After Tonight

by Erin Nicholas

  “He’s heard it in the bookstore,” Lucy said. “I had unplugged the stereo and taken it upstairs, so I didn’t have any music on, but he’d heard it before. He said we couldn’t plan a kick-ass book event without inspiration, so he pulled it up on his phone. I wouldn’t have minded listening to something else, but it was sweet of him.”

  It really was. Riley frowned and dumped her bag of rocks out, thinking. Seemed that Derek had made a lot of notes about Lucy and the things she liked. He’d obviously spent enough time in the bookstore to know these details. And making a woman coffee with her favorite creamer was hardly a stretch for him.

  “So I wanted to ask you something,” Lucy said.

  Oh, God, she was going to ask Riley if she’d be okay with Lucy dating Derek. And Lucy didn’t even know that Riley and Derek were sleeping together. She just thought that Riley thought he was an idiot who didn’t know how to treat a nice girl.

  And clearly Derek had proven that wrong over the past several days with Lucy.

  Riley grabbed another bag, ripped it open and dumped the stones onto the dirt path. That Derek had dug for her in between all the cleaning and hauling and stage-building he’d been doing for Lucy. When he wasn’t getting her scones and playing her favorite music.

  “Riley, are you okay?”

  She stopped and looked up at Lucy. Sweet, beautiful, staying-in-Sapphire-Falls-forever, deserves-a-guy-who-makes-her-coffee Lucy. “Yeah, I’m fine. Why?”

  “You just went to work, ripping through those bags like you were suddenly possessed.”

  Possessed. Yeah, she felt a little possessed. Or possessive. As in, she was feeling possessive. Of Derek.

  She dropped the bag she was holding and stared at Lucy.

  Dammit. How had that happened? She was supposed to be making Derek good boyfriend material for someone else. Or scaring him off entirely. Either way, she’d failed. Miserably. Because he was already good boyfriend material. And he didn’t seem scared off, at all. And she wanted to keep him.

  “Riley? Are you sure you’re feeling okay?” Lucy asked, clearly concerned.

  Nope. She really wasn’t. She had to confess to Lucy that she was a bad friend and had slept with—and fallen in love with—the guy she’d been trying to turn into a good guy for someone else. Like Lucy. “I—”

  She was saved from answering by someone calling her name. She turned to find Scott coming across the town square toward her. She wasn’t sure if she felt relieved. Or like puking.

  A little of both honestly.

  “Hey, Scott.” Okay, that was too bright. She shouldn’t be that happy to see Scott.

  “Hey, Riley. Hi, Lucy.”

  “Hi, Scott.”

  Scott was the town cop but he never went by “Officer”. Unless it was with Peyton. And she called him that in a flirty, hot way that made everyone around them very clear about how he used his handcuffs at home.

  He looked at the path. “How’s it coming?”

  “Great,” Riley told him, giving a no-big-deal-everything-is-fine shrug. “It will definitely be ready in time.”

  She made herself focus on the path. She was proud of it. Not everything about being back in Sapphire Falls had gone according to plan. Like the whole falling-in-love-with-Derek thing. The work with the task force and the advocacy efforts had been a surprising addition to her life as well, but it was all good.

  “It looks great,” Scott said.

  The path was curved to signify that it wasn’t always a straight shot to what you wanted, but the stones that would sparkle in the sunlight and under the lights that lit the square at night were a symbol that there was beauty and light even on those curvy paths.

  It was going to be awesome. And, yes, she loved that she was seeing her idea come to life and that Derek had been a part of it. He’d gone with her to talk to the mayor about digging up the square. He’d removed the grass and helped her prepare the path for the stones. He hadn’t been able to help with the stones or the sign, but she knew he loved the project.

  “So, hey, I have something to ask you about,” Scott said.

  She took a deep breath and lifted a hand to shield her eyes from the sun. “Okay.”

  “I think you should consider the police academy.”

