Lyrics of a Small Town by Abbi Glines
Thirty-One
A week and a half after I told Rio about Hillya, he walked into the cafe. I hadn’t tried to talk to him about it again. Saul thought I should wait it out and give Rio time to decide how he felt about things. Last night at Saul’s, I had caught Rio looking at me as if he wanted to say something but he never did. Today he showed up at Sips and Signs so that must mean he was ready.
Hillya was putting cupcakes and lunch sandwiches in the display case and didn’t see him enter. I gave the customer in front of me their bag and coffee then turned my attention to him. He was ready to talk to her or he wouldn’t have come.
“Hey,” I said as he walked up to the counter.
He looked over at Hillya just as she was standing up. Her gaze found him and she froze. When she’d asked me if he wanted to meet after I told him what she had told me, I had explained that he needed time. She didn’t bring it up again, but I knew she was curious. I just hadn’t known what to tell her.
“Hello,” she said after a moment and walked toward us.
“Hi,” Rio said.
“I would do the introduction but that seems pointless,” I said, hoping to ease the tension.
“Yes, it does,” Hillya replied, keeping her gaze on Rio.
He glanced at me then back to her. “I, uh, I have questions.”
Hillya smiled and gave a small nod of her head. “I assumed you would,” she said. “I want to answer all that I can for you.”
Rio glanced at me again, looking unsure. He had made it this far, but he didn’t seem prepared for the next step.
“Tomorrow we are closed,” I reminded Hillya. It was the fourth of July and although I was sure business would be booming, Hillya said she always closed for the fourth.
She smiled brightly. “Yes, we are and I always cook a big lunch for the fourth. My sister and her children and grandchildren come over. We take the boat out and the younger ones water ski.” She paused then looked from me to Rio. “I would love for the two of you to be there.”
I wasn’t sure what my plans might be. Saul hadn’t mentioned another party at his house. The last two gatherings that the guys had, Saul had come to Gran’s and stayed there with me.
“We are having something tomorrow night, but for lunch, I could come by,” he said, cutting his eyes to me as if he needed some sort of agreement. I nodded.
“That is wonderful,” Hillya replied, looking truly pleased.
“What time should we be there?” I asked her for Rio’s sake.
“Eleven would be perfect. I can introduce you to,” she paused, and I could see the uncertainty in her gaze.
“Relatives?” I asked her with a reassuring smile.
She nodded her head. “Yes, relatives.”
Rio said nothing.
“We will be there at eleven,” I replied. Then I turned my attention back to Rio.
He met my gaze. “Okay, yeah,” he muttered then he turned and left.
When the door closed behind him, I looked back at Hillya who was watching him walk to his Jeep.
“He will come around,” I said.
She sighed then turned her gaze to me. “I hope so.”
I did too. I was promising something I wasn’t positive about. Rio had more hurt than I did about our father. I knew his life was a much harder one than I had been dealt. Perhaps he blamed Hillya for not rescuing him. That seemed unfair. Shouldn’t he hold that against his mother’s parents.
Hillya walked back to the kitchen and I waited until she was gone to slip the phone from my pocket and text Rio: You agreed to this. You better do it. She’d old and lived a very lonely life. Remember that.
Rio didn’t reply.
Before I Ieft work, I texted Saul to let him know I was leaving. For the first time in two weeks, he didn’t respond. On my drive home, I decided to go to the Hendrix IV and see if he was with Lily. She had skipped the past two days’ AA meetings and I knew Saul was concerned. If he didn’t go with her, she would always stop going. I hated how that wore on him. He carried so much guilt over something he shouldn’t have to be responsible for–his own mother.
The security guard recognized my car and waved me through without me needing to show him my card. When I turned into the parking deck, I saw him. Saul was here and he wasn’t alone.
Stepping out of the main elevators, not the one that went to Lily’s penthouse, Saul and a familiar blonde woman emerged. They walked out and then stopped and talked. It was obvious they were close. They stood close. Too close. They bent their heads toward the other when they spoke as if what they had to say was private.
