While You Were Sweeping

by Christy Barritt

  Riley shook his head, frustrated with his life, with his parents, with the world, for that matter. “You’ve got to stop coddling me, Mom. I love you and Dad more than anything, but you’ve got to let me make my own choices.”

  She squeezed his shoulder. “Just think about it.”

  He didn’t say anything. There was nothing he could say right now, so it was better to keep his mouth shut.

  CHAPTER 14

  Riley’s mind swirled as he sat in the silence and solitude of his bedroom after his mom left.

  Could Gabby really be dating already? The thought was so hard to stomach. He knew he couldn’t have it both ways, though. He couldn’t tell her needed space, and then expect her to wait for him.

  He rammed his fist into the top of the recliner arm, trying to relieve some of his frustration. His life had not worked out the way he’d planned.

  But that was going to change. He was going to push through with his therapy, prove to everyone that he was capable, and he was going to get his life back.

  And it was all going to start with figuring out what happened with Mr. Parksley. It would help prove that he wasn’t going crazy. Then he’d get his license back, look for a job, and push himself to overcome all of the obstacles that were ahead. After that, maybe he’d have a chance with Gabby again.

  If she wasn’t already dating someone else.

  But if she could move on from their relationship so quickly, what did that say about what Riley had meant to her? None of this was Gabby’s fault. He didn’t blame her. He only wished his emotions didn’t feel so twisted right now.

  He sucked in several deep breaths, trying to get his focus. Thinking about Gabby and his mistakes in the dating department would only leave him frustrated and feeling like he couldn’t do anything.

  On a whim, he called Olivia. “Riley, wasn’t expecting to hear from you.”

  “Just wanted to check on how things are going at my old place.” Riley stood by his window, looking out at the lake and trying to tamp down his emotions.

  “Great. Although your neighbor downstairs is a little strange.”

  “Sierra?” She was Gabby’s best friend and an animal rights activist. Riley thought she was great, but knew she could come across as being a little strong willed and eccentric at times.

  “No, Bill McCormick. I can’t get him to stop talking about politics. Or his ex-wife.”

  Riley smiled. “That sounds like Bill.”

  “But Sierra is great. I’ve really liked talking to her. She’s given me some great feedback on my vegan recipes. She’s one very opinionated woman.”

  “She never minds giving feedback.” His smile faded. How did he even approach this subject? He should have thought it through more. But now here he was. “How’s . . . everyone else in the building doing?”

  Silence stretched a moment. “Okay, I guess. The woman upstairs rarely comes out. And then there’s Gabby. I guess you probably know about her, though.”

  “Know about her?” He leaned into the window frame as Gabby’s face flashed through his mind. Her grin, her sparkling eyes, the determined raise of her chin.

  “I assume the two of you keep in touch.”

  “Oh, right.”

  “I mean, she still has pictures of you up in her apartment, for goodness sakes.”

  His heart skipped a beat. “Does she?”

  “You’re acting weird, Riley.”

  “People have been saying that a lot since my brain injury.”

  “No, not that kind of weird.”

  “That kind of weird?” he teased. “Now you’ve got me curious.”

  “Oh, Riley. You really are the big brother I never had. I just mean that you seem like you’re beating around the bush about something.”

  He let his head rest against the window trim for a minute as he tried to sort his thoughts. “Did you tell my mom that Gabby’s dating someone?”

  “Oh, that.” She paused. “Well, I didn’t use those words exactly. I just mentioned that a guy has been coming over to see her. I haven’t seen them kiss or hold hands or anything.”

  “Do you know who he was?”

  “I do. Garrett Mercer.”

  “Garrett Mercer?” Riley repeated.

  “Yes, Garrett Mercer. Do you know him?”

  “I received noticed that he’d bought our apartment complex.”

  “That, he did. I’m sure that’s why he keeps coming to see Gabby.” She chuckled at her own joke. “That idea is just absurd. The man’s a millionaire. He has people who do stuff like that for him. I find it so odd that he bought this old, drafty building.”

