Fare Game

by Cade Haddock Strong

  “That’s awesome, but I think he’s an idiot to sell. It’s so gorgeous here. You can’t even see another house.”

  “Like I told you, he’s all caught up in his fancy New York life. Still, I’m eager to close on the deal before he comes to his senses.”

  “Smart, very smart,” Riley said. “Any idea how soon you’ll try to build?”

  “Well, funny you should ask. Doug gave me the name of an architect last night and I may try to call him next week.”

  “Wow, how exciting, although, you might want to consider putting in a driveway first.”

  Kay laughed. “Ya, think?”

  Riley waved her hand across the clearing. “Would you ever consider moving here full time?”

  “I won’t say the thought has never crossed my mind but probably not in the foreseeable future. It would mean giving up my job at Logan and I’m not quite ready to do that.”

  “What would you do if you moved here? For work, I mean.”

  Kay’s face lit up. “Well, I’ve always had this dream of opening a small store. That’s probably what I would do.”

  “What kind of store?”

  “Nothing big. Sort of a gourmet version of the classic general store.”

  “What a cool idea. I think it would be so fun to have a place like that.”

  Kay plopped down on a nearby stump and pulled Riley down next to her. They held hands and sat in silence for a long time, staring out at the landscape. The trees rustled in the wind.

  “Kay?” Riley said finally.

  “Yeah?”

  “Have you ever thought about having kids?”

  Kay didn’t answer right away. She gazed out at the horizon. “Yeah, I have.”

  Riley’s heart skipped a beat.

  Kay shifted slightly on the stump. “I mean, I guess I always assumed I would. I just haven’t met the right person.” She squeezed Riley’s hand. “Until now.”

  Riley blinked back tears and turned to face Kay, wishing she wasn’t wearing sunglasses so she could see her eyes.

  As if reading her mind, Kay pushed her sunglass up onto her head and looked at Riley intently. “I mean it, Rye. I can see having kids with you.”

  Riley’s heart swelled. “Really?”

  Kay nodded.

  “I can see having kids with you too,” she said quietly.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Kay whistled quietly as they drove back to Atlanta. There still wasn’t a cloud in the sky, and the trees in the North Carolina mountains were just beginning to bloom. She glanced over at the passenger seat. Riley was sound asleep, the tiniest amount of drool trickling out of the corner of her mouth. She looked adorable.

  Kay returned her focus to the winding mountain road and thanked her lucky stars that Riley had waltzed into her life. Even with all of the craziness at work, Kay was happier than she’d ever been in her life. Having Riley by her side over the last few months, dealing with the Concordia mess together… It had thrown them together and brought them so close, so quickly. Kay had always been fiercely independent, and suddenly, along came this incredible woman, who could go from tender to tough as nails in the blink of an eye, and now, Kay couldn’t imagine life without her.

  Riley’s drowsy voice interrupted her thoughts. “Where are we?”

  “Just crossed over the border into Georgia. We should hit the outskirts of Atlanta in a little over an hour assuming we don’t run into bad traffic.”

  Riley rubbed her eyes and glanced at her watch. “Shit, I need to call my father. It’s his birthday.” She dug into her purse and pulled out her phone. “Do you mind if I call him real quick? He and my mom are in Bermuda, and I want to catch him before they go to dinner.”

  Kay shook her head. “Knock yourself out.”

  “Hi, Dad. Happy Birthday… How’s the weather there? Oh, good…”

  Kay could only hear Riley’s side of the conversation, but it seemed a bit impersonal, stilted almost. “How’s your dad?” she asked after Riley ended the call.

  “Fine. He and my mom spent the day on the golf course, and it sounds like he beat her for once. Knowing her, she probably let him because she knew he’d pout all night if he lost.”

  “Speaking of birthdays, you’ve got one coming up pretty soon, right?”

  “Yep, the big 3-0.”

  “I can’t believe we haven’t talked about it. Do you want do anything special?”

