Their gazes linked.
"I know," said Abby. "I heard you tell Hamish just now."
And she wasn't asking him why?
"I feel there has to be more I can do to help The Busy Bee. Your grandmother, Agnes, Hamish, and all the others, they work so hard. They deserve to succeed."
Abby's face showed the surprise she felt.
"I'm sorry about my attitude towards them in the beginning, Abby. I was raised by my grandparents who were very strict and I've always associated any older person with them. I was wrong. More and more I'm learning generalizations don't work. Not in business, not in life."
It was a very generous apology.
"Your grandmother and her friends are so warm and affectionate," Daniel continued. "I hope I haven't hurt anybody's feelings."
It was Abby's turn to be surprised. "What makes you think you might have hurt anyone?"
"I'm always refusing their offers of help. I don't mix much with anyone. I've never found it easy to talk to any of them, except Sarah and Agnes. For a long time I blamed my grandparents for the way I am. Now I realize the way I am has nothing to do with them. It has to do with me."
"Why did you blame your grandparents?"
"They were so different from my parents. They were very strict and I used to wonder if they cared for me at all. We never discussed my parents. In fact we rarely talked to each other. I know I wasn't an easy boy to get along with, but I missed my mother and father so much."
Abby's heart twisted at the thought of the lonely ten year old. "Hamish told me once that his parents never talked of their emotions, and he grew up thinking a man's way of telling his family he loved them was providing for them. Maybe your grandparents were like that too."
Trust Abby to make excuses for everybody. "Maybe."
"It couldn't have been easy on them losing their son and daughter-in-law. Did you talk to them about how you felt?" Abby asked.
"No." Daniel tossed his empty cup in the trash can.
Shock over his parents death had changed to anger. Rage had taken the form of rebellion. No one had been able to cross the moat he'd built around himself.
"Being here has made me realize how difficult I made things for them. I wish I had a chance to go back, to apologize, but life's a one way street. Maybe finding a way to help Sarah and her friends is my way of working through this guilt I harbor."
Abby nodded as if she understood and Daniel went on, "I called them once a month after I left home. The conversations we had never lasted long. We didn't know what to say to each other."
His stay here had made him understand how lonely old people were. The thought he should have done more for his grandparents weighed heavily on him.
"You cared enough to keep in touch," Abby pointed out.
"Yes, but I wish I had told them I loved them, just once. Eve, my ex-fiancée, was right about me."
Abby held her breath.
"She said I was cold."
Abby's heart began to race. She could understand how hard communication had been for Daniel and his grandparents. She couldn't understand how Daniel could believe a completely false accusation.
"You aren't cold." There was no shred of doubt in Abby's voice. "You wouldn't have given us so much of your vacation time if you were. There are very few people Hamish, Agnes and Gran like, but you're definitely one of them."
"They're good for my ego."
Daniel's tone told Abby he wasn't completely convinced. Touched by the glimpse she got of the lonely boy behind the lonely man, Abby blinked the tears from her eyes. Daniel was not cold.
Walking around the desk, she reached for both his hands. As he looked at her in surprise, she stood on tiptoe and placed her mouth against his. Warmly, sweetly, she kissed him.
Heat melted surprise. Wrapping his arms around her, Daniel dragged her closer. Gentleness gave way to hunger as Abby's mouth opened under his. Lifting one hand, Daniel threaded it through Abby's hair.
Abby loved the feeling of Daniel's back under her hands. Loved matching the demands his mouth made with some of her own.
There was no room for thought till the need for air made them pause. Daniel looked at Abby's face and saw the elation fade as embarrassment took its place.
"That was just to prove you aren't cold," she said breathlessly. Moving away from him, she went behind the desk.
Trust Abby to think of the quickest, most thorough way of making her point. The kiss reminded him of the way she had challenged him at the seminar. Abby's shortcuts may be unusual, but they were very effective.
"I get the message," Daniel's gaze was still on her mouth.
