by SJ McCoy
Neil smirked at him and edged his way to the door. He usually removed himself when social chit-chat started up, but Ivan knew that he was wriggling out of having to commit to asking Merry out.
~ ~ ~
Abbie checked her watch. It was almost time to go for lunch, and she wanted to get out on time. She needed to run over to the women’s center. That place had been a godsend when she first came back. Renée and the team of women who ran the place had helped her so much. From dealing with all the legal side of her dad’s estate while her mom was still a mess, to helping her figure out payment plans to pay off their debt, they’d helped her with everything.
The woman she’d worked with most was Chris. In the last few months, she’d tried to encourage Abbie to leave the lake and let her mom stand on her own two feet. Abbie hadn’t seen her in a while, but she needed to thank her. She was the one who’d put Abbie onto the job here. She didn’t know what Chris wanted to see her about, but she was looking forward to telling her how things were going—and admitting that she could now understand what Chris had been telling her the whole time about not trying to become someone else in some attempt to make up for her past.
“Has he been through yet?”
She looked up when Cassie popped her head out of her office. “No. He’s not here yet.”
Cassie made a face. “Damn. Will you buzz me when he comes and again when he goes in with Michael?”
“Sure.” Abbie had to wonder what on earth Cassie’s problem with Colt might be. She was adamant that she didn’t want to run into him.
She raised an eyebrow at her. “Are you worried he’s going to arrest you or something?”
Cassie made a face. “No. I just don’t want to run into him. We have a lot of history, and none of it’s good. I’ve managed to avoid him since I came back to town, and I’d like to keep it that way. Shit!”
Abbie followed her gaze to the outer door which Colt was about to come through. “You go back—” she started to tell Cassie, but there was no need; her door had already closed.
“Hey, Abbie.”
“Hi, Colt. Michael should be with you in a couple of minutes.”
Colt took his hat off and held it in front of him. He looked like he was going to say something, but instead, went toward the chairs in the waiting room. Then, he turned around so fast he made Abbie jump. “Is Cassie around?”
You weren’t supposed to lie to a police officer! Abbie frowned. “She’s in her office.” Hopefully, that implied that she was with a patient.
It was enough to persuade Colt to go and sit down with a muttered, “Thanks.”
Now all Abbie had to do was hope that Michael didn’t take too long. She needed him to come out and take Colt in for his appointment so that she could tell Cassie the coast was clear and then get out of here for her lunch!
To her relief, Michael came out a few minutes later and smiled at her. “Can you make Mr. Flynn an appointment for next week, Abbie?”
“I sure can.”
“Thanks. Do you want to come through, Colt?”
Abbie made Mr. Flynn’s appointment and then buzzed Cassie. “You’re safe to come out.”
Cassie popped her head around her door again, and Abbie laughed. “What is the deal with you two?”
Cassie rolled her eyes. “I told you, I don’t want to run into him.”
“Maybe so, but the Cassie Stevens I remember never hid from anyone.”
Cassie shrugged. “Yeah, well, I’m older and wiser these days. Sometimes it’s easier to take the path of least resistance.”
“Dare I ask what’s going on?”
“Nothing. Nothing at all. I just don’t want to see him.”
“Wait, didn’t you two used to go out in high school?”
“Yup. But that was a long time ago.”
“It didn’t end well?”
Cassie let out a bitter little laugh. “Now, there’s an understatement. Anyway, I need to get out of here before he comes out.”
Abbie shot a glance at the clock. “I need to get out of here, too. I have an appointment.”
“Just put the answering machine on. There are no more appointments until two.”
“I have to wait for Colt to come out first.”
“Buzz Michael and tell him you need to go. He won’t mind.”
Abbie hesitated. “No. I’ll hang on a few minutes.”
Cassie shrugged. “Your choice, but I’m not waiting with you.”
Abbie chuckled. “Go on, then, get out while the going’s good.”
Cassie stopped when she reached the door. “I’m not being a coward, you know.”
