his plans after the military?” Blake asked.

  “I think he’s planning on doing some personal training. He’s really good at that stuff. We have a gym in the hotel, where he has a standing job offer. I think he’ll take Dad up on it as soon as he’s home.”

  “Interesting. Maybe I’ll work with him. My father died of a heart attack a few years ago, and he was way too young for that.”

  Riley frowned. “My dad had one last summer. It was awful.” She reached across the console and put her hand in his. “I’m so sorry!”

  “Thank you. It was rough.”

  “I’m sure it was.” She shook her head. “Dad had a couple of stents put in, and we all stayed in Lewiston so we could be close to him during the procedure. He’s fine now, but he still really needs to watch his sodium intake, which is really hard. Do you know that there’s sodium in pepper? You’d never think that. Our eyes have all been opened wide as we’ve learned about sodium intake.”

  “I’m sure. Did you cut down on sodium when he did?”

  “I did. All of us did. We’re worried the same thing will happen to us, and we really don’t want that. Who would?”

  He was silent for a moment as he thought about how things would have been different if they’d caught his father’s problems earlier. “Not me. And I don’t want to do that to my children. It’s too hard on them.”

  “I get it. I really do!”

  He pulled into her driveway behind her car. As they walked to the door, he looked both ways to see if anyone was watching. He needed to calm his worries about gossip, but how could he? He was God’s representative in this little tourist town.

  He reached for her, grabbing her hips and pulling her against him, slowly lowering his lips to hers.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and returned his kiss, knowing that she would again feel bereft when he left her. If they were going to continue their relationship, then they would need to be married soon. She knew they wouldn’t be able to continue on kissing after dates and not let things get out of control.

  He pulled back, resting his forehead against hers. “Every time we kiss is absolute magic.”

  She nodded, sighing softly. “It is. I love it.”

  “So lunch tomorrow? I’ll meet you at the taco truck?”

  She could see on his face that he was still a little nervous about letting people know they were seeing each other. “Why don’t we go to this little secluded place I know and make it a picnic? Then no one has to know until you’re ready.” She knew people were already talking, but if it made him feel better, she was all for it.

  “You wouldn’t mind?”

  “Not at all. I like having you all to myself.” Standing on tiptoe she kissed him once more. “I’ll text you how to get there. BYOT.”

  “BYOT?”

  “Bring your own tacos!” She slipped inside and closed the door, leaning back against it. Blake’s kisses packed a bigger punch than she’d realized.

  As she walked through her house getting ready for bed, her mind was on Blake and only Blake. How on earth was she falling in love with a man she’d just met the day before? It wasn’t supposed to be this fast. She was supposed to meet someone and spend a couple of years dating him before he proposed. This was not in the plans!

  Climbing into bed, she closed her eyes, and she could still feel the touch of his lips on hers. He was everything to her. How was she going to keep going after they split up?

  Riley got into the line for the taco truck a few minutes after noon the following day. She saw Blake in line a few people before her, and Ciran was running back and forth as he prepared the tacos and gave them to his customers. He really needed some summer help. Though the food truck was open year-round, he was busiest in the summer, which was the busiest season of the year in the otherwise-sleepy little town.

  Riley watched as Blake got his food and walked past her, nodding at her as if he’d just seen someone he knew slightly. She wanted to grab his hand and make an announcement that they were dating at the same time that she wanted to keep it all a secret. Sometimes decisions were hard.

  When she got up to Ciran finally, she said, “Busy today!”

  He nodded. “I really need to hire someone to help me.”

  “You do! So I won’t keep you. I want three soft tacos, queso and chips, and sopapillas.”

  “That’s a huge lunch for you!”

  She shrugged. “Extra hungry today.” She didn’t want to tell him that she was planning to share the chips and queso and the sopapillas with someone.

  “Works for me!” He gave her the price, and she knew it included her family discount. Ciran was very generous with the family discounts.

  When she had her food, she carried it to her truck and drove toward the quiet place she’d mentioned. Living in an area where outdoor sports were popular made picnics scenic and doable. There was a small waterfall along the river, just past where people floated down in inner tubes, and she went there, finding Blake waiting for her.

  She got out and carried her lunch over along with a quilt she’d thrown

  in her car that morning. She spread the quilt out, and the two of them sat down, digging into their taco bags.

  Blake frowned at her. “I know you told me to get something with my tacos, but I couldn’t remember what.”

  “Sopapillas,” she answered. “I didn’t think you’d remember, so I got chips and queso for us to share as well as the sopapillas.” She put the small cup of queso on a spot where the ground was even before she pulled her own tacos out. “Have you tried a bite yet? I can’t wait until you try them. I don’t know what tacos are like in Missouri, but I love Ciran’s. He definitely makes the best tacos I’ve ever eaten.”

  “I waited for you to try them.” He handed her a drink cup. “I somehow knew you’d forget to get a root beer.”

