Once Cold

And now, as he was approaching Riley, Blaine was shaking a little from the memory.

He tried to steady himself.

When he reached Riley, he didn’t know what to do. Shaking hands seemed a bit ridiculous. Should he give her a hug?

He saw that Riley’s face was red with embarrassment. She didn’t seem to know what to do either.

“Hi, Blaine,” Riley said.

“Hi.”

They stood there staring at each other for a moment, then laughed a little at their own awkwardness.

“Both of our girls are playing well today,” Riley said.

“Yours especially,” Blaine said.

April’s goal early in the game had really impressed him.

“Are you here with anybody?” Riley asked.

“No. And you?”

“Just Jilly,” Riley said. “You don’t know her, I guess. Jilly is … well, it’s a long story.”

Blaine nodded.

“I’ve heard about Jilly from my daughter,” he said. “Adopting her is really a great thing to do.”

Blaine remembered something else Crystal had told him. Riley was trying to get back together with Ryan. Blaine wondered how that was going. Ryan wasn’t here at the game, anyway.

Rather shyly, Riley said, “Listen, we’re sitting up in the back of the stands. We’ve got some extra room. Would you like to watch the rest of the game with us?”

Blaine smiled.

“I’d like that,” he said.

They made their way to the bleachers and climbed up to the back. A thin young girl smiled as she saw Riley approach. But she didn’t look happy when she noticed that Blaine was with her.

“Jilly, this is my friend Blaine,” Riley said.

Without saying a word, Jilly got up from the bench and started to walk away.

“Sit with us, Jilly,” Riley said.

“I’m going to sit with my friends,” Jilly said, pushing past them and continuing down the stairs. “They can squeeze me in.”

Riley looked shocked and dismayed.

“I’m sorry,” she said to Blaine. “That was very rude.”

“It’s OK,” Blaine said.

Riley sighed as they both sat down.

“No, it’s not OK,” she said. “A whole lot of things aren’t OK. Jilly’s mad because I’m sitting with someone who’s not Ryan. He had moved back in with us, and she’d gotten very attached to him.”

Riley shook her head.

“Now Ryan’s moving out again,” she said. “I haven’t had a chance to tell the girls yet. Or maybe I just haven’t found the nerve. They’re both going to be crushed.”

Blaine felt a little relieved that Ryan wasn’t in the picture. He had met Riley’s handsome ex-husband a couple of times, and the man’s arrogance had put him off. Besides that, he had to admit, he was hoping that Riley was free of romantic relationships.

But he felt also guilty for reacting that way.

The game quickly started again. Both April and Crystal were playing well, and Blaine and Riley cheered from time to time.

But through it all, Blaine kept thinking about the last time he’d seen Riley. It was soon after he returned home from the hospital. He’d knocked on her door to tell her that he and Crystal were moving away. Blaine had given Riley a lame excuse. He’d said that the townhouse was too far from the restaurant that he owned and managed.

He’d also tried to make it sound like the move was no big deal.

“It’ll be like nothing has changed,” he’d told her.

It wasn’t true, of course, and Riley hadn’t bought it.

She’d been visibly displeased.

This seemed like as good a time as any to broach the subject.

In a hesitant voice, he said, “Listen, Riley, I’m sorry about how things were the last time I saw you. When I told you we were moving, I mean. I wasn’t at my best.”

“No need to explain anything,” Riley said.

But Blaine felt very differently.

He said, “Look, I think we both know the reason Crystal and I moved.”

Riley shrugged.

“Yeah,” Riley said. “You were scared for your daughter’s safety. I don’t blame you, Blaine. I really don’t. You were only being sensible.”

Blaine didn’t know what to say. Riley was right, of course. He’d been scared for Crystal’s safety, not his own. He was also scared for Crystal’s mental well-being. Blaine’s ex-wife, Phoebe, was an abusive alcoholic, and Crystal was still dealing with the emotional scars of that relationship. She didn’t need any new traumas in her life.

Riley knew all about Phoebe. She’d actually rescued Crystal from one of Phoebe’s drunken rages.

Maybe she really does understand, he thought.

But he couldn’t tell how she really felt.