Out of Practice

by Carsen Taite

  She heard a voice calling out and barely registered Abby’s name in a seriously unfortunate déjà vu. She felt their connection break and instantly felt Abby stiffen in her arms. Damn. Just when she thought she was making progress.

  * * *

  Abby groaned at the interruption. She stepped to the side and looked up, expecting to see Grace or Campbell, but instead it was her mother headed toward her in full bridal regalia. “Crap,” she muttered under her breath, wishing she were a million miles away. “Mother, shouldn’t you be throwing a bouquet or having a first dance or something?”

  “Abigail, don’t be rude. Introduce me to your friend.”

  Resigned to this formality, Abby did the honors. “Mom, meet Roxanne Daly. Roxanne, this is my mother, Donna Wheeler.”

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Roxanne.” Abby’s mom narrowed her eyes. “You look awfully familiar, but I can’t place where we might have met.”

  Roxanne stretched out a hand. “I have that kind of face. Girl nextdoor and all.”

  Abby started to say no you don’t, but her mother beat her to it. “No, wait. I know. I saw an ad for your new show. You’re the BBF!”

  “It’s true,” Roxanne said. “I’m not used to being recognized in public. I spent years writing my blog without anyone ever knowing it was me. I wanted it to be all about the brides and not a personality thing, but the network seems to think it’s better to put a face to it now that we’re filming.”

  “Abigail, I can’t believe you didn’t tell me you were bringing a wedding expert to my wedding. Now, I’m all self-conscious about whether we have our act together.”

  “Well, you have had a lot of practice,” Abby said, but a quick look at Roxanne’s furrowed brow prompted her to soften her words. “I’m sure you’ve checked all the boxes.”

  “Actually,” Roxanne said. “My favorite thing about this evening is how outside the box it is. So many great touches, from the lights in the trees, the gorgeous setting, and,” she raised her glass, “this drink is my new fav. If you don’t mind, I may mention some of these touches in my next blog post.”

  “Go right ahead. Russell was involved in every aspect, and I’d love for you to meet him. Join us over by the donut bar?”

  “Absolutely,” Roxanne said without any hesitation.

  Her mother started walking off, but Abby stayed in place for a second while she tried to imagine her slim, calorie conscious mother ordering a donut bar for her wedding. “Did she say donut bar?”

  Roxanne grinned. “I hope so. Come on.”

  Abby suddenly found herself following Roxanne and her mother toward a display of donuts in all shapes and sizes. While the array of sugary food was tempting, Abby couldn’t help but wonder how she’d gone from kissing a beautiful woman to being under her mother’s tow. When they drew up to the table, Russell greeted them with open arms.

  “My wife,” he exclaimed. “I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of saying that.”

  “You better not,” Abby’s mom said with a play-stern tone. “Those vows are legally binding.”

  This was where Abby would usually crack a joke about how laws were made to be broken, take it from a lawyer, but she was mesmerized by the way her mother and Russell stared into each other’s eyes like there was no one else around. When she finally recovered her voice, she blurted out, “Cake.”

  “Pardon?” her mother asked.

  “Cake. I promised Roxanne cake. Is there going to be cake?” Everyone was looking at her like she’d grown an extra head. “What? Did I say something wrong?”

  Grace stepped forward. “Hey, Abby, I need to talk to you for a sec.” She didn’t wait for an answer before grabbing Abby by the arm and pulling her a few feet away. “What’s up with you?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “First off, you brought a date to your mother’s wedding.” She shook a finger for emphasis. “A date, Keane.”

  “You don’t like her?”

  “What’s not to like? She seems smart and nice, and she’s very personable, not to mention pretty, but I expected you to show up, get liquored up, and go home with someone you met here. BYOD isn’t really your style. I get you not wanting to show up all by yourself, but you could’ve come with me.”

  Abby sighed. “You’re right. It’s just…” She trailed off unable to finish the sentence because she didn’t have an explanation for her out of character actions lately. “You said ‘first off.’ What else is wrong?”