  She laughed. “I don’t usually forget my root beer, so you must be psychic.” She took a big bite of the soft taco and smiled. “Try one! I want to know what you think.”

  He took his bite and sighed contentedly. “Best tacos ever. Where did he learn to make these?” He took another bite while waiting for her to respond.

  “He went to college in San Antonio, and he learned to do Mexican food there. He had an older Hispanic woman teach him, and apparently she could cook.” Riley took a sip of her root beer. “I eat his tacos almost every day. I wish the taco truck was open on Sundays.”

  “I do, too. I want to eat all the tacos all the time.” He looked at hers. “You got soft tacos? I didn’t know he made soft tacos!”

  “Yup.” She put one in front of him. “Try it.”

  “I don’t want to take your food!”

  “With the chips and queso, two tacos is enough. I promise.” Besides, she wanted to save room for the sopapillas.

  Together they plowed through their meal, both of them eating a little faster than they should because the food was so good. When they were finished, she unwrapped the sopapillas and took a butter packet, which she filled one with, and then a honey packet. She handed him the treat and grinned when his eyes grew wide. “These are the sopapillas?”

  She nodded. “I don’t get them every day, because I want to be able to fit into my jeans, but I indulge at least once a week.”

  “They’re amazing! Do I just get one?”

  Laughing, she pointed to the three sopapillas
left. “You get two and I get two. If I was nice, I’d let you have three and I’d only take one, but they’re sopapillas. I love them too much for that.”

  “I understand. Notice I’m not offering to share one of mine with you!”

  “Good. We’re even, then. I was worried you’d be disappointed in me.”

  “Never. I understand the draw of a truly great dessert.”

  After they had finished eating, she glanced at her phone, seeing they had fifteen minutes left until she had to be back. It was a five-minute drive and a three-minute walk up to the spa. “I don’t have much time before I need to head back.” She scooted toward him on the quilt and kissed him. “Now we have to pick up. So glad we did this, though.”

  “I am, too. I have a feeling you’ll be seeing me in line at the taco truck on a regular basis. Why doesn’t that man have a restaurant?”

  “He was a corporate lawyer in Texas for a few years, and he hated how regimented his life became. He wants to be more casual. So the truck.” She got to her feet and folded the quilt, while he gathered the trash.

  “Is there no trash can here?”

  “Nope. This isn’t a public spot. My dad bought this plot of land a few years ago, and we all use it for picnics and campouts when we want to ‘rough it.’ I’m just glad we didn’t run into one of the relatives.”

  He shook his head. “The way you just said relatives made me think that you hate them.”

  “Not at all. I love them. There are just so many of them!”

  “You should be grateful for a big family who loves you so much.”

  “Oh, I’m grateful. I just don’t always love to be around them!”

  “I can see that. I think.” He shrugged. “You guys are a tight-knit family, and I’d think there would be occasional arguments or fights.”

  “Well, the problem is we’re all hyper competitive. Everything we do is a competition. Memorial Day is Monday. You should come with me and see what I mean. You have never attended a Memorial Day celebration until you’ve done it with the Quinns.”

  “Your family celebrates Memorial Day together? Just the immediate family, right?”

  “Nope. The whole kit and caboodle. If you want to meet Quinns, my grandparents’ house will be the place to be.” She put the quilt into her car. “Consider it. You need to see the competition involved. It’s always different, of course, but there’s always a competition for every holiday, because we are obsessed.”

  He shrugged. “I’m sure it’ll be fun!”

  “Not always! If it’s a creative thing, then Robyn always wins. She’s a pain in my butt.”

  “I’ll be sure to be there.”

  “I’m going to be late! I have to go!” She hurried around her car and drove off, hoping he’d contact her soon. She didn’t expect to see him every day, but often would be very nice.

  As soon as she got back to work, she hurried in with her first client of the afternoon. Ambrosia. “Hi, Ambrosia. What seems to be ailing you today?”

  Ambrosia sighed. “I’m having a terrible time getting my chakras balanced. I thought a quick session with you would fix that. I can normally do them myself . . . I guess the fairies aren’t with me.”

  Riley knew she was talking about the fairies that she believed lived inside of crystals. Crazy woman. “I’m sorry the fairies aren’t helping you out more. I can easily balance your chakras now, though. Go ahead and lie down on the massage table, and I’ll do a preliminary check and then add the crystals I think you need.”

  “Do you know which crystals to use for chakra balancing?” Ambrosia asked.

  “Of course I do. Now just lie back and let me help you.” As soon as Ambrosia was flat on her back, Riley put two cucumber slices on her eyes and covered them with a wash cloth. She would rather anyone was in her treatment room than Ambrosia. The woman criticized everything she did.

  Thirty minutes later, the session was finished, and she removed the wash cloth and the cucumber slices. “There. Now don’t you feel more balanced?”