  Riley didn’t find it odd. Garrett had bought the building because of Gabby, no doubt about it.

  “Listen, Riley, I’d love to chat more, but I’ve got to get to class. I’m making chateaubriand tonight.”

  “Of course. We’ll chat more later.”

  “Oh, and Riley? Remember, your apartment is yours whenever you’re ready to move back. I’ve got a classmate who said I can move in with her. I just thought I’d let you know!”

  ***

  Riley couldn’t resist looking up some more information on Garrett Mercer. He didn’t like what he found.

  The man was definitely a millionaire. He owned the Global Coffee Initiative, a company that donated money to build wells in impoverished areas for every bag of coffee they sold.

  So, the man was rich and he had a big heart. Perfect.

  Riley seemed to remember that Gabby had helped Garrett investigate what had happened to his family, who were killed in a mass murder when Garrett was in his late teens. Had the two of them bonded over the experience?

  That was something he hadn’t expected. At all.

  The very thought caused Riley’s gut to turn and squeeze. He’d never been prone to jealousy, but . . . he couldn’t stand the thought of someone else being with Gabby.

  Which wasn’t fair of him.

  But it was the truth.

  He closed his eyes. He had to think about something else. Otherwise, he’d drive himself crazy. He’d told Gabby that he needed space, so he couldn’t complain when she did just as he’d asked.

  He tried to swallow the sour taste in his mouth.

  Mr. Parksley.

  Think about Mr. Parksley.

  As strange as it may seem, thinking about a murder seemed like safer territory. He wanted to find answers. Maybe this was the resolution he needed to get back on track in the other areas of his life as well.

  He tapped his chin as he mentally reviewed what he knew so far. His thoughts came screeching to a halt when he remembered that Mr. Parksley had said his wife was down at a spa in Palm Beach.

  On a whim, Riley looked up all the spas he could find in Palm Beach. There were at least twenty of them. It was a long shot, and Riley knew that. But he didn’t have much to go on here.

  He narrowed them down to the most upscale ones with adjoining hotels. He’d start with those.

  A perky receptionist answered. “Hi, I’m looking for Faye Parksley. I was hoping to catch her there. An emergency has come up at home, and I’ve misplaced the name of the exact spa where she’s staying. I only know it’s supposed to be the best in the area.”

  “You’ve called the right place then. Let me see if I can locate her for you. You say this is an emergency?”

  “Well, that’s not exactly true. But I’m her son, and my wife has gone into labor. She’s going to be a grandmother! It’s the only reason I’d interrupt her vacation.”

  “Of course.” Computer keys tapped in the background. “I’m sorry, sir, but we don’t have any guests who go by that name.”

  “Really? Because the Blue Lotus sounds like the place where she said she was going. Could you check one more time? It would make my wife feel so much better.”

  “Yes, one more time.” More keys tapped. “No, there definitely isn’t anyone by that name who’s here right now or who’s been here all week.”

  “Okay, I’ll double c
heck with my father. Maybe we had a miscommunication. Thank you so much for your help.”

  Riley hung up and frowned.

  Then he called every other spa on his list, and they all said the same thing.

  Interesting.

  Had Mr. Parksley lied to him? By all appearances, he had. That might explain why there was no additional car at his house after the shooting.

  But, yet again, Riley had to find proof. Just how was he going to do that?

  ***

  Sophia picked Riley up for therapy the next morning. After grueling rounds of working his muscles, retraining his thoughts, and having specialists evaluating Riley for signs of progress, he was finally finished for the day.

  “The doctors say you’re doing really well,” Sophia said as they walked to her car. “I mean, they can’t tell me a lot. But they told me enough. You’re progressing far more quickly than they thought you would. It’s so hard to know with these types of injuries. But if you continue your progress like you are, it wouldn’t surprise me if you were driving again in the near future.”