  “Well, how about the fact that if you are going to date someone for the first time since I’ve known you, you don’t pick a woman who’s trying to take down your client.”

  Abby waved her off. “Oh, I’ve got that covered. She’s going to include Barclay’s side of the story in her next show.”

  “If you say so.”

  Abby heard the edge, and an irrationally disproportionate response sprung to her lips. “I do say so. I’ve been doing this as long as you have, Grace. I think I know what I’m doing.”

  “I guess it depends on what the ‘this’ is you’re talking about. Is it representing shareholders in hostile situations, or falling for women who don’t have your best interests, professional or personal, at heart?”

  Abby started to say she wasn’t falling for Roxanne, but the words halted in her brain. Was she?

  No, and it was silly to think so. They had a short and sweet history and they’d reconnected. End of story. Besides, she knew Grace well enough to know she was only looking out for her. She started to say look at Campbell and Wynne and how things had turned out for them, but the comparison crash-landed before she could say it out loud. Campbell and Wynne were in love. Hell, they were engaged. She and Roxanne weren’t that; they weren’t even a couple. Which begged the question, what was going on between them?

  She spotted Roxanne across the way, still talking to her mother and Russell. Campbell and Wynne had joined them, and they all appeared to be engaged in a spirited conversation. Her mother obviously liked Roxanne—she could tell by the way she smiled at her and inclined her head when Roxanne was talking. And now Wynne and Campbell were laughing in response to something Roxanne said, and Abby wondered if she was regaling them with one of her wedding tales. Even all business Grace admitted Roxanne was personable, smart, and nice—grudging praise, but praise nevertheless. If she were going to date someone on the regular, Roxanne checked all the boxes, not that she’d ever considered checking boxes an important thing to do.

  Maybe it was time to think inside the box.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Abby strode through the lobby of her firm on Monday morning determined to make it to the coffee machine before she did anything else. The universe had other plans.

  “Ms. Keane, Ms. Garrity and Ms. Maldonado are in the conference room and they have requested an audience with you, and Mr. Thomas Barclay is holding on the telephone.”

  Normally, the onslaught of demands pre-caffeine would put her on edge, but after spending Saturday night and Sunday in Roxanne’s bed, complete with lots of sex and pancakes, she was ready to tackle anything this week had to deliver, including an employee with oddly formal behavior. “Graham, thank you for the detailed update. Please tell Mr. Barclay I will call him back forthwith, and let the ladies Garrity and Maldonado know that I require caffeination and then I will grant them an audience.”

  He nodded and picked up the line. As much as she wanted to hear him repeat her exact words, she wanted coffee more. Grace was standing at the espresso machine when she walked into the kitchen. “Good morning,” Abby said. “Graham thinks you’re in the conference room.”

  “I was, but for some reason I’m having trouble waking up this morning.” Grace pointed at the machine. “You want a cup? It’s just as easy to pull two shots as one.”

  “My kingdom for a cup. I’m dying here.”

  “Rough weekend?”

  A flash of Roxanne trailing hot, wet kisses down her torso made her weak at the knee
s, but she wasn’t about to tell Grace that, especially after her reaction to bringing Roxanne to the wedding. “You could say that.”

  Grace handed her a cup of espresso. “Listen, I’m sorry about what I said at the reception. I was being a jerk.”

  “A little.”

  “I know you would never compromise a case over a casual thing.”

  It was on the tip of Abby’s tongue to object to the word casual, but she bit her lip. It was a casual thing, but not in the way that Grace thought. She definitely had feelings for Roxanne. Friendship feelings, which made her different from all the other women she’d slept with before. It was kind of nice, but she wasn’t ready to parse these new feelings and definitely not out loud and definitely not in front of Grace who’d already questioned her objectivity. To divert the conversation, she changed the subject. “Is Wynne still in the conference room?”

  “Yes, she said Judge Abel set a hearing date on your injunction, and she’s waiting to go over it with you. My trial got reset, so she asked me to join, if that’s okay?”