The blonde was as stunning as I remembered her. She was wearing white shorts and a peach halter top. Her platinum blonde hair hung over one shoulder. They didn’t notice me or the other guests that passed by them to get on the elevators. Whatever they were speaking of had their complete attention.
When Saul stepped closer to her, I knew this was all I could take. Backing up, I turned my car around and headed back to Gran’s. The scene in my head would haunt me. I could try and explain it away, but I didn’t have an excuse that seemed plausible. Saul had been standing so close to her and they had been talking like people with a connection. They knew each other, and it was obvious.
The lump in my throat grew the entire drive home. Pulling into Gran’s driveway, I thought of the last time I saw the blonde woman. It had been the only time. The sweet little girl Gran had left her scarves to and babysat. Isla Evans was a married woman with a child. There was no reason she should be at a luxury condo complex, talking to a younger man with such familiarity.
Stepping out of the car, I thought of the list. I thought of Keerly. I believed Gran had sent me there for one simple purpose: to give Keerly something to enjoy. But had Gran sent me anywhere for a simple reason?
“Was that your way of warning me, Gran?” I asked her aloud.
Had Gran known this and wanted to make sure I did too? I had thought Gran put me in Saul’s path on purpose. But what if she hadn’t? What if Saul was just going to be there and she wanted to be sure I knew he wasn’t for me?
The house was quiet when I went inside and there was still no message on my phone from Saul. I closed the door and locked it behind me. Looking out into the night, I wondered if he would come and if he did what I would say.
I didn’t want to jump to conclusions, but I had to know. I would have to ask Saul. It was only fair.
Taking off my clothes, I stepped into the shower and wished it could wash away the hurt and disappointment. Gran had sent me to that house for a reason, but what was the reason? Why didn’t she just leave me a list of things she wanted me to know? For example, who Isla Evans was.
The text on my phone went off as I stepped out of the shower. I dried off and picked it up to see it was from Saul. I didn’t open it, but went into the bedroom to get dressed. As I pulled on the soft cotton tank top I liked to sleep in, the phone began to ring.
Seeing Saul’s name, I was torn but on the third ring, I answered.
“Hello,” I said.
“I’m at the door,” he replied.
I stood there in my bedroom, trying to decide what to do.
“I’m sorry I didn’t text you back.”
His voice sounded tired. What had happened today? Would he even tell me?
“I’m going to bed,” I replied.
He sighed wearily. “Please, Henley,” he begged.
Closing my eyes tightly, I made the decision. I couldn’t accuse him of something when I didn’t know the details. It wasn’t as if he had been kissing her. They had just been talking, closely, and what appeared intimately.
I walked out of my bedroom and down the hall until I saw him standing on the other side of the door. His eyes locked with mine and I stood there, wondering what if he had been with Isla … he hadn’t made me any promises. He had never said we were in a relationship. We were together every day. We had sex. But did that make us exclusive.
No. But Isla was a married woman with a child. That made it adultery. If he was doing anything with her that was. I had to know before I pushed him away. Seeing him standing out there, I couldn’t turn away from him. We might not be in an official relationship, but my heart didn’t seem to care about the details.
I ended the call and went to open the door. Saul stepped inside and closed it behind himself. Never once breaking eye contact with me.
“You locked it,” he said.
“You told me to,” I reminded him.
A tiny smirk played on his lips. “Yeah, I did.”
“I’m tired,” I told him.
He reached for my hand and threaded his fingers through mine. “Then let’s go to bed.”
I looked down at our hands. His much larger and tanned one against my smaller pale one. Being with him always felt right. Or it had. Until now. Until I didn’t know if all those warnings I received meant something.
Saul walked me back to the bedroom and pulled back the covers for me to climb inside. I didn’t say anything as I got in bed. I watched as he undressed but left on his black boxer briefs then joined me. He pulled me to him and tucked my head under his.
“Where have you been today?” I asked.
“Lily ended up keeping me until late. She was having a hard day.”
“Did she have any company?” I asked then.
“No. She never does.”
“You stayed with her all day then?” I needed him to tell me. To make it all better.
“Yeah,” he replied then kissed the top of my head. “Close your eyes. Get some sleep.”
That was his first lie.