“I didn’t say you were.”
“Good. It’s just that some things are better left in the past, you know?”
“Whatever you say.”
Cassie gave her a weird look and then left.
Abbie looked up at the clock again. She really needed to get out of here soon if she wasn’t going to be late for Chris.
She managed to get there just on time. Chris greeted her in the bakery with a smile. “Hi, Abbie. How are you?”
“I’m good, thanks. How are you?”
Chris smiled. “Everything’s rosy in my garden. Come on in. I know you’re on your lunch break, so I won’t keep you long.”
Abbie followed her into the office where they’d had so many meetings over the last year. Chris had been good to her. She’d felt like the only person in the world she had to turn to sometimes.
“How’ve you been?”
“Good, thanks. What’s up?”
Chris laughed. “Always one to get to the point. There’s nothing wrong. In fact, there might be something very right. I heard about a job you might like.”
Abbie frowned. “I’m at the medical center.”
“I know, but it’s not exactly your dream job, is it?”
“I don’t have one. I just need to make enough money to get by.”
Chris shook her head. “That was just the first step. First, you find your feet, then you can look to grow from there.”
“I suppose.” It always seemed that Chris had higher hopes for her than she did for herself.
“There’s only one thing, though.”
Abbie had a feeling she knew what was coming.
“The job’s in San Francisco.”
“Then, I’m out. It doesn’t matter what the job is. You know that, Chris.”
“I do, but I had to ask. Your mom’s doing so much better now. She can cope—financially and otherwise.”
“She can. But that’s not the point. I want to be here with her.” They’d had this discussion so many times. Abbie had had the feeling in the past that Chris and her mom may have talked and were trying to get her to put her own interests first. She knew her mom wouldn’t have had anything to do with this, though. Not now. She smiled, knowing that now she’d be able to persuade Chris that she had her own reasons for wanting to stay at the lake. “And besides, I want to stay for me, too.”
Chris raised an eyebrow. “Why’s that?”
“I met someone.”
Chris’s reaction surprised her. She didn’t look impressed.
“You’d like him, Chris. He’s good for me—good to me. It’s only early days yet, but I have high hopes.”
Chris sighed. “We’ve talked about his before, Abbie. I heard you were out with Neil on Friday. Do you really think that you and he—”
“No!” Abbie laughed. “You heard about that? Damn. You can’t get away with anything around here. That was a mistake, but I can’t regret it, because it helped me finally get my head on straight. Neil’s a sweetheart, but he’s not for me.”
Chris frowned. “So, who are you talking about?”
“Ivan … he works for …”
Chris clapped her hands together with a smile. “Ivan? I know who he works for!”
“Oh, of course.” Chris was now engaged to Seymour Davenport—Ivan’s boss.
“Oh, Abbie! That’s perfect.”
<
br /> Abbie grinned. “I think so.”
“Oh, I know so. He’s wonderful. And so are you. I know you wanted to find someone like Neil, but Abbie, that wouldn’t suit you; you’d be miserable even if you did make it work somehow.”
“I know. I already figured that out.”
“I’m glad. So, I don’t need to try to get you out of town before you make a horrible mistake with Neil?”
“Is that what you were trying to do?”
“I’m afraid so. You were dead set on settling down last time we talked. I knew I couldn’t talk you out of it, so I thought maybe I could offer you something that appealed more.”
“Even if it were the best job in the world, I wouldn’t have left my mom.”
Chris’s smile faded. “Does she know about Ivan?”
Abbie laughed. “Not only does she know, she loves him. And he likes her, too.”
“That’s great. I’m not going to say anything else. It looks like you have it all figured out for yourself.” She stood up. “I’ll let you get back to work.”
“Thanks.” Abbie hugged her. “I wouldn’t have been able to get through this last year without you, you know.”
Chris hugged her back. “Yes, you would. You would have done just fine. And you’ll do fine going forward, too. But remember, I’ll be here for you if ever you need me.”
