Page 14 of Chasing Your Ghost

Between the dining and kitchen area was a side door, which must have led into the garage, and placed next to the door and behind the breakfast table was an antique-looking sideboard that held a large vase of flowers.

She turned around, and Hugh gestured for her to follow him as he went through the arch on the other end of the dining room. “Through here is the living room,” he explained as they walked into the space.

An L-shaped cream couch sat opposite the humongous wall-mounted tv, the longer side of it placed below the windows looking out at the front yard. A pair of nesting tables and a beige and blue patterned square rug filled the space between the two legs of the couch, and though the rest of the walls were white, the wall that the tv was mounted on was painted a deep forest green.

Riley was becoming increasingly freaked out by how picture-perfect the house was. There was no clutter, no mess that indicated anyone actually lived there. It was weirdly unsettling. More unsettling than the tidiness, though, was the multitude of pictures hanging on the walls.

Riley hadn’t seen Edith in six years, yet pictures of Riley—both old and recent—were generously scattered across the living room. There may have even been more photos of her than there were of Olivia. Edith hadn’t merely shared the pictures with her husband. She’d displayed them for anyone and everyone to see.

If someone who didn’t know their story looked at the collage of photographs hanging in the living room, they would assume Riley was a part of this family. They would never think she was a virtual stranger to the people living in this house.

Riley had tried her best to erase Edith, clearing her existence from her life like an unwanted weed. But, clearly, Edith had done the opposite, and Riley didn’t like the chip it made in her armor.

“That door leads to the office and the gym,” Hugh explained, pointing to the closed door across the room. “And that’s a bathroom,” he added, pointing to the door on their right.

Riley turned and saw that the living room gave way to an entrance hall, which, like the dining room, led into the kitchen. It also had a set of stairs leading up to the second story.

“All our rooms are up the stairs,” Hugh told her when he saw where her attention had turned.

Riley nodded and silently followed him back into the dining room, her mind spinning.

“Noah, go get Olivia, will you?” Hugh asked.

“Olivia,” Noah shouted at the top of his lungs. “Dinner is ready!”

Riley bit her lip to keep in her grin when Hugh let out an exasperated sigh.

“Thank you, son,” he said dryly.

“It’s my absolute pleasure, father,” Noah replied as the sound of muffled footsteps came from upstairs.

While Edith remained disconcertingly silent, Hugh tsked. “I don’t know how your mother puts up with you,” he joked.

“Without much trouble, I’d imagine. I’m her pride and joy.”

Riley’s smile was broad and real before Noah’s half-sister came stomping into the room, bringing storm clouds and thunder with her. She was remarkably scary for someone who couldn’t have been more than five foot three and who looked petite and dainty enough that Riley might have been able to snap her like a twig.

The blonde-haired icy-eyed mini-Edith shot Riley a glare before taking a seat at the dining table. “Thank God. I was about to die of hunger.”

“Olivia,” Edith reprimanded her gently as she made her way toward the table. “What have I told you about taking the Lord’s name in vain?”

“Sorry, Mom.” Olivia pasted on an apologetic expression that Riley could have seen from a mile away was fake.

“I think we need to implement a swear jar,” her mom muttered before taking a seat across from her.

Noah’s gaze met Riley’s, and he gave an exaggerated roll of his eyes as he planted himself at the table next to Olivia. Hugh sat down next to Edith, and Riley was left to sit at the head of the table between Edith and Olivia, where a place had already been set for her. Perfect. Just damned perfect.

“Let’s say grace,” Hugh said once Riley had settled in her chair.

Riley watched as they all closed their eyes and reached for each other’s hands. Only, Olivia didn’t bother to hold out her hand for Riley. Instead, she shot her half-sister another dark look and tucked her hand away under the table. Riley suppressed a sigh and took her egg donor’s hand, ignoring how the woman gently squeezed it.

As Edith said a prayer of thanks for the food on their table, Riley ground her teeth together, hating how much Olivia’s snub had hurt. Feeling the weight of someone’s attention on her, she lifted her gaze from her empty plate, and her gaze met a pair of sea-blue eyes. The muscle of Noah’s jaw ticked as he looked at his sister and then down at where Riley’s left hand was resting on the table. Riley shrugged her shoulders to say it wasn’t a big deal.

“Amen,” Edith said, and Hugh and Olivia echoed the word.

“Amen,” Noah added a bit late, shaking his head angrily when Olivia sent a smirk Riley’s way.

“This looks delicious, sweetheart,” Edith told her husband.

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