Dating the Guy Upstairs

by Amanda Ashby

  “Dad?” Riley swiveled around just in time to see her father wander out of the small cottage wearing a pair of harem pants and what appeared to be one of her mom’s floral blouses. Her mouth opened and then shut again as she stood up and hurried toward him.

  “Hey, you. Bet you didn’t except to see your old man here, did you?” he teased as he enveloped her in a giant hug. It was almost enough to make Riley burst into tears as memories of her childhood flooded back. Of the time her mom had taken her camping in a field and they’d been chased by cows. Of the time that Tom had built a tree house for him and wife number two and everyone had slept on hammocks for an entire summer. Of laughter. She clamped down on her lip to control her emotions as he finally let her go. “What are you doing here?”

  “Well, Daughter. That’s a very good question,” Tom said as he went over to Jude and snaked an arm around her waist. Riley’s mouth fell open again, her gaze moving from one parent to the other. They both just grinned, and Riley sat back down at the outside table. She rubbed her eyes before looking at them again.

  “Okay, someone needs to tell me what’s going on here. Jude, I thought you were having a thing with Stephen.”

  “I think that Stephen’s very attractive boyfriend might have a word or two to say about that.” Jude giggled. Her and Tom’s hands were still clasped together as they joined Riley at the table, sharing a goofy expression. Riley blinked some more.

  “So how? And when? And how again?”

  Tom laughed as he leaned forward and kissed Jude. “Well, here’s what happened. Jude called to let me know that she had a new exhibition and to see if I minded if she used a couple of older photographs, including a particular one of a certain part of my body.”

  “No.” Riley let out a strangled gasp. She knew the photograph in question—though out of principle had never looked at it. Apparently she was the only one with that sort of principle.

  “Don’t pull a face. It’s a beautiful shot,” Jude corrected before turning to Tom and grinning. “Though not as good as the real thing.”

  “Why thank you,” Tom returned. Then he seemed to pick up on the fact that Riley was still staring at them both. He coughed. “So, anyway, I gave her permission and then decided that it might be fun to drive up and see the exhibition for myself.”

  “What did Angel have to say about that?”

  “At first she was annoyed, but after she did a tarot reading she decided to break up with me and wished me and your mother a very happy life.”

  “Isn’t that amazing?” Jude’s eyes were wide. “She could tell that we were going to get back together before it even happened, and so she bowed out gracefully. You know, Tom, we really should try and set her up with someone nice. Perhaps someone her own age?”

  “Great idea. What about that good-looking guy from your post office? I’ve noticed he has a great aura,” Tom said, but before he could go further, Riley—well used to the way her parents drifted in and out of conversations—put up her hand.

  “Can we please put playing Cupid on hold and finish the story? I mean, you’ve been divorced for over sixteen years and married more people than I care to remember, so why now? I just don’t understand.”

  “But it’s so simple.” Tom lifted Jude’s hand to his mouth and kissed it. “I came up here, and when I saw Jude, suddenly life began to make sense again. So I walked up to her, kissed her, told her that I didn’t care where she went or what she did, that from now on I was going to be by her side.”

  “And I said he should talk less and kiss more,” Jude laughed, before some of her smile faded as she studied Riley’s face. “So, actually, we have some other news we want to tell you. About the divorce.”

  “What do you mean? What about the divorce?”

  “Well, we kind of never got one.” Tom took over, his expression almost mirroring Jude’s. “Because we were never married.”

  Riley opened her mouth and then shut it again.

  Today was a very strange day. And she’d babysat guinea pigs and spent an entire day at the library dressed up as a clown, so she knew about strange days. But the fact that her parents had never been married? That was kind of new.

  “But it’s not because we didn’t love each other,” Jude quickly said. “In fact it was the opposite, because we loved each other so much. I just felt strongly that until there was marriage equality for everyone, I didn’t want to take part in that kind of institution.”