  Abby heard the hesitancy in Grace’s voice, and she looped her arm through hers. “Of course. We can use all the help we can get. And you and me? We’re all good.” She felt Grace relax at her declaration, and knew she’d said the right thing. Her friendships were everything, and she would never let anything come between her and Grace and Campbell.

  But what about her new friendship with Roxanne?

  She filed the thought under things to be dealt with later and led the way to the conference room where Wynne had her head buried in her laptop. “Hey, Wynne, word is we have a hearing date?”

  Wynne looked up, her expression unusually frazzled. “We do. Tomorrow morning. Guess when we asked the judge to fast-track it, she took us seriously.”

  “That’s great news. It means she’s taking our allegation that every day the store remains closed is causing damage claim to heart.”

  “Yes, but it means we’re going to be working solid until then to prepare.”

  “Uh,” Abby hesitated. “Tommy has an interview with Best Day Ever today. We scheduled it last week, and they have a filming crew scheduled to be at Barclay’s at noon. I don’t think it’ll take too long, but we could use the PR right about now.”

  “Definitely,” Wynne said. “Not a problem. We’ll meet back here after the interview and work late.”

  Abby sighed with relief until she spotted Grace wearing a frown. “Spill, Grace. I can tell you have something on your mind.”

  Grace crossed and then uncrossed her arms. “Nothing you haven’t heard before. Just be careful. Don’t let Tommy say anything that could be detrimental to the hearing.”

  “Roger that.” Abby resisted adding that she’d done this before and knew how to handle herself. Grace was just being Grace—overly cautious and managerial. Normally, those qualities were ones she admired, and they were the reason she and Campbell had voted to make Grace the managing partner, but Grace needed to learn to trust that she knew what she was doing. If she weren’t so happy from all the sex with Roxanne, she might’ve told her so. Instead, she focused on the hearing prep which went by at a glacial pace until it was time for her to leave for Barclay’s.

  On the drive over, she called Roxanne who answered on the first ring.

  “Pancake Hotline. How can I help you?”

  “So that’s how it’s supposed to work,” Abby said. “This is nice. What are my options?”

  “Hmmm, there are so many. Do you like toppings?”

  “Yes, but I think letting the other woman have control is just as fun.”

  Roxanne laughed. “You’re impossible.”

  “Not even. I’m absolutely possible.”

  “Great. I’m going to take you up on that. What are you doing tonight?”

  Abby’s daydream about what she’d like to do with Roxanne came to a screeching halt. “Tonight’s bad.”

  “Oh. Okay.”

  She registered the disappointment in Roxanne’s voice and instantly wanted to erase it. “Only because I have to work. We have a hearing about Barclay’s tomorrow.” She could hear Grace’s voice in her head, urging her to keep her mouth shut about the hearing. “Are we off the record?”

  “I think you forget I’m on a show about weddings, not legal exposés. Yes, we’re off the record.”

  “Sorry. Anyway, we filed a suit asking the judge to overturn the decision Tommy’s siblings made to close the store. The lawsuit will take a while, so we’re asking the judge to keep the stores open until things play out.”

  “Got it. You’re prepping for the hearing tonight.”

  “Yes, exactly. We didn’t get a lot of notice, but it’s a good thing the judge set it so quickly. I think it means she thinks we have a case.”

  “That’s great news. And I promise I won’t tell anyone, but let me know how it turns out. I’ll be thinking about you tonight and tomorrow when you’re in court being all lawyerly, but in the meantime, I’ll see you in just a few.”

  “Definitely. I’m on my way.”

  “I’ll be waiting.”

  Abby clicked off the line, and wished she were about to be seeing Roxanne in non-work-related circumstances. Maybe after this case was over, they could take a road trip and spend an entire weekend curled up in a hotel bed or one of the B&Bs in the hill country. She let her mind fill with images of the two of them eating pancakes and then going back to bed until lunchtime when they’d venture to town to stroll the square, browsing for antiques.