  If he’d told her that he’d stolen a unicorn and needed her to hide it for him, she wouldn’t have been more surprised. Or confused. “What?”

  Scott was in uniform, and his badge winked at her in the sunlight as he shifted and propped his hands on his hips. “Sorry, I don’t have time to ease into it and you’re a pretty straightforward girl,” he said. “I think you should think about the police academy. Becoming a police officer. Then you should come back here and work with me. Ed is going to be retiring and I need someone. You have a really special skill set that has, obviously, been crucial to getting some big stuff done. We would absolutely have you continue working with the task force. But you could do even more. And I’ve watched you. I think you’ve really enjoyed the work, you’ve enjoyed doing something big and important and helping people, and I think you’d be great at it.”

  “Wow, Scott, I don’t know what to say.” She really didn’t. But he was right about everything—she did love the work.

  “Just think about it, okay?” he asked. “We can talk more later.”

  “Okay. I will.” She’d probably not be able to avoid it anyway.

  She watched Scott walk away. Wow. A job. One that she could really care about. Where she could use what she was good at and do something that mattered.

  “Oh my God, Riley!” Lucy exclaimed.

  Riley had almost forgotten she was there. In an uncharacteristic display of enthusiasm, Lucy grabbed her in a hug. “You might stay?” she asked. She pulled back. “Really? You might live here in Sapphire Falls?”

  Riley processed that. Yeah, being a cop in Sapphire Falls would mean living here in Sapphire Falls. Long term. Maybe even forever.

  A weird sense of panic gripped her chest, and she struggled to take a deep breath. “Oh, geez, I don’t know,” she said, forcing a smile and wondering if Lucy could hear the shakiness in her voice. “I mean, that would be pretty huge.”

  “It would,” Lucy agreed, still more enthusiastic than Riley had seen her get about anything in a long time. “But hey, just because it’s huge doesn’t mean it’s bad. I’d love to have you here! Oh wow,” Lucy gushed, her smile big and bright. “I can’t believe it. I might have my best friend move back to town. I have Michael Kade living here and doing a book event at my store. I might be dating someone.” She took a deep breath. “This is all so amazing. And huge.” She gave Riley a grin. “See? Huge doesn’t mean bad.”

  Dating someone. That was all Riley really heard.

  Lucy was thinking about dating Derek.

  And why wouldn’t she be? He was being sweet to her. It wasn’t flirting like he usually did, but then he’d been learning about what it was like to romance a nice girl. And he’d had a very good teacher.

  And of course Derek was thinking of dating Lucy. That’s how this had all started. He didn’t know that Riley had been messing around when she’d been “teaching” him to be a nice-girl boyfriend.

  “Hey, Lucy, has Derek mentioned you guys having lunch again or anything?”

  Lucy shook her head. “No. Why?”

  So, he was being sweet, even romantic, but he hadn’t actually asked her out. Yet.

  At least, he was a nice enough guy to wait for things with Riley to end.

  Because they would. Of course. Because she would leave, eventually. Supposedly. It had never been a secret that she had no plans to stay in Sapphire Falls.

  Would he be shocked that Scott had offered her a job? A job that she could admit she would really like. And be good at.

  But maybe that wouldn’t really matter. Even if she stayed, it wasn’t like Derek would be counting on things between them lasting. Neither of them were really known for long-term relationships. They were basically friends who were hav
ing sex. Really good sex, but still. They’d always been in each other’s lives. That wouldn’t change. Their families were friends, they had history, her brother was his best friend. The sex part couldn’t keep up though.

  People who were good friends and then had sex…forever…were, well…married.

  And she and Derek were not going to get married.

  Her stomach knotted suddenly and she felt sick. “Um, I, um…I think I need to go,” she said. She looked around. Where was she going to go?

  “So you’re not feeling well,” Lucy said. “I could tell.”

  “Yeah, I’m definitely not feeling well.”

  And for the first time in a very long time, years in fact, she felt like going home, curling up on the couch, and letting her mom fuss over her.