  “And I was a stupid idiot who kept trying to make her change her mind.” Tom lowered his head and let out a long sigh. “We started to fight about it more and more and in the end I did the single dumbest thing of my life. I left.”

  “Hey, don’t be so tough on yourself. It was a mutual decision.” Jude softly touched his arm. Riley’s throat tightened. It had been so long since she’d seen them together that seeing them like this was almost like reading a favorite book, only to discover it had a different ending.

  “I still don’t understand.” Riley looked at her mother. “So, if you didn’t believe in marriage, then why all the husbands?”

  “Because by the time your father left and got remarried, I realized just how lonely I was. Not a day went by that I didn’t regret not compromising more for our union. Then, when I met Trevor, I got scared, so I pushed aside my principles and said yes.”

  “Was that the clown who tried to invent a perpetual motion machine?” Tom looked at her with interest.

  “No, that was Lucas. Speaking of which, he might be perfect for Angel.”

  “I think she’d prefer someone more down to earth. You or Will know someone she might like?” Tom said, then squinted as he looked around. “And speaking of Will, where is he?”

  “Oh.” Riley bowed her head and tried to stop her bottom lip from wobbling. The plan had been to not mention the breakup and just pretend that he’d gone back to Indonesia and that all was well. But seeing the way her parents glowed in each other’s company, Riley knew it was impossible. She felt the opposite of glowing. She felt like she’d been drained of energy. A tear slid down her face. “Um, here’s the thing—”

  But before the words could even come up she found herself encircled by her parents, and the tears that had been pent up came pouring out. Riley wasn’t sure how long it lasted but eventually the sobbing reduced to a sniffle as she shakily told them everything that had happened. About the fake relationship, about the real one, and then the deathblow. That he’d given her an ultimatum and when she said no, he’d cut her out of his life without a backward glance.

  “Well, I think it’s wonderful.” Jude gave her a comfortable pat on the arm. Riley, who was still feeling a bit numb from all the crying, widened her eyes.

  “You think it’s wonderful that I’ve been dumped by my best friend and that I now feel like a cement truck had just landed on top of me?”

  “No, of course I don’t think that’s wonderful. But the fact that you opened yourself up to someone like that is amazing! Honey, let’s face it, for years you’ve been so closed off to anything remotely romantic. Instead you just stayed in the shallow waters, where it was safe.”

  “What’s wrong with being safe?” Riley protested, wrapping her arms around her knees. She wished that she’d just stayed at home. Being judged by her parents, not to mention seeing them both so happy, was tiring.

  “Because look where safe gets you,” Tom said in a gentle voice. “It gets you to a place that you don’t want to stay in. I should know. And so should your mother. We both tried it. Riley, neither of us has ever asked anything of you other than to try and be happy. And Will makes you happy.”

  “But I don’t make him happy. Because if I did, he never would’ve left without trying to figure out a way to make it work. He didn’t even want to try doing long-distance. He just shut me out.”

  “Nonsense.” One of the chickens had started to attempt to eat a pot o
f cilantro; Jude got to her feet. She gently pointed it in the other direction and returned to her seat. “Look, you might say that your relationship was fake to begin with, but I’ve been around the block more than once and when I saw Will, he wasn’t faking it. And neither are you. So, if you want my advice, don’t wait sixteen years to sort this thing out. Go and do something about it.”

  “Like what?” Riley blinked at them. Were they getting her confused with someone else? Because she wasn’t a do-something type of person. She was a sit-on-the-couch-and-read-about-other–people-doing-things type of person. “Besides, Will said the real problem was that neither of us has really changed. What if I don’t know how to? I mean, do you think I wanted to let him just leave? It’s just the idea of giving up my job . . . It was too scary.”

