Page 19 of Chasing Your Ghost

“Hey,” he replied, killing her worries. “Is there room for one more?”

“You know, there actually isn’t,” she told him, her chin tilting up as her legs kicked to keep her head above water. “How dare you try to interfere with my morning dip.”

Noah’s lips curved up in amusement, her sarcastic remarks having the desired effect. “How rude of me,” he said before jumping into the pool and sending a wave of water crashing into Riley’s face.

“Did your dad tell you about going into D.C. later?” she asked him once he came up for air.

“Yeah, he mentioned it before I went running. Where do you want to go?” His eyes were still storming with sorrow, but some of the darkness had dissipated since he’d walked into the kitchen after his jog.

“I was thinking maybe the Lincoln Memorial,” she replied, moving through the water until she was in a part of the pool where she could stand. “My dad and I used to watch National Treasure at least once a month, and there’s a scene that takes place there.”

“I can always appreciate a good Nicolas Cage movie,” Noah replied with a nod. “Sounds like a plan.”

“Are you going back to your mom’s soon?” Riley asked, hating herself for wanting him to stay there a bit longer to act as a buffer between her and Olivia.

He nodded. “I’m going there on Monday. She has radiation therapy on Tuesday, but if she’s doing well, I’ll come back on Saturday and stay for the weekend.”

Now Riley really felt like a selfish cow. Noah’s mom was sick, and she was worried about how things would be once he left. “If you don’t mind me asking, what kind of cancer does she have?”

“Stage one breast cancer.”

“It must be hard not being there with her all the time,” she said softly. “But I’m sure your dad and Olivia miss you when you’re gone.”

Noah shrugged. “I guess, but my mom needs me more than they do. They have each other and Edith, but my mom lives alone.”

“She never remarried?”

Noah shook his head. “She had a serious boyfriend a year or two ago, but I think she’s happier alone. She likes to joke that dating takes up too much time and would get in the way of her painting, but I think she’s being serious. Sometimes I worry that when I’m not there, she’ll forget to eat because she’s so focused on her work.”

“What does she paint?”

“Anything and everything. People, landscapes, animals, plants, fruit. When I left, she was embracing her inner Jackson Pollock.”

“That’s ridiculously awesome,” Riley said with a longing sigh. “I would kill to be able to draw or paint. Did you inherit any talent?”

“My mom likes to say so, but I’m nowhere near as good as she is. I’m taking some art classes, and I think it’s safe to say that art history is my strong suit. Not painting.”

Riley tsked. “Well, you know what they say: those who can’t do, teach. So, maybe you could be an art teacher.” She grinned to show him she was kidding.

Noah chuckled. “Damn, that’s harsh. You sound exactly like Asher,” he told her, his smile slowly vanishing after he’d said his friend’s name.

“Your dad told me about him,” Riley admitted awkwardly.

He smiled sadly. “Sometimes I forget he’s missing, you know? I picked up my phone to text him this morning before I remembered he was gone.”

“I get it,” she replied quietly. “Every morning when I woke up back in New York, it took me a few seconds to remember my dad wouldn’t be in the kitchen making us coffee like he always did. Today was the first day I remembered straight away, and that’s just because I wasn’t in my own bed.”

Noah nodded, his eyes fixed on the surface of the pool. “Maybe it’s stupid, but I thought for sure they would have found him by now.”

“It’s not stupid,” Riley assured him, hating herself for trying to comfort him when there was a good chance that Asher would never be found— at least not alive. But what else could she do?

Noah’s throat bobbed as he swallowed, and then he was shaking off his thoughts and laughing. “I never thought swimming could be this bleak.”

Riley hummed in agreement. “We really are mood killers, aren’t we.”

“Just two Debby Downers,” he concurred as he pulled himself out of the pool. “Want to go inside and watch a movie or something? Maybe a comedy?”

Riley didn’t have the upper-body strength to get out of the pool the same way he had— at least not with her dignity intact— so she headed for the steps instead. “As good as that sounds, I was thinking of asking your dad if he needs any help with the bookcase he’s working on.”

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