by Anne Kemp
J. D.’s hand was under her shirt, massaging her back, his other hand stroking her hair. Abby closed her eyes in an effort to gather the courage and the strength to pull away, but it was just enough time for J. D. He leaned in, kissing the tip of her nose and then making his way down to her lips, pressing himself closer and kissing her so tenderly and sweetly but with such heat that it was all she could do to stop him.
Abby pulled away, extricating herself from his tight grip. “I can’t do this right now. I’m sorry.” Abby’s guilt for what she felt and for feeling as if she had betrayed Andrew weighed on her insides.
“And . . . Well, obviously I need to go. Duty calls.” She awkwardly stepped back. “I hope you enjoy your stay here at the inn.”
“Why, thank you.” He grinned playfully at Abby. “And we’re still not quite done.”
Matching his gaze, she lifted her head as regally as she could, mustering her confidence. “Well, we are finished for now.”
“Really? Because?”
Abby scoffed. “Because I said so.” She was almost defiant as she pulled her posture up just a touch, making herself more poised. “It’s not like we really know each other very well, now is it?”
“Well, maybe if you gave me a chance to explain what I was doing on Nevis and why I didn’t come find you sooner, we could get to know each other a lot better. But I get the feeling you want to debate this issue a little more. Am I right?”
Abby felt an irritation in her gut that she couldn’t squelch. It was a familiar feeling from relationships past and not one she felt she needed to revisit. Not today.
“You can keep your explanations and your reasons why you were galavanting around St. Kitts and Nevis with some girl.” She nodded curtly and folded her arms to indicate that she was serious. Although Abby wasn’t sure whom she needed to convince more, J. D. or herself.
It was apparent, however, that J. D. was more than amused. His lips were twitching as she was stepping back farther from him. “Well, okay then. Your word is golden. I guess I’ll see you around the inn?”
“Actually, yes . . . My family owns La Cantina, so you’ll see me around.” She looked up and could have sworn she saw shock in his face that quickly melted into a smile as he took a small bow. She almost asked what was wrong, but the sound of her name being yelled from the back of the inn stopped her.
“’Bye, J. D. Enjoy your day.” She threw one last glance his way as she quickly retreated into the inn.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Abby woke up on her air mattress feeling a little cramped. Not until she attempted to roll over did she remember that Andrew had curled up with her to sleep for the night. In her guilt from her lapse with J.D. the day before, Abby had all but burrowed her body into his all night long. Abby lay there for a few extra minutes, relishing the fact that she was encompassed in his strong arms. Another wonderful night with a wonderful guy. A sweet and wonderful man who was here right now with her, not jetting off somewhere to be with someone else, like J.D. had done.
Abby lay there silently wondering why she would even be remotely attracted to someone of J.D.’s character, especially when she had Andrew.
Andrew has all the golden qualities a woman looks for, she thought. He’s open and kind, honest and loving. Everyone gets along with him and he really makes it a point to make me feel comfortable. Most of all, he seems to genuinely care about me. About “us.”
Then there was the mysterious J.D., who had appeared on her first day at Ricky’s and kept popping up. He was rugged and handsome and when she thought of him she couldn’t deny the wave of excitement that spread through her body. It was different than what she felt with Andrew, and she wasn’t sure why.
Lost in her train of thought, all Abby could think of was that Andrew felt safe. Like coming home. Like there was love to be found here and maybe . . . just maybe . . . a real future. And there was truth and honesty. But would that be enough?
To top it off, Abby had to face the fact that Andrew was leaving for London in a few days. They had talked after dinner the night before about his work schedule, and he was due to go to L.A. for a few meetings a year, so they had agreed it was something to look forward to.
Abby was careful to roll out of the bed slowly so she wouldn’t disturb Andrew. As much as she wanted to snuggle up to him more, or wake him to join her, she needed some alone time to sort through all of the information buzzing around in her head.