  “Nah. You know I’m not big on birthdays.”

  “Come on,” Kay said. “We’ve got to do something. This is a big one. Your birthday falls on a Saturday this year, right?”

  Riley looked down at her lap. “I think so…”

  “Maybe we could go to Key West or something that weekend.”

  “Really, we don’t need to do anything.”

  She took one hand off the steering wheel and touched Riley lightly on the arm. “What’s wrong, baby?”

  “It’s just, well…” Riley picked at a hangnail. “My mom’s organizing this dinner thing at their country club.” She peeked over at Kay and then focused back on the hangnail. “I didn’t ask her to. She just sort of took it upon herself.”

  Kay put her hand back on the steering wheel and stared straight ahead. “Oh, I see.” She tried to keep the anger out of her voice. “How come you haven’t mentioned it?”

  Riley gazed out the passenger side window. “Kay, please, we’ve been through this so many times. You know how my family is.”

  “I do, but I happen to be your girlfriend. God, that word seemed so inadequate. Ya think you might have mentioned your birthday party.”

  “It’s not a party.” Riley crossed her arms and sighed.

  “Oh, really?”

  “It’ll just be a family dinner—me, my parents, my brother and his wife, my aunt and uncle and maybe a few of my cousins.”

  “Huh, that sounds a lot like a party to me.”

  Riley slapped a hand on her thigh. “Damn it Kay, can we please just drop it.”

  “No, we cannot just drop it,” Kay said, her voice growing louder. “I think I’ve been pretty supportive of the fact that you’re not out to your parents. I can’t believe you lied to me about this.”

  Riley started to cry. “I didn’t lie about anything. I’m sorry I didn’t mention it.” She wiped the sleeve of her shirt across her nose and dug around in her bag for a handkerchief. She glanced back over at Kay and gave her a weak smile. “Maybe I could ask my mom if it would be okay for me to invite a friend to the dinner. I mean it is my—”

  The suggestion made Kay mad. She’d come out when she was twenty-four and she wasn’t exactly keen on the idea of going back in the closet, even if it was just for Riley’s family. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  Riley huddled up against the passenger door. “Why not.”

  “Well, for one thing, won’t it be a bit odd for you to invite a new friend to the party and not some of the friends, like Stephanie, who you’ve known for a long time?”

  “I suppose you have a point.”

  Kay glanced over at Riley again. “I love you, you know that, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I’m just not sure I can go to dinner with your parents and pretend to be your friend.” Kay gave Riley a wry smile. “I’m sure I’d do something inappropriate. I have a hard enough time keeping my hands off you as it is. Haven’t you noticed that I sit as far away from you as I can when we have meetings together.”

  This elicited a laugh from Riley. “Now that you mention it…”

  “All kidding aside,” Kay said. “It really hurts that you didn’t tell me about the party. I like to think we can talk to each other about everything.”

  “We can. I’m sorry. I’m an idiot.”

  Kay believed Riley, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t upset. She most definitely was. It was funny how a minor thing like a birthday party could cause so much friction. She turned up the volume on the radio and focused on the road. Traffic grew heavier as they app
roached Atlanta. “Fucking traffic,” she muttered as she tapped the brakes.

  Riley pulled out her phone and opened her traffic app. “It’s red for the next few miles.”

  “Fantastic.”

  They crawled along I-75 until they reached the exit for Kay’s house and it was after dark by the time she pulled the Jeep into her driveway. Riley open the passenger door and nodded toward her car parked on the street in front of Kay’s house. “I think I’m going to head home.”

  Kay walked around to the back of her Jeep and pulled out both their suitcases. “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah, I’m sure,” Riley said quietly. “I had a really nice weekend. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about my birthday party.” She reached out for Kay’s hand and gave it a squeeze but didn’t say anything more. She picked up her suitcase and walked to the curb. Kay watched as she loaded her luggage into the trunk, climbed in the driver’s seat and drove away.

