“This is actually really nice,” Elena admitted. “There are still a lot of people here, but it’s not as loud. And you were right. It’s kind of above everything… above all the hustle and bustle.”
“I figured we would start slow before I took you somewhere with big crowds.”
“Well, that was very thoughtful. Thank you.”
I took a triumphant bite of my sandwich. I wanted Elena to feel comfortable here while she waited for me to deal with things back at home. This threesome date was the first step to doing that, and I would make sure to keep it up in the days to come. I would show her that once you knew Manhattan, it wasn’t a complicated or nerve-wracking place… most of the time.
I didn’t want to change her mind, though. Her heart belonged in Montauk, and really, mine did too. Elena wasn’t some city girl, and I wouldn’t try to make her something she wasn’t. Our evenings spent sitting on the beach, sipping wine and talking about life meant too much to me for that.
Chapter Twelve
Elena
I stared around Riker’s penthouse, feeling oddly empty. Cleaning supplies cluttered the kitchen counter. Clorox wipes, Windex, and leather cleaner for the furniture – I had needed pretty much everything imaginable to elevate the cleanliness of this place to a level that satisfied me.
Satisfied? I thought giving Riker’s place a good, thorough cleaning would please me.I need to accomplish something, at least.I also wanted to surprise Riker when he came home to a clean house after spending all day at work. A win-win for both of us. But there it was, in the hollow of my stomach. I could feel it, tugging at me – the emptiness, that burning itch. The discomfort and unease that took ahold of my senses if I dared to stand still for too long.
All I had done lately was stand still. Here in New York City, I didn’t have much else to do. I could go out somewhere during the day, but I would have to take Bree with me because I had no one to watch her. Exploring Manhattan alone with a toddler didn’t sound fun at all. I hadn’t even tried it. Since having no one to watch Bree also meant I had no friends here either, aside from Riker, of course. So, I couldn’t even go out for coffee with a girlfriend or coworker to chat or ask them to take me sightseeing. I spoke to Payton almost everyday on the phone, but I still missed spending time together with our kids.
I sighed. The impatient energy that had consumed me all day burned away, leaving only exhaustion. My muscles protested the massive amount of nothing I had been doing as I sat on the large, soft, sectional, and watched Bree play with a few decorative pillows that couldn’t be harmed by her curious hands.
For the first couple of weeks, I had been fine, focusing on Bree, and helping her adjust to a new schedule. I had expected some issues when she eventually began missing all her friends from daycare. So far, though, getting to know the new surroundings, and our ventures into the city with Riker were keeping Bree amused. And I was grateful for that.
Actually, I had found that being a stay-at-home mom was something I could not comfortably do long-term. In the early months after Bree was born, I was thrilled to be with my daughter, 24/7. I had enjoyed nursing her and watching her grow. And I imagined that if I ever had another baby, I would feel the same way. But now that Bree was almost three-years-old, I had no reason not to work and was eager to get back to my duties at the law office. Besides, Bree needed to be away from me to build her social skills.Being stuck here is doing neither of us any favors.
On and off, I had considered trying to find some sort of parent meet-up near Riker’s apartment. Then, I would tell myself this arrangement with Riker was only temporary and we would be going home any day now. So, I didn’t want Bree to get attached to new friends that she would soon be leaving.
After an entire month of sitting around here in the penthouse, twiddling my thumbs, I was beginning to believe Oscar knew I had left Montauk.He’s probably laughing about how he has driven me out of town.
Riker understood. I knew he did. Everything that bothered me about living here, I had brought up in our conversations after Bree’s bedtime. Riker always promised me he was doing everything he could, and I would be going home soon. I did believe him for a while. Now, I was losing hope. ButRiker had never lied to me. He was doing his best to help. That was one of the reasons I hadn’t given in to my wild urge to rent a car and drive back to the Hamptons on my own.
Speaking of Riker, he would be home soon. The house was clean except for, ironically, for the very tools used to clean it. Quickly, I tidied up, keeping an eye on Bree to make sure those pillows were the only belongings of Riker’s that she played with.
In about ten minutes, the front door swung open, and Riker walked in.
“Sorry, my driver did his best, but traffic was terrible,” Riker announced, tugging his phone out of the back pocket of his slacks and undoing the top two buttons of his work polo. “Are you okay?” He gave me a quick kiss. “You cleaned. This place is spotless.”
“Yeah,” I whispered into his ear, holding him close. “I thought it was about time, and…and I didn’t have anything else to do.” I finished with a forced smile.
Riker leveled a penetrating stare at me, but he didn’t say what he was thinking because Bree came trotting up to him. “Hey, you!” He picked her up and plopped her safely on his shoulders. “So, I thought maybe we would grab dinner somewhere close and bring it back here…where we can crack open a bottle of wine. Is that okay?”
“Sure,” I said quickly, thrilled at the idea of getting out of the house for a minute and already feeling better than I had all day just because Riker was home.
Hot, savory Chinese food and wine finished the mission that Riker had started. By the time we were through eating dinner, I could sit back and relax. Or, I could as soon as I put Bree to bed and tidied up the living room.
“Hey,” Riker called softly when I shut the door to the guest room. “Come out here with me?” Drenched in shadow, Riker waited next to the sliding glass door to the massive balcony, glasses of wine in hand.
“Sure.” I liked looking down at the sleepless city with the lights off in the apartment. I could always see more detail that way, for some reason.
“I wanted to tell you when I got home, but I decided to wait until Bree was in bed.”
My back stiffened, nearly sloshing my wine over the rim of the glass. My eyes were riveted on Riker’s half-hidden face. “Oscar?”
“Yes. The security agent caught him on camera twice. Once the day before yesterday and again last night. I know you’ve been waiting – so, so patiently,” he added, reaching for my hand. “You’ve been such a trooper, Elena. I didn’t want to tell you yesterday. Get your hopes up until I had something more definitive first – and a plan.”
“Oh, I’ve glad you didn’t. You seem to always know what’s best... It’s okay.” Surprisingly, itwasokay. It was easy to see why Riker wouldn’t want to balloon my hopes with a single sighting of Oscar, then deflate them with another month of waiting. “You have a plan, then?” I said, leaning forward so earnestly that I felt the heated, dull pressure of tears forming behind my eyes.Please, Riker, tell me I can go home!
“I do have a plan. But, don’t get your hopes up. The security agent didn’t catch Oscar – he didn’t even try. That was part of my plan, and Jack was acting as per my instructions. Like I said when we moved here, I’ve always wanted to handle this myself… but not until the time was right. Just to make sure there aren’t any mistakes like before.”