  Driving would mean freedom. Freedom would mean he could make plans for himself instead of being dependent on everyone else.

  Hope surged in him.

  “I was thinking about going over to your friend’s martial arts studio. What do you think?” Sophia asked.

  Riley blinked with surprise. “Todd’s place? You don’t strike me as the martial arts type.”

  She shrugged and hit her key fob. Her car beeped in the distance. “You’re not the only one who can turn over a new leaf. I need some change in my life. I’ve been doing the same thing day in and day out since I graduated from nursing school. I need some excitement in my life.”

  He considered her words.

  “I can’t believe it’s already a new year. Can you?” Sophia asked, climbing into the car.

  “Not really.” The holidays all felt like a blur.

  “I know your parents really enjoyed having you home for Christmas.”

  “Maybe.”

  “They only want what’s best for you, Riley, even if you can’t see it all the time.”

  He chewed on her words for the rest of the ride. Did they really want what was best for him? Or did they just want what they thought was best for him? He’d had so many reservations about moving back home. But he’d had so few choices. His therapist had only solidified the idea, telling him how good it would be to have the stability of loved ones around him. He’d been reminded of how often relationships ended after TBI. And Riley had been exhausted. Spent. He’d reached the end of his rope.

  He’d met with his pastor right before making the decision, and Randy had assured him that God worked all things for His good. But right now, Riley’s heart felt so torn over Gabby. He wanted to let her be happy; but he also wanted to be with her. His thoughts volleyed back and forth from one extreme to another.

  A symptom of his brain injury? He couldn’t be sure. He only knew that he wished he could rewind time. He wished he knew back in August what he knew now. If so, he would have whisked Gabby off to get married on a tropical island, far away from the reaches of Scum, before any of this tragedy had torn their lives apart.

  But there was no undoing the past, no matter how hard anyone wished for it.

  They walked into Todd’s studio just as class was finishing up and students were filing out.

  “I guess we’re too late,” Riley said.

  Todd met them at the front door. “I could show you guys a few moves.”

  “We’d love that,” Sophia said.

  That’s when Riley noticed that she had her gym bag with her. She’d planned this in advance.

  If Riley couldn’t be happy and be with the love of his life, at least maybe his cousin and his friend had a chance.

  Sometimes in life, you had to hang on to whatever good you could.

  CHAPTER 15

  After class, Todd, Sophia, and Riley went to grab some coffee together at a shop only three doors down from the dojo.

  “So, Lily was asking about you, Riley,” Todd started, raising his mug of black coffee.

  Riley took a sip of his vanilla latte, trying to place her. “Lily?”

  “You know, you met her at the studio the other day.”

  He vaguely remembered a woman coming in just as he was leaving after his first day at the studio. “That’s right. The blonde?”

  Todd nodded. “She’s the one. I think she wants you to ask her out.”

  Riley shook his head and let out a weak laugh. “I’m flattered, but my heart is taken.”

  “You really like Gabby, don’t you?” Sophia asked, her doe-like eyes gazing at him.

  She’d heard about Gabby in the past. Riley had confided in Sophia more than anyone else since he moved back up here. She’d been his sounding board lately.

  Riley nodded. “Yeah, I do. She cares about doing what’s right. About following the call on her life, even if there aren’t a lot of material rewards as a result.”

  “I see,” Sophia said. “I can respect someone who does that.”

  “It sounds like you really love her,” Todd said. “So why aren’t you together?”

  All the reasons flooded back to him. “Because it’s not best for her right now. I don’t want to be a burden.”

  “If she’s as great as you said she is, then it sounds like she wouldn’t mind,” Todd said.

  “She probably wouldn’t, but I do. I’ve got to get myself straight.”

  Todd nodded. “I’ll pray about it for you, man. Love is one of those things you don’t ever want to regret. I wish I had had someone beside me after my stint in rehab.”

