Chapter 47. A Fatal Mistake?
They drive for about an hour and a half. They stopped at a shoe store before entering the Warwick area to buy Riley some decent boots. Wren couldn't bear to let Riley wander around in thin-soled loafers in the freezing cold. Wren also bought Riley a coat when they passed the only clothing store in the area where his father lived.
Wren's car slowed into a classic house with a large front yard. The sound of the tires hitting the gravel creaked loudly as Wren stopped the car on the gravel ground. Riley squirmed slowly and opened her heavy eyes. She was incredibly sleepy from waking up too early today and most of her energy had been drained from worrying about her condition. She always checked the rearview mirror as they drove to Warwick. She only felt relieved when they entered the Warwick area and Wren told her that they were safe.
“There are comfortable rooms inside. You can continue your sleep."
Riley blushed. Her cheeks flushed under Wren's amused stare as he watched her blush.
"Sorry, I woke up too early."
Riley yawned once more and her cheeks blushed even more.
"Not a problem. I know you must be very worried about this escape. You're safe now. Logan won't find you here."
"How can you be sure?"
“Logan didn't know that I was from here. If he had finally found where my father lived, Logan wouldn't have found you here because we would have been out of here by the time Logan got here."
"So, where are you taking me?"
"We'll talk about it inside. Come on down."
Wren unbuckled his seat belt and got out of his car to get the spare key that Mrs. Marris kept under the pot.
Riley slowly unbuckled her seatbelt. Her eyes scanned the scenery around her. Wren's father's house was on a plot of land surrounded by a wire fence overgrown with vines. The two-story house was built with red bricks and looked very classic. Riley had never seen a house like that in the city and she was amazed by the design of Wren's father's house. There was a porch with pots of flowers blooming beautifully. The door was made of solid mahogany with intricate carvings. Riley wouldn't be surprised if the house could be rented out as a fun holiday villa. The atmosphere was very quiet with a thick rural air.
“It's fun here. Wow, there's a swing!”
Riley shrieked like a little girl when she saw a simple swing tied to the trunk of a large oak tree next to Wren's father's house. The swing was made using old tires painted in very beautiful blue, red and yellow colors. It was like a lollipop in Riley's eyes.
"I don't think the swing was there when last time I came here."
"When was the last time you came here?" Riley giggled. She was amused to see Wren's expression.
"Dunno. Come in. You can try that swing later.”
Riley walked up the steps to the foyer and stopped behind Wren, who was struggling with his door key.
"Mrs. Marris didn't know I was coming today, so it was still cold inside. I'll get some wood from the barn and make a fire in the fireplace."
Wren pushed the door open and turned on all the lights in every room to make Riley feel comfortable. He knew that Riley was afraid of the dark. He didn't want Riley to feel uncomfortable while she was there with him.
"Beautiful house. What are those doors?"
“Those are the bedroom doors and the dining room door that connect directly to the kitchen. You can use any room you want. There are four rooms here. Two rooms upstairs. All are equipped with beds and wardrobes. But only two rooms have bathrooms inside. The master bedroom and my former bedroom. The master bedroom is bigger and has a window that directly faces the front yard.”
“Then I will use the master bedroom. You must want to use your own room.”
“Honestly, it makes no difference to me. I have no specific memories of this house. I have long-lost my room since I left this house to continue my studies outside the city. I haven’t occupied my room since many years ago."
“This house is well maintained. The interior is very beautiful.”
Riley rubbed the tip of her index finger across the hand-knitted sofa cover. The cushion cover was also handmade and similar to the cushion cover at her grandmother's house. The Sofa had a pleasant aroma of roses and oranges.
The aroma pampered Riley's nose and made her relax. She plopped down on the sofa and sighed softly each time the citrus and rose scent wafted into her nostrils.
"Mrs. Maris is good at knitting and sewing. She makes her own sofa cushion covers and sofa upholstery. She dresses this house so well that it looks very aesthetic. People are always scrambling to book this house because they love the interior, which is full of unique antiques.”
“If I was planning a vacation, I would definitely choose this place for the same reason. This house is very pretty. The yard is spacious, and can accommodate three cars and a van. If the people want to make the barbecue, they can use the front yard and porch. What is Mrs. Maris’s husband's name?"
