by SJ McCoy
“Packing?”
“Yeah. There’s an apartment above the store. She’s going to stay there.”
“Wow.”
“That’s a bit milder than what I said.”
“What did she say?”
“That she’s excited. That this will do her good.”
“And you don’t believe her?”
Abbie thought about it. “I don’t know. Maybe.”
“It sounds to me like it could be just what she needs. She wanted to find a job. She loves Christmas, and she loves Stanton Falls. It sounds like she’ll be kept busy, and that might not be a bad thing if it helps her get through the holidays.”
Abbie sighed.
“Sorry, Abbs, but I have to tell you what I think.”
“I know. I’m not mad at you. I’m mad at me, if anything. When she told me last night, I tried to talk her out of it. I should have stopped and thought it through. Everything you just said makes sense, and I know it. But I was looking at it from my point of view, not hers.”
“That’s only natural.”
“But if I keep saying I want to put her first, then I kind of need to listen to what she wants and help her get it, don’t I? Not try to make her want what I think she should.”
“Yeah.”
“Okay. I’m going to head home, then. Help her pack up. Can I call you later?”
“Whenever you like.”
“I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
~ ~ ~
Ivan hung up and went back into the kitchen. He smiled at the sight of the Christmas tree as he passed it. He had to admit it made the house feel like a home. He couldn’t help but think that he wanted to share his home with Abbie.
Hopefully, going to Stanton Falls would be a good move for her mom—and maybe it would help Abbie to understand that she didn’t need to be there with her in the same way anymore. He turned off the stove. He’d planned to make spaghetti for dinner, but since Abbie wasn’t coming, he may as well just grab something from the freezer and nuke it in the microwave.
He pulled his phone out when it rang again, hoping that she’d changed her mind. It wasn’t her.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Ivan. It’s Nina.”
“Oh. Hi.”
“Are you coming over to see Abbie tonight?”
“No. I just talked to her. She’s on her way home.
Nina blew out a sigh. “Can I tempt you over if I offer you more cookies?”
He laughed. “She wants to spend the evening with you, not me.”
“We both know that’s not true. She just thinks that’s what she supposed to do. But I don’t need it.”
“She told me about you going to Stanton Falls. She said you’re leaving tomorrow. I think she wants you to herself before you go.”
“I think she wants to try and talk me out of it, and she’s not going to.”
Ivan chuckled. “She’s only trying to look out for you.”
“I know. I just wish she’d listen to me. If you come over, we might be able to convince her between us.”
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
“Please? I’ll take all the blame. I won’t let her be mad at you.”
“I’m not worried about that. I just don’t want to get in the middle. You two need to figure this out between you.”
“You’re probably right. It’s not fair of me to ask.”
“It’s not that.” He felt bad. “I just don’t think you need anyone else. It should be about the two of you.”
She was quiet for a long time, and he hoped she wasn’t mad at him or disappointed.
“Maybe I shouldn’t say this, but I’m going to. You and Abbie are serious about each other, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
“The kind of serious that means you and I are going to get to know each other much better in the years to come.”
“I hope so.”
“Then, can you see that it’s not really about just Abbie and me anymore? It’s about the three of us and how we all live our lives going forward. Abbie wants to live with me to keep an eye on me. Tell me if I’m wrong, but you want to live with Abbie.”
He didn’t see any point denying it. “I do.”
She chuckled. “I know in her heart she wants to live with you. And to be honest, I need to live by myself again. I need to figure out what my life’s going to be like. And I don’t want to be that sad old lady who lives with her daughter.”
Ivan chuckled with her. “I don’t see you that way.”
“That’s sweet of you. But that’s what I’ll become if we don’t figure this out. So, please. Come over?”
“Okay.”
He still wasn’t sure how wise this was when he pulled up outside their house a little while later. At least Abbie was home already. Her car was in the driveway. He didn’t like the idea of being there before her. Hopefully, her mom would have warned her he was coming.
When he lifted his hand to knock on the door, he wasn’t surprised when Nina opened it with a smile. “Ivan. Come on in.”
He gave her a hug and followed her to the kitchen. Abbie was sitting at the counter and slid down to come and peck his cheek. At least, she was smiling.
“Don’t look so worried. Mom told me she’d invited you.”
He gave her a rueful smile. “I feel like I’m here to referee or something.”
Abbie laughed. “No. There’s nothing to fight about.”
Her mom came and hugged her. “I told Abbie the same thing I told you. I’ve been wanting to say it for ages, but I couldn’t find the right words. They came out easy enough when I told you, so I just repeated them to her.”
Ivan nodded, wondering which words she meant.
Abbie leaned against his side. “Since Mom wants to live by herself, and you want to live with me, I’m finally ready to admit that I want to live with you.”
A wave of relief swept through him. He raised an eyebrow at her. “Is it really going to be that easy?”
She smiled. “Yes. If I hadn’t been such an idiot, it could have been that easy all along. But somehow, between everyone chipping away at me, I’ve finally gotten it through my thick skull. We all have to live our own lives. We can support each other, but we each have to put ourselves first.”
