Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 86972 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 435(@200wpm)___ 348(@250wpm)___ 290(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86972 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 435(@200wpm)___ 348(@250wpm)___ 290(@300wpm)
“Why?”
He kissed the other corner of my mouth. “Because the void I tried to fill with shit like that isn’t empty anymore.”
His mouth covered mine then and I kissed him with all the words I couldn’t say.
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.