Dragon Hunter by Charlene Hartnady
Chapter 29
The next day…
“So didyou have a good time in…?” Her mom’s eyes lifted. “Where did you say you went to this time? I can’t remember. You fly all over the world with your job, which makes it hard for me.” She scrunched her eyes up in thought.
“London.” Riley hated lying. She’d spent the whole evening at the police station and with Ashlyn’s parents yesterday. They were beside themselves with worry. She’d lied about where Ashlyn really was and what had happened to her…to them. She’d told the police that they left the club at the same time. Ashlyn was supposed to take an Uber. That Riley left with a man and that she had been with him all this time instead of going on her flight to Europe. She’d made Ashlyn’s folks promise not to tell her mother, who believed she had gone on her trip for work as usual. In short, she’d tried to stick to the truth as much as possible while lying through her teeth. In that instance, the truth would be worse than not knowing. Besides, who would believe her if she told them the truth, anyway? Abducted by cave-dwelling shifters? Not a chance. Maybe Avalanche would get Ash out of there. Riley prayed it would happen. She had to hold onto hope.
“Oh…Europe,” her mom’s eyes went wide, “must have been nice.”
“I don’t know.” Riley made a face. “I’ve been to London a ton of times now. I suppose it’s different when I go for work versus what it would be like if I actually traveled there on vacation. I’m getting bored as a flight attendant. I’m thinking of looking for something else.”
“But you love your job.” Her mom took a sip of tea. “Why would you want to leave it?”
Riley was throwing caution to the wind. She had to believe that Fog was coming for her. Not today. Not tomorrow. Maybe not even next week or next month, but he was coming, and they were going to be together. Riley believed in him. She believed in them. “I’ve met someone,” she blurted before she could change her mind.
Riley half expected her mom to get angry or to start crying. It didn’t happen. In fact, the opposite happened. Her mother smiled. It was bright and wide and so beautiful. “I’m so glad.” The older woman clutched her chest. “I’ve been waiting for you to say that to me. Hoping that this day would come.”
“Really?” Riley couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Even after dad? After what he did? I would have thought that you would have been anti-love and anti-relationships.”
“No.” Her mom shook her head, her eyes clouding over with memories. “Love is wonderful. It is truly amazing. Not everyone is lucky enough to find true love. Your father… He was complicated.” She sighed. “I spent many years angry with him. Consumed by it. Anger, pain, and so much frustration. I wanted closure. I wanted to know why. To understand. What we had was real. At least, I thought it was.” She smiled. “It took me a long time to realize that it was real. It was real for me. I felt love, and I felt loved back, and that counts for a whole lot. It’s taken me a long time, but I’ve finally been able to forgive your father. I’m ready to move on now.”
What?
“I’m so happy to hear that, Mom.” Riley smiled. Come to think of it, her mom looked like she might be wearing some make-up. Like she might have done something with her hair. “Wait a minute, have you met someone?”
“No…nothing like that.” She laughed. “I want to hear all about this guy of yours.”
“That’s the thing; he doesn’t live around here.”
“Oh! Is he out of state?”
“He doesn’t live in this country.”
“Oh, my word! Where does he live then? Are you going to leave me?” She looked crestfallen. “Wait! That came out wrong. You’ve taken care of me for far too many years. It’s time for you to spread your wings. I was so worried about you, Riles. I know you’ve had boyfriends, but I also know that you’ve never been in love. You’ve never even brought anyone home. I didn’t realize how much your father hurt you. I’m glad you have someone in your life. When do I get to meet this man?”
Sadness flooded her. That was the thing. She had no idea. Maybe she was wrong to have brought this up now. “Hopefully soon, Mom. With him living abroad, it’s tricky. I wanted you to know. If things progress the way I think they will…” Please! “You’ll meet him, for sure.”
“If you move away, please visit me from time to time. That’s all I ask. Oh, and regular calls are a must.”
“It’s nowhere near anything so serious yet.” She chuckled.
“When you walked into the room today, I could see something different about you. It isn’t just worry over Ashlyn. I could see that too, of course. It was something else. Something in your eyes, in the way you walk, even. You’ve changed, Riles. True love will change a person.”
“Let’s see, Mom.” She smiled. “If I move anywhere, I must just warn you that I’m taking you with me.”
Her mom’s eyes widened. “I could see myself living abroad.”
“Let’s see how things go first.” Riley smiled at her mother’s excitement.
“Let’s do that. Now tell me what the police are saying. You were very vague when I asked about it before. I want to know every detail. The Montgomerys must be going out of their minds with worry.”