  “Wait a minute, Riley.” Sophia narrowed her eyes. “I’ve never asked, but what reason exactly did you give Gabby for moving back up here? I assumed it was because of therapy and that something else had happened to cause you two to break up.”

  “Well, it was because of therapy. And it was because I care about her too much to see her forgo all of her plans for me.”

  Sophia’s mouth dropped open. “I love you, cuz, but you’ve got to be the biggest idiot ever.”

  Her words felt like a smack in the face. “What are you talking about? I only left because I love her! I decided to sacrifice my happiness so she could ultimately be happy. She won’t be happy with me. I’m too . . . broken.” The words didn’t feel good leaving his lips. But wasn’t it the truth? She would be better off without him holding her back.

  “Does she know you feel that way?”

  He shook his head.

  “Of course not. You’re trying to be chivalrous and noble, but in the meantime she’s broken hearted, thinking you ditched her at the first opportunity. She was there for you and willing to hold on to the end. What did you do? You left her. That’s her perspective.”

  Riley’s jaw tightened. “It wasn’t like that.”

  “Besides, are you sure you weren’t afraid of being rejected by her?” Sophia continued. “That you didn’t have some deep seated fears about not appearing strong and manly? Motivations are rarely as simple as we’d like. I think you hit the nail on the head when you said you were too broken for her. I can guarantee you, you’re not.”

  Riley started to speak but stopped himself. What if Sophia was right? If she was, then he’d made the biggest mistake of his life. “I really thought I was doing what was best for her.”

  “You need to tell her that. Stop trying to be the good guy all the time and fight for what you want.”

  He shook his head, finding reality harder and harder to swallow by the minute. “It’s too late. She’s dating someone.”

  “I doubt she’s really dating someone,” Sophia said. “You can’t go from a relationship like yours to being in love with someone else like that.”

  Todd nodded. “It’s true. I’m just now getting to the point where I feel like I could date. You have no idea what you have.” He cringed. “Had? Anyway, there was nothing I wanted more than for my fiancée to stic
k by me when the going got tough. But an injured spouse wasn’t in her long-range plans.”

  “That sounds terrible,” Sophia said, frowning as she turned all of her attention on Todd.

  “It was hard. But God has a plan, right?”

  She smiled softly. “That’s right. He does. Even when we don’t see it. Life, no matter what happens, is precious.”

  “By the way, are you going to that Bible study on Wednesday nights at church . . . ?”

  As they broke off into their own conversation, Riley’s thoughts drifted. God did have a plan, no matter how hard it was to see. Riley only hoped that plan would be revealed soon because he was losing hope quickly.

  Especially after his conversation about Gabby. He’d really screwed up, hadn’t he? Even worse, it was probably too late to do anything about it. Besides, the truth remained ingrained inside him that, despite how hard this was, what he’d done had been for the best.

  Not his best, but Gabby’s best.

  Because sometimes, loving someone meant letting them go.

  CHAPTER 16

  Later that day, Riley knocked at Mr. Parksley’s door. He opened it a moment later and smiled when he recognized Riley. “You’re early.”

  “Hope you don’t mind.” He held up the sweet potato project he’d finished last night as he stepped inside. “Everyone was quite impressed with my George Washington head.”

  “George Washington? I thought it was a jack-o-lantern.” He smiled, and Riley realized he was teasing.

  “I’ll have you know, I spent hours on this.”

  “You’ll get better.” He indicated for Riley to follow him.

  Riley glanced around as he walked through the house. Everything appeared in place, with or without his maid or wife being here. Mr. Parksley was obviously a very tidy person. Tidy and detailed enough that he’d been able to clean up after a murder without anyone being the wiser?

  “Have a seat at the kitchen table while I get my things,” Mr. Parksley said.

  Riley didn’t sit, though. He lingered by the kitchen counter, images hitting him again. In his mind, he saw the blood on the floor. He saw the puddle. He saw the streaks coming from it.