Had proving a point been all it was? He wanted to kiss Abby again, feel that wonderful mouth under his.
Picking up the envelope on the desk, Abby said, "I have to help in the store."
"I'd better get on with my work," Daniel couldn't keep the reluctance out of his voice.
For a long time after Abby left, he sat doodling on a pad.
Can't complain of emptiness now, can you Hawthorn?
No he couldn't. His life was filled with emotions and questions. He had changed so much. Looking at everything from a different perspective had broadened the scope of his experiences. He wanted different things now. To help Abby, to get the store back on its feet, to make amends for the past.
Daniel wondered if he had helped himself to more than he would ever be able to deal with.
Talking to Abby about his relationship with his grandparents had eased the load of bitterness he had carried around for so long. If he'd been cold with Eve, it was because he'd held a part of himself back from her. Since his parents' death he'd held a part of himself back from everyone. He was afraid of loving too much, afraid of losing those he loved.
His work had become a nice safe wall to hide behind.
Take back the power, Abby.
Daniel's words echoed and re-echoed in her mind, as Abby stepped into Lou Nelson's printing shop on Main Street.
"Hello Abby," Lou greeted her with a hug. "I never thought I'd see the Saturday you'd get away from the store. Does Sarah need more flyers?"
Abby shook her head. "No. This is for me. I need some business cards and flyers for my interior decorating business."
Lou beamed at her, "Why, I'm happy you're going to have another shot at it Abby. Everyone praises the way you did my parlor. They can't believe how little it cost. I just know you're going to be great at it. How many business cards and flyers would you like?"
Abby had done Lou's parlor when she'd come home from college one year, during summer vacation. She had been very young and very excited about her work in those days.
"Five hundred, please." It didn't hurt to dream big. Abby hesitated and then said, "I thought I'd distribute them to half the homes in the new developments, see what happens and then have some more printed."
"That's a great idea. It'll take a day to get them ready. I know some teenagers who will do the leg work for you. They charge on an hourly basis."
"That'll help. Thanks Lou."
Abby showed Lou the design she'd thought up for her business cards and the idea for her flyer. It was a while before their business discussion ended.
"I have to go now," Abby said. "I have a few things to pick up for Jack Williams."
"Oh, I almost forgot," Lou opened a drawer and took out a packet. "Katy sent pictures of the baby, and said to be sure and give you one. After all our planning, he had to be born when I wasn't there."
Abby looked at the pictures of the baby boy and said, "He's adorable. I love the name Nathan. I'll call Katy tonight."
Picking a picture out, she thanked Lou and said goodbye.
Outside the store she paused and took a deep breath. It was hard to imagine Katy, a mother. Her friend had been the tomboyish type who'd said she wanted to be president of a company. Abby had been the one who'd always said she wanted a husband and children. Only Rod hadn't wanted any.
If she'd had a baby, would things have be
en different after Rod's death. Would she have avoided the intense bouts of loneliness that gripped her from time to time?
"Hi, Abby."
She looked straight into Daniel's eyes and then around her. She was blocking the way to Lou's store by standing here and daydreaming.
"Is something wrong?"
Hoping he hadn't seen the tears in her eyes, Abby shook her head. She had decided to make a new beginning. Brooding over what-might-have-been wasn't part of her plan.
She smiled at Daniel, "I'm fine. I'll see you back at the house. I have a few more errands to run."
"Right." Daniel stood aside to let Abby pass before entering the store. He'd wondered about the look on her face, but with Abby he knew better than to insist she tell him what was wrong.
"Things have changed so much since you came to Carbon Canyon," Lou told Daniel as she handed him the business cards he had ordered for himself. "You've made a difference in such a short time. What is it? Two weeks?"
"Three." Today made it exactly that. "I haven't done much."
"Helping Sarah and the others save that store is a gift to the whole community. Some of us would be very lonely if we couldn't meet there. You read about people our age who become `shut-ins', and it's more than sad. They're afraid to go out. They have no one to talk to. It must be a terrible feeling."
