Time of Day Read online

  “Real estate agent,” Kinsley said. “Kinsley James.” She held out her hand for Elena to take. “I’m helping Riley find a house for you two.”

  “Kinsley is a friend, Elena.” Riley stood next to Kinsley and placed her hand on Kinsley’s shoulder. “She wasn’t here to work tonight. We were hanging out and about to eat dinner.”

  “Maybe I could join you. I’m starving. I caught the next flight after my meeting and didn’t get a chance to grab dinner,” Elena said.

  Riley noticed Elena still hadn’t taken her eyes off Kinsley. The woman also hadn’t attempted to reach for Riley in any way. They hadn’t seen one another in weeks. Maybe Riley could measure it better in months at this point. Still, Elena had hardly met her eye.

  “Well, dinner’s kind of ruined,” Kinsley said. “My fault. I showed up early and distracted her with house stuff.” She turned her face to Riley’s and gave her a smile. “It would have been great otherwise, I’m sure.”

  “You cooked?” Elena asked Riley, meeting her eyes finally.

  “I tried,” Riley replied. “Pasta.”

  “I should get out of your hair,” Kinsley said. “It was nice to meet you, Elena.”

  “You don’t have to go, Kinsley,” Riley stated. “I can order instead.”

  “Riley, I just got here,” Elena said and lifted her eyebrows.

  “It’s not like I knew you were coming. I had plans with Kinsley. It’s rude, Elena.”

  “I’ll send you those links tomorrow,” Kinsley said. “For the listings we were discussing. I hope you two have a good night.”

  “Nice meeting you,” Elena said.

  Kinsley moved to the door, pulled it behind her, and left without turning around.

  “Elena, what are you doing here?” Riley asked the moment the door was closed.

  “I told you. I came to surprise you. What the hell was that, by the way?” She hooked her thumb to the front door.

  “What was what?”

  “Kinsley James? That’s the realtor trying to find us a house?”

  “Yes. She’s the realtor, working hard to try to find us a house that you don’t even care about.” Riley turned around. “I have to clean the kitchen.”

  “Why did you cook for her? I can count on one hand the number of times you’ve even attempted to cook for me,” she said, following Riley into the kitchen.

  “That’s because we’ve had just over a handful of days together during a three-year relationship,” Riley retorted, tossing the rag she’d just picked up into the sink.

  “That’s what you wanted. We were long-distance, and it worked for a reason, Riley. You wanted it, too.”

  “Well, I don’t anymore.” Riley stared at her. “Don’t you want to be with me?”

  “I’m here, Riley.”

  “That’s not what I asked.” Riley lowered her head and raised it again a moment later. “Elena, this isn’t working anymore.”

  “Because you’re sleeping with the realtor?”

  “What? I’m not sleeping with Kinsley.”

  “You had her hand in your hand, Riley. I saw it,” Elena said. “What was that about then?”

  “She’s a friend. I’ve told you about her.”

  “Yes, you have. During the few phone calls we’ve actually had where you’re not yelling at me, you’ve mentioned her at least ten times. And I don’t remember hearing anything about how hard she’s working as our realtor, Riley.” Elena leaned against the counter and folded her arms over her chest. “But nothing’s going on between you two?”

  Riley didn’t know how to answer that question. She didn’t want to lie, but she couldn’t exactly say nothing was going on either. Kinsley had become important to her. She also wasn’t 100% certain she was only important to her as a friend.

  “Elena, do you want to move here and live with me in a house that we own?” Riley changed the subject. “That’s the question that matters. If you don’t, then what are we even doing here?”

  “I came here to talk to you about moving to Texas with me,” Elena said after a moment and uncrossed her arms. “I still think it could work with us, Riley.”

  “In Texas,” Riley said.

  “Yes, in Texas. If I run, it’ll be a brutal campaign.”

  “I thought you were running.”

  “I plan to,” Elena shot back. “I want this, Riley. I didn’t realize it until they asked me just how much I want it. I won’t apologize for wanting something.”

