The Buried Secret by Jen Talty

Riesling

“You look so pretty.” Riesling River adjusted the bow in her daughter’s hair, wondering how the hell her mother had talked Ashling into wearing the damn thing along with the dress and the shoes. Usually, it was one or the other, not the entire package. The child was more of a tomboy than Riesling had ever been.

And a hundred percent more stubborn. Ashling once decided she was going to wear her pajamas to school. She literally refused to get dressed and got on the bus wearing a pair of flannel checkered pants and a top with a sleeping bear. It didn’t necessarily look like an outfit that a child would sleep in, but still, Riesling worried that Ashling might get picked on at school if anyone knew.

Ashling’s response to that had been, I’m Weezer’s granddaughter. I can take it.

“Thanks, Mommy! Can I go find Zinfandel? She promised to play with me.”

“Sure.” Riesling kissed her baby girl on the forehead.

Ashling raced off like a bat out of hell, weaving between family and friends in the wine tasting room of The River Winery.

Riesling sighed. Being Weezer River’s child hadn’t been easy. Not for any of Weezer’s seven children. They had all moved out of Candlewood Falls for a reason. Some farther away than others, but all of Riesling’s siblings had begun to return home and make amends with their mom.

It was time for Riesling to do the same.

Only, in order for her to truly have her mother fully in her life, it meant possibly breaking her daughter’s heart.

Riesling scanned the room. It warmed her heart to know Malbec had not only found Eliza Jane to share his life with, but that he’d finally come back to Candlewood Falls and had been able to put things right with their mother. The pressure that had been placed on Malbec had been completely unfair and he’d paid a high price because of it. It drove him all the way across the country. His ability to forgive their parents set the bar high for Riesling. What Weezer had done, keeping her father and grandfather’s secret and putting a wedge between her and the rest of her family, could have destroyed them all.

Her gaze landed on Mister Jimmy Armstrong, who at one point used to be the mayor of Candlewood Falls. Damn, that man looked good for a seventy-five-year-old. Growing up, her mother always tried to fix Chablis up with Jimmy Junior.

It was never going to happen.

Chablis wasn’t girly enough, according to Junior, and Chablis thought Junior was a little too shallow. What was funny was that they secretly dated for a year, but decided they were better off friends and have remained close even though Junior now lived in Alabama with his Southern bride and family.

Unfortunately, Dina, Armstrong’s daughter, passed away when she’d been only twenty-three. He spun his wife, Nadine, around the dance floor.

Rumor had it that Armstrong had a few affairs, but nothing had ever been proven, not even while he’d been in a heated campaign for mayor of Candlewood Falls and his wife had always stood by her man. Nadine had once been quoted in the local paper as saying she thought it funny that for every man who ran for office, the public went looking for a sex scandal instead of focusing on what really mattered and that’s what the candidate would be able to do for the people of Candlewood Falls.

She won him the mayorship, hands down, and no one ever publicly accused him of having an affair again.

“Hey, kiddo.” Her father dropped his arm around her shoulders. “I hope I’m that light on my feet when I’m Armstrong’s age.”

She laughed. “I’m sure you will be able to cut a rug with the best of them.”

Her dad had this uncanny ability to keep everyone together, even when they all wanted to strangle each other. Had it not been for him, she wondered what might have happened the day Weezer told her it was her or Theo.

And Riesling chose Theo.

What a fucking mistake that had been, and Riesling and her daughter had been paying for it ever since.

She waved to Harry and Molly, who sat at a table across the room. She was surprised they had come, but happy for her child’s sake. “Thank you for inviting the Richardsons.”

“Are you kidding? They’re Ashling’s other grandparents and they didn’t do anything wrong.”

“No. They didn’t. But I did.” Every time she thought about the things Theo held over her head, she wanted to run and hide in shame.

Her father gave her a weak smile. “You’ve got to stop letting him control your life. What’s done is done.”

“It’s not that simple and you know it. I helped him and he reminds me of it every time he waltzes back into our lives.”

“No one holds you accountable for his actions. Not a single person.” Her father kissed her forehead. “You made a mistake. Stop beating yourself up for it.”

“It’s kind of hard not to when every time I think he might actually stay away, he shows up and uses our precious little girl, and he has every right to see her and there isn’t anything I can do about that. He owes me nothing in the way of child support, and visitation—thanks to a judge who bought his sob story—was never set to a schedule. He gets to see her when it’s convenient. Which is never.”

“We can take him to court again,” her father said.

She shook her head. “All that will do is bring him back into our lives. I don’t want that.” She honestly hoped he’d forget all about her and their daughter, but she knew that to be wishful thinking.

“Are you all settled into your new place?” her dad asked, thankfully shifting the conversation. He was good about that.

