“I was thinking about going to see someone I went to school with.” Vic hoped Riley wouldn’t be pissed at her for just showing up at the movie theater, but after talking on the phone earlier, she didn’t want to wait until tomorrow morning to see her. “Someone I wish I’d known better when we younger.”
“Oh? A woman?”
“Yes, Riley Warren. Do you know her?”
“Can’t say that I really know anyone in Wolf Bay,” he said. He actually looked sad at the admission, and Vic wondered if it was simply because of her mother’s disdain for the “common” people. If not for her, would he be a man who cared more for his fellow townspeople? “But the name does sound vaguely familiar.”
“Mother used to call her trailer trash.” Vic felt a slight pain in her chest at the words and assumed it was regret. Regret for not speaking up against the things her mother said, and certainly regret for her younger self having been so small-minded to simply follow the crowd.
“Ah, yes, I remember. Her mother was an alcoholic, right?”
“Yes.”
“You should go see her,” he said with a nod. “And I hope you get to know her better now. Maybe you could bring her to Vanessa’s wedding.”
“Yeah, I’m not sure that would ever happen. Not to mention the conniption fit Mother would have if I showed up with a woman on my arm.” The visual was rather appealing though, she had to admit. “Especially if it was Riley.”
“Don’t worry about her,” he told her. “If you want to bring Riley, then you absolutely should.”
Vic smiled and nodded, wondering if it could ever really be that easy where her mother was concerned. Maybe she’d try to convince Riley to go if she didn’t hate her too much.
* * *
Riley was threading the film through the projector for the next show when the radio on her hip came to life.
“Riley, there’s someone here to see you,” said Tommy, who was working the box office.
“I’ll be down in a minute,” she replied. No one ever came to see her while she was at work other than Megan. It was Saturday, so she hoped it wouldn’t be so busy that she couldn’t take a few minutes to chat. She quickly finished getting the film ready so all she had to do was press the start button when it was time, then headed down to the lobby. She glanced at the people in the lobby, but didn’t see Megan anywhere so she headed toward the box office. “Where’s Megan?”
“Oh, it isn’t Megan,” Tommy said. “I’ve never seen this woman before.”
Dear God, please don’t let it be my mother. As soon as the thought crossed her mind, she rejected it. She was no doubt still in the hospital, and even if she wasn’t, it was almost nine. If she had been released, there was no doubt in Riley’s mind her mother would already be passed out on her couch. She stood there for a moment before looking through the lobby again. She saw a woman dressed in an expensive looking suit leaning against the wall near the concession stand, but a cursory glance told Riley she didn’t know her.
Wait just a minute.
The words echoed in her head just as she flicked her eyes away, and she looked back at the woman’s face. Her heart seemed to skip a beat when she realized the woman staring back at her was Victoria Thayer. Twenty years had gone by since she’d laid eyes on her, but there was no doubt it was her, even though her hair was much shorter, and she seemed a lot less feminine than she had the last time she saw her. Riley began to walk slowly toward her as Vic’s smile widened. When she pushed off the wall, Riley felt a fluttering low in her belly.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, hoping her immediate arousal wasn’t obvious. And what the hell? She’d never had such an immediate reaction to a woman before.
“I wanted to see you.”
“Yeah, and we arranged to have coffee in the morning.” Riley looked around. There were customers, but not so many her employees couldn’t handle things without her for a few minutes. “I’m working.”
“What time are you done?”
“Not until midnight.”
“I’ll wait.” Vic smiled and pulled some money out of her pocket. “I’ll watch the movie and then wait outside for you.”
“You do recall me saying I wasn’t comfortable having anything to do with you, right?” Riley said as Vic headed toward the doors that would lead her outside and to the box office.
“I do,” she answered with a quick nod and another smile. “And it’s my intention to change your mind about that.”
Riley just stared at her for a moment, not quite knowing what to say. It didn’t matter though, because Vic was gone. For now. Christ, she was going to have to be alone with her later. She looked at her watch and saw it was time to start the last show in theater one, so she turned and headed up the stairs. After starting the projector, she pulled out her phone and called Megan.
“Hey there,” Megan said.
“Fuck me, she’s here. What do I do?”
“Okay, slow down,” Megan said. “Who’s there?”
Riley took a moment to calm her racing heart. She really hadn’t expected such a visceral reaction to seeing Vic again. Who knew her body was such a traitor?
“Vic. She’s here, watching the last show, and then she said she’s going to wait outside for me to be done with work.”
“How does she look?”
“What the hell does that matter?” Riley fought to keep her voice down as she headed for her office behind the concession stand. She had ten minutes before the next movie had to start, but on her way to the office she stopped and asked Nancy to take care of it for her.
“It matters, trust me,” Megan said with a slight chuckle. “Did she get fat? Please tell me she’s as big as a moose.”
“She’s not,” Riley said, smiling in spite of her anxiety. “She didn’t get fat, she didn’t get ugly, although she did get a little bit queer.”
“And what does that mean, exactly?”
“It means if I were seeing her for the first time, I’d bet my life she was a lesbian.”
“Ooh, that’s an interesting turn of events, isn’t it?” Megan was smiling—Riley could hear it in her voice. “Tell me why you think that.”
“All the stereotypical reasons, the hair, the clothes, no purse or makeup, but the real reasons? It’s the way she was looking at me, and the way she carries herself.” Riley closed her eyes and pictured Vic leaning against the wall. Her stomach did that weird fluttering thing again. “God, Megan, I’m in so much trouble.”
“I can stay at Laura’s house tonight if you think you might be bringing her home with you,” Megan offered, speaking about her older sister. “I wouldn’t want to be a third wheel.”
“I’m not bringing her home,” Riley said, although the thought was more than tempting. She shook her head. “Nope. Not happening.”
“Are you trying to convince me or yourself?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Well, the offer stands. For whenever you want to bring her home, all right? And I won’t wait up for you.”