  “We had a plan, Elena.”

  “And we can still have it,” Elena moved forward and took her hands in her own. “Move to Texas with me.”

  “I just started my practice here.”

  “And you can start one there, too. People get divorced in Texas,” she said and laughed, trying to make the mood light.

  “What happens if you’re elected? We can’t exactly buy a place together and–”

  “You’ll stay at my place if I win, and I’ll move into the governor’s mansion. If I lose, we’ll still have my place. It’s in my name. No one will–”

  “Know?”

  “We can–”

  “Hide?” Riley finished for her again. “You want us to keep hiding, don’t you?”

  Elena dropped Riley’s hand and said, “You never had a problem with it before.”

  “Because I thought we’d stop at some point.” Riley took a step back. “Elena, I can’t do this anymore.”

  “Okay. Let’s talk,” Elena replied. “We have things to talk about, obviously. We keep fighting on the phone. Now that I’m here, we can talk in person and clear the air. We’ll make a plan for if I win and if I don’t.”

  “I don’t want that,” Riley said after a moment and met Elena’s brown eyes. “Elena, I don’t want that.”

  “What do you want?”

  Riley thought for a moment and said, “Not this.”

  ◆◆◆

  “Hey there,” Riley said. “Is it okay that I’m here?”

  “Oh. Hi.” Kinsley looked up from her computer.

  “I brought coffee.” She placed the cup on Kinsley’s desk. “As an apology. No strings. No conversation required. They were out of sesame bagels. I got one blueberry, one everything, and one plain.” She then set the white paper bag on the desk next to the coffee. “And now, I’ll be on my way.”

  “Riley, wait. What’s going on?” Kinsley leaned back in her chair.

  “I feel bad about dinner the other night. I ruined the food, and then Elena showed up. This is just me saying ‘thank you for putting up with me, and I’m sorry for what happened.’ But it’s not me thinking you’re a substitute girlfriend, I promise.”

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.” Kinsley leaned forward again.

  “No, it’s fine.” Riley waved her off. “I should get going, though. I have a meeting in ten minutes.”

  “Do you really have a meeting?” Kinsley chanced.

  “I do, yes,” she said. “It’s in an hour, though.” She lowered her head. “Sorry, I don’t know how to do this with you now.”

  “It’s okay,” Kinsley replied. “I’m not sure I know how to do this either. I thought it would be easier if you knew how I felt. But, it turns out, that was wrong.”

  “Can we talk?”

  The front door to the office opened. A man and a woman walked in hand in hand. Kinsley both wanted to and didn’t walk to talk to Riley at the same time. Elena had been beautiful in her online photos, but she’d been gorgeous in person. She looked older, yes, but not old. Her hair was dark and had been swept back in an elegant bun. Her eyes were dark as well. Kinsley remembered thinking that they looked good together. They both had similar hair and eye color. Elena’s skin was darker, though. She’d thought as she’d driven home that night, after the failed dinner, that their skin probably looked good pressed together: the paler skin of Riley meeting Elena’s darker shade. Then, she shook her head violently to eliminate that thought from her brain.

  “Hi,” the woman
said as she approached. “We’re a little early.”

  “No problem,” Kinsley said. “You’re the Hermans, right?”

  “That’s us,” the man said.

  “I’ll let you get back to work,” Riley replied. “She’s great. You guys will love working with her.”

  Kinsley watched as Riley didn’t look her way again. She made her way toward the front door, and just as she was about to exit, Kinsley worked up the courage she needed and stood up in her chair.

  “Riley?”

  “Yeah?” Riley turned, surprised.

  “I’ll call you, okay?”

  Riley smiled and gave her a light nod before she left the office.

  CHAPTER 11

  When Kinsley arrived at the store, Morgan was with a customer. She waited off to the side until Morgan was free. Morgan gave her the nod that told Kinsley she understood she’d need some privacy for this chat. They made their way to the back office, where Morgan sat behind her desk and Kinsley stood behind the only guest chair in the room.

