“Look, I’m not talking about Andrew with you right now, okay? I’m not seeing him, and that isn’t relevant to this conversation.”
“I’m glad you came to your senses. A man like that couldn’t be good for you.”
Abby pulled the phone from her ear for a moment, and looked at it to see if it was broken or had some kind of Andrew-only filter on it. “Rebecca. Are you even listening to me? What happened to our friendship? Was it the distance? Did school just get too busy? Or did I do something to upset you?”
The other end of the line became eerily silent. She waited. Rebecca did not answer.
“It’s not you, Abby. I’ve had some…there are some things I’ve been dealing with here in Washington.”
“Want to talk about it?”
“I’m not sure where to start.”
“Wherever you feel comfortable, Becky.”
Abby heard her let out a long breath. It sounded serious. “I dropped out of my master’s program.”
“What? When?”
“Last Spring. Actually, to be more precise, I was kicked out. I couldn’t handle the demands of the program. I think I was homesick too. I ended up failing two of the required courses, and that was it…”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I was… embarrassed, I guess. I still am. Mom and Dad still don’t know.”
“What?” I shouted through the phone. “Don’t you think they’d want to know?”
“I thought I could find a decent job out here first, you know? Soften the blow. I have my college degree. I know I can find something.”
“So what have you been doing since last Spring?”
“Waitressing,” she managed to get out in a soft voice. “Four nights a week covers my expenses. I wanted to keep my days free to keep interviewing for policy jobs. There’s just so few of them right now. And they all want experience or a Master’s degree, or for me to do a free internship. It’s been pretty depressing…”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I don’t know. I wanted to, but I didn’t know how. At first, I didn’t want you to worry. You had enough on your plate with your studies and clinicals. After a while, I was ashamed to call. Things have been going so well for you, and I’m really proud of you, Abby. Maybe I was a little jealous too.”
“I’m sorry you went through that alone, Becky. You know I would have done anything I could to be there for you.”
“Yeah. I know.”
“I wish you had told me. You…you were my strength when mom died. I couldn’t have gotten through it without you and Dad.”
Abby heard Rebecca crying softly on the other end. “Awww, honey. I’m so sorry.”
The crying turned to full blown sobs. “I don’t know what I’m gonna do…” she bawled.
Abby waited and listened. It was hard to help her with the distance between them, but she was sure listening and being there for her was better than letting her face it alone. Eventually, Rebecca’s sobs dissipated to soft whimpers.
“I’m afraid to go home, Abby. I can’t face Mom and Dad.”
“Does Rob know?”
“Yes. I made him swear he wouldn’t tell a soul. You know he’s a vault.”
“Yeah, I remember. So how can I help?”
“I don’t know…”
“Maybe I can come home when you’re ready to tell your parents. I think they’ll be a lot more understanding than you think.”
“I don’t know about them being understanding, but I appreciate your offer to be there for me.”
“Think about it. I can drive home over spring break, if you want. Or any weekend after March. I can’t risk driving during a blizzard again.”
“I’d bet. That must have been awful.”
“Yes…There was only one silver lining.”
“What’s that?”
It was Abby’s turn to break down crying. She cried and cried, and sobbed before she recovered enough to tell Rebecca everything about what had happened with Andrew.
“I feel like such a fool,” Abby said softly. “I thought it was real. I thought he meant everything he said to me.”
“I’m sorry, hun. And now I feel horrible for sending you those articles. I was out of line. I hope they didn’t make things worse between you.”
“It’s okay. They didn’t. I told you. I haven’t read any of them.”
“Why not?”
“I wanted him to tell me. In his own words, you know? The media isn’t always factual or objective.”
“You haven’t changed a bit, Abby. I’m still sorry.”
“I miss him,” Abby said, and a new flood of tears came from out of nowhere. “I can’t get his smile out of my head. Or his touch. Or how he held me. Oh God, I feel so broken now, like I won’t be okay for a really long time.”
“It’ll be okay, hun. Maybe he’ll call.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Men are weird. Sometimes it takes them a while to smarten up.”
Rebecca was back to her old self again. She apologized again for sending over the damning articles about Andrew. Abby forgave her. They agreed to go home for spring break, to tell Rebecca’s parent her news and hang out like old times. Abby felt a smidgen closer to getting over Andrew. And Rebecca seemed more at peace that her issue with school wasn’t the end of the world. By the end of the call, Abby had her best friend back. She didn’t bother sending the goodbye text to Andrew. Life would go on.
Chapter 12
ANDREW touched down in San Francisco late Monday evening. He was back in town to deliver his last guest lecture. He had dinner alone in the hotel restaurant downstairs, went out for a short walk, and returned to his room.
It had been three weeks since he had seen Abby. She had not called or texted either. Andrew was heartbroken, but felt it was for the best. In three weeks, he thought things would be easier. Being in San Francisco, knowing she was in town and so close by, brought all his regret back to the surface.
He reviewed his lecture notes that night, preparing for the next day. His phone rang. He checked the number. It was not Abby. It wasn’t a familiar number, but he answered it anyway.