She brewed some coffee and went to her usual spot out by the pool. For a minute, she thought she was about to have an anxiety attack. Who wouldn’t with all of this news? she thought as she sat quietly for a minute then began her own internal download of all the events thus far.
So I need to talk to Carla. Abby’s thoughts were as disgruntled as she felt. Makes sense, and I want to do it in person. Abby felt a twitching in her gut when she thought of being face-to-face with the woman who had stolen her father’s heart. While she knew a simple call would do, there was something inside of her telling her she needed to be in front of Carla to talk about the past and get some clarification. Abby knew for her own sanity, she needed to have this talk live and in the flesh. And I have to think of her as Ben’s mom, not just as my dad’s mistress. Kinda helps take the sting out . . .
There’s so much more to this, Abby thought. Dammit, Dad, I should be so mad at you, but I can’t be. You’re not even here to give me the answers yourself! Feels so selfish of you to go to your grave with so much deceit. How can one person make a decision that affects so many lives yet never reveal it? So all of this means getting to London. Okay, I’ll figure that one out, too. And now J.D.’s here? Staying at the inn? I get the saying “You can’t make this shit up” right now.
She was staring into space, processing her thoughts, when Ben approached the table. “You okay?”
Abby was surprised to see him. “You’re up early.” She nodded as she registered that he wasn’t just getting up, but rather he was just getting home. “Ah, I see. It took a little longer than you thought to drive Tracey home, huh?”
“Yeah.” Ben answered, then thrust his head toward the pool house. “Is Andrew in there or your new friend?”
Abby stuck her tongue out at Ben. “Shush. J.D. is a guest here and we’ve run into each other a few times over the last few weeks.” She was struggling to act nonchalant, but felt her cheeks flush. “He seems nice enough.”
“Whatever.”
Abby swatted Ben playfully. “Whatever? Really? I didn’t do anything wrong.”
Ben’s grin was wicked as he answered, “Yet.”
“Anyway . . . ” Abby wanted to change the subject. “I was sitting here thinking about your mom and the fact that we need to talk to her to understand more.”
Ben’s tone was hushed. “I feel like there’s more to the story, don’t you?”
Abby put her head in her hands. “Ben, when you called your mum yesterday, I was talking to Leigh, asking her questions about everything.” She hesitated, knowing that she didn’t want to burden Ben with this but also knowing she had to. “She told me if I wanted to know the whole story, it wasn’t hers to tell. That I had to talk to Carla.”
Ben was surprised. “Talk to my mum? Why’s that?”
Abby shrugged her tired shoulders -- tired from carrying too much covert information. “I don’t know. She said Carla could answer my questions.” She was quiet for a second, wondering if she should tell Ben about meeting Carla. She decided it was for the best.
“Ben, I’ve met your mother. Once, a long time ago when I was little. I was with my dad and she was at a Home Depot.”
Ben’s reply was sarcastic, not that Abby could blame him.. “You met my mum at a Home Depot? Of course you would, because whenever she needed anything she just flew to Maryland to get it at the rockin’ Home Depot they have there.”
“I’m not saying it makes any sense, Ben. All I know is that you and I have more in common than a dad. We’ve been kept in the dark about a lot of things. Thi
s is just another freaking hurdle for us to jump.” Abby’s demeanor turned serious. “Don’t tell Leigh I told you.”
“What? Why?”
Abby shook her head, almost violently. “No. Just don’t.” She reached across the table to where Ben was sitting and took his hand. “Do you trust me?”
Ben stared at her, as if she were a unicorn.
“Ben. I’m being serious. Do you trust me?”
“Of course.” He looked sheepishly at his sister. “I just want to graduate.”
“I get it.” There was movement from the main house, indicating that Maria was up and getting breakfast ready, which meant Leigh would be up as well. “Okay. We tell no one that we suspect there’s more. No one. Not Tracey. Not Andrew. Not your mum. Agreed?”