“Thanks.”
~ ~ ~
Ivan looked up at the sound of a knock on his office door. “Come in.” He didn’t normally keep the door closed, but he’d had a lot of work to get through this afternoon, and he didn’t need any interruptions.
He was surprised to see Seymour Davenport standing there. “Oh, hi.”
“Hey. I don’t need to interrupt if you’re busy.”
“It’s fine. What’s happening?”
Mr. D smiled. “It’s not a business call; it’s personal.” He closed the door behind him. “I can come back another time if that’d be better.”
It would be better, workwise, but Mr. D hadn’t ever come to see him at the office on a personal matter before. Ivan wasn’t about to send him away. “Now’s good. What’s going on?”
“That’s what I came to ask you. I worried about you all weekend. I kept wondering how you were doing. This morning, I learned that my nephew is looking for someone to help run his community center in LA. The job description sounded like he was describing you. I wondered if that might appeal to you.”
Ivan frowned. “Am I not doing a good job here?”
“You’re doing wonderfully. I’d hate to lose you. I’m trying not to be selfish. I’m concerned about you.”
“Why?”
“Because I landed you in this small town where your only dating options aren’t suitable ones.”
Ivan had to laugh. “You’re still worried that I was interested in a girl who was going out with Neil?”
Mr. D nodded. “Exactly! It worried me.”
Ivan laughed again. “Then worry no more. She wasn’t Neil’s type. He wasn’t hers. She and I spent most of the weekend together. And before you ask, Neil knows and is happy about it, and we’re going to try to fix him up with a girl he really likes.”
Mr. D frowned. “Part of me wants to ask, what the hell? But the rest of me knows better. So, it all worked out?”
“Better than I ever dreamed.”
“But …”
Ivan smiled. “You’ll understand when you meet her. You’ll get it.”
“Okay. As long as you’re happy, I’m happy. So, I can tell Oscar that I don’t have a candidate for the job, after all?”
“Please do. I’m happy here.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” He smiled. “Would you and your young lady like to have dinner with Chris and me sometime?”
Ivan smiled. “I’d love to. I’ll ask her.”
“Good. I’ll look forward to it.” Mr. D chuckled. “And could you also ask her to do something about decorating your place?”
Ivan laughed. “Yeah. I think I’m going to ask her to help me decorate for Christmas this weekend.
Chapter Fifteen
When Abbie got to work on Wednesday morning, she checked over the list of appointments. It looked like it’d be a quiet day. She made a face when she saw Colt’s name on the list. She’d have to make sure that she warned Cassie. Maybe she’d get her to tell her why she was so intent on avoiding him.
“G’morning, Abbs.”
“Hey, Michael.”
“Listen, Megan’s going to pop in this morning, around ten-thirty. Can you buzz me when she gets here? I’ll stick my head out for a minute. I need a word with her.”
“Of course. Is she off today?”
“Yeah. She’s up to something.” He grinned. “I don’t know what, but I’m guessing she might be getting my Christmas present. See if you can find out?”
Abbie laughed. “No way! I’m not spilling her secrets.”
He shrugged. “I’ll get it out of her. Oh, and do you want to come over to the house on Friday? She wants to have a few people over.”
“Can I let you know?” Abbie didn’t know what her plans were for the weekend, but she didn’t want to commit to anything that didn’t include Ivan.
“Sure, it’s nothing formal or anything. Just drop by if you like. She’s invited the gang and the people from work.
That got Abbie’s attention. “Oh. Is Merry going?”
“Yeah, do you know her? If you do, please come. I can never get a word out of her.”
“I don’t know her.”
“That figures. I don’t think she knows anyone. We need to get her out and meeting people.”
Abbie grinned. “I do know that there’s someone who’d like to meet her.”
Michael came out into the reception area and leaned on the desk. “A guy?”
“Yes.”
He made a face. “I’m not sure she’d go for that. I think she’d probably run and hide. I thought Meggie was shy. Merry’s even quieter. Who is this guy anyway?”