  As soon as she finished unpacking, Kay called Ethan. She needed a shoulder to lean on and he was usually up to the task. Her mood improved ever so slightly when she heard his voice on the other end.

  “How was the weekend in Asheville?” he asked.

  “God, Ethan, it was amazing.”

  “I’m happy to hear that, but there’s something in your voice. Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine…It’s just, Riley’s mom is throwing her a birthday party and—”

  “Let me guess, you’re not invited.”

  “Not only that. Riley didn’t even tell me about it.”

  “Oh.”

  “I know.” Kay rehashed the conversation she and Riley’d had in the car on the way back to Atlanta.

  “I’m sorry sweetie. That sort of sucks.”

  “To put it mildly.”

  “But you need to think about it from her perspective.”

  Kay groaned in frustration.

  “I’m serious, Kay. You don’t know what it’s like to be in her shoes. I’m sure she wants to tell her parents about you just as badly as you want her to. If you love her, I think you need to be patient and—”

  “I do love her, very much.”

  “And it sounds like she loves you too.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Well, the worst thing you can do is let her parents drive you apart. If that happens, then they, and their homophobia, win.”

  Kay let out a forced laugh. “You’re right, but I feel like I’ve tried to be supportive. I’m starting to think she’ll never come out to them and I’m not sure I can handle that.”

  “Just lay off her a little bit. You guys are going through a lot right now. There’s no need to throw more fuel on the fire. I think you’ll agree, it’s hot enough already.”

  Once she got off the phone, Kay stood at the window in her sunroom and stared out into her backyard. One of her big clay flowerpots had tipped over. Well, that’s strange. It would take hurricane force winds to topple that thing. She opened her back door and stepped onto the patio. It was a clear night and the temperature had dropped. She wrapped her arms around her torso as she walked over the flagstones. That’s when she noticed it. The hairs on her arms stood up. A section of the bushes along the back side of her house was trampled. As if someone had marched through them. Maybe Mrs. Fairchild wasn’t crazy after all.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Riley went to her birthday dinner alone, and although it was nice to be with her family, she couldn’t shake the sadness at not having Kay there.

  They were seated in a private room at the club and a large cake and a pile of presents sat in the corner. She tried to remind herself she had a lot to be grateful for. She tried to be gracious and made her best effort to be cheerful, but for all her faults, her mother was extremely observant. “You’re awfully quiet tonight, Riley. Is everything okay?”

  She thought about telling her right then, telling her that she was sad because the love of her life wasn’t at her side, but she held off. Now was not the time. “I’m fine Mom, just a little tired.”

  “She’s just bummed about being thirty,” Bobby bellowed. “Aren’t you sis?”

  She gave her brother a weak smile. “Yeah, that’s it, Bobby.” God, he could be so thick.

  That night as she drove home, she made a promise to herself. She was going to come out to her mother, soon. Very soon. If her mother flipped, so be it. Kay was too important. She didn’t want to keep her a secret anymore, no matter what the consequences.

  A few days later, Riley was sitting at her desk when she got the sudden urge to do it. It was like a wave of courage came out of nowhere and washed over her. It was the middle of the workday, but without giving it another thought, she cleared her calendar, walked out to her car and drove out to Buckhead, praying her mother was home and not off playing golf at the club. As she barreled up I-75, she took lots of deep breaths and tried to get her heartrate under control. She considered aborting the mission about fifty times but gritted her teeth and kept her foot on the gas.

  She inched up her parents’ driveway, parked her car and peeked in the garage. She wasn’t sure if she was relieved or petrified to see her mother’s car parked in its spot. She crept up the front walk, and figuring she’d startle her mother if she just barged into the house, rang the doorbell. Moments later, she heard the door unlock. Her mother stood there and eyed her suspiciously. “Riley, what are you doing here?” She looked down at her watch. “It’s three o’clock, on a Tuesday.”

