by Laurie Gene
"What, are you their chef or something?" Bonnie asked, swiveling her attention to Abby. She smiled, although she did place a hand over her mouth as a way to pretend to be polite. "How many jobs do you have?"
"Bonnie," Nick said, stepping in front of Abby as though to shield her from Bonnie and her incessant jealousy.
Abby let out a breath. Her hands were shaking. She was... She was what? Scared? She shouldn't be scared. This woman was trying to make her feel small because she thought Nick had cheated on her. Maybe to Bonnie it wasn't a lie. Maybe Bonnie felt like dirt, like she didn't understand why Nick would choose to leave someone as glamorous as herself in order to be with Abby. In all honesty, Abby felt the same way. She didn't understand either, but that didn't give Bonnie the right to make her feel bad.
"What?" Bonnie asked, throwing her arms out. "It's the truth. She works for you, right? She replaced Pam?"
"You work for Nick Stafford and didn't tell us?" Saffron asked, crossing her arms over her chest. "Is that where you've been during the day? You know the money you make needs to go to the upkeep of the penthouse, right? It's not just yours."
"I'm sorry, who are you?" Nick asked, furrowing his brow in Trixie and Saffron’s direction.
"We're Abby's stepsisters," Trixie said. "She didn't tell you about us?"
"I don't expect Abby to tell me things about her personal life," Nick said.
"With all due respect, Mr. Saffron," Angelica said, stepping forward. Her low, smooth voice was still somehow able to command attention even in a crowded room, "the way you were kissing my daughter seemed to be personal."
"You were kissing her?" Bonnie asked.
"I'm not your daughter," Abby said. She had no idea where the courage was coming from, but she held onto it like a bull rider held onto the reins. Her eyes locked with Angelica's. "I wanted to be. I wanted so badly to be thought of as your daughter, but you didn't include me in anything. You already had your children. I understood that. But you and your children never showed me an ounce of sympathy or compassion. You ordered me around like I was nothing more than the help rather than someone you cared about. You were cruel and miserable and you enjoyed putting me down to the point where I work any job I can get if it means getting out of my father's penthouse and away from all of you." She was breathless by the time she finished and her eyes were glassy, but she would not allow the tears to fall.
Angelica paused, and a hushed silence fell over the group.
"I didn't realize you felt that way," Angelica said at length.
"That's a lie," Abby said. "Of course you knew. Do you think I like cooking or cleaning or braiding your hair? I did that because I hoped you would love me. I wanted so desperately for you to love me."
"Then you wasted your time," Angelica said. She glanced at her daughters and nodded toward the entranceway. "I cannot love something that isn't mine. I can't force myself to feel something I don't."
"I understand that," Abby said, "but you didn't even try."
Angelica did not deny this. Without another word, she turned and left, her two daughters trailing behind her.
So it was done. Abby had told Angelica everything she had been keeping to herself for years. It felt like a relief. Even though she didn't get the answer that she wanted, at least the truth was out there.
"That makes sense," Bonnie said. Abby snapped out of her thoughts and furrowed her brow. She had completely forgotten Bonnie was there. "You want to be loved so badly, you don't care who they are or that they're already with someone." She placed both of her hands on her hips. "You're a snake. You are the reason why my relationship failed. You deserve to be treated like the help because you are nothing more than dirt on my shoes."
Abby opened her mouth, ready to say something. Slowly, she shut it again. She shifted her gaze to Nick, waiting. Waiting for him to say something.
When he didn't, Abby shook her head. She wasn't going to stand around and let herself get insulted, and she had too much grace to say something mean in return. That, she’d learned from her mother. Her real one, who was watching her from Heaven.
She didn't need anyone to fight her battles. She didn't need anyone to help her get ready for a masquerade. And, she realized, she definitely did not need anyone to love her to make her feel worthy.
With that, she turned around and headed out of the building. She tucked her trench coat around her body, but for some reason, she didn't quite mind the cold night. The bitterness pinched her skin and made her feel alive.
Chapter 15: Nick
"What are you doing?" Nick asked. He was surprised by how frustrated he sounded with Bonnie, his voice like low thunder warning people a storm was going to come.