  Ambrosia blinked at her a couple of times. “I do. I guess the fairies are favoring you these days. I never thought there would be two experts on crystals in this tiny little town, and I feel slightly usurped.”

  Riley groaned mentally. “I don’t mean to usurp you. You have all the crystals in your shop, and you sell them. I just use them to help people.”

  “I guess you’re right. I do a great deal more for the community with my shop than you ever could with your crystal healings. Thanks for cheering me up. You’re very good at what you do.” With those words, Ambrosia left the room, going to the reception desk to pay.

  As Riley changed the sheets in the treatment room, she mumbled under her breath about the annoying woman. She’d better tip three hundred percent to make working with her worth it. Old bat.

  Riley felt badly for mentally calling the woman an old bat, even though she was one. She took a minute to breathe deeply before her next session. An afternoon with Ambrosia was not something she wanted. Ever.

  Riley was sitting on her couch a few hours later, crystals surrounding her as she watched a show. Ambrosia brought negativity with her, and Riley felt like it had settled within her. She couldn’t tolerate feeling so negative about anything.

  She was watching Gilmore Girls, her go-to show on rough days. It felt good to just sit and vegetate to a show she could quote.

  She was halfway through her episode and laughing at one of the exchanges between Rory and Lorelai when she received a text message. Hope I didn’t make you late getting back to work this afternoon, Blake had texted.

  I ran from my car, but I made it just in time. How was your day?

  Busy. I’m giving the sermon again this Sunday. I work with the youth here, and then I’m giving sermons, too. I’m a bit overwhelmed. Our lunch was the highlight of my day.

  Well, I’m up for it anytime you are.

  Have you eaten? he asked.

  Nope. Just decompressing from work.

  How would you feel about meeting me at the pizza place? I haven’t tried it yet, but I’ve heard good things.

  Happy to. She looked down at herself. She was still in the jeans and t-shirt she’d worn all day. It would have to do. Ten minutes?

  See you there.

  Riley stared at her phone for a moment, happy that he was willing to meet her in public. It was starting to bother her that they were never around people in town. Unless he had a secret wife he was hiding—which she really didn’t believe—they should be seeing each other in public. They’d both admitted that they were interested in the other.

  She drove to the pizza place and got out, going inside to wait for him. She didn’t know what he liked on his pizza, so she found a table in the busy little restaurant and waited for him.

  As soon as he walked in the door—even though she wasn’t facing it—she could feel his presence. The man was so . . . she couldn’t even think of the right word. He was practically perfect for her, and that thrilled her to no end.

  He walked over and sat down with her briefly. “What do you like on your pizza?” he asked.

  “Lots of stuff. I’m seriously happy with anything and everything. Just no anchovies, because you don’t want me to get sick on your feet.”

  He laughed, gripping her hand on the table. “You make me laugh. I’m way too serious, but you change that. I like it.”

  “I like you, too!”

  “I’ll go order then. Root beer I’m assuming?”

  She nodded, thinking that her soft drink habit was getting out of control again. She’d have to revert to water. Soon. After the pizza.

  Four

  While they ate, Blake announced that he’d decided to go to the Quinn family Memorial Day celebration. “I figure I should just get meeting everyone out of the way, so I don’t have to be so nervous.”

  Riley smiled. “I think you’re going to be surprised by all of us.” And overwhelmed. And intimidated. She couldn’t imagine going into a holiday
celebration with a family as big as hers. It would be so hard.

  “Oh, probably. And I can watch you interact with your siblings and cousins. That will tell me a lot more about you.”

  “Just don’t judge me by my siblings. I’m not sure I could handle that.”

  He grinned. “I won’t. I can’t wait to see what the competition is. Do you know?”

  “I don’t. If it’s not raining, it’ll be an outdoor activity. If it is, we’ll do something indoors. We even did outdoors for New Years Day, and there was a lot of snow.”

  “Your family celebrates Memorial Day and New Years Day. Is everyone around here like that?”

  “Not at all. It’s just us. Grandma and Grandpa look for every excuse for all of us to get together.” She paused, pursing her lips for a moment. “And Grandma is a notorious matchmaker. She and her friends get together and discuss every single person in town, trying to match them to every other single person in town. It’s a pain in my butt.”

  “Aren’t all families a pain in the butt?”

  “Are pastors allowed to say butt?” she asked in a low tone.

  He laughed. “I haven’t been struck by lightning, so I guess they are.”

  “I wonder how you’d look charcoaled.” Riley looked him over as if she was trying to imagine him singed to a crisp. “I think you’d still look good, but not as good.”

  He shook his head. “So . . . you need to like me for my personality and not just my pretty face.” He hoped she’d immediately understand he was being funny and not being conceited.

  “And you’re saying that if I didn’t look like I do, you would still be attracted to me.”

  “Well, that’s different, because there are twenty women in town wanting to date me . . .”

  She laughed. “I’m not sure how Pastor Dahl would like what you just said.”