  11

  The fussing was going to have to wait.

  Riley had managed to get curled up on the couch, but Erika wasn’t available for fussing. She was busy getting the house ready for the dinner party they were having that night. That included Kyle and Hannah, their grandmother, and, for some reason, Derek. And his parents.

  Okay, Derek being there wasn’t a big surprise. He’d eaten countless meals at her mother’s dining room table over the years and had been over a couple of times just in the past few weeks. They’d had to work on hiding their feelings or anything that might let on that they were more than…what they’d always been.

  But were they? That was what was bothering her. She and Derek were the same they’d always been. She still felt she could be completely honest with him and that he was completely honest with her. She could tell him when she hated his shirt, or that dipping his French fries in mayo was disgusting. But she could also now tell him that she liked his haircut and that he made amazing pizza, and that she just flat out liked him and that he was amazing. As kids and teens, she would have never admitted that she liked something about him, or that he was doing something right. Because, well, they’d been kids and teens, and that’s how they interacted.

  But now…

  She pulled the throw pillow over her face, groaning.

  He was amazing.

  And she wanted to keep doing what they’d been doing. For a very long time.

  Which had to be the most cliché, sickening thing she’d ever done.

  She’d gotten out. She’d gone away. She’d had a great job and apartment in California.

  And now she was back in Sapphire Falls, living with her parents, crushing on her brother’s best friend—the biggest playboy in town, of course—and another of her brother’s friends was creating a job for her.

  Apparently orgasms made her brain mushy. And distracted her from the fact that she had fallen into the rut of Sapphire Falls.

  “Riley? Can you help me with the table?” Erika called from the kitchen.

  Riley tossed the pillow and sighed up at the ceiling. Of course she could. And should. Lying on the couch, not being fussed over wasn’t helping. Though she doubted the fussing would really help anyway. This wasn’t a poor-baby-chicken-soup problem. This was a shit-what-am-I-going-to-do problem.

  Riley padded into the kitchen. “What can I do?”

  Her mom looked over. Then frowned. “Are you going to change before dinner?”

  Riley looked down at her capris and tank top. “Do I need to?”

  “We’re having people over.”

  “Yeah. Our people. People I’ve known forever. They’ve seen me dressed like this before.” And Derek doesn’t seem to mind when I’m dressed down. Or not dressed at all.

  She stopped those thoughts immediately. That didn’t matter, and she definitely needed to not think about being undressed with Derek while standing with her mother in the kitchen of her childhood home.

  Then Erika shocked her by putting down the dish towel she held, leaning back against the counter behind her, and studying Riley.

  That never happened when there was a meal to prepare. And there was always a meal to prepare.

  It struck Riley that maybe there was something there. Derek had said he’d given her a hard time and teased her because he’d wanted her attention. Had that been part of why Riley acted out and did the opposite of everything Kyle did? To get her mom’s attention? Even if it wasn’t the most positive way to do that?

  “Our people,” Erika repeated. “I like that.”

  Riley nodded, suddenly feeling nervous.

  “Do you really feel that way?”

  Riley wet her lips. “Of course.”

  “They’re not just my people? They’re our people?” Erika pressed.

  “Yes. Of course. Kyle and Hannah are definitely our people.”

  “And the Wrights?” Erika asked.

  “They’ve been like a part of the family for as long as I can remember,” Riley replied honestly. There had always been barbecues and game nights and holiday parties shared with the Wrights.

  “And Derek?”

  Oh boy. There it was. She shrugged. “Derek too. He’s always been like another big brother. I can hardly think of a time when he wasn’t around. He’s definitely seen me looking way worse than this.”

  She really hoped like hell she wasn’t blushing.

  Erika nodded. “I suppose that’s true.” She paused, then said, “Longtime friendships like that can be complicated. We sometimes take them for granted. Or think that things will always be the same no matter what, so we don’t watch what we do and say as carefully as we do with other people.”