His eyes narrowed in on Bonnie. Aesthetically, he could see how beautiful she was, and yet, he felt nothing but disgust. Regret caused his stomach to turn, as though he could not believe he had ever thought to be with her, even a night, but for the rest of his life. It was as though the layers to her skin had been pulled back, and he could see what she looked like on the inside—revolting, cruel, and miserable.
How could he have let himself be with someone such as that? He did not understand it. He was ashamed of himself. Not only did he regret it for himself, but he regretted what his mother and grandmother had to endure. He regretted it the most because of what Abby had just experienced.
"What do you mean, what am I doing?" Bonnie asked, turning to look at him. One manicured hand was placed on a jutted hip and her eyes narrowed. "I'm telling her to mind her place."
"Her place?" Nick clenched his teeth, hoping to restrain himself. "Her place was with me, by my side."
"No," Bonnie said, shaking her head. "That's my place."
"If I recall, we broke up," Nick said. He was trying to keep his voice down. The last thing he needed was for people to overhear their conversation, pull out their smartphone, and start recording it. He ever wanted to be was someone's entertainment. "Which means your place is away from me."
Bonnie scoffed, waving a dismissive hand. "We both know we're going to get back together, Nicky," she said as though it was the most obvious thing. "Let's not prolong the inevitable."
"I hate when you call me that," he said.
She furrowed her brow. "Call you what?"
"Nicky," he said. "Only my family calls me that, and you are the furthest thing from being my family." He took a step toward her, eyes narrowed. "You need to know, Bonnie, that we aren't going to get back together. Ever. So whatever fantasy is playing out in your head, you better live there because there's no other way we would work. You're conceited and inconsiderate, you think the world owes you everything, you can't even say thank you to my mother for letting you stay with her for a couple of nights, and my Gran doesn't like you. My Gran likes everyone, so that should have been a red flag. I think you're extremely talented at fashion design. I think your ideas are unique and I think you have the focus and drive to build your own empire. But other than that, you only think about yourself. So, one more time, to make sure you don't just hear me, but you understand: we aren't going to get back together."
With that, he spun on the heel of his shoe and tried to catch up to Abby. Unfortunately for him, Abby had already disappeared.
- - -
Disturbing a pregnant woman on maternity leave probably wasn't the best thing Nick could do that evening, but it could not be helped. He had no idea where Abby lived and he needed to find out as soon as possible.
Bill did everything he could to try and help without having to disturb Pamela, but he didn't know how to look up one of Nick's employees and where they lived, citing an emergency. As such, Pamela was called and she got him the address in two minutes. Nick thanked Pamela, offering her two extra weeks of paid maternity leave to make up for his disturbance.
Of course, Pamela didn't make it so simple to just hang up. Like everyone else in New York, she had read what Bonnie said about him, and while Pamela insisted she didn't believe anything that came out of Bonnie's mou
th, she was still curious about Abby and how Nick felt for her. Nick assured Pamela that he would tell her anything she wanted to know just as long as he could get off the phone with her now. She made him promise before finally agreeing.
Nick flagged down a town car, and when he gave the address, he allowed himself a moment of temporary relief. At least he was on the way to Abby. At least he was doing something.
Because of traffic, the drive was just under a half-hour. Nick handed the driver a hundred-dollar bill and left before the driver could give him change.
He glanced up at the tall building. Part of him was impressed that she lived here, in the penthouse, no less, and he was curious as to why she was working as a waitress and a glorified secretary if she could afford to live here.
The doorman recognized Nick and waved him through. With a nod, Nick took off across the lobby, heading for the elevator. He jammed the button as the car descended. The doors slid open, and he hurried inside, pressing the button for the penthouse.
As the elevator started upwards, he tipped his head back to the ceiling and let out a pent-up breath.
The elevator opened to her floor and he darted to her door and knocked. He wiped his palms on his pant legs and tried to steady his breathing and rapid heartbeat.
Worries swirled in his mind. What if she wasn’t home? What if she quit and never spoke to him again?
Then the door opened. Abby stood in her pajamas, her hair and makeup still done up for the ball.
He was floored. She was simply beautiful.
