Page 5 of A Lesson in Deceit (Mystic Riegan Duet #1)

Riley

FOUR MONTHS LATER

I zipped up my last suitcase and lugged it down the stairs.

River had insisted he could help me with everything, but he’d done enough these last few months.

I rolled the bag next to the other two I’d previously brought down, scrubbing a hand down my face.

I looked over at the entryway table, focusing far too hard on a framed photo of me and my parents.

I remembered the day we’d taken that. My dad had to take the phone from me because my arm wasn’t long enough to capture us in the frame.

I was thirteen, and we had gone to a baseball game.

The school had given discounted tickets to faculty and even though my mom absolutely despised sporting events, she went simply because my dad loved baseball and because he’d promised her that a date night full of adult conversation and lots of wine would be in their future.

We were all smiles in that photo and I felt tears start to form, but I blinked them away.

I didn’t understand how I had any tears left at this point.

“Riley,” I heard my mom call from the kitchen. I let out a slow breath, knowing exactly how this conversation was going to go. I placed my hands in the pockets of my shorts and walked towards the kitchen.

My mom had the dishwasher open, meticulously putting things away like her life depended on it.

I wrapped my fingers around the edge of the kitchen island.

When she finally noticed me, she set the plates she had down and looked over my shoulder.

I knew she was seeing my bags and backpack filled with last minute shit I didn’t know where to put.

I snuck a glance over my shoulder as well, shaking my head. “You act like this is a surprise.”

She brought her hand to her forehead, rubbing it with her fingertips. “I know, honey. I just really don’t think you’ve thought this through.”

My eyes widened. “We’ve had this conversation multiple times. I’ve run you through the pros and cons. I told you I would call you every week. What more do you want from me?”

My mom closed the dishwasher harder than I assumed she’d intended.

“Riley, no matter what you tell me, I will still think this is irrational. You could stay at the community college another year and then transfer. What’s the rush?

” She held her hands up as if her understanding my decisions was a lost cause.

And to her , it was.

We’d come back from my dad’s funeral and after a week of crying non-stop, I’d sat up in my bed and focused on the facts.

The only thing the police and the school had told us was that he had fallen out of his fifth-floor office window.

I heard accusations that he jumped, or that alcohol was involved and that he slipped due to inebriation.

It was all so fucking ridiculous. My dad drank, but it was an occasional beer or maybe a glass or two of wine with my mom.

The school didn’t want a scandal and there was no sign of foul play, so it was deemed an accidental fall.

Mystic Riegan slowly but surely went back to normal, and River came around nearly every day, despite the one-to-two-hour distance between us.

Or he sent Grayson, who normally just sat in silence, reading with me in my living room.

He loved books just as much as I did, so to him, it wasn’t a big ask to keep me company.

Marianne called or video chatted all the way from Virginia to check on me whenever she didn’t have class.

I appreciated the sentiments, but nothing felt right and everyone at that fucking school seemed to move on or attempt to.

This man wasn’t their dad, so why should they care?

Accidents happen, yes. I would have accepted it if it didn’t seem so suspicious.

I couldn’t ask River to ask his dad more questions, especially when he liked to keep his talks with his dad to a minimum.

I couldn’t just show up on campus crying and screaming that I wanted someone to listen to me.

I just needed to get closer.

It hadn’t taken me long to open up the Mystic Riegan transfer application and fill it out. My dad had always wanted me to attend, so now I was. I’d told my mom what I’d done after I’d received my acceptance and filled out all the housing paperwork as well.

I lifted myself up on the counter. “Mom, I’m leaving today. Can we just pretend like you support me in all this, so we can have a normal goodbye?”

She let out a sigh. “I support you in whatever you do, but I just feel like you are trying to, I don’t know, prove something by going. I just don’t think it’s healthy to head straight into the place where your father…”

“ Fell ?” I finished for her.

She closed her eyes. Eyes that used to be decorated with red circles due to continuous crying all through the night. “Is that what this is? Are you off to play detective?”

I swallowed hard, toying with my nose ring. “No. Besides, it’s not like anyone would believe anything else anyway.”

