by SJ McCoy
“Are you enjoying working here? Are the people nice?”
He smiled. “It’s a very small office. There’s only half a dozen of us—though we will be expanding next year. I don’t tend to socialize much at work.” He shot a quick glance at her. “I should probably admit that I didn’t need to add the words at work to the end of that sentence.”
Aww. She felt bad. She wanted to say something to set him at ease, but he hurried on.
“But I do like my coworkers. They’re a mix of locals and newcomers. The guy who runs the office has worked for Mr. Davenport for several years. He was his chauffeur before, but he’s a great leader in the office.”
“Do you like him?”
“I do. I’m not sure I’m his kind of person. But he’s been kind to me. You could say he’s the closest thing to a friend I’ve made here yet.”
“That’s good.”
“It is.”
The silence lengthened as they walked on. Abbie was glad that Ivan had been good to Neil. She frowned as a thought struck her. “Has he been good to you since you first arrived?”
“Ivan? Yes. He has. He helped me get settled in.”
“That’s good. The people you work with make a big difference in your life.”
“Do you work with good people?”
She smiled. He was finally asking questions instead of just answering them. “I do. I work for two doctors, and they’re good people.” Now that she came to think about it, they’d both been good to her, too.
Chapter Eight
The Boathouse was busy, as it always was on the weekend, but they found an empty high-top table. It was right in the back near the bathrooms, but at least it was quieter back here. Abbie hoped that fewer people would see them, too.
“I’ll go and get us a drink,” said Neil. “What would you like?”
“A white wine, please.”
“What kind?”
She didn’t usually drink wine. She thought it would sound better to him than asking for a beer. She didn’t know what kinds there might be. “Err, a Chardonnay, please.” She knew her mom drank that sometimes.
He nodded, and she watched him make his way to the bar. She had a feeling it would be a while before he returned. The bar was three deep, and he wasn’t the kind of guy who would push his way through to get served. She sighed as she watched him stand there. He was sweet enough. Maybe once he had a drink he’d relax enough to get talking properly. Maybe there’d be more of a spark between them then.
Her mom’s voice echoed in her mind. Does he give you butterflies? She made a face. So far, he didn’t even give her caterpillars!
“Hey! What are you doing sitting back here, making funny faces to yourself? Come and join us. Everyone’s sitting over there.”
She looked up at Roxy, who was pointing to a table by the dance floor. “That’s okay, thanks. I’m not by myself.”
Roxy looked at the empty seat opposite her and raised an eyebrow.
“He’s gone to the bar.”
“Oh! Want to tell me who he is?”
“Neil.”
Roxy frowned. “Who’s Neil? I was sure you were going to say Ivan. I’ve been waiting to hear that the two of you got together.”
Abbie decided she’d do better to avoid the second half of the question and only focus on the first. “Neil’s fairly new in town. He’s an accountant. He works for Seymour Davenport.”
“Oh. So, you mean he works with Ivan? Did he introduce you?”
“No.” Abbie blew out a sigh. “Why does everyone seem to think there’s something between Ivan and me?”
Roxy laughed. “Because we have eyes in our heads. There’s something about the way you look at each other. Something that crackles in the air when you get within ten feet of each other. It’s hard to miss. You can’t tell me you don’t know it.”
Abbie wanted to tell her exactly that, but for all her faults, she wasn’t a liar. “I can’t tell you that, no. But I can tell you that nothing’s going to happen between us. It can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because we’re not right for each other.”
Roxy smiled. “I thought that about Logan and me. I was wrong, though.”
At that moment, her fiancé Logan came to stand by her side. He slung an arm around her shoulders and dropped a kiss on her lips. “There you are. I wondered if you fell down the toilet or something. I was coming to rescue you.”
Roxy laughed, and Abbie couldn’t help but smile at the way she pushed at his arm. “I haven’t been gone that long. I found Abbie sitting here by herself.”
“You should come sit with us.” Logan met her gaze. Before he and Roxy had gotten together, Abbie had known that he would have taken her to bed any time she wanted to go. They’d gone to high school together, and he’d been like a male version of herself. These days he was a very different character, though.
“I’m fine, thanks. I’m with someone. He’s at the bar.”
“Oh.” Logan raised his eyebrows. “Anyone we know? Should we stick around to say hi or skedaddle before he gets back?”
Abbie shrugged. “Stick around if you want.”
“It's not Ivan, though,” said Roxy.
Logan looked surprised. “Who is it, then?”
Abbie rolled her eyes. “It’s Neil.”
Logan laughed. “Neil, the mild-mannered accountant? You’re not serious? You and Neil?”
She gave him an evil look, and Roxy slapped his arm.
Abbie spotted Neil on his way back with their drinks. “Be nice to him, Logan. Here he comes.”
He set the drinks down on the table and smiled at them all. “Sorry, that took a while.”
Logan grinned at him. “Yeah, you need to elbow your way through when it’s busy like this.”
Abbie narrowed her eyes at him, but he gave her an innocent smile.
Roxy held her hand out to Neil. “I don’t think we’ve ever been introduced. I’m Roxy. It’s nice to meet you.”
“You, too. I’m Neil.”
