Fare Game

by Cade Haddock Strong

  That night, tears welled up in Kay’s eyes as she and Riley made love. That had never happened to her before. She was a fairly passionate person and she’d had a few intense relationships, but nothing compared to how she felt now. It was terrifying and exhilarating all at once. She’d known her feelings for Riley were strong, but their intensity was nothing short of astonishing.

  She spooned against Riley and they lay in silence for a long time. The room was dark except for the glow of a nearby streetlight. When Riley’s breathing deepened, Kay wondered if she’d fallen asleep. She did it anyway. She jumped off a cliff and whispered, “I love you, Riley,” into the darkness.

  Riley slowly turned in her arms, and slid a hand into Kay’s hair, drawing their lips together. They shared a few tender kisses, never breaking eye contact. “I love you too, Kay,” Riley said when they broke apart. “So damn much.”

  Kay pulled Riley into her arms and hugged her with all her might. “I love you,” she said again. Riley was only the second person she’d ever uttered those words to.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  While Kay and Riley sat at Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport waiting for their flight back to the US, Kay scanned the messages on her phone. “Hey, Rye?” she asked.

  Riley looked up from the finance magazine she was reading. “Yeah?”

  “Do you have any plans next weekend?”

  Riley thought for a moment before shaking her head. “I don’t think so. Why?”

  “I just got a message from Doug,” Kay replied, referring to her eldest brother. “He’s throwing a surprise birthday party for my brother Connor next Saturday.”

  “In Asheville? They both live there, right?”

  “Yep. So, anyway, wanna come with me?”

  “Sure. I’d love to.”

  Kay reached for Riley’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “Great. I can’t wait for you to meet my brothers. We’ll probably stay with Doug because he’s got an in-law suite over his garage. It’ll give us a tiny bit of privacy which, trust me, you’ll appreciate with all the kids running around. Connor and his family live on the neighboring property and—why are you smiling?”

  “You’re so cute when you get all excited.” Riley dog-eared the article she was reading and set her magazine aside.

  “Ah, sorry…”

  “Don’t apologize. It’s great that you get along so well with your brothers. I didn’t know they were neighbors.”

  “They live on the land that once belonged to my grandparents—my mom’s parents. It was divided between my brothers and me after my grandmother died. We each got about five acres. I’m hoping to build a house on my plot one day.”

  “Wow. You never told me you had property in Asheville. I love it there. There’s so much to do and the town has such a cool vibe.”

  Kay nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah, I love it there too. I just wish I got there a little more often.”

  “What about Mikey, Russ and Scott?” Riley asked, referring to Kay’s three other brothers. “Have any of them built places there?”

  “No, not yet. I’m pretty sure Mikey wants to someday, but I’m guessing it won’t be anytime soon.”

  “He’s the one who’s a pilot for American, right?”

  “Uh-huh, and he’s a bit of a ladies’ man. At this point in his life, I think the pace of life in Asheville is way too slow for him. I have no idea what my brother Russ’s plans are, but I know Scott—”

  “We’d like to begin pre-boarding,” a voice on the loudspeaker announced. “Any customers needing special assistance or additional time to board, including families with small children, may now board.”

  Kay looked toward the disorderly mass forming near the gate. “I guess we should go get in line, huh?”

  “So, you were about to tell me about your brother Scott,” Riley said once they were settled in their seats.

  “Oh yeah,” Kay replied. “So, Scott has zero interest in Asheville. He’s way too caught up in his fancy New York City life, and last I heard, he had his sights set on a place in the Hamptons. And well, he’s actually offered to sell me his land in Asheville. His parcel and mine are right next to each other.”

  “Are you thinking about buying it?”

  “I’m seriously considering it,” Kay replied. “If I did, it would give me a full ten acres, and as much as I love my brothers, a little space between us wouldn’t hurt.” She paused when a flight attendant approached their seats.

  “Hello,” the woman said and looked down at a sheet of paper, “Ms. Corbett and, um, Ms. Bauer.” She peeked at them over her reading glasses. “I’m Monica, the purser on today’s flight. May I get you anything to drink before we take off?”