Wren frowned as he carried the pile of wood in his hand. He walked quickly to the fireplace and piled the wood in the clean fireplace. Mrs. Marris never let this house get a speck of dust. Mrs. Marris always cleaned the house after the guests checked out, so that the house was ready to be used whenever guests came.
"I just wanted to say hi if we crossed paths later."
“We call him Don. His real name is Patrick Maverick. But people here usually call him Don because he's the older one here. He used to work as a policeman, and here, he always helps anyone who needs help. He's a good man with a leadership spirit that I greatly admire."
“I can't wait to meet Mrs. Marris and Mr. Don."
"Mrs. Marris will come here if I come to visit. So, just wait. She will come later.”
Wren crouched down in front of the fireplace, struggling with wood to make a fire.
Meanwhile, Riley tried to go around the room to take a look. Wren's father's house was very large. The main bedroom at the front looked very spacious with a king-sized bed in the middle of the room. The bed had mosquito nets around the edges, making it look like a king's bed in colonial times. There was a dressing table and a large mirror on the left side of the room, opposite a large wardrobe that was attached to the wall. All the furniture was made of real wood and had intricate carvings on its surfaces.
Riley walked to the window and opened the curtains wide. She let the cool autumn air blow into her room and shook out her ponytail. It had been a long time since he felt so free and relaxed. All his worries seemed to evaporate, replaced by a sense of relief.
Riley shook her head hard, trying to shake off all the bad memories she had with Logan. She didn't want the memory to poison her brain forever. She had to forget all about Logan and start the new life she wanted.
And the kiss. You have to forget the taste of Logan's lips, bitch!
The voice in her head mocked her. Riley's cheeks blushed, remembering all the intimate memories she had with Logan. She shouldn't have to be affected by anything Logan did. Everything was still within reasonable limits. They just kissed and held hands. Not anything special.
But Riley felt it was special. Logan was the first man to touch her in the way men usually do to women. An intimate way, something that touched her soul because she was treated so gently when Logan kissed her. Riley couldn't deny that Logan's kiss and his sharp but longing gaze touched her heart. Sometimes she wanted to feel Logan more than he offered. Like she wanted to touch Logan's body and feel the softness of his warm skin in hidden places.
“Riley, do you want lunch?”
Wren's voice startled Riley from her daydreaming. She saw her cheeks flush through the mirror. Her eyes widened at her own strange reflection. She had never been this crazy just thinking about a man she was supposed to hate.
“Riley, do you want lunch?”
Wren appeared and stood in the doorway.
"Come in. Why are you standing there?”
“I think this will make you less awkward. You have privacy and I will respect it. So, do you want to have lunch?" Wren repeated his question once again.
“A bit late for lunch, right?”
Wren glanced at his watch and chuckled. It was indeed a little late for lunch.
"Two fifteen. But it's not too late for lunch. Mrs. Marris had come to deliver the frozen meat pie. She said she only had that in her fridge and she was in a hurry to come here to give us some welcome food."
"Owh... She’s so lovely. You should have called me when she came.”
"She was in a hurry. She said she forgot to take the cake out of the oven. She would be back when the cake was ready."
"Okay. I'm hungry. Is the meat pie really frozen?"
"Mrs. Marris just took it out of the freezer. We can heat it up in the microwave."
"Ok. I want it. I'm hungry."
Wren put on a face like, aha I knew you were hungry. He made a gesture to get out and go to the dining table.
"I'll be at the dining table after I use the bathroom."
"Okay. The bathroom is over there," Wren made a gesture with his head, pointing to a white door near the wardrobe.
After Wren came out of her room, Riley went to the bathroom to wash her face. She felt her face was very dirty and sticky because of the long journey she had taken. She had really traveled a long way from Logan's house to Wren's father's house. She curled up in the trunk for about forty minutes. The right side of her cheek was stuck to the dirty floor of the car. There were black spots on her cheek like oil stains.
Riley turned on the faucet and washed her dirty face. The water cleaned all the dirt that was stuck to the surface of her skin. She let out a sigh of relief, looked at her reflection in the mirror, and wiped her face with a towel.
Suddenly she was filled with doubts about this escape. Was her action right? Or had she just made a fatal mistake?