  “Riley, here’s the thing with change,” her dad said as a second chicken wandered past and began to peck at the grass by his feet. He picked it up and smiled. “It happens whether we want it to or not. Look at this chicken—who by the way I think we should call Matilda—she wasn’t always like this. She was once an egg and regardless of whether she wanted to stay an egg or not, she didn’t have a choice. Now, she could go around thinking she was still an egg, but where would that get her?”

  “As terrible as that chicken analogy was, your father’s right,” Jude chimed in. “You and Will might not think either of you have changed, but you have. You can’t be in love and not come out of it a different person. The real trick is figuring out who you are now and what it is that you want.”

  “So what do I do? Are you saying I should quit my job and fly to Indonesia? Because even if I wanted to, I couldn’t afford it.”

  “Yes, and that’s partly my fault,” Jude said. “And I was going to tell you that now that my exhibition has gone so well, it’s time for me to take over that bank loan you took out to help me. I’ve already arranged it through my bank manager. Starting next week, you’ll have one less thing to worry about.”

  “Are you sure?” Riley protested. It seemed like she’d been helping her parents out for such a long time; it was strange to think that they didn’t need her.

  “Well past sure. Riley, you’re the child. I’m the one who’s meant to be looking after you,” Jude said as she reached out and hugged her.

  “So you do think I should go to Indonesia and throw caution to the wind?” Riley said, struggling to untangled herself from Jude’s embrace.

  “No, we’re saying that you should think about what it is that you want to do. Not what Will or Gloria, or even we, think. Something has changed in you. You just need to figure out what it is, and where it leads you. Will might have cut you out of his life, but that doesn’t mean you need to stay in a holding pattern. Just do something.”

  Riley gulped as she got to her feet, almost tripping over a chicken. She wasn’t sure if she was closer to an answer or farther away, but part of her knew that her parents were right. She had changed; she just wasn’t sure what it was that she’d changed into. And that was the problem.

  Chapter Seventeen

  “Will?” His father arched an eyebrow, which was as far as the old man ever went when it came to being surprised. “I didn’t realize you were back in the country.”

  “I got in last night,” Will said. That hint of surprise was a good sign—it had been the right choice to confront his father at the office rather than at the house, especially if he wanted this encounter to go differently from the last time they’d met. He licked his lips and tentatively stepped into the room. “I was hoping we could talk.”

  “About my proposal?” His father pushed down the screen of his laptop as he nodded for Will to take a seat.

  “No.” Will shook his head. He hoped that his new sister-in-law was right. Danni had told him that if he wanted to make it work with Riley, he needed to figure out a way to change. To open doors. But as far as Will could tell, unless he sorted out the mess with his father, there was no way he could stay in Seattle without wondering what would happen every time he and his father crossed paths. Or if Lisa tried to call. Not that he even knew where Riley was. All he knew was that her rent was paid for another six months and that one of the tenants had seen her go somewhere with a large suitcase, a bag of books and her favorite denim jacket. She could be anywhere. But he was pretty sure she’d come back, eventually. “It’s about Mom.”

  “Oh.” His father took a deep breath. “I’m sorry what I said last time we spoke. I didn’t mean to imply that anything you did resulted in the accident. That was all me. As you probably know, I tend to push people, and then I throw myself into work to hide my frustrations.”

  “Mom was a frustration?”

  “No. Your mother was an angel, but an unhappy angel. She was troubled, and our life together only seemed to make her more troubled. My mistake was not knowing how to make things better. How to fix her. I offered her a divorce on more than one occasion.”

  “You did?” Will stiffened as he tested his memory to see if this information fit with what he recalled from his childhood. It didn’t. “I don’t understand. That time she wanted to leave, our bags were packed and then you came home and everything changed. If she was free to go, then why didn’t she?”

  “This is probably hard for you to understand, because I don’t think you’ve ever been scared of anything in your life, but it wasn’t like that for your mother. As much as she chafed at the life she had with me, she told me that the fear of the unknown was even worse than living in the house. I think my coming home that time made her remember the stability she had with me. It was like she was caught in quicksand and didn’t know how to move forward.”