Ben smiled at Abby. “Agreed.”
He got up and started to head into the pool house. As he opened the door, he turned to his big sis. “This is what it’s like, huh?”
“What, having a screwed-up family that likes to hide the truth?” She grinned.
“No. Having a sister who you know will do anything for you.”
Abby was touched. She swallowed the tears that sprang to her eyes. “I have to say, Ben, you’re the best surprise I ever could have gotten. I’m glad I found you.”
“Me, too, Abby. Me, too.”
And he disappeared inside the pool house, leaving Abby to her thoughts, which she needed to sort through. Like how she was going to get to London.
She was brought out of her thoughts when her mobile chimed, alerting her to a new text message. Abby looked down at her phone, read the text and smiled, loving the fact that her plan was coming together, and faster than she had thought.
#
“Well, good morning, sunshine. How did you sleep?”
Leigh was in the kitchen pouring coffee into her “I’m The Boss!” mug. Abby crossed her path while getting a plate of food for her and Andrew.
Abby put on her best smile and answered her sister. “Good, thanks. Going to have some breakfast and then head out to sightsee with Andrew for a bit.”
Leigh nodded, eyebrows raised. “Well, well. I kind of sensed there might be a little more to you and Andrew. Am I right?”
“Yes, well, no . . . I mean, I guess, yes. Let’s just say we’re having fun while he’s here and leave it at that, okay?”
“Fine by me. Consider the topic dropped.” Leigh had already shifted her focus. “Hey, Maria, I’m meeting with the buyer here tonight so we can hammer out all of the final details. I have to say it looks good. La Cantina should be a done deal by the end of the week.”
Maria, busting into the kitchen with an armload of dirty linens, dropped her wares and put an arm around Leigh. “You okay with that?”
Leigh laughed. “Am I okay with it? Don’t worry about me, Maria, I’m fine.” There she goes, Abby thought, acting like it’s all hunky-dory. “The real question is, are you and Ziggy okay with staying on as property managers for these guys?” She beamed at her friend.
Maria clapped her hands together. “Of course! Oh, Leigh, thank you! I knew you’d make sure to take care of us.” Maria then literally leapt into Leigh’s arms.
Abby felt a tug at her heart. Leigh didn’t know.
And she’d have to tell her.
“Leigh,” Abby kept her voice level and spoke slowly, “rumor has it that the man buying La Cantina is going to tear it down. For condos.”
A look of sheer grief slowly fell onto Leigh’s face as she looked at Abby, then back to Maria, taking in the notion that this could be true.
“Where did you hear this?”
“Rush, one of the repairmen, he overheard this man Jack talking at the bar the other night. Said he was going to buy La Cantina and knock it down.” Maria shrugged her shoulders and leaned in to hug both girls, one under each arm. “Nothing you can do.”
Leigh slowly lowered herself into the chair again, holding the edge of the table. “This place is too wonderful to be torn down. It really is magical here. Maria, you’ve done so much with it and cared for it with so much love over the years. What will you do?”
Of course her sister would look out for Maria. As much as it pained her, she had to acknowledge that Leigh was fair and would aim to make the transition smooth for those involved. Her methods might not always have been carried out in the nicest and most sincere fashion, but she always attempted to do the best thing. And this time it seemed as if her plan suddenly had a hole in it.
“Don’t worry about us. We’ll be fine. Worry about you.” Maria smiled at the George girls. “Your dad would have been proud of you, Leigh; you held up your end of the bargain as long as you could, following his wishes. La Cantina had a good run and served its purpose.”
“But it can still do more.” Abby was flabbergasted that both women seemed so forgiving of the fact that in a few days’ time the inn would be sold and there was a huge possibility that preparations would begin for tearing La Cantina down. “With a few more repairs and revising the marketing outreach, maybe a few room giveaways to some VIPs back in L.A. or even some outreach to politicians in D.C. or charities doing benefits, this place would get a