  She shook her head. Breakfast and road trips and antiquing? She never used to think about anything other than the bed part. What was happening to her? And more importantly, why did it feel so right?

  * * *

  For the tenth time in as many minutes, Roxanne swatted at the stylist Jake had insisted on bringing on location. She was anxious about the interview with Tommy Barclay, and it didn’t help that the Best Day Ever van was crowded with the crew for the filming.

  “Sit still and let Trixie do her job,” he said. “The lights will wash you out. You don’t want to look like you’re filming this on a selfie-stick, do you?”

  He was right, but she didn’t want to be stuck in a chair with a smock tied around her neck when Abby showed up, which would be any minute. Besides, this stylist didn’t have Luther’s touch and she’d had her hair pulled one too many times. She made a mental note to add a provision to the contract to have her styling done exclusively by Luther. Abby worked with contracts all the time; maybe she would handle that for her.

  Think again. She’s not your lawyer. She’s not even your girlfriend, even though you want her to be. The thoughts were iron weights on the happy balloon feelings she’d let soar lately. As it should be. She might not be doing exposés here on Best Day Ever, but she did have a responsibility to be the objective voice BBF readers had come to expect over the years, and that meant not swooning over Abby Keane and wishing what they had was something more, no matter how right it felt. She was about to interview Abby’s client and she would be totally professional. But later? Later, she was going to jump Abby’s bones, and try not to worry about what happened next.

  Jake’s phone chimed and he announced that Abby and Tommy Barclay had arrived. The stylist sprayed a full can of hairspray on her head and pronounced her ready. Too bad she wasn’t reporting on a hurricane, because she was certain every hair would stay in place, wind shear be damned. She tossed off the smock and rushed to get out of the van.

  Abby, wearing a double-breasted black suit that hugged her curves, looked like she’d walked off the pages of a fashion magazine. Likely all without the aid of a professional stylist, and Roxanne wanted to jump in her car and drive away with her. Instead, she took a deep breath and walked over to Abby who was standing next to a tall, imposing man, who she recognized from her research as Tommy Barclay. Abby looked up as she approached, and Roxanne was certain she caught a glimpse of desire in her expression before it settled into a neutral smile.

  “
Ms. Keane, good to see you again,” Roxanne said before sticking out her hand to Tommy. “Mr. Barclay? I’m Roxanne Daly. Thanks for agreeing to this interview and special thanks for letting us do it here at your store.”

  “Nice to meet you. Thank Abby,” he said. “I’ve been following her advice since we were kids. No reason to stop now.”

  At the mention of Abby’s name, Roxanne flicked a glance her way and found Abby staring at her with what she recognized as a simmering desire. So much for neutrality. Her own breath became shallow, and for a few seconds, everything else—the camera crew, Stuart, Tommy Barclay—faded into the background and it was just her and Abby, in the shuttle on the way to Azure, sharing breakfast in bed, making love until dawn.

  Whoa, making love wasn’t part of this thing between them. Abby had been clear from the start that sex with no strings was all she was in for, and for better or worse, she’d tacitly agreed to those terms. But all she could think about now was what a future with Abby would be like, and every single thought on the subject told her it would be good. No, it would be fantastic.

  “Are we ready to get started?”

  Roxanne looked over to see Tommy staring at the two of them with a knowing smile. She cleared her throat to stall. “Absolutely. Right this way. We have a stylist who’s going to do a little magic to keep the lights from washing you out, and while you’re with her, perhaps Ms. Keane could let me in so we can go ahead and set up.”

  “Sure, but I hope by ‘magic’ you don’t mean makeup, because I take pride in my natural look,” Tommy said with a grin.

  Roxanne was instantly charmed. “Trust me, I feel exactly the same way, but I promise if you don’t get a tiny bit of enhancing, you’ll look anything but natural. The lighting will make you into a ghost.” She handed him off to Trixie and followed Abby inside Barclay’s, but her hope for a few minutes alone with her was shattered when Jake came running up behind them.