Abbie closed her eyes briefly when she saw Kenzie coming toward them. That was all she needed. Kenzie didn’t even need to elbow people aside; the crowd parted before her. The regulars knew not to get in her way, and visitors soon learned.
“Abbie! So, this is your hot date?”
Neil smiled at her. “I’m her date, at least.”
Kenzie put a hand on his arm. “It’s all in the eye of the beholder, sugar. But I thought you were beholding Merry, who works with Megan?”
Abbie frowned. She had no idea what Kenzie was up to—or who Merry was.
Poor Neil’s cheeks flamed bright red. “I … I …”
Kenzie winked at him. “It’s okay. I won’t tell her you were out with our Abbie.”
Abbie looked at Neil.
“There’s no reason I shouldn’t be here with you. Merry and I aren’t seeing each other or anything.”
“Did she turn you down, or did you never get up the balls to ask her?”
Abbie wanted to tell Kenzie to shut up. She shouldn’t pick on him like that.
Neil looked stricken. Roxy and Logan looked uncomfortable, too.
Kenzie grinned around them all. “You know me. I just like to see everyone happy.”
“You’ve got a funny way of going about it,” said Abbie. “Looks to me like you’re making all of us unhappy. Or at least uncomfortable.”
“I’m uncomfortable enough to say that we’re out of here,” said Roxy. She took hold of Logan’s hand. “We’ll catch you later, Abbie.”
Abbie watched them go, then looked back at Neil and Kenzie.
“Does one of you want to tell me what’s going on?”
Kenzie looked at Neil, and he, in turn, looked at Abbie. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what it’s got to do with Kenzie. I have had a bit of a crush on Merry who works at the library, but there’s no chance anything’s going to happen between us. Then I met you, and well … you’re beautiful, and we got along quite well, and
…” he shrugged. “I wanted to test myself. I didn’t think I’d have the nerve to ask you out, but I did. I certainly didn’t think that you’d say yes—but you did, and so here we are.”
“But you’d rather be here with Merry, right?” asked Kenzie.
Abbie shot daggers at her, but she just shrugged.
Neil looked at his feet and them up at them both. The poor guy looked like he wanted the floor to open up and swallow him.
Abbie was a little disappointed that he didn’t speak—that he didn’t deny what Kenzie was saying.
Kenzie smiled at him, and when she spoke again, her voice was much gentler. “I’m not doing this just to be a bitch. I know it’s none of my business, but I can’t help sticking my nose in. I don’t like seeing you here together when I know that you’d both rather be somewhere else.”
Abbie looked at Neil. “Is that true?”
He nodded slowly. “I find you very attractive, Abbie. But you have to admit there isn’t anything going on between us, is there? There’s no spark.”
She smiled. “I was hoping that one might develop.”
He smiled back at her. “I was, too, but let’s face it. I’m not your kind of guy, and you’re not my kind of girl.”
Abbie knew he was right. Even though it did sting a little.
Kenzie put a hand on Neil’s shoulder. “Please don’t hate me. I promise I’ll do anything I can to help you move things along with Merry. I just couldn’t watch the two of you waste each other’s time.”
“I don’t hate you. I appreciate it.”
“Okay. Well, now I’ve ruined your night, I’d better get back to work!”
Abbie watched her leave, then turned back to Neil. “Do you want to call it a night?”
He held up his glass. “I think I need to drink this first.”
She chuckled and picked up her wine. “Me, too.” She took a sip. “Do you mind if I ask why you think there’s no chance between you and Merry?”
He blew out a sigh. “She’s not very sociable.”
“So, she won’t go out with you?”
“She doesn’t go out much at all.”
“Have you even asked her?”
He shook his head.
“So, ask her! You didn’t think I’d say yes, but I did. Maybe she will, too.”
“Maybe.”
Abbie smiled. “I’ll help if you want. Go in the library and talk you up.”
He smiled back. “You would? Why?”
“Because I’d like to see you get what you want. And now I know that isn’t me.”
“Don’t say it like that. That makes it sound as though you wanted something to develop between us.”
She held his gaze for a long moment. “I thought I did.”
He shook his head. “We’re too different, Abbie. And we both know it. Look at you, you’re wearing a dress that you wouldn’t normally wear. I got a friend to go shopping with me so that I might look as cool as he does. I even went back and bought a jacket because it’s like the one he wears. Just to go out on one date. We’ve both tried to dress like someone we’re not—to change who we are. That should tell us all we need to know. We’d make each other miserable. I don’t know much about relationships, but I do know that you need to be true to yourself and find someone who likes you for what you are inside. You can’t pretend to be someone else, and if you do, it’ll make you unhappy.”
She raised her glass to him. “A lot of people have tried to tell me that same thing lately, and for some reason, you’re the one who finally managed to get it through my thick skull. Thanks, Neil.”
He raised his glass and tapped it against hers. “You’re welcome—and thank you, too, for helping me figure it out. I was so excited that you said yes, but ever since you did, I’ve been wishing that I’d had the nerve to ask Merry instead.”
He drained his glass. “I think I’d like to leave now. This really isn’t my scene. Would you like me to walk you home?”