  “Just water for me,” Kay replied.

  “Same here,” Riley answered.

  Monica jotted down their drink orders and moved on to the passengers in the next row.

  Kay briefly scanned the menu Monica had handed them before turning back to Riley. “If you want, we can check out my land when we’re up in Asheville next weekend.”

  “Sure, that would be great.”

  “Both Scott’s property and mine are fairly wooded and a bit overgrown but wait until you see the views. It’s beautiful. Just make sure to pack some hiking boots.” She gave Riley a smirk. “That is, assuming you own such things.”

  “Ha, aren’t you the funny one. For your information, I happen to own an excellent pair of hiking boots.” Riley waved a hand over her outfit. “Don’t let these dresses fool you. I can tomboy with the best of them.”

  Kay picked up her phone. “I’m going to text Doug right now and let him know we’ll both be there for Connor’s party.”

  “Do you think he’ll mind me tagging along?”

  Kay didn’t hesitate before answering. “No, not at all. In our family, the motto is, the more the merrier. Plus, I want you there. I want to introduce you to my family.”

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  “Knock, knock. You ready to hit the road to Asheville?”

  Riley looked up to see Kay standing at her office door. Instead of her usual power suit, she was wearing fitted jeans and a billowy white blouse. A denim coat was draped over one shoulder and her long dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail. Damn she looked good. “Um, yeah. Let me shut down my computer.”

  Kay eyed her as she stood to grab her coat. “What?”

  “Ah, so you do in fact own pants,” Kay said with a laugh.

  “Spare me. You’ve seen me wear pants many times.”

  “Okay, fair enough. But I think I’ve seen you in jeans a grand total of once.” Kay gave Riley a quick up and down. “They look new.”

  “They’re not, smartass. I bought them when we were first courting.”

  “Courting? Is it the year 1834?”

  They crossed the massive Logan parking lot and climbed into Kay’s Jeep. It was five p.m. on Friday afternoon and traffic out of Atlanta was completely bumper to bumper. It didn’t ease up until they were up near Lake Lanier.

  “I’m sorry I couldn’t leave the office earlier,” Riley said waving her hand toward the sea of headlights.

  “Don’t worry. I would have been hard pressed to leave any earlier than we did. I was totally swamped all week, especially given that we were out Monday.”

  “Same here. Although, I am so glad we took Monday off.” Riley smiled as she thought back to their trip to Paris. She meant it when she told Kay she loved her. Meant it from the bottom of her heart. Riley honestly didn’t think she’d ever felt this way about another human being.

  Kay glanced over at her. “Why the goofy grin?”

  She reached out to touch Kay’s arm. “I was just thinking about how much I love you…”

  Kay got a goofy grin of her own. “Really?”

  She nodded. “Yeah, really.”

  It was nearly ten o’clock by the time they turned off the paved road and started up Doug’s long gravel driveway. The Jeep bumped along, its headlights cutting through the dar
kness. Big tall trees lined their way, and even though it was not quite spring, Riley could see small buds sprouting from their limbs. The driveway curved sharply, and a large well-lit contemporary house popped into view. It was like a massive spaceship had been dropped into the middle of the forest. The Jeep triggered a motion light as Kay maneuvered it around the circular driveway and parked in front of a hulking barn-like structure.

  The door of the main house opened, and a tall dark-haired man stepped outside. “Hey Kay,” he said with a wave.

  Kay looked up toward the house. “Hey, Doug.”

  “Come on in. We’ve got lots of cold beer.”

  “Be right there,” Kay hollered.

  Riley pointed toward the back of the Jeep. “Should we grab our bags?”

  “Nah, we can get them later when we head up to bed.” She pointed to the upper level of the barn. “Our sleeping quarters are up there. It’s a pretty good setup. We even have our own little kitchenette so we can make coffee in the morning.”

  Kay gave her brother a warm hug. “Good to see you, Dougie.”

  Seeing Kay and Doug together, Riley was struck by how much they looked alike. Doug was lean, but he was built like a rock, and he had Kay’s twinkling brown eyes. He was handsome in a Ken doll kind of way.

