Please take care of it and continue to flood it with love.
I hope you can forgive me,
Your grandfather, Arthur Kendall
31
RILEY
“He clearly loved you very much,” Riley said as they went outside for a break.
“Yeah. I loved him too.” Quinn followed her around the house, but instead of the bench, they headed to the riverbank and sat down on the grass. “It’s both sad and exciting at the same time. I love seeing all the old pictures, but it won’t bring him back, and the fact that he went through all that trouble because he assumed I’d get the house back makes me feel like a bit of a failure, to be honest.”
“How can you say that? The loss was his and only his. It was never your responsibility to get the house back. You’re not a failure. You’re a beautiful, loving, caring woman with a successful business, and you’re doing something that you love.” Riley took Quinn’s hand, and Quinn leaned into her. She smelled so good that Riley wanted to inhale against her neck, but instead, she took a deep breath and cherished the closeness. This wasn’t something friends did, sitting hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder, and she was highly aware of that. “Just because you weren’t able to buy the biggest and most expensive estate for miles around doesn’t make you a failure.”
“I know,” Quinn whispered. “He may have been a gambler, but he wasn’t a bad man. He just made bad choices.”
“And he regretted those choices. He wanted to make it right, for you and the family. You’ve found something that is irreplaceable. Your family history. It’s pretty special, and no one can take that away from you.”
Quinn nodded as she silently stared across the river. “The last time I saw him, he begged me to do everything in my power to get it back,” she said. “I was in college and visiting him during my summer break. He was drunk, slurring his words, and I think he was trying to tell me about the basement, but I couldn’t make much sense of what he was saying apart from that I had to get the house back. He kept repeating that year too—1943. I had no idea what it meant until now. And you’re right. That wasn’t fair on me, but I didn’t see it back then. His words impacted me more than I realized. I think that’s why I’ve always been so obsessed with the house. Everyone else moved on—my parents, my brother—but I somehow felt like it was my responsibility.” She sighed. “In a way, I even think I felt entitled to it. So, I tried, and I tried, but the market kept booming. The price went up after each new owner, and in the end, I wasn’t even close to making the down payment.”
“I had no idea you wanted to buy it,” Riley said softly. “I knew you had an emotional connection with the house, but…” She winced. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“That it’s mine now.” Riley pulled her knees up and hugged them. It was a mild night, and the sound of the river and the rustling of the trees was soothing. The lights of Mystic town sparkled in the distance, and people walked back and forth over the pier where Quinn’s narrowboat was moored.
“Don’t be silly. It was a ridiculous dream,” Quinn said with a sweet smile.
“Still, I’m living your dream…” Riley regarded Quinn, who was staring into space. “You never told me you went to college.”
“I studied business management at UConn—Connecticut,” Quinn said. “My mother never wanted to study. She was more interested in running a restaurant because she loved the hospitality industry. Besides, when she was younger, she lived with the blissful assumption she would come into a lot of money one day, so she never worried too much about building a stable career.”
“That makes sense. She came from a very wealthy family.”
“Exactly. But by the time I was that age, I knew being successful was the only way to get the house back, and that meant going away to college.”
Riley nodded. “So, what happened?”
“I worked as a financial manager for a building firm for a few years, but I found myself more interested in the building process than in the day-to-day operations. I was bored behind a desk, and I wanted to be out there and be part of the hands-on team, so I quit and took on an internship with a local building firm. That meant I had to push my dream of owning the house to the background, but at least I wasn’t miserable in my work,” Quinn said. “I learned everything I know on that internship, and my business background helped a lot when I eventually started my own company, so in the end, I’m glad I got my degree.”
“But you still couldn’t buy Aster House.”
“No. But as I said, it was just a silly dream. I’m very happy with my life, and my brother is right. I should probably find somewhere more sensible to live.”
“Are you sure about that? I like your barge.”
Quinn smiled. “You know what? Me too.” She looked down at their entwined hands and squeezed Riley’s before she let go.
Riley wanted to take it back; she missed the contact already. “I’m looking forward to meeting your family on Saturday,” she said. “Do you think they’d like to stay for dinner? I’d love to cook for them.”
“That’s very sweet of you, but you’ve done so much for me already.”
“No, I want to. I mean that.” Riley hoped Quinn could see how sincere she was. She’d been imagining the dining table in the kitchen filled with people, and she longed to hear noise in the house. “They can bring the kids too. I’ll get them ice cream.” She hesitated. “Unless you think that would be a weird situation. I don’t want your mother to feel uncomfortable since she grew up here.”
“My mother will be fine,” Quinn said. “And if you’re sure, I’ll ask them. I think they would love that. Thank you.”
“Great. I’ll make sure to steer away from Italian food because from what I’ve heard, I can’t possibly compete with your sister-in-law,” Riley joked. She was already excited about the prospect of throwing her first dinner party. It was an alien concept to her, a room filled with people eating, talking, and having a good time. Her parents never threw dinner parties; they couldn’t afford to feed anyone other than their own family, and in New York, Riley hadn’t used her kitchen once. “Would you like to have a drink out here?” she asked. “Or would you prefer to continue going through the basement?”