“Pretty much.” She leaned into her father’s strong frame. He’d been her hero her entire life. Even when her mom had told her she’d turned into her biggest disappointment. “Ashling is so excited to be living so close to you and her grandma and everyone else.”

“We’re happy about it too.”

Riesling’s chest tightened. While she and her mother put on a good front for the sake of Ashling, their relationship was more than strained. They hadn’t had been able to have a real conversation that didn’t end up in a fight in years and Riesling was damn tired of it. “Mom certainly loves having Ashling around, but I’m not so sure she’s thrilled to be seeing my face every day.”

“That’s not true.” Her father turned and gripped her biceps. “Your mother loves you. The second she found out you took the physician’s assistant job, she went about helping you decorate the cottage you’re renting.”

“That’s about Ashling. Not me.”

Her dad lowered his chin. “She doesn’t like the way things are between the two of you. But you know how she gets, and I know this is going to get me in the doghouse with you as well, but I do agree with your mom. Theo doesn’t deserve the kindness you show him and he constantly breaks that little girl’s heart. It’s hard for me to stand back and watch it. It’s even harder for your mom, but we’ve both—”

“No, Dad. She hasn’t taken a step back and let me handle Theo and neither have you.” Riesling sucked in a deep breath. “I know you have a set of legal documents asking Theo to give up all his parental rights ready to shove under my nose.”

Her dad planted his hands on his hips. “Ever since Ashling was born, Theo has done nothing but be absent in her life and bleed you dry for money. I’ve bit my tongue ninety percent of the time. But yes, I have all the necessary paperwork drafted because if my calculations are correct, it’s been seven months since she’s last seen her father and I’m sure he’s about out of money, which means he’ll be knocking at your door, asking for more, all under the pretense he misses his little girl.” Her dad raked a hand across the top of his head. “If he shows his ugly face in this town, I won’t be doing my best to keep your mother under control because she’ll be standing in line behind me to give that young man a piece of my mind and maybe a fist sandwich.”

Riesling swallowed. It was rare her father got that emotional, much less that vocal about anything. He had always been considered the voice of reason.

“This is my life. My family. You need to let me deal with it.”

“If I cross paths with him, I won’t keep my mouth shut. Just being honest.” He leaned over and kissed her forehead. “Don’t give Theo any more money and I bet he will stop coming around altogether. I know you believe that because he’s her father it’s better than nothing, but trust me when I say, there is nothing worse than having a parent that is in your life and doesn’t love you. It’s better that he’s not present.” He waved his hand toward the center of the wine tasting room. “Especially when she has all this. These people are her family. They are the ones who will love and protect her forever no matter what. Hell, Eliza Jane has only known her for a few short months, but they have a bond that can’t be broken. You can’t say the same thing about Theo.”

Riesling knew her father was right. She’d always known that and the only reason she’d gone to bed with Theo was because he was exactly what her mother hated. He was a beer drinking, tattooed, high school dropout who represented everything that Weezer didn’t want for her precious Riesling. At twenty-five, Riesling had already disappointed her mother by not going into the family business. She’d broken up with the perfect man. The one that her mother had handpicked for her in high school. Riesling walked into a biker bar, saw Theo, and decided it was time to show her mother who was boss of her own life.

Nine months later, Ashling was born and Theo was nowhere to be found.

“I’m not going to be that mother who poisons their child—”

“Just promise me if he shows up, you won’t give him any money,” her father said.

“I believe I’ve learned my lesson with that one.”

“Good. Now, when does the new doctor get here?” her father asked.

“A couple of days. Until then, I’m running the show, so when was the last time you’ve had a physical?”

His father tossed his head back and laughed. “The last time I let you listen to my heart, you wanted to perform open heart surgery.”

“Daddy. I was ten.”

“My dear child, you were on your way to the kitchen to get a butcher knife.”

“Now you’re exaggerating.” Though that hadn’t been too far off the mark. She’d always been fascinated with the inner workings of the human body. She’d opted to become a PA over a medical doctor for a variety of reasons, but mostly because she felt it would give her the chance to be more focused on patient care.

“Maybe a little,” her father mused. “There’s your mother. I better go parade her around the dance floor before she changes her mind and sleeps at her house tonight.”

“Your living arrangements are so weird.”

“I’m working on changing that, but you know everything takes time with your mom.” He squeezed her shoulder. “Don’t let things fester much longer with her, especially now that you’re living in Candlewood Falls.”

Riesling hugged her middle and watched as her dad swept her mom off her feet. Her mother gazed into her dad’s eyes with admiration. They truly loved each other. However, the secrets that her mom had been forced to keep nearly drove them apart. Had it not been for her father’s patient soul and ability to keep a level head at all costs, this family could have lost everything.

Well, that’s not entirely true. Riesling had to give her mother credit where it was due, and Weezer River was a strong woman with a big heart.

She just had an odd way of showing it to her own kids.

