The Bet

Chapter 101

James's POV

It dawned on me as I drove to Riley's house early Saturday morning that it was Valentine's Day. Riley's mom died on Valentine's Day.

I knocked on her front door, wondering what to expect when someone answered it. It soon opened, and there stood Riley's dad.

"Good morning sir." I say. He smiles weekly.

"Hello James." He replied. He turned to face Riley's room.

"Riley! James is here!" He called out.

"Okay, give me a second!" She yells back. Mr Marin turned back to me again.

It amazed how much older he looked. His wrinkles seemed to run deeper, and his eyes looked heavier. But that's what grieving can do to you.

"Sir, I'm not really good with these kind of things, but about your wife, well, what I'm trying to say is..." I trailed off as I tried to figure out what to even say.

"James, you don't have to say anything. It's the thought that counts." He responds. I nod slowly, just as Riley comes down from her bedroom, a small overnight bag in her hand.

"Hi Riles." I greet her.

"Hey." She replies, swiftly walking over and into my arms. I give her a hug, squeezing her until she squeaked and than let go.

"So, you'll be back what time tomorrow?" Riley's father asks.

"Well, we'll stop somewhere tomorrow morning to get breakfast, and than stop somewhere again for dinner, so probably around supper time tomorrow." I reply.

"Okay. Call when you get there, and when you're leaving tomorrow morning, okay?" He tells us.

"Okay." We both say in sync.

••••••••••

It was going to be a long drive. Riley never said a word yet, and I didn't like it. I knew that she was grieving but I wanted her to talk.

"If you want to talk about it babe, I'm all ear." I tell her.

"I'm fine." She replies, quietly staring out the window.

"Don't be afraid to speak up." I tell her. She just nods.

••••••••••

I glanced at the digital clock, noticing that it was just about lunch time.

"Hungry Riles?" I ask. She shrugs.

"Kind of." She replies.

"How about we stop somewhere to grab a bite to eat?" I suggest.

"I guess." She mumbles.

"Okay." I reply. After another five minutes of driving, we came upon a roadside diner. I pulled over and cut the engine.

"Come on." I say lightly. We undo our seatbelt a and bail out of the truck. I grab her hand, and walk into the diner.

It wasn't anything high class, that's for sure. But it was far from run down and dirty or dingy either. There were a handful of people sitting in the booths or at the counter. Red and pink hearts and other Valentine's Day decorations were strewn about the place. Me and Riley take a seat at a booth. A middle aged waitress comes over and hands us menus.

"I'll be back in a few minutes to take your orders." She says as than walks off again. Me and Riley examine the menus.

"See anything you like?" I ask Riley.