"I'm glad Abby asked me to come here."
Daniel knew how important the store was to the people in Carbon Canyon.
"I'm giving you these cards at cost," Lou told him. "I'll be happy to help with anything else you want done."
Her tone encouraged Daniel to ask his next question. "Have you known Abby long?"
"Sarah and I raised Abby and my Katy together. I just showed Abby pictures of Katy's baby boy. The look on her face almost broke my heart."
Daniel felt his stomach tighten. Why had Abby looked sad? She would make a wonderful mother.
Lou's words seemed to answer his questions. "I don't know if she'll ever be able to trust any man again. That Rod was a no-good scoundrel. She wanted a family and all he wanted was money and more money."
"Thanks for the cards, Lou." Daniel took the package and left the store.
Outside he stood in much the same place Abby had and gazed down Main Street. Abby and children. Pictures whirled in his brain, teasing him. Babies with green eyes and that black hair. Children who, like their mother, would care about people and causes.
Abby closed the menu and set it beside her plate. The chicken salad had been a wise decision. It wasn't only in the area of her work that she wanted to take control. She had to do it with her eating habits as well. Abby didn't expect overnight success with her diet. She would take losing weight one step at a time, try planning her meals better.
Another thing to work on, was managing her time better. She'd have to learn to keep some of it for herself without feeling guilty. It wasn't going to be easy.
Three days after the flyers were all distributed, Abby received her first call. The woman on the other end of the line had just bought a house in Canyon Crest Estates. She wanted to know when Abby could meet with her.
Abby's voice wouldn't function, and her legs began to shake. She'd seen the model homes in Canyon Crest Estates. The houses were all five hundred thousand dollars and up. Decorating a big house was a dream come true, but what if she made a mess of it? What if....?
You can do anything you want, Abby.
The ring of assurance in Daniel's voice as he had said the words spliced through Abby's panic. "Mrs. Greggory? I'm free at six this evening. Would that suit you?"
Abby spent the rest of the day organizing. Digging out the album that held photographs of some of the best designs she'd done, she found a magazine which held pictures of the latest fashions in window treatments. Next she hunted for something business-like and confidence building to wear. Thanks to Agnes’ talent for sewing, Abby had plenty of clothes.
Halfway down the stairs, on her way to the store for a box of chocolates, Abby stopped. No, she wasn't going that route again. She had to stop reaching for food every time she was under stress. Changing direction, she went into the kitchen, and found some carrot sticks. As she munched on them, Abby thought of the turn her life had taken. The golden glow of her expectations had become a canvas to paint dreams on. Hope that everything would turn out well for The Busy Bee provided a splash of green. Her love for Gran was a deep, rich blue. Hamish, Agnes, Jack Williams, Lou and all her other friends were a warm, comforting pink. Daniel...Abby's breath caught in her throat...Daniel was the red of excitement, of danger that she couldn't resist.
"Where's Abby?" Daniel asked Sarah Trenton casually. He had looked for her in the office, in the community room, the house. As a last resort he was trying the store.
Sarah looked up from the cash register. "She had to go out."
"I see," said Daniel.
He'd expected this after the kiss. Abby had avoiding him down to a fine art. Was she out as in out shopping, out helping someone, or out taking a perfectly healthy Muffy on yet another trip to the vet? Unable to ask the questions, he picked up a cushion, put it down, wandered down an aisle and stared blankly at a quilt.
What's the matter with you, Hawthorn?
He couldn't explain the feeling gripping him, the longing to be with Abby.
"Abby said she was going to Canyon Crest Estates to look into the possibility of decorating someone's house."
Daniel spun around. The smile on Sarah Trenton's face told him she had tuned into the cause of his restlessness.
"Abby mentioned it was something you said that convinced her to give her business another try. Thank you, Daniel."