“Hello?”
“Hi Andrew. It’s Rob. How are you doing?”
“Hi Rob. Things are well. What’s up?”
“Not too much. I was calling to check in. I wanted to say hello, and see how things were going with you.”
“Pretty good. I’m in San Francisco for couple of days.”
“Really? We should get together for drinks with the ladies.”
“Yeah. That would be good, except I’m tied up at the moment.”
“That’s okay. How about drinks, just you and me?”
“I’m not sure I can spare the time.”
“Come on, Andrew. None of us have had the chance to thank you. You should probably get used to us reaching out. You’re almost like family now.”
“Thanks. Let’s talk closer to the weekend, okay? When I’m back at the cottage.”
“I don’t mean to be pushy. I thought it would be good to keep in contact. How about just half-hour? I’ll come to you.”
Andrew thought about it. Rob was pretty decent company. And he was not letting up. “Sure, why not. You know where I’m staying?
“Yeah.”
“Good. Meet me at the lobby bar. How soon can you get here?”
“Twenty minutes.”
“Great. See you then.”
Andrew hung up. He didn’t know what to make of Rob’s call, but he hated drinking alone. And he could use a stiff drink. Resigned, he got dressed and went down to the lobby.
Rob showed up a few minutes after Andrew. He held a large gift basket in his arms.
“Hey Andrew,” Rob greeted him, shifting the weight of the basket to shake hands with his free arm.
“Rob,” he answered. “How are things?”
“Doing great. Thanks for asking.” Rob placed the gift basket on the counter at the bar. “By the way, this
is for you.”
“Yeah? What is it?”
“Ruth picked it out. It’s coffees, teas and chocolates, I think. Things the ladies thought you would enjoy at the cottage.”
“Well, you shouldn’t have. But thanks.”
“It’s from all six of us. A token of our appreciation for your help during the blizzard, and for putting up with us.”
“It was no problem. I appreciate the gesture, all the same.”
Andrew signaled to the person at the concierge data desk across the hall, and had them take it up to his room. “Care for a drink?” he asked Rob.
“Sure.”
“What are you having?”
“I’m a vodka guy,” Rob replied. “No orange juice.”
“Sounds great. I’ll have one too.” Andrew called the bartender over and gave them their orders. The bartender poured them their drinks and handed it to them. Rob and Andrew stood side by side, silently taking in the hockey game on the flat screen TV mounted high on the wall behind the bartender.
“How have you settled in with college since you got back?” Andrew asked, breaking the comfortable silence.
“Pretty good. I didn’t miss much.”
“This is your last year, right?”
“Yeah, man. I’m already on the job hunt. Hoping to land something here in San Francisco.”
“That’s good. And how’s that going for you?”
Rob looked down at this drink. “Not too great. But I’ve got a few interviews lined up over the next month. I’m hoping to find something by the time school lets out. Definitely before I graduate.”
“And what your what was your major again?”
“Business. With a minor in operations research.”
“Yeah? That’s an interesting combination. I think one of my staff has an operations research degree.”
“That’s cool. I always thought I’d end up in management or some consulting firm somewhere.”
“Makes sense. You know, we may be hiring.”
“Really? I never thought to ask you. What kind of work do you do?”
“You don’t know?”
“No. Well you told us you were a doctor.”
“I was. I work with my father now.”
“Doing what?”
Andrew shook his head. Clearly Abby didn’t say much to the others. “He owns Carrington’s. I thought Abby would have mentioned it…”
“We don’t talk about things like that. I barely see her, and we go to different colleges. So, you mean that big retail chain?”
“Yes.”
“Wow.”
“I can check with HR in New York, if you’re curious about what openings we have out here…I may actually have something coming up. It’s a pilot project my team is working on. How much did your program cover branding strategy?”
“I did two advance marketing courses that covered branding last semester. They seemed cool.”
“Just cool?”
“Well, I’m trying to be mellow here, Andrew. This is as close as I’ve gotten to a real job lead.” He motioned with his hands and smiled. “Inside, I’m doing cartwheels.”
Andrew couldn’t help but laugh. “Email me your resume. I’ll see what I can do.”
Rob turned to him. “You do that for me?”
“Sure. Why not? I’ve seen you work. If you’re as hard-working in a job as you were around the cottage, you’ll do fine.”
“Wow. Thanks Andrew. That’s great to hear. I…I really appreciate that.”
“No problem.” Andrew finished his drink. “Was there something else?”
“I really just came to give you the gift basket. And to stay in touch, you know? You seemed cool at the cottage. That’s pretty much it. Well, maybe there is something else.”
“What’s that?”
Rob swallowed a big gulp of his drink and turned to Andrew. “I’m not great at this dating thing. Ruth and I started going out.”
Andrew held up his hand. “Hold on, Rob. I don’t think I’d be a good person to give you advice on this.”
“How do you mean? You and Abby seem to be doing well.”