"Abs," he said. He didn't know why he sounded out of breath, having taken the elevator, but his heart continued to pound against his chest, and he worried she might be able to hear it.
Abby looked up at him with big, blue eyes. It almost seemed as though she was confused as to why he was here in the first place. His heart broke for her, for what she had to endure. He hadn't realized what sort of personal life she had. She always seemed bubbly and it didn't make him question what she may be suffering with at home.
Before he could stop himself, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a tight hug. Her head fit perfectly under his chin the way it had when they had been dancing together. His arms locked around her waist, pressing her against him. He didn't want to let her go.
She stiffened under his touch and he almost released her, afraid he was overstepping his boundaries when she returned the hug with one of her own. He couldn't tell if she was crying, but her body was so still except for the steady rise and fall of her chest.
"Are you okay?" he asked in a soft voice.
Abby pulled back in order to look up at him. Her gaze was soft. There was definite sadness but there weren't any tears. This was a good thing. It showed she was strong and wouldn't break down when she was attacked. He liked that about her.
"I," she started and then shook her head. "I don't know. I know my stepfamily will be here any minute and the last thing I need right now is being peppered with questions and accusations."
Nick nodded. "Do you want to get away for a bit?" he asked. He wasn't sure what he meant by the question, but the second it left his mouth, he knew that he wanted to ask her that. "We can just drive around and talk or drive around and just be silent."
Abby thought about it. "I would love to," she said. "But I know I have to face them at some point. This is—was—my father's penthouse before he died. It's the last thing I have of his. And I don't want to run away from it. My stepfamily..." She shook her head. "It doesn't matter. I've been trying to get out of here for so long. It's why I have all of these jobs, you know? But now, leaving home is the last thing I want."
Nick took a moment to take in what she said. "What about this," he finally said. "Come take a drive with me. Getaway for a bit. When you're ready, you can come back and face them. But for now... I'd just really like to spend time with you if you're up for it."
She pressed her lips together and nodded. "Sure," she said. "Let me get dressed."
It took her only a moment to throw on a sweater and jeans, and they left the building and headed into another town car.
"Where to?" the driver asked.
Nick shrugged. "Just drive."
Abby leaned back in the seat and closed her eyes. Nick wished he knew what she was thinking. Without warning, he reached over and took her hand in his. Her eyes snapped open and she looked at him with slight confusion and surprise. She wasn't quite sure what he was doing, he knew, but he didn't release his hold on her hand and she didn't pull away from him.
"I should have said something," Nick said. He picked at his tuxedo jacket. "When Bonnie said that. I did say something after you left, but I should have—"
"It's fine," Abby said. "I don't need anyone to save me. I'm perfectly capable of handling things on my own."
"That's for sure," Nick said. "It’s just, I don't know how to act around you sometimes, Abs. You're intimidating."
"Me?" She laughed.
"I don't think you realize just how awe-inspiring you are," he said slowly. He traced mindless patterns on her skin with his thumb. "You make me nervous and I don't know how to handle myself around you. You aren't like anyone I've ever met before and I think…I think that scares me."
Abby pressed her lips together, remaining silent.
"I like you," Nick said. "No, that's a lie. I'm in love with you."
Abby snapped her head toward him, her jaw dropping slightly.
"Why are you surprised?" he asked.
Abby shrugged. "I just didn't think I was the type of girl you go for," she admitted.
"I think that's why I'm in love with you," he said. "You're confident in who you are, and that makes you beautiful. You don't need to step on people to make you feel better about yourself. You're someone I like being around because I want to be a better person when I'm with you."
Abby smiled. "I think you're kind and intelligent," she told him. "And I think you waste your time with vapid airheads because you're afraid to let yourself be vulnerable. I love you too, Nick, I do, but I don't want to be with someone who's scared and runs away. I want to be with someone who's scared and jumps all in, anyway."
Nick smiled. "You're right," he said. He squeezed her hand and brought it up to his face so he could kiss the back of her knuckles. "Let's do it. Let's go all in."
"You're sure?" Abby asked.
He released her hand so he could lean in close to her.
"I'm sure," he murmured before he pulled her into another kiss.
The End
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