  “You requested my presence,” Morgan began mockingly.

  “I have a Riley problem,” she said.

  “Of course, you do.” Morgan leaned back in her chair. “Go on.”

  “Her girlfriend is in town,” Kinsley said and crossed her arms over her chest. “And I don’t know how I feel about that.”

  “Yes, you do. You don’t want her to have a girlfriend unless it’s you,” Morgan replied. “That’s the problem.”

  “It’s not like that.”

  “What is it like, then?”

  “I want her to be happy,” Kinsley offered.

  “With you.”

  “Morgan, come on.” She sat in the chair. “You and Reese used to be together. Then, she found Kellan. I know that was hard for you. But you wanted her to be happy, right? Kellan is that person for her. It hurt you, yes. But you also know Reese is happy, and that’s what matters.”

  “I know that,” Morgan replied. “It sucked at first, that’s true. I assume that’s what you’re dealing with? You want her, but she wants someone else?”

  “No,” Kinsley replied. “That’s actually the problem. If that was it, I think I could deal with it, assuming she was happy.”

  “You don’t know that she’s happy?”

  “I don’t.” Kinsley sighed. “It’s not my place to judge someone’s happiness; I know that. But it just doesn’t seem like she wants this. Elena is non-committal, at best, these days. And Riley’s ready for that next step.”

  “But they’re still together, James,” Morgan reasoned.

  “I know.”

  “It’s hard to see them together in person, I take it.”

  “It’s not just that. I only saw them for a moment before I left the other night. It’s more that… I might have told her I can’t be her substitute girlfriend and possibly confessed that I have feelings for her, right before her actual girlfriend walked into her apartment unannounced and saw us kind of holding hands but not really holding hands.”

  “Hold on!” Morgan exclaimed and shot out of her chair with that rapid-fire confession. “You what? You told her? You held her hand?”

  “She held mine,” Kinsley replied.

  “She held your hand as a friend or as something more? Did you do the thing where it’s just two friends clasping hands, or did she slide her fingers between yours?”

  “It wasn’t like that,” Kinsley said. “It was like a second. She reached for my hand, and our fingers touched. Then, Elena was there, and it was over.”

  “But it was her? She did that?”

  “Yes,” Kinsley replied.

  “I’m going to kill her,” Morgan said.

  “What? Why?”

  “Because you just told her how you felt, and she took your hand when she has a girlfriend,” Morgan answered.

  “It wasn’t like that. She didn’t say anything. It’s not like she confessed her undying love for me. It was just a friend thing. But it’s weird between us now.”

  “So, what’s bothering you the most? Is it that she has a girlfriend? Is it that the girlfriend isn’t good for her?”

  “It’s both.” Kinsley stood. “God, it’s both. Morgan, I like Riley so much. I always have. It’s not like this epic love story where I’ve loved her forever and stood in the shadows waiting for her to realize it or anything. It’s more that I liked her in school, and I left when I graduated. I didn’t see her for years, dated other women, fell in love, and then saw her again and remembered how it felt to like her.”

  “And now she’s back, and you still like her,” Morgan understood.

  “Yes. But I can’t like her. She has someone, and they’re working through things.”

  “James, maybe you and I should go out. That lesbian bar, about a half hour from here, is calling our name.”

  “We haven’t been there in forever,” Kinsley said with a chuckle.

  “The last time I was there was with Reese, I think.”

  “I haven’t been there since you and I went. I ended up making out with that woman.”

  “That wasn’t a woman. She was twenty-one, Kinsley James,” Morgan replied with a glare. “That was a girl.”

  “How was I supposed to know she was still in college?” Kinsley laughed again. “I don’t know if a bar is the right way to go.”

  “We can invite Reese and Kellan. They’re all boring and settled down. They have no need for hot ladies at the bar. They can be our wing women,” Morgan suggested.

  “Saturday night?”

  “Let’s do it.”