Riesling strolled across the room to where her brother Malbec and his future bride, Eliza Jane, were chatting with Brooklyn and Caleb, who were also engaged to be married.

Love was in the air and that meant her mother would be in rare form.

Wonderful. She snagged a bottle of wine and a fresh glass from the bar.

“You four look absolutely parched.” Riesling set her glass on the high top table and poured herself a good old-fashioned River family pour before topping off everyone’s glass. “Cheers to both happy couples.”

“Thanks.” Her brother leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Your daughter asked if as the flower girl she could wear overalls and cute sandals. She promised to let Grandma put a ribbon in her hair.”

“That’s my girl.” Riesling raised her glass.

“Did you even own a dress as a kid?” Caleb tossed his arm over Brooklyn’s shoulders and laughed.

It was good to see him smile.

Hell, it was just good to see the man after many years of not showing his face in this town.

“I had one. I burned it,” she said. Of all the girls in her family, she’d been the most like her mother. Not only did she look the most like Weezer, but her personality was the closest between the quick wit, dry sense of humor, and inability to keep her mouth shut.

Except for when it came to Theo. Riesling wanted Theo out of her life, but the very thought of him never seeing his daughter and what that would do to Ashling terrified Riesling. She wanted to believe there was good in Theo. That he loved his little girl, like Weezer loved all her children. And she did. Like a fierce bear.

“You were always such a wild kid,” Brooklyn said. “But look at you now. All grown up. And a physician’s assistant. I wonder what the new doctor is going to be like. I hear he’s young.”

“And good-looking,” Eliza Jane said. “Weezer looked him up on google.”

“Are you kidding me?” Riesling inwardly groaned. She should have known. “What did she say?”

“You don’t want to know.” Malbec gave her a good hip check. “But let’s just say our other siblings are grateful that she’s got her sights set on fixing you up and not them right now.”

“I can’t date my boss and if Mom meddles, she’s going to regret it.”

Malbec and Eliza Jane laughed.

“Mom doesn’t regret much,” Malbec said. “She never does and speaking from experience, she got it right this last time.”

“No one asked you.” Riesling took a long sip of her wine and glanced around the room, grateful that Brad Wilde had decided to join the group.

“I have to be going. Thanks for having me,” Brad said with a big warm smile.

She’d known him her entire life. While she’d had a crush on Caleb when she’d been a kid, Brad had been more like a brother.

Malbec stretched out his arm. “Thanks for coming, man. The party wouldn’t have been the same without you.”

“Wouldn’t have missed it. Text me. We’ll grab a drink next week. Eliza Jane, are you sure you want to marry this guy?” He punched Malbec in the arm.

“I’ve never been surer.”

“Brad, we were just talking about the new doctor,” Brooklyn said.

“Everyone is talking about it. Like nothing new ever happens in this town. Well, I guess it doesn’t.” Caleb shrugged and shoved his hands in his pockets.

“They need something to talk about now that they can’t talk about you.” Malbec threw an arm around Caleb’s shoulders and gave a tug. Caleb shoved Malbec away.

Riesling found the entire exchange endearing. She knew how hard all this was for Caleb. Moving back wasn’t easy when you’re an outcast.

Something she knew a little bit about.

“I heard that was why you were back, Riesling,” Brad said.

“That’s right. Old Doc Harden is finally retiring. I came back to help with the transition. And to celebrate with Malbec and Eliza Jane, of course. I’m encouraging everyone to make an appointment for their physical. That includes you, tough guy.” Riesling poked him in the chest with a long finger.

“Not me. I’m as healthy as a horse. I never need the doctor.” Brad waved over his shoulder as he strolled out the door.

Riesling laughed. “I’ve got ten dollars that says he’s in my office before the new doctor shows his face.”

“Are you serious?” Malbec gave her a questioning glare. “Brad hasn’t been hurt in years. I’ll bet you he doesn’t set foot in your office for six months, except for something routine.”

Caleb rubbed his shoulder. “Considering my recent brush with bruises, I’ll bet he needs a doctor in the next three months.”

“I don’t know him all that well, but my competitive nature is kicking in,” Eliza Jane said. “I’ll go with a month.”

Brooklyn raised both hands, palm out. “I’m not betting against my brother.”

“Smart woman,” Weezer’s voice screeched in Riesling’s ears. “Although, he’s bound to need a doctor at some point. I’ll take that bet for one year from now.”

“Besides my brother being as fit as a fiddle, he doesn’t break all that easily,” Brooklyn said. “I think you all should find something else to bet on.”

“I’ve got a good one.” Riesling’s mother looped her arm around her waist.

That couldn’t be good.

“Has anyone seen a picture of the new doctor? He’s quite the looker.”

Riesling pursed her lips. Her mom better not be going there. At least not with her. Not now. It was the last thing she needed between uprooting Ashling and moving back to Candlewood.