Andrew gazed down at the ice in his drink. “Not really. But I don’t want to get into it.”
“Why? Haven’t you seen her? I thought you two were doing really well.”
The question killed Andrew. He took a breath, swallowing back his nerves. He turned to Rob, cementing a serious gaze on him. “Things aren’t always as simple as that.”
Rob agreed with a nod, and swirled around the last of his drink. “Well, I should probably get out of your hair. You’re working tomorrow, right?”
“Yes. First thing in the morning. And I should probably be going now.” He stood up and shook Rob’s hand again. “Thanks for the gift…and for coming by.”
“Talk to you later, Andrew.”
He waited for Rob to leave and headed back upstairs. It didn’t sound like Rob had spoken to Abby for a while. Slowly but surely, Abby entered his thoughts again. He hoped she was going to be all right. He went to bed thinking about her and woke up the next morning with her still on his mind.
Andrew went to campus early and delivered his final lecture without a hitch. When the session was over, he packed up and left. The limousine would be waiting. He walked briskly through the hallway, headed toward the parking lot. He was close to the exit when he felt a hand on his shoulder. His heart stopped. He didn’t have to look around to know who it was. He knew her touch. It was Abby. He stopped in its tracks, barely able to turn and face her.
“Abby.”
“Hi Andrew…” She stared up at him for a moment, and seemed nervous. “I saw you as I was leaving my seminar. I’m sorry if I caught you off guard. This is probably not a good place to talk.”
Andrew wasn’t sure what to say. She looked so beautiful, yet so sad. He had caused that sadness. He could barely grasp how much he had missed her. Now that she was right in front of him, every part of him wanted to pull her in close and hold her again. He stopped himself. He couldn’t go down that road again.
“Yeah. That was my last lecture this semester. I’m heading back home tomorrow… I…I’m not sure what to tell you, Abby.”
“Can we talk?”
“Sure. My driver is waiting outside.”
He opened the door and let her through, then followed her outside. The limo was close to the door, and his driver stood waiting with the door open for them. He motioned for her to go in first, and jumped in after, telling the driver to wait so he could speak with her privately.
“What’s this about, Abby?”
Chapter 13
ABBY took a deep breath after sitting in the back of Andrew’s limousine. She collected herself for the briefest moment before jumping in. “When I saw you…all the questions came up again. Are you ready to talk about it?”
“There’s nothing to talk about,” he answered.
Through a cringe, she asked, “Why didn’t you answer my text messages?”
“There was no point.”
Abby was already shaking. She noticed Andrew. He was stone-faced. He was so different. “No point? How could you show up at my door in the middle of the night with bunches and bunches of flowers, sit in my living room and drink wine with me, and then bolt from my apartment, rush through my front door, and totally ignore me for three weeks? Is that normal for you?”
“Abby, I’m not sure what you want me to say.”
“I want you to talk to me,” she told him, dead serious. “I still don’t know what I’ve done to upset you. You came over to tell me everything, and before I knew it, you got up and left, and had said nothing. What was it that I said? I just want to understand.”
“I think you understand plenty already,” he said tersely, still as can be.
“See? That’s where you’re wrong. I don’t know anything. You have not told me anything, Andrew.”
He shifted in his seat and turned away. “Was the point of telling you, when you went and found
out yourself anyway?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Don’t worry about it anymore, Abby. What’s done is done.”
“Is it about the articles? Because I haven’t—”
“It’s in the past,” he said, cutting her off abruptly.
She opened her mouth to argue, but he cut her off again.
“Like you and me. I’m over it.”
She sat quietly, letting it resonate for a minute. He looked away in silence.
“This can’t be happening. You’re not even listening to me.” She took a deep breath to calm herself down. “Please Andrew, don’t do this to me. Did you care about me at all?”
“What happened was for the best.”
Her eyes widened. How could he be so cold? This was not the same Andrew she had fallen in love with.
“How can you say that, Andrew?” She could hear her voice shake and crack, but was past the point of caring about how she sounded.
“Because I was wrong. None of it should have happened. It’s not meant to be.”
“Is there someone else?”
“Of course not. How could you ask me something like that?”
“You know, I wish you would just tell me. I wish you would just answer my questions. But you put up this wall between us, and I don’t understand why. I thought we felt the same way…about each other.”
“It’s my fault, and I’m sorry.”
“What is your fault? I just want to know.”
“You know what I’m talking about. This is not getting us anywhere, Abby.”
“Did you even mean it when you said you wanted me to be yours? Did you mean it when you told me you loved me? Or was that all for fun?”
Tears welled up in her eyes. She was looking at a man she thought she knew, when in fact she knew nothing about him. If this was his other side, letting him go and moving on was for the best.
“Abby. I never meant to hurt you. I’m deeply sorry. I don’t want to hurt you anymore. I think you should leave and forget about me. Forget it all happened. Can you do that?”
“What happened to you?” she asked, her eyes clinched shut in disbelief. “How could I have been so wrong about you? What is it that turned you into this cold, heartless man right now?”
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