“No. Thanks. I might stay awhile.”
He got down from his stool and pulled that leather jacket on. “I’ll see you around, I guess.”
“You’ll do more than that. I’ll give you a call in the week and see if you’ve made any progress with Merry. If you haven’t, I might just pay a visit to the library and put in a good word for you.”
He chuckled. “I’m not sure I’m ready for that kind of scheming. But I appreciate the thought.” He leaned in and planted a kiss on her cheek. “You take care, Abbie.”
“You, too, Neil. I’ll see you soon.”
~ ~ ~
Ivan looked at the clock. It was only ten-thirty. It’d been a good evening with Mr. D. They hadn’t hung out like that in a long time. It’d been good to catch up. Good to solidify their new relationship. Things had changed between them since they’d come to Summer Lake. Before there had been no question that Mr. D was the employer and he was the employee—Ivan had even told Mr. D at one point that he only saw him as the help. That had never been true, and now they had a real friendship as well as a working relationship. When Mr. D had offered him the opportunity to run the office here, he’d expected that he’d still be something of a minion, but that wasn’t the case at all. He pretty much ran the show, and Mr. D trusted him to do so.
He took a fresh beer from the fridge and went to stand in front of the windows that looked out on the lake. The moon was already high in the sky, and it cast a silver sheen on the water. He might have said it looked romantic—if he were given to such thoughts. Generally, he wasn’t, but tonight he couldn’t help but wish that Abbie was here to see the moonlight. They could take a walk down by the water’s edge.
He took a slug of his beer. They wouldn’t do that, not tonight or any other night. Tonight, she was out with Neil. He wondered what they were doing at this very moment. Were they talking, laughing? Was she flicking her hair over her shoulders in the same flirty way she had when she was talking to Neil last weekend? Was Neil sitting there—in the clothes that Ivan had picked out for him—thinking what a lucky son of a bitch he was? He sighed. Probably. And if he wasn’t, then he was an idiot.
He started to pace. It was too early to go to bed. He needed to do something, something more than moping around here. He set his beer down on the island and went to get his coat. He wasn’t going to go for a romantic walk on the shore by himself, but he could take a power walk through town and hopefully, burn off some of his pent-up energy and frustration before he turned in for the night.
He strode down Main Street toward the resort. He was hardly going to go to the Boathouse, but he could cut through a couple of streets before he reached the square. The last thing he wanted was to see Abbie walking hand in hand with Neil—or to run into any of his friends who might invite him to come and listen to the band for a while.
He passed the first street he could have turned down and walked on toward the second. He told himself that he was taking the shortest route to the town center, but part of him knew that he was taking the route that took him closer to where Abbie was.
He cocked his head to one side as he came into view of the square. A lone figure was walking across, cutting through the parked cars. He hoped she was heading toward the line of taxis. Not only was it too damned cold for anyone with any sense to be out walking, but he didn’t like the idea of a woman walking home alone. Especially not when that woman looked a lot like … was it? It couldn’t be. She had long dark hair, but she was dressed more like a middle-aged … He squinted. It sure as hell looked like Abbie, but maybe it was her mom?
He hurried forward to get a better look. Maybe he was just imagining things.
The woman pulled her coat tighter around her and walked past the line of cabs. Now he really wanted to know who it was. She cut down the street he’d planned to take, and he lengthened his stride to follow her. Whoever she was, he needed to make sure she got home safely.
She looked back over her shoulder, and his heart raced. It was her. “Abbie!”
She stopped and turned around, frowning when she recognized him. “What are you doing here?”
“I could ask you the same thing. Why are you walking home alone?” He caught up to her and stopped a few yards away. “Where’s Neil?”
She scowled. “You mean, where’s your little Ivan doll who you dressed up just like you?”
He blew out a sigh. “What do you think I should have done, turned him down when he asked me to help him find something to wear on his date?”
She pursed her lips.
“Well?” She was obviously mad at him, and in a way, he couldn’t blame her. He’d felt like an asshole when Neil had wanted to get clothes like his.
“I don’t know. I get it, I suppose. Did you know who his date was with?”
“I sure did. Can you imagine how that made me feel?”
She took a step toward him. “No. Tell me?”
That took him by surprise. He didn’t want to tell her. Why would he? “Where is he?” He changed the subject instead.
“He went home a couple of hours ago.”
Ivan bit back a smile. “Why?”
“Because, apparently, I’m not his type.”
“Jesus! What is he, crazy?”
The hint of a smile hovered on her lips. “Actually, I think he’s pretty smart. He told me that we shouldn’t pretend to be someone we’re not and that if we do, we’ll only make ourselves and the people around us miserable.”
“So, when he tells you, it’s smart, but when I told you the exact same thing, you told me to mind my own business.”
She shrugged. “I suppose it gets through when you hear it from someone who doesn’t matter.”
Ivan unclenched his jaw. He’d been angry that she’d listen to Neil and not to him, but what did she mean?
She smiled.
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying you were right, and I’m sorry.”
His heart started to race. “Before I screw this up, explain it to me? What was I right about?”
“You’re right that I shouldn’t try to be someone I’m not.”