“I’ve seen him.” Eliza Jane raised her hand. “He’s not as sexy as Malbec, but he’s not bad at all.”

“Why, thank you, dear.” Malbec kissed her on the cheek.

“And he’s only a couple of years older than Riesling. I—”

“Mom. Please don’t play matchmaker with me and my new boss.”

“He’s single. You’re single,” her mother said with a shrug of her shoulders. “I’m just saying it’s a possibility.”

Riesling took her mother by the arm and led her a few feet away from the crowd. “Please, Mom. I beg of you not to meddle in this part of my life. I took this job so Ashling could be closer to you and Dad and all her aunts and uncles. But let’s not forget why I left Candlewood Falls in the first place.”

Her mom furrowed her brow. “If memory serves me correctly, it’s because you ran off with Theo.”

“You made me choose,” Riesling said behind a tight jaw.

“I didn’t actually believe you’d choose him.” Weezer glanced away. She fluffed her hair before turning back. “I don’t want to fight with you. Not tonight. Not any night, but you don’t make it easy.”

“I could say the same about you.”

Her mother palmed Riesling’s cheek. “I love you. I only want what’s best and of all my children, you as a parent should understand that.”

“I do. But you can’t keep inserting yourself into my life in ways that end up pushing me away. Promise me you’re going to keep a safe distance when it comes to my love life.”

“You don’t have one, so how on earth can I meddle in it?” Her mother had the audacity to smile.

“I’m serious. I can’t have you playing matchmaker with my new boss.”

“Relax, sweetheart. I’ll make that promise as long as you bring him to dinner at least once.” She raised her hand. “If the good doctor were a woman, I’d be asking for the same thing, and you know that to be true. It’s the neighborly thing to do.”

“Fine.” Riesling knew when to throw in the white flag. Her mother could be relentless, and this was one of those moments where if Riesling didn’t do as asked, her mother would get her way regardless and it would end up feeling like a date instead of a simple dinner. “But remember what I said. This is my professional life, Mom. I can’t have you meddling in it.”

“You’ve made yourself clear.” Her mother kissed her cheek and practically danced off toward a group of friends on the other side of the room.

Riesling blew out a puff of air. She knew moving back to Candlewood Falls would have its challenges and if she wanted to continue mending her relationship with her mom, she would need to keep reinforcing her boundaries.

It wasn’t going to be easy, but Riesling was determined for the sake of her daughter.

Carter

“She thinks I’m going to meddle in her love life.”

Carter River stood at the end of the bed and stared at his wife—technically ex-wife—and let out a long breath. “Are you?” He tossed his shirt over the chair in the corner of the room. His wife lay on the bed, her knees tucked to her chest. She wore one of those big nightgowns that some would call a granny-nighty, but she was still the sexiest woman he’d ever laid eyes on. And even though he’d divorced her years ago, she’d been the only woman he’d ever loved.

The only woman he’d ever been with and the only woman he’d ever want to be with.

They might have had a strange relationship and many people didn’t understand. But it worked for them and that’s all that mattered.

“No. Yes. I don’t know.” She climbed under the sheets and fluffed the pillows. “I’m waiting for Theo to show his ugly face and fuck it all up. This is about the longest he’s stayed away, and that scares me.”

“I’m worried about that too.” Carter climbed in next to her and wrapped his strong arms around her body, pulling her close. “I had the private investigator that I’ve worked with before look into what Theo’s been up to lately and it’s not good. Same old bullshit.”

“That means he’ll be contacting her soon.” Weezer rested her head on Carter’s shoulder. “Riesling is a strong woman and could easily tell that man to fuck off until Ashling sees him, and then because of the way that beautiful little girl reacts, Riesling can’t send the man packing.”

“We haven’t been able to cut him off at the knees either.” Numerous times Carter had reminded her of all the times they had sat back and watched as Theo came back into Ashling’s life for a couple of days while he talked Riesling into money. “But if he doesn’t show up this time, I’ve got a plan.” And this time Carter was going to make sure he executed it before Ashling ever laid eyes on that dirtbag.

Weezer tilted her head. “Oh, really?”

“We’re going to pay him off and we’re going to make sure he turns over his parental rights.”

“Carter. No. Riesling will never forgive us. Me. She’ll think it was all me. I need her to forgive me. I need to find a way for us to mend our relationship. Things are going so well with Malbec. Merlot is coming around. Chablis is even talking about coming back. I can’t have Riesling running off again.”

“Honey, I’ll make sure she knows it wasn’t you. I won’t let her hold a grudge against you for something I can’t tolerate a second longer. She’ll know it was all me. Trust me.”

Weezer kissed Carter’s chest. “I don’t want her to hate you either.”

“I’d rather that than have Theo break my grandbaby’s heart again.”