  It had been a long time since Erika and Riley had had a heart-to-heart. A really long time. Riley shifted her weight. “Are you talking in general or about something specific?” she asked.

  “You and Derek have been spending a lot of time together.”

  Riley nodded. “And you don’t like that?”

  Erika frowned. “I didn’t say that. You always assume that what I’m saying is a criticism.”

  “It often is.”

  “Because you’re often pushing my buttons.”

  Riley took a deep breath, then acknowledged that with a nod. “Sometimes.” She sighed. “I don’t know why I do that.”

  Erika lifted a shoulder. “I don’t know why I criticize.” She paused. “Well, maybe I do.”

  Riley tipped her head. “Why?”

  “It started off that I was worried,” Erika told her. “I knew how to handle a kid like Kyle. I knew what to expect. Then you came along and did everything differently and I didn’t know how it would turn out. Then…I guess it was a way to feel like you still needed me. To get your attention.”

  Surprise rocked through Riley. “You were trying to get my attention?”

  “You never really needed anyone, Riley. You didn’t ask me for advice on your clothes or how to handle your friends or teachers. You didn’t even ask me about your period.”

  Riley opened her mouth, then shut it again. Her mom was right. She hadn’t gone to Erika for much, because she’d assumed her mother’s advice would have been to do it like Kyle did it, or to at least do the opposite of whatever Riley was doing.

  “I guess I was trying to insert myself into your life when you didn’t ask me in,” Erika said. “And it often came out as criticism.” She sighed like Riley had. “It took me a while to admit that you were doing fine on your own. And that annoyed me.”

  Riley felt herself smile. “I didn’t always do fine.”

  “You always ended up fine in the end.”

  She scoffed at that. “Really? Fine? I’m back here in Sapphire Falls, living with you guys, jobless except for what my brother’s friend gives me to do.”

  “I thought you liked the job with Scott.”

  She felt her heart trip slightly. “I do. I love it actually.”

  “Then does it matter how you got it? It’s still about your talent and skills.”

  Riley looked at her mom. She thought Riley had talent and skills. “It just feels like I should be able to make some things happen for myself. Things here are…easy. I guess that’s nice,” she
added quickly. “But it’s maybe a little less satisfying when things just…happen, rather than me making them happen.”

  “Are things with Derek easy?”

  The air seemed to rush out of her lungs. Her mom was asking specifically about Derek. Oh boy. “Wha—what do you mean?”

  “I mean your relationship with Derek,” Erika said, giving her a look that made Riley certain her mom knew exactly what she and Derek had been up to. “Is it easy?”

  Riley finally nodded. “Yeah. Really easy. In fact…” She thought about what she was about to admit, but realized that her and Derek’s relationship, no matter what it was exactly, impacted their families. “It happened accidentally. He was thinking about dating Lucy, and I decided to give him some tips on how to be a better boyfriend and…things just happened.” She blew out a breath. “It was very easy.”

  Erika nodded slowly. “I would think that it would be.”

  “Really?” Her heart skipped for some reason.

  “You’ve known each other a long time, you’re a lot alike, you’re very comfortable together.”

  Yep, all of that had contributed for sure. “But it feels…accidental,” Riley said, lifting her shoulder. “It wasn’t supposed to happen at all. So it’s not like we’re taking it very seriously.”

  Erika frowned. “That’s what I was afraid of.”

  “What?”

  “That you were just messing around.”

  Riley nodded. “Yeah. Pretty much.” She ignored the voice in her head that was calling bullshit.

  “Your brother seems to think that it’s more than that,” Erika said.

  Riley’s eyebrows shot up. “You and Kyle have talked about this?”

  “Of course.” Erika said it as if she and Kyle discussed Riley and her life choices all the time.

  Which they probably did.

  “He’s thrilled.”

  Riley blinked at her. “What? Kyle is thrilled that Derek and I are messing around?”

  “No. He’s thrilled that you and Derek are dating,” Erika said. “He loves the idea of you both settling down, and the fact that it’s together is even better.”