  Kay slid her arm over Riley’s shoulder. “Doug, this is my girlfriend Riley. Riley, this is my big stud of a brother, Doug.”

  Doug extended a hand. She liked him immediately.

  “Hi, Kay,” a female voice said from inside the house. Moments later Doug’s wife Miriam appeared at his side. She was about Kay’s height and she was rocking a tomboy haircut.

  “The kids in bed?” Kay asked as they made their way back to the kitchen.

  Doug handed them both a beer and cracked one for himself. “Yeah. They wanted to stay up until you got here, but it was past their bedtime. Don’t worry, the little monsters will be begging you to kick the soccer ball before the sun’s barely up.”

  “We’ll do our best to hold them at bay,” Miriam said with a laugh. “But you might want to lock the door to your room.”

  Sure enough, there was soft knock on their door early the next morning. “Aunt Kay,” a little voice called out. Riley picked up her phone. 7:23.

  She nudged Kay. “You decent?” They most certainly were not decent when they’d fallen asleep the night before. She lifted the covers and got the answer to her question—a resounding no.

  Kay swung her feet to the floor and gathered up her clothes. “Coming.” They hastily dressed before Kay unlocked the door. Four big brown eyes stared in at them. Kay scooped the two little boys up in her arms and spun them around, soliciting squeals of joy from her nephews.

  One of the boys spotted Riley. “Who’s that, Aunt Kay?”

  Kay set the boys down on the floor. “That’s my girlfriend, Riley. Isn’t she beautiful?”

  The boys nodded in unison.

  Kay looked toward the door. “Why don’t you give me and Riley a minute to finish getting dressed and we’ll be right down?”

  Once the boys scattered, Kay said, “Sorry, I should have warned you that early mornings would be a given. And wait until you meet Doug’s daughters. They’re equally as cute, but believe it or not, they have more energy than their brothers. And they’re also better soccer players but don’t tell the boys that.”

  “Don’t apologize. They’re adorable. I’m happy I get to meet some of your family.”

  Kay pulled Riley into a one arm hug. “Me too. It means a lot to me.”

  Over the course of the day, Riley was struck by a couple of things. First, Kay was a total natural with kids. She played soccer with them for hours. It was obvious they all adored her. She kidded around with them, but when one of them fell and skinned his knee, she was compassionate, although she didn’t baby him.

  Riley was also struck by the interaction between Kay and her brothers. They joked with each other and shared frequent bouts of laughter. It was evident they shared a special bond. Kay was the butt of a lot of Connor and Doug’s jokes, but Riley could tell they were both hyper protective of her. Family was vital to Riley and it was abundantly clear it was for Kay too.

  The weekend made Riley eager to meet the rest of the Corbett family. From her perspective, neither Doug nor Connor seemed to have any issue whatsoever with the fact that Kay was gay. Even their kids appeared totally unfazed by it. They were still young but neither of her nephews even shrugged when she introduced Riley as her girlfriend. It was wonderful to see, but it also made Riley incredibly sad. Things were so different with her family.

  Everyone gathered at Doug and Miriam’s on Saturday night to celebrate Connor’s birthday, and Riley smiled as she watched Kay bounce on the trampoline with a few of the kids, her wavy dark hair sailing above her head each time she launched into the air. It was hard to tell who was having more fun, Kay or the little leaping bodies beside her.

  Just before they sat for dinner, Kay’s cell phone rang. She glanced at the caller ID. “It’s Mrs. Fairchild, my next-door neighbor. That’s odd.”

  Riley had met Mrs. Fairchild once or twice. She was a very sweet elderly woman, although Kay said she could be a bit of a busybody. Nothing happened in Kay’s neighborhood without Mrs. Fairchild knowing about it.

  Kay stepped out of the porch and Riley could just barely hear her end of the conversation. “Hello Mrs. Fairchild…. Oh, I see… Um, okay, thanks for letting me know.”

  “What was that all about?” Riley asked when she came back inside.

  “Mrs. Fairchild was up in her spare bedroom this evening after supper, and apparently she saw a large man lurking around my house. It was near dusk, and when her outside lights clicked on—evidently, they’re on some sort of timer—the man scaled my back fence and ran away.”

  Riley and Kay exchanged a glance. “Did she get a good look at him?” Doug asked.

  “All she said was he had bright red hair.”

  Riley pulled Kay aside after dinner. “I’m worried. The man your neighbor saw might have something to do with Concordia.”

  Kay waved her hand. “I’m sure it’s nothing. Mrs. Fairchild’s eyesight isn’t so great, and you know how she is. She’d probably call the police on a pizza delivery man.”

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Bright blue skies greeted Riley when she woke up Sunday morning. She stretched her arms over her head and nestled up next to Kay. “Wake up, sleepy head. It’s a beautiful day.”

  Kay opened one eye. “What time is it?”

  “Time for a hike,” Riley chirped. They were planning to walk Kay’s land before they had to get in the car to drive back to Atlanta.

  They sipped coffee as they laced up their hiking boots. “My parcel of land borders Doug’s,” Kay said, “but in order to access it, we’ve got to drive back out to the main road and follow it around Doug’s property.”

  Riley opened the mini-fridge tucked in the corner of the room and pulled out two yogurts. “Okay.” She got two spoons out of the drawer and sat down on the bed next to Kay. They downed their breakfast and headed out the door.

  Kay threw her Jeep into four-wheel drive and maneuvered it along what Riley thought may have once been a driveway.

  “Like I said, my piece of land is pretty overgrown,” Kay said. She pointed out the front windshield. “Pretty soon, this will become impassable. We’ll have to continue the rest of the way on foot.”

  Moments later, they came upon a massive fallen tree that prevented them from going any further. Riley opened the passenger door and jumped out of the car. Her boots sank into the mud when they hit the ground.

  Kay slung a backpack over her shoulder and pointed toward a barely discernable footpath. “This will bring us to the top of the ridge. There’s a small clearing up there and you’ll get a pretty good view of my property from there.” Kay took a few steps forward and paused. “Oh, and just so you know, it’ll probably be wet. I hope you don’t mind getting a little muddy.”

 
Riley shook her head. “I don’t mind at all. Lead the way.” She followed Kay into the woods. Squish, squish, squish. Turned out “pretty wet” had been a serious understatement. Within minutes, her pants were splattered with mud and her socks were soaked through. At times, it felt like they were walking in knee deep snow and every hundred yards or so, they had to scale a fallen tree or some other debris. Riley was in decent shape, but before long, she was sweating and gasping for breath. She peeled off her outer layer and tied it around her waist.

  The path dried up considerably as they climbed out of the valley and up onto the ridge. When they finally reached a clearing, Riley shielded her eyes with her hand as she stepped out from under the shade of the trees. She loosened her Georgia Bulldogs baseball hat from where it hung on her pack, tugged it on her head and gazed out at the horizon. Rolling green hills swelled as far as the eye could see.

  Kay came up beside her. “Beautiful, huh?”

  “Uh, yeah. It’s stunning up here.” She turned back toward the clearing. “Is this where you want to build your house?”

  Kay pulled a flower off a nearby bush and twirled it in her hand. “Yep, it’s the perfect spot, don’t you think?”

  Riley nodded. “Where does your property begin and end?”

  Kay pointed off to the left. “See that dead tree with the bird’s nest?”

  Riley squinted. “I think so.”

  “That’s about where my property ends and Scott’s begins.” She pointed in the opposite direction. “And the line between my land and Doug’s is way over by those two tall pine trees that are all by themselves.”

  “Wow, it seems like you have a lot more than five acres, but to be honest, I don’t really have a reference point. I don’t really know how big five acres is.”

  “Soon to be ten acres.”

  “Really?”

  “Uh-huh. I talked to Scott about his land right after we got back from Paris and we finally agreed on a price. He’s going to talk to his lawyer, but if all goes as planned, I should be the proud owner of his five acres pretty soon.”