Page 16 of Make Your Move

As I start to walk down the stairs to the first floor, there’s a soft knock on the front door. It comes into my line of vision just as it opens up. Riley steps into the house, and she looks up at me as I reach the bottom step.

“Where the hell did the summer temperatures go?” she asks as she removes her bag from her shoulder and drops it onto the bench by the front door. She pushes the door shut behind her and locks it.

Riley and I have been best friends since we were in high school. She moved here during our freshman year, and we hit it off immediately and have been inseparable since.

“I know, it feels like summer flew by so quickly,” I agree with her as she hands me a bottle of wine. I walk through the foyerand into the kitchen as she follows after me. “I’m not sure I’m ready for the winter months.”

“Seriously,” she says with a huff as she takes her sweatshirt off. “I might have to find someone to keep me warm if I want to survive this year.” She stares at me with the most serious look on her face before she busts out laughing. “I’m kidding.”

Riley and I were both living the single life. She dated the same guy through high school and college before they broke up. She was the one who ended things with him after he told her he wanted to have an open relationship. Riley was never the girl to do casual like that, and it really hurt her after they were together for as long as they were.

At first, she didn’t want to date anyone. I think the experience with Darren really scared her off. Riley is the type of girl who wants to be brought home to meet a guy’s family. She doesn’t want to be a fling or to only share a passing moment. She wants to be someone’s everything.

It’s not an unreasonable thing to want, in my personal opinion.

Riley dipped her feet into the dating pool and she’s been bouncing back and forth between dating and swearing off men forever.

“There are no good men out there, I swear,” she says with an exasperated sigh. “I think I’m going to go on a break from trying again.”

“What happened to the last guy? Alexander?” I grab two wineglasses from the cabinet and set them on the counter before popping the cork from the bottle. “I thought you were enjoying seeing him?”

Riley picks up one of the glasses after I finish pouring some of the wine into them. “He was really nice, and I was trying to like him, but it just wasn’t like that.” She pauses and takes a sipof the deep red liquid. “He just felt more like a friend. I didn’t find myself really interested in him anymore than that.”

“The right one will come around eventually,” I tell her as I walk around the island and start to walk into the living room. We head into the room, and Riley sits down on the sectional couch. I walk over to the fireplace and grab the TV remote from the mantle before sitting on the opposite side of the couch.

Riley shrugs with indifference. “I don’t know if I’m that worried about it, honestly. I don’t want to waste my time with someone who is going to be temporary. I want someone who is going to be forever, you know?” She shrugs again. “Speaking of men…we have some things we need to discuss.”

I flip on the TV and find the movie we talked about watching. “Like what?”

“Like the fact that Lincoln Matthews is living here, and you barely even told me.” She stares at me with her eyes wide. “When you said he was back, you failed to mention he moved in with you and Nash.”

Riley was in Europe when Lincoln showed up, and we hadn’t had much time to catch up when she got back over the weekend.

“Did I forget to tell you that?”

Riley narrows her eyes at me. “I had to find out from your damn brother.”

My expression matches hers as I lower my eyebrows. “When did you talk to him?”

“He came by the flower shop to get an arrangement made for your birthday.” Riley stops talking, her face falling before she frowns. “Well, fuck me.”

My face relaxes, and I laugh as Riley makes a face. “Way to ruin that surprise.”

“Let’s be real, it’s not that big of a surprise.” She waves her hand with her palm facing the ceiling. “He got you the same thing last year.”

“I know.” I laugh, shaking my head. My brother lacks creativity when it comes to buying gifts for people. “It’s okay. I’ll just act surprised when he gives it to me.”

“Good idea,” Riley agrees as she grabs a blanket from the back of the couch and pulls it over herself as she tucks her feet up on the cushion. “Let’s get back to the real discussion here. Does Lincoln look as good as he does in all the professional pictures I’ve seen of him?”

Blush instantly creeps up my neck and spreads across my face. I lift my wine glass to my lips, swallowing back a mouthful of the dry liquid. “He looks better,” I tell her in a hushed voice as if he were here and could hear us.

“Thank god,” she lets out a sigh of relief. “Is he single?”

It takes my brain a second to catch up with her. “Um, I don’t know? I haven’t seen him with anyone, but he could have a girlfriend where he used to live.” I lift my wineglass back to my lips, needing a goddamn drink now. “I didn’t ask.”

“Why the hell not?” Riley gives me an incredulous look, as if I just sprouted a second head.

“Because that is too forward, Riley,” I tell her, widening my eyes at her. “It is none of my business. He’s my brother’s best friend and my new roommate. I don’t need to know anything about his dating life.”

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