  ◆◆◆

  When Riley arrived, it was just as she expected. The place had the requisite DJ with a sideways haircut, tank top, and low-slung jeans. She also had a nose ring and two lip rings along with an eyebrow ring. She had headphones on her ears, but she likely also had at least three earrings in each ear, too. The music was loud. It was very loud, and Riley actually grimaced when she walked further into the space. She was too old for a bar like this.

  She’d been invited by Reese and Kellan, when she’d run into them at the café that morning. They’d only chatted for a few minutes, but they mentioned they were going out. She’d needed to get out of the apartment after the week she’d had. She’d also specifically been interested in seeing Kinsley tonight. When they’d mentioned it had been Morgan’s idea, and that Kinsley would be in attendance, Riley had told them she’d be there. She had to drive on her own, thanks to the day she’d had, but it would be worth it if she could just see Kinsley and talk to her alone for a few minutes. Kinsley hadn’t called her as she said she would. Riley didn’t want to press her, but she missed spending time with her.

  “Oh, we invited Riley tonight. I hope that’s okay?” Kellan said.

  “Riley’s coming?” Kinsley replied. “I didn’t know she was coming.”

  “Is it a problem? I thought you guys were friends now,” Reese said.

  “We are, but we’re not at the same time. I don’t know,” Kinsley said.

  “James, just tell them,” Morgan said.

  The booths at the bar were hardwood and tall. Thanks to a slight break in the song where the DJ introduced a contest of some sort, Riley could hear the conversation her friends were having without them knowing she was there.

  “I told Riley how I feel,” Kinsley said. “Well, sort of. It was weird.”

  “Weird?” Reese asked.

  “She was talking about her girlfriend, Elena. I was having a hard time listening to her tell me how Elena treats her, because she deserves so much better than that. And I may have blurted out that I like her,” Kinsley said. “I told her I can’t be her substitute girlfriend, basically, because I wish I was her real girlfriend.”

  “That’s so cute, James,” Reese said.

  “It’s not cute. It’s terrible. It’s all awkward now. I like her. She loves someone else. She knows I like her, and now I don’t know what to say when I’m around her. Is she going to think – if I compliment her hair
or something – that I’m flirting? What if I do that thing where I slide the hair behind her ear just because it’s in her face? Am I still allowed to do that? Was I ever allowed to do that? Should only your girlfriend do that if you have one?”

  Riley smiled and shook her head at Kinsley’s minor rant. She was beginning to get used to them, and she liked that.

  “That’s so lesbian, isn’t it?” Morgan said. “The hair-tuck thing.”

  Reese and Kellan laughed, but Riley didn’t hear Kinsley laughing with them. She was beginning to feel bad about eavesdropping, but she couldn’t resist hearing Kinsley tell this story.

  “I told her I’d call her. But I have no idea what to say,” Kinsley said.

  “You could say hello,” Riley said as she made herself known and moved to stand in front of the booth. “Hi, guys.”

  “Hey, Riley,” Reese said first.

  “Riley, hi. How long have you been there?” Morgan asked from her seat next to Kinsley.

  “Not long.” Riley decided to save Kinsley the embarrassment. If the woman’s expression was any indication, she hadn’t done that completely. But there was no need to tell Kinsley she’d heard everything either. “Do you guys need another round? I’m buying.”

  “I think I’d like to go find someone to dance with. Kinsley, you want to come along?” Morgan asked. “There’s the blonde over there that’s been staring at you for the past five minutes.”

  Riley turned to follow Morgan’s finger only to notice that a blonde woman was indeed looking over at their group; and, possibly, at Kinsley. She turned back to watch Kinsley finish her martini before standing and moving quickly past her.

  “Let’s dance,” Kinsley said as she walked toward the woman.

  Morgan stood, too. She held onto Riley’s forearm for a moment and whispered into her ear, “If you like her, don’t hurt her.”

  Then, Morgan was dancing with a redhead she grabbed from the bar. Kinsley was dancing with the blonde. Riley was now a third-wheel at the table with Kellan and Reese.