“Neil. He works with Ivan.”
Michael raised an eyebrow. “You know what gossip’s like around here. Neil’s the guy you were out with last Friday?”
Abbie sighed. “Yes. The guy I should never have gone out with. But he’s nice. He’s an accountant. And he has a crush on Merry.”
Michael grinned. “This sounds promising. Do you know him well enough to invite him to our place on Friday?”
Abbie grinned back. “I think I can get him there.”
“Awesome!” He looked up as Cassie came in. “Good morning, Doctor Stevens, and how are you this fine day?”
Cassie gave him a wary look. “I’m fine, thank you. At least, I was until I saw that smile on your face. What are you up to? I know when you’re scheming, and right now, I’m worried.”
Michael laughed. “You got me. I am scheming. But you’re safe, for now. I’m just trying to set up Megan’s assistant with a friend of Abbie’s.” He winked at her. “Even I’m not dumb enough to think I could do any matchmaking for you.”
“Good. I told you when you invited me back here; I love Summer Lake, and there’s only one thing that could make me change my mind about coming back.”
“I know, darl’. I wouldn’t dream of interfering there.”
Abbie raised an eyebrow. “Does anyone want to fill me in?”
Cassie gave her a sour look. “Want to? No. But I will. Remember, I didn’t want to run into Colt?”
“Oh.”
“Yeah. I need to tell you …” Michael looked uneasy.
“What?”
“He’s coming back in this morning.”
Cassie pressed her lips together. “What time?”
“Ten-forty-five,” said Abbie.
“Okay. Well, we can do the same as we did on Monday, right?”
Abbie nodded.
“Anyway. Let’s leave that subject alone, shall we? Is this some kind of meeting I need to be in on, or can I get into my office and get set up for the day?�
�
“Go ahead,” said Michael. “We’re just talking social stuff. Are you coming on Friday?”
“Is Colt?”
Michael laughed. “I value my life more than that!”
“Then, maybe.”
The morning soon got busy, and before Abbie knew it, it was ten-thirty. She smiled when she saw Megan come in, carrying little Billy.
“Hi, Abbie. You don’t need to disturb him; he said he’d leave some things out here with you.”
Abbie held up a bag Michael had left on the reception desk. “He did, but he asked me to buzz him when you came in; said he wanted a word.”
“Okay, then, but I can wait until his patient comes out. I don’t like to interrupt.”
Megan was a sweetheart. Abbie liked her a lot, and she was glad to get a few minutes with her while she waited. “Do you mind if I ask you about Merry?”
“What about her?” Megan sat Billy up on the counter, and he waved a pudgy little hand at Abbie. He was adorable.
“I know someone who likes her. I’d like to help set them up, but I don’t know her, and I don’t know how to go about it.”
Megan smiled. “I don’t think there’s much point. She doesn’t go out. I’ve invited her over on Friday, but I don’t think she’ll come. Are you coming?”
“I don’t know yet.”
“I hope you can, but no worries if you can’t. But Merry? Even if I could get her there, I don’t think you’d have much of a chance of introducing her to someone. She already has this huge crush on a guy. I doubt she’ll ever do anything about it, though.”
Aww. Abbie felt bad for Neil. She’d been hoping that she’d be able to help him and Merry on their way. “Who is he?”
“His name’s Neil. You might know him. He works for Seymour Davenport.”
Abbie laughed out loud, making Billy turn to stare and then laugh with her.
“What’s so funny?” asked Megan.
“Not only do I know him, but he’s the guy I want to set her up with. He has a huge crush on her, too!”
“Oh, my goodness! That’s perfect! We need to get them together somehow.”
Michael’s door opened, and Mr. Johnson came out. Abbie buzzed Michael to let him know that Megan was here.
Michael came out, and Billy squealed. “Daddy!” Michael scooped him off the counter and swung him around, then handed him, giggling, to Abbie.