  “She never said.” Will dropped into the closest chair. For once he wasn’t in a hurry to leave his father’s company. Instead he tried to process what he was hearing. Yes, he’d known that his mother had her demons and that she’d been deeply unhappy, but he’d always assumed that it was because she was trapped in the house. The idea that she’d been free to go—that she’d chosen to stay, despite the clear better choice—was a revelation.

  “I guess she had her reasons for staying.” His father shrugged, his gray eyes clouded. “I still regret that things turned out so badly between us. I talk to her, you know.”

  Will widened his eyes. The irises on his desk suddenly made sense. “The flowers. That was you at the grave?”

  His father nodded. “Lately I find myself going there more and more.”

  Will was silent as he tried to imagine his unbending father visiting his mother’s grave. Sitting there and chatting to a headstone. It was like seeing someone in a completely different light. “And Lisa, where does she fit into all of this?”

  His father bowed his head. “After your mother I swore I’d never get involved with anyone again. I didn’t trust myself. But then I met Lisa and—”

  “It was love at first sight?” Will said in a dry voice.

  “Not exactly. If anything it was the opposite. For a start, she’d only recently broken her engagement to you. Hardly the kind of woman I planned on getting involved in. But though you might find this hard to believe, Lisa’s never lied to me. I know exactly who she is and what she wants out of life. What she wants out of me. And I guess after your mother, and my damaged relationship with you, it was refreshing to be around someone I didn’t need to play games with. With her I can be myself.”

  “This is difficult to hear.”

  “I know.” The mask his father normally wore was gone. “And I truly am sorry. Lisa is too. I know she tried to reach out to you on more than one occasion, but—”

  “I shut her out,” Will finished off as he ran a hand through his hair. “It’s been brought to my attention that’s something I do.”

  “I’m guessing you learned that from me,” his father said, a hint of a smile tugging at his mouth. “Here’s the thing, son. Your mother and I should’ve been blissfully happy and we
weren’t. With Lisa, though, somehow it works. But I do deeply regret the way it happened and all the hurt I’ve caused you over the years.” He lifted his head, his gaze the same cool, direct look it had always been. “I’m not a demonstrative man, Will. Showing affection and warmth isn’t easy for me. I’m not telling you this as an excuse—it’s just an explanation.”

  “Thank you.” Will leaned back in the chair. It wasn’t everything—but it was more than he’d gotten from his father in years. Ever, maybe. Definitely since Lisa. “So you really were genuine when you wanted me in the business?”

  His father nodded. “I lost your mother. And when I saw you again after so long, it dawned on me that if I didn’t make an effort I’d lose you too. I know it might be hard for you to understand.”

  “Actually, it’s not that hard,” Will said truthfully, letting his father’s words wash over him. He’d always thought that being like his father was a bad thing, but with this new information, everything was rearranging itself. The way his father used to reach out to his mother, then pull away. The argument the night they almost left. The number of times his father hadn’t risen to Will’s bait when he threw the mention of his mother at him. Suddenly he could see that his father’s only fault was that he didn’t have the tools to help their mom. Not that he hadn’t tried. Unlike Will, who had fled the scene without even trying to fix things with Riley. Or Lisa. Or his father.

  Over and over again, Will had chosen the easy option of leaving, rather than trying to stay and fix things.

  For a moment they were silent, both of them mulling over their conversation, then his father coughed. “So, how is it going with Riley? I heard you two broke up.”

  “Tucker has such a big mouth,” Will retorted. His father gave just a hint of a smile.

  “Probably because you and I are so reserved when it comes to these things. So, how long will you be staying in town?”

  “I’m going to take a page out of your book and do whatever I can to fix this, which means I’ll be staying as long as it takes.” Will swallowed hard, hoping for the hundredth time that he hadn’t left it too late. But if he and his father could have a discussion that didn’t end in him storming out, maybe anything was possible.