“Thanks—and wait. Are you working up to asking me to be there when you talk to Shane about the baby you’re having with Riley?”
Did shewantto be there? He sincerely hoped not. “I just thought you should know what was happening, that you should be ready when Shane wants to talk about the baby with you.”
“Well, uh, thank you for that,” she muttered. “I will do my best when Shane comes to me—but no. I have no desire to stick my nose into that particular tent.” He was just breathing a sigh of relief that he’d made it through this truly awkward conversation when she asked, “And you and Riley, are you getting married?”
Not a question he wanted to answer. But he took it on anyway. “We’re not,” he said flatly.
Lenore knew him too damn well—after all she’d been married to him once. “But youwantto marry her…”
The best response to that was no response at all, andthat was what he gave her. Several seconds crawled by in silence.
Lenore put up both hands. “Okay, okay. Boundaries. I get it. Sorry I asked…”
* * *
On Saturday night as Riley sat in her living room considering her streaming options once again, Annette called.
“Is Dillon in bed?” she asked.
“Yes. Sorry, I just checked on him, and he’s down for the count.”
“Ah,” said Annette. “Perfect.”
“Wait a minute. You didn’t call to talk to him?”
“Not this time. Tonight it’s my daughter-in-law I need to talk to.”
Riley turned off the TV. “Is this about Miles?”
Annette chuckled, a low, throaty sound. “As a matter of fact, yes. Miles just left.”
“Wait. What? I thought your date was last night.”
“Itwaslast night.”
Riley was starting to get the picture. “Oh, this sounds good…”
“Itisgood, sweetheart. It is very, very good.”
“I need to heareverything.Are you coming over?”
“I was planning to—but right now I almost feel like a teenager again, burning up the phone lines, sharing all my secrets with my very best friend.”
Riley played along. “Oh, I like that. So how about this? You should tell me everything, and you should do it now, on the phone.”
“I believe I will.”
“So, then, dinner with Miles…?”
“First, he showed up right on time with a gorgeous bouquet from Betty’s Blooms—not just roses. Peonies. Dahlias.Lilies of the valley. Gerbera daisies, sunflowers… I could go on. But you do get the picture, right?”
“I do. It sounds so beautiful.”
“It is. And he looked so handsome, his beard neatly trimmed and his thick hair combed back, in black Wranglers, alligator boots, a suede jacket and a crisp white shirt.”
“What a guy.”
“Oh, Riley. Yes. He is all that. We chatted. He’s so easy to talk to. Dinner at Arlington’s was beautiful. We shared a bottle of excellent cabernet. I ordered a perfect tenderloin and dark chocolate mousse cake for dessert.”