Sarah's eyes conveyed an unspoken message to Daniel. I owe you for helping Abby back to this point, but hurt her and you'll have to reckon with me.
Daniel had a pretty good idea Sarah wouldn't be the only one he'd have to deal with. There was Agnes and Hamish and ninety percent of Carbon Canyon watching out for Abby.
He should be happy that Abby had decided to give his suggestions a try. As for the restlessness...maybe he needed some time alone to think about it. Time away from Carbon Canyon.
On impulse he decided to go to Los Angeles. In the world he was used to, everything here would probably take on a different perspective.
Telling Sarah he was going to Los Angeles and would be back in time for the weekly meeting the next day only took a minute. Daniel hurried to the guest house for his car keys. He'd made the right decision. It was time to touch base with his world again.
"Gran, I can't believe it," Abby walked into the house, her cheeks fire engine red. "The Greggorys' house is huge and so beautiful. It will take a miracle to land the contract. Mrs. G. and I talked, and she asked me to submit an estimate."
Sarah smiled at her granddaughter. "I know you'll get the job, Abby."
Abby chuckled. If she'd told Gran she was putting in a bid for redecorating the White House, the comment would have been the same.
"How are things at the store?" Abby asked.
"Everything's fine. Daniel stopped by to find out where you were."
"He did?" Abby's gaze fell on the bottle of oil on the mantelpiece.
Her grandmother looked in the same direction. "I think you should give him another massage. He mentioned how much better his hands are feeling, and I noticed at dinner he was finding it easier to bend his fingers over his fork and knife.
Abby sat her enormous patchwork bag down. "I'll give him a massage after dinner."
"Oh," Sarah peered at her crocheting. "Daniel won't be here for dinner. He's gone to Los Angeles."
"Los Angeles?"
Abby couldn't believe it. Her mouth went dry. What had prompted the sudden decision to leave?
"Only for the night. He'll be back tomorrow."
"I see."
The rush of relief coursing through Abby left her weak. For the few seconds when she had thought Daniel had left for good, she'd felt as if someone had switched off all the lights
and left her in the dark.
The fact he had gone to Los Angeles had her on edge. Was he missing the bright lights, or was there someone special he couldn't do without?
Sarah smiled as Abby left the room. Her granddaughter's reaction to the news when she'd heard Daniel had gone to L.A. was just what Sarah had hoped for. So was the way Daniel had looked this morning.
It was just like David, Sarah's husband, had always said, "Life isn't all up or all down. It's like a Ferris wheel. Sometimes you're right on top and at others you're at the bottom. When you're at the bottom, all you have to do is be patient till it's your turn to be on top again."
Sarah was glad Abby was finally on the upswing.
"Hi." One quick look showed Daniel the community room was empty except for Abby whittling her dog in the corner. A glance at the clock showed it was barely seven. What was she doing here so early?
"Hi." She gave him a quick startled look. "You must have left L.A. very early."
"Five." He had tossed and turned all night. An early start back seemed to be the best idea he'd had in the last twenty four hours.
His suite at the Castilian had seemed as sterile as an operating room in a hospital. Daniel had missed being woken by the sounds of birds, and falling asleep to the sound of owls calling to each other in the woods. He had missed the warmth of Abby's presence, missed sitting at Sarah's dinner table and listening to an account of everyone's day. Ordinary things. Important things.
Realizing Abby wasn't going to say anything, Daniel asked, "How did your meeting go yesterday?"
There was a glow in Abby's eyes as she looked at him. "Very well. I've been asked to submit an estimate."
It was just what she needed.
"I stayed up half the night thinking about Mrs. G's house," Abby said quickly as her eyes met Daniel's. "I woke up early and knew I had to come down here and do something else just to calm down. I still can't believe it."
She didn't want to admit, even to herself, that part of her sleeplessness had to do with Daniel's absence. The rush of joy she'd experienced when he walked into the room was still with her.
The Old Fashioned Way (A Homespun Romance) Page 9