Ivan nodded. “Mind if I ask what your mom said that finally broke through?”
Her mom laughed. “It was easy in the end. Abbie couldn’t stand the thought of being selfish. But when I told her I need to be selfish, and I need to figure my own life out, she got it.”
Abbie nodded. “When Mom told me that she has to go after what she wants, I totally understood. Then she turned it around on me and asked why I didn’t understand it for myself.” She shrugged. “And now, I do.”
He chuckled. “I’m glad. This is a lot easier than I thought it was going to be.”
“Aren’t you glad you came now?” asked her mom.
“I am. Especially if I get cookies out of it.”
Abbie slapped his arm with a laugh. “You’re only here for the cookies.”
He put his arm around her shoulders. “Not just that, but I’m not sure I would have been brave enough to come otherwise.”
Her mom smiled at them. “Well, I’ll give you both a good dinner this evening, but after that, you’ll have to wait until Christmas before I bake you more cookies.”
Abbie looked at Ivan. “She’s going up there tomorrow and not coming back until Christmas day.”
“We can go up on the weekend and visit if you like.”
Nina smiled at him. “You can, but only for a quick visit. This is the busiest time of year up there. I expect I’ll be rushed off my feet.”
“We’ll see how it goes,” said Abbie. “We’ll talk every night on the phone.”
Her mom rolled her eyes at Ivan. “I hope you’ll be keeping her occupied so she forgets some nights.”
His heart started to race as understanding hit him. If her mom wasn’
t going to be here, there was no reason she couldn’t come and stay with him. He looked down at her, and she smiled.
“I don’t like the idea of staying here by myself.”
He tightened his arm around her shoulders. “So, come home with me.”
Chapter Nineteen
By the time the weekend rolled around, Abbie had already adapted to all the big changes that were happening in her life. Her mom had left for Stanton on Tuesday morning. It had been weird to wave her off, knowing that she was setting off on a new chapter of her own life. It might only be for a few weeks, but Abbie understood now that it was a major turning point in her mom’s journey to figuring out what her life was going to be like as a widow.
That evening, she’d gone straight to Ivan’s after work. He was so sweet. He’d hung a banner on the Christmas tree that said, “Welcome Home!” And now, just a few days later, it felt like home. It felt like this was where she belonged. Not the house, although she wished that this could be her forever home. It was so beautiful, and she knew it would be even more beautiful in the summer with its view of the lake. But she’d be happy in a shack if she got to live there with Ivan. It was being with him that made her so happy. He was the one who’d helped her get over all the stupid shit she’d had in her head about how she needed to be and how she needed to live her life. Now, he was helping her to see that just being herself was enough. That she could have what she wanted and be happy. She didn’t need to feel guilty or to try to live up to some standard that she’d set for herself.
She trotted downstairs while Ivan was still in the shower. He was just like her mom in that he enjoyed his coffee in the morning. She liked to set the pot brewing before he got up and then leave him to enjoy his peace while she showered. She’d been staying with him for less than a week, but they’d already fallen into some comfortable little routines like that. She couldn’t remember ever being this happy.
She went to get her phone from the counter when it rang, wondering who could be calling this early on a Saturday morning.
It was her mom.
“Hi. Is everything okay?”
“Everything’s wonderful, Abbs. I’m loving this. I’m so busy. The store is slammed the whole time. And the customers are all so nice because they’re in the Christmas spirit.”
“That’s good. I was a bit worried when you didn’t answer the phone last night. You didn’t even call me back.”
“Sorry. We went out for dinner after we closed up.”
Abbie frowned. Her Mom’s friend Janet owned the store. Abbie had known her for years, but she didn’t know who else was working there. “Who’s we?”
Her mom laughed. “Janet and me, and Kerry and Jess, who I work with, and a few people from the stores either side of us. Everyone’s so friendly up here. The way they go overboard on Christmas, I thought it was just for the tourists, but it seems like the whole community gets involved.”
“That sounds nice. So, you’re having fun then?”
“I am, Abbs. It’s just the right mix of new people and busy work to ensure that I’m either having fun or don’t have time to think about the reasons why I shouldn’t be.”
“There’s no reason you shouldn’t, Mom.”
“I know, but it’s hard sometimes. Anyway, I wasn’t just checking in. I wanted to talk to you about something, but there never seems to be a good time.”
“What’s wrong?”
Her Mom laughed. “There’s nothing wrong. In fact, I think it’s a very good thing. Janet has asked me if I want to stay on after the holidays.”
“Oh!” Abbie wanted to ask all kinds of questions, but she’d finally learned that what she needed to do was listen to what her mom thought—and what she wanted—and do her best to support her in whatever that might be.
“Yes. Jess is ready to retire, and they’re going to need to hire someone full time. I fit in with everyone. We all get along. It makes sense. But would you mind?”
“Of course not. All I ever wanted was for you to be happy, Mom. I wasn’t trying to control you. I just …”
“I never thought you were, Abbs. I care about what you think. I don’t want you to feel like you came to Summer Lake, and then I moved away and abandoned you.”