She cocked her head to the side, her dark loose curls following behind her. “Excuse me?”

I waved my hands, hoping to move on to any other topic. “Nothing, absolutely nothing.”

“Is this so you can be closer to River?”

I let out a soft laugh. “That’s a very mom thing to ask.”

“That doesn’t answer my question.” She narrowed her eyes at me.

I shook my head. “If I wanted to live with River, I could. He offered, but I’ll be in a dorm with a roommate.

I’ve done all the legwork, stop worrying.

” Due to my dad’s extended time with the university, they had taken care of my housing and books.

My tuition was heavily discounted, and my dad had made sure to keep a separate account in the bank just in case I decided to transfer to a larger university.

I walked up to my mom and wrapped my arms around her waist, snuggling my head against her chest. I heard her heart thud, the beat starting to ease as she placed her hand on the back of my head.

She dipped her head down to kiss the top of my braids, whispering, “Maybe I’m making all this fuss because I’m going to miss you.”

I could feel my tears wanting to make an appearance again. Without my dad, she wouldn’t have anyone here to calm her down whenever she broke down sporadically throughout the day.

Halfway through my freshman year of high school, she decided to go back to school and get a degree in computer science.

She worked as a data engineer which kept her plenty busy, but if I knew anything about my mom, she would find a way to do her work, while still finding time to fret over me.

The woman had even offered to pay for an apartment close to home so I could still have what I wanted, but I needed to be as involved in this school as possible.

I couldn’t tell her that though, so letting her assume I wanted to get the full college experience was how I’d played it.

She was pretty good friends with Marianne’s mom, so she could get her out of the house more often, but I knew it wouldn’t be the same.

I hated lying to her; I hated lying to anyone. She had fallen prey to whatever the police and the school was telling her. I couldn’t make myself just accept their words without validating my own theories. I really was going to get an education, so that had to count for something…right?

Our tender moment was shattered when I heard my mom yelp and pull away from me, looking down at the floor.

Paws padded on the kitchen floor and the sound of a thunderous tail hitting the cabinet doors on the kitchen island had me giggling.

My mom placed her hand on her chest, shaking her head at Beau, my two-year-old pitbull.

His grey coat still shined from the bath I’d wrestled him into yesterday.

“ He is another reason I wish you would reconsider.” She narrowed her eyes at the dog, who simply looked up at her with his big innocent eyes.

“I would if I could, but do not pretend like he hasn’t brought a smile to your face on multiple occasions.” I raised an eyebrow at her. She huffed, bending down and petting my furry companion on the head.

Beau had ultimately found me. I had decided to take a walk alone after the funeral, continuously assuring River and my mom that I was alright and wound up collecting a walking buddy.

He had scared me half to death when he’d come from a bush, seemingly unscathed and pretty well taken care of.

He had curled his body around my legs and panted, lifting his big head up for me to pet.

I’d called River to come get me, receiving a wide-eyed look when he’d pulled up and saw a dog sitting next to me on the curb.

We’d taken him to a vet, quickly learning that he wasn’t chipped.

I went home and made a deal with my mom that if no one claimed him in two weeks, then he was mine.

Those two weeks were filled with Beau climbing in my bed while I cried, falling asleep in my lap while I read, and greeting both me and mom with the most enthusiastic response whenever we came home.

I bent down next to her, scratching Beau behind his ear. “You gonna take good care of her, buddy?”

He tilted his head as if he was telling me something without words. He did a little hop and licked my face, almost knocking me over. A knock sounded at the door, gaining a sharp bark from the medium-sized dog between us.

I wiped my hand down my shorts, heading towards the front door. I pulled it open, smiling when I saw River and Grayson standing there. My boyfriend gave me a hug, kissing the side of my face before moving to greet my mom. I looked around Grayson’s tall frame to see a midsize SUV parked outside.

Grayson followed my eyes, chuckling. “Your boyfriend thought it would be a good idea for me to borrow my parent’s car instead of my sedan to take you.” He stepped inside, taking a look at the minimal amount of luggage I had. “Hmph, River strikes again.”