49
RILEY
“The auditor is running a bit late, I’m afraid,” Quinn’s mother said as she checked her phone. “I hope I’m not taking up too much of your time.”
“Not at all. It’s nice to have you here, Mrs. Kendall.” Riley pulled out a kitchen chair for her and made two coffees.
“Please, call me Audrey. I don’t want to keep telling you.”
“Of course…Audrey.” Riley sliced the chocolate cake she’d bought and plated a piece for her. “Quinn told me you liked chocolate.” She was a little apprehensive about being alone with Quinn’s mother, as she didn’t know Riley was dating her daughter. Quinn was going to tell her parents, but she’d spent so much time with Riley that she hadn’t seen them since last time they were here.
“Sweetheart, you shouldn’t have.” Audrey took a bite and grinned through a mouthful. “But I’ll take it. Is this from Martin’s bakery? He does the best chocolate cake.”
“Yes. It’s addictive. I’ve been eating so much cake and bread since I moved here, and it’s giving me indigestion.”
Audrey chuckled. “Hey, it’s worth it. Good food should be enjoyed.”
“So true.” Riley joined her and sipped her coffee. “Did you manage to store all the photographs and paperwork?”
“Just about. We had to get a small storage unit, and some boxes are in Rob and Mary’s attic.” Audrey smiled. “Did Quinn pass on the invitation for dinner? I only spoke to her on the phone for about ten minutes this week. She’s been so busy with work.”
Riley’s cheeks turned pink as she nodded. “She did, thank you very much. I’d love to come over.”
“So, you’ve spoken to her?” Audrey narrowed her eyes at Riley. “Or seen her?”
“Yes, I’ve seen her.” Riley didn’t want to lie to Audrey, but at the same time, it wasn’t her place to tell her they were dating, so she left it with that.
“How nice.” Audrey hesitated. “Have you seen each other a lot lately? It’s a shame she couldn’t be here today.”
Riley bit her lip and focused on her coffee. Audrey was fishing, and she had no idea how to handle the situation. “She had an urgent job this morning,” she said, avoiding the first question. “What about your husband?”
“He had a pickleball tournament,” Audrey said humorously. “They’re sacred. Nothing comes between him and his game. He’s not exactly a pro, but he enjoys it.” She shrugged. “But it’s nice that it’s just us two. It gives me a chance to get to know you better because something tells me I’ll be seeing a lot more of you.”
“I hope so.” Riley’s mind worked overtime as she tried to come up with a change of subject. “How did you and your husband meet?” she asked for lack of a better idea.
“Robert was a chef at a restaurant I was running at the time. I was very young, only twenty-one. It was a small place in the city center, with simple but good food and a great ambience. I hired him, actually.” She raised a brow. “And looking back, I may have hired him because of his looks, as his CV wasn’t exactly spectacular. I had a secret crush on him for a good year—I couldn’t believe my luck when he finally asked me out on a date.”
“That’s so sweet,” Riley said. “You seem so happy together.”
“We still are, after forty-five years. We’ve been through a lot together. With the help of my father, we opened The Harbor House and made it incredibly successful. That restaurant was our pride and joy.” Audrey shrugged, and a subtle flinch flashed across her face. “Then we had Quinn and, years later, Rob. We worked so hard that we didn’t know how to balance our work and private lives, but thankfully, the children loved staying with their grandparents during high season. That’s one regret I have, though. Not spending more time with them when they were younger. You can never get that time back.”
“You shouldn’t blame yourself. Quinn seems to have very fond childhood memories.”
“Thanks to my parents. My father was so good with them, and Quinn was crazy about him. After we lost the restaurant, I was furious with my father. That restaurant was our life, a dream Robert and I built together. I didn’t speak to my father for years, and then, suddenly, one day he was gone. That’s another regret.” She sighed and painted on a smile. “But hey, that’s life. We all have regrets, right?”
“I have many,” Riley said. “I haven’t been in touch with my sister or my father much, but I intend to change that.”
Audrey nodded. “Tell me about your parents. All I know is that you were born in Florida.”
“My mother passed away two years ago. But my father and sister still live there.”
“I’m sorry about your mother.”
Riley smiled ruefully. “I guess I never really gave myself the time to process it. I’ve been thinking of her a lot lately. My father is eighty-five now—he was ten years older than my mother.” She sank into memory, her mind going back to their small, two-bedroom bungalow. “We were far from wealthy. My father worked in a factory, and my mom was a stay-at home mom. When my sister and I were old enough to be home by ourselves, she worked as a night cleaner. Our parents both worked so hard, but they still struggled financially. Then the factory closed down, my father got laid off, and that really hit them hard. There was barely enough money to put food on the table. We often depended on the food bank, and my sister and I grew up wearing hand-me-downs from neighbors and relatives.”
“That must have been hard.” Audrey’s gaze held compassion as she met Riley’s eyes. “But look at you now.”
“Yeah, I did okay. Luckily, I was smart,” Riley said. “I managed to get a scholarship and studied business and marketing. I was determined to make something out of myself so I could give them a better life because they weren’t getting any younger and they really needed a break. After I graduated, I got an internship in New York at a marketing agency. I worked my way up, saved every penny, and after five years, I started a small marketing firm that became the most successful firm in the city.”
