Once Craved. Blake Pierce

to take care of. Some of the furniture was rather old and out of place in such a pristine environment. She’d have to find replacements. One of the walls looked rather empty, and Riley had run out of pictures to hang there. She made a mental note to go shopping with April this coming weekend. That idea made Riley feel comfortably normal, a woman with a nice family life rather than an agent tracking down some deviant murderer.

      Now she wondered – where was April?

      She stopped to listen. No music was emanating from April’s room upstairs. Then she heard her daughter scream.

      April’s voice was coming from the backyard. Riley gasped and rushed through her dining area and out onto the large back deck. When she saw April’s face and torso pop into view above the fence between yards, it took Riley a moment to realize what was happening. Then she relaxed and laughed at herself. Her automatic panic had been an overreaction. But it had been instinctive. All too recently, Riley had rescued April from the clutches of a madman who had targeted her for revenge on her mother.

      April disappeared from view and then popped up again squealing with pleasure. She was jumping on the neighbor’s trampoline. She’d made friends with the girl who lived there, a teenager who was about April’s age and even went to the same high school.

      “Be careful!” Riley called out to April.

      “I’m fine, Mom!” April called back breathlessly.

      Riley laughed again. It was an unfamiliar sound, springing from feelings she had almost forgotten. She wanted to get used to laughing again.

      She also wanted to get used to the joyful expression on her daughter’s face. It seemed like only yesterday when April had been terribly rebellious and sullen, even for a teenager. Riley could hardly blame April. Riley knew that she had left a lot to be desired as a mother. She was doing everything she could to change that.

      That was one thing she especially liked about being on leave from field work, with its long, unpredictable hours often in faraway locations. Now her schedule meshed with April’s, and Riley dreaded the likelihood that this would someday have to change.

      Best to enjoy it while I can, she thought.

      Riley went back into the house just in time to hear the front doorbell ring.

      She called out, “I’ll get it, Gabriela.”

      She opened the door and was surprised to find herself facing a smiling man she hadn’t seen before.

      “Hi,” he said, a bit shyly. “I’m Blaine Hildreth, from next door. Your daughter is over there now with my daughter, Crystal.” He held out a box to Riley and added, “Welcome to the neighborhood. I’ve brought you a small housewarming gift.”

      “Oh,” Riley said. She was startled at the unaccustomed cordiality. It took her a moment to say, “Please, come on in.”

      She accepted the box awkwardly and offered him a seat in a living room chair. Riley sat down on the sofa, holding the gift box in her lap. Blaine Hildreth was looking at her expectantly.

      “This is so kind of you,” she said, opening up the package. It held a mixed set of colorful coffee mugs, two of them decorated with butterflies and the other two with flowers.

      “They’re lovely,” Riley said. “Would you like some coffee?”

      “I’d love some,” Blaine said.

      Riley called out to Gabriela, who came in from the kitchen.

      “Gabriela, could you bring us some coffee in these?” she said, handing her two of the mugs. “Blaine, how do you like yours?”

      “Black will be fine.”

      Gabriela took the mugs into the kitchen.

      “My name is Riley Paige,” she said to Blaine. “Thanks for stopping by. And thank you for the gift.”

      “You’re welcome,” Blaine said.

      Gabriela returned with two mugs of delicious hot coffee, then went back to work in the kitchen. Somewhat to her embarrassment, Riley found herself sizing up her male neighbor. Now that she was single, she couldn’t resist. She hoped he didn’t notice.

      Oh, well, she thought. Maybe he’s doing the same with me.

      First, she observed that he wasn’t wearing a wedding ring. Widowed or divorced, she figured.

      Second, she estimated that he was about her age, maybe a little younger, perhaps in his late thirties.

      Finally, he was good-looking – or at least reasonably so. His hairline was receding, which wasn’t a strike against him. And he seemed to be lean and fit.

      “So, what do you do?” Riley asked.

      Blaine shrugged. “I own a restaurant. Do you know Blaine’s Grill downtown?”

      Riley was pleasantly impressed. Blaine’s Grill was one of the nicest casual lunch places here in Fredericksburg. She’d heard that it was terrific for dinner, but hadn’t had a chance to try it.

      “I’ve been there,” she said.

      “Well, that’s mine,” Blaine said. “And you?”

      Riley took a long breath. It was never easy to tell a total stranger what she did for a living. Men especially were sometimes intimidated.

      “I’m with the FBI,” she said. “I’m – a field agent.”

      Blaine’s eyes widened.

      “Really?” he said.

      “Well, on leave at the moment. I’m teaching at the academy.”

      Blaine leaned toward her with growing interest.

      “Wow. I’m sure you’ve got some real stories. I’d love to hear one.”

      Riley laughed a bit nervously. She wondered if she’d ever be able to tell anybody outside of the Bureau about some of the things she had seen. It would be even harder to talk about some of things she had done.

      “I don’t think so,” she said a bit sharply. Riley could see Blaine stiffen, and she realized that her tone was rather rude.

      He ducked his head and said, “I apologize. I certainly didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable.”

      They chatted for a few moments after that, but Riley was aware that her new neighbor was being more reserved. After he politely said goodbye and left, Riley closed the door behind him and sighed. She was not making herself approachable, she realized. The woman starting a new life was still the same old Riley.

      But she told herself that it hardly mattered at the moment. A rebound relationship was the very last thing she needed right now. Her life required some serious sorting out, and she was just beginning to make progress in that direction.

      Still, it had been nice to spend a few minutes talking to an attractive man, and a relief to finally have neighbors – and pleasant ones at that.

*

      When Riley and April sat down at the table for dinner, April couldn’t keep her hands off her smartphone.

      “Please stop texting,” Riley said. “It’s supper time.”

      “In a minute, Mom,” April said. She kept right on texting.

      Riley was only mildly irritated by April’s display of teen behavior. The truth was, it definitely had an upside. Riley was doing great at school this year and making new friends. As far as Riley was concerned, they were a much better bunch of kids than April had hung out with before. Riley guessed that April was now texting with a boy she was interested in. So far, though, April hadn’t mentioned him.

      April did stop texting when Gabriela came in from the kitchen with a tray of chiles rellenos. As she set the steaming, lusciously stuffed bell peppers on the kitchen table, April giggled mischievously.

      “Picante enough, Gabriela?” she asked.

      “Sí,” Gabriela said, also giggling.

      It was a running