The Millionaire's Teacher

Chapter 24 - Patterns

The remainder of June flew by.  Needless to say, Kaylee was thrilled when she returned home clapping excitedly when Riley shared that she and Connor had made up. Being told by both of them over ice cream was a huge added bonus.

Now that school was over for the summer, Riley rejoined the symphony full time for the summer season. It was a fantastic stress reliever and brought joy by offering Riley something to do for herself which Connor eagerly encouraged.  At each weekly performance, Connor and Kaylee were there in the audience armed with flowers to support Riley, cheering and applauding proudly.

If Vivian was displeased Riley forgave Connor, the woman didn't show it.  She was always going to the doctor or having some new test run to figure out why she had collapsed several weeks prior.  Whenever Riley would ask about the results, Vivian would answer that the doctor hadn't found anything new.

Riley also noticed Vivian moved slower and drastically began to show her age.  For a woman pushing 70, Vivian never truly looked her age. Most people thought she was in her late 50's.  That's what taking good care of your health will do. After Riley's dad passed away, Vivian went on a health kick and got herself balanced and healthy.  Lately though, her eyes were more droopy, coloring pale and shoulders not as high.

Sometimes Vivan would attend the symphony performances but most times she told Riley she was too tired and apologized.  Despite her always lacking energy, Vivian still had Kaylee over each weekend.  When Riley offered to let Vivian rest, she said the most important thing to her was spending as much time with her granddaughter as possible.  It was pointless to argue, so Riley let it go.

When the 4th of July rolled around, Connor surprised Riley with  tickets to the Independence Day Salute Concert at Grant Park.  The grin on his face made Riley weak in the knees.  Even in jeans and a plain cotton t-shirt he was sexy.  Add to that tickets to a concert she had always wanted to attend, the thoughtfulness was a huge part of his charm. Riley dressed in jeans and a button down blouse as Kaylee dressed in a dark blue dress with stars printed on it.

That morning, Connor drove up to Riley's apartment building in his Charger which, as he hoped, Riley squealed in joy with bright eyes when she saw it. 

"Connor!" She breathed out, lovingly running her hands along the top.  "She's gorgeous."

"I'm glad you like it, tesauro," He grinned with will deserved pride.

"My dad had one of these as his first car," She explained which that fact came as a genuine surprise to Connor.  Bright hazel met sapphire.  "I had seen pictures but wow...they didn't capture this cars true beauty. Bullit is one of my favorite movies.  I'd watch it with my dad."

Connor resisted taking her right then and there because Kaylee came running to him, throwing her arm around his leg.

Once the trio arrived, they parked, each adult carrying a bag of blankets or snacks.  Kaylee skipped a short distance ahead of Connor and Riley who strolled hand in hand, fingers entwined observing the energetic girl twirl between her skips.

They chose a spot fairly close to center stage and spread out their large blanket.  Connor sat with his legs open, inviting Riley to perch happily in between, leaning her back onto his chest.  Kaylee sat criss cross facing them as they ate their picnic dinner.  The sunset slowly disappeared behind the pavilion lighting the sky with a breathtaking array of brilliant colors on this clear summer day. 

Reading over the program as they waited for the concert to begin, Riley grew more and more excited at the selection of songs.  From Bagley's National Emblem March to Dvorak's Largo from the "New World" Symphony the selection was astounding.  The gasp of sheer joy when Riley's eye found the finale earned Connor a quick teasing kiss on the lips.