“No. It’s not far. We can see each other whenever we want. If it’s going to make you happy, I can keep an eye on the house for you.”
Her mom was quiet for a long moment. “I was thinking it might be time to sell the house.”
“Oh.” Abbie sucked in a deep breath. She was doing her best to be supportive here, but that was a tough one.
“Not straight away, and maybe not at all, but it might be for the best. What do you think?”
“I don’t know what to think, Mom. But you don’t need to decide right now, do you?”
“No. I just wanted to let you know what I’m thinking. Anyway, how’s Ivan? How are the two of you getting along?”
“He’s wonderful, Mom. I love him.”
“Aww. And he loves you, too.”
“He does.” Abbie looked up as he came down the stairs and headed straight for the coffee. He gave her an inquiring look. “It’s Mom.”
“Oh. Say hi for me. Is she coming for Christmas?”
Abbie spoke back into her phone. “He’s up. He’s asking if you’re coming for Christmas.”
Her mom laughed. “Tell him I said yes, but he can call and tell me if he’d rather I didn’t.”
Abbie laughed. “I know you two and your calls behind my back, but you won’t need to sneak around on this one. He’s hoping you’ll come.”
“In that case, yes. I’ll be there. But I won’t arrive until mid-morning. I’m working Christmas eve, and I won’t drive back to the lake in the dark.”
“Okay. Well, there’s time to figure out what we’re doing.”
“There is, but I don’t have any time left to chat with you. I need to get ready for work.”
“Oh.” Abbie looked at the clock. “I do, too. It’s my Saturday on.”
“Love you, Abbs. I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Love you, Mom. Bye.”
Ivan came to her and dropped a kiss on her lips. “Is she okay?”
“She sounds great. She was out last night. She’s enjoying herself and …” She sucked in a deep breath. “Janet’s asked her if she wants to stay on after the holidays. She’s talking about moving up there and selling the house.”
“Wow! How do you feel about that?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. But … yeah, I do. I think as long as it makes her happy, then I’m happy.”
He slid his arms around her waist. “That’s all it’s about, you know. Being happy.”
“I know.”
“I want to make you happy, Abbie.”
“You do.”
“You make me happy, too. So happy that I don’t want this to ever end. I didn’t want to ask if you were going to stay here once your mom came back, but if she’s not coming back …” He raised an eyebrow. “Even if she does, will you stay, live with me, make this permanent?”
She nodded happily. “I will.”
He dropped his head and kissed her. She clung to him, feeling as though she was finally getting it right. At first, she’d thought Ivan was the wrong kind of guy. Now she understood that he was the perfect guy for her.
When he lifted his head, he smiled. “How would you feel about having some people over for dinner?”
“Tonight?”
“No.” He laughed. “I wouldn’t land it on you like that. Maybe next Friday? It’s the last weekend before Christmas. I said that we’d have dinner with Chris and Seymour. I thought maybe we could invite them over, but then there’s Merry and Neil—by the sounds of it, they’re spending every waking minute together. Then I thought that’s my work people, maybe you’d want to invite yours, too, and Logan and Roxy and the gang.”
“That’s a lot of dinner.”
“Okay. So how about just drinks and snacks? We could even call it our
official house-warming party.”
“Okay. Let’s do it. As long as I don’t have to make dinner, I’d love to.”
~ ~ ~
Ivan looked around the house. He finally understood what everyone had been talking about when they said he needed to put his mark on the place. It looked so much different than it had just a couple of months ago. Abbie had said it looked like it had been staged ready to sell. Now, it looked like a home. His and Abbie’s home. The tree twinkled in the corner, but it wasn’t just the Christmas decorations. There were more paintings, too. And a lamp that she’d brought him. She’d found his box of books in the closet, and they’d spent an evening filling the bookshelves with them; it still surprised him how much of a difference that made.
Abbie came and stood behind him and slipped her arms around his waist. “Are you doing okay?”
“I’m great. I’m just thinking how you’ve made this place into a home.”
She looked around. “I guess we have, haven’t we? And tonight, we welcome our friends into our home.” She grinned. “I’m looking forward to it.”
“Me too. Did I tell you that Neil said he and Merry will be here early?”
Abbie laughed. “You didn’t, but it doesn’t surprise me. They probably want to get in and out before everyone else arrives.”
“Yep, that’s what he said.”
“I can’t believe that I actually went on a date with him—that I thought I could possibly have a future with him.”
Ivan scowled. “I don’t like to be reminded of that.”
She laughed and pushed at his arm. “What, that I was so stupid?”
“No.” He curled his arm around her and pulled her against him. “That there was a time that you went on dates with other guys. No more dating for you, lady—ever.”
Her eyes widened as she looked up into his.
For a moment, he thought she was mad, that she might say he didn’t get to tell her what she could do.
Instead, she relaxed against him. “I hope I never go on another date in my life—with anyone who isn’t you.”
He had to swallow the lump that formed in his throat. He kind of knew she felt that way, but he hadn’t been one hundred percent sure until now. “I’ll do my best to make sure you never have to.”