  “I know Mom.” She took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

  Her mother’s eyes grew wide, sending her eyebrows far up her forehead. “Oh, my, God. You’re pregnant!”

  Riley burst out laughing. “No, Mom. I’m not pregnant.” Her tension eased slightly. “Can I come in.”

  Her mother held the front door open wide. “Oh, yes, of course,” she said. “I was just making a salad for tonight. One of your father’s partners from the firm and his wife are coming for dinner.”

  “Oh, that’s nice,” Riley said as she followed her into the kitchen. She pointed to the small breakfast table. “Do you mind if we sit?”

  Her mother gave her a questioning look. “No, of course not. Would you like some water or anything?”

  “Um, no, thanks. I’m afraid I’ll lose my nerve if I don’t come right out and tell you what I need to say.”

  A worried look crossed her mother’s face, and she slowly sat down at the table. “What is it, honey?”

  Riley pulled out a chair and sat across from her mother. She looked down at her hands and then back up. “I’m gay.”

  Her mother’s expression didn’t change. She just stared back at her.

  “Did you hear what I said, Mom?”

  Her mother nodded. “Yes, I heard you.”

  “Well, aren’t you going to say something?”

  “Are you doing this to hurt me?”

  “Jeez, Mom.” Riley ran a hand through her hair. Anger bubbled up inside her, but she tried to keep her voice even. “I’m not doing anything. This is not about you. It’s about me.” She stood and stared at her mother. “I just thought you should know… I can show myself out,” she said, biting back tears.

  “Wait!” her mother yelled when she was halfway to the front door. “Why are you telling me this now?”

  Riley walked back into the kitchen and leaned against the counter. A tear slid down her cheek. “Because I’m seeing someone…someone I think I could spend the rest of my life with.”

  “I see,” her mother said and the expression on her face softened a bit, giving Riley a glimmer of hope. It was short-lived. “What about children?” her mother countered. “You’ve always talked about wanting a family.”

  “If Kay, that’s her name by the way…if she and I end up together, I hope we’ll have kids. There’s no reason we can’t have a family.”

  This comment seemed to push her mother over the edge. “I don’t. I can’t,” she sputtered. “What am I su
pposed to tell my friends?”

  “Tell them whatever the hell you want!” She softened her tone slightly and added, “Who knows, maybe they’ll surprise you? I bet you some of them have gay children or relatives.”

  Her mother gave her a skeptical look but didn’t respond. Riley almost felt bad for her. She rocked back and forth, unsure of what else to say. “Well, now you know, anyway. I need to get back to work.”

  After a long silence, her mother said, “I need some time to process this.”

  Riley nodded and left. As soon as she was safely in her car, she started to sob. She wasn’t sure why exactly. She didn’t know if it was because she was disappointed at her mother’s reaction. What did I expect? Or whether it was relief at having finally come out to her. She rested her head against the steering wheel and cried until she had no more tears.

  A quick glance in the rearview mirror told her she was in no shape to go back to the office. Her eyes were puffy and red, and mascara was streaked down her face. She wondered if her mother was fairing any better inside the house. For a brief second, she considered going in to check on her, but she felt emotionally raw and there was a good chance she’d say something she’d regret. She started her car and drove away.

  Even though it was bordering on rush hour, traffic back into the city wasn’t too bad. Most people were headed in the opposite direction—from work in the city to home in the suburbs—at that time of day. Typically both she and Kay stayed at the office until at least six, but Riley knew Kay had left the office early that day for a doctor’s appointment and there was a good chance she’d be home by now. As the 14th Street exit came into view, she made a snap decision and maneuvered her car over into the right lane to get off the highway. Her mood improved dramatically as she made her way toward Virginia Highland, and she was feeling downright giddy when she spotted Kay’s Jeep in the driveway.

  “Anyone home,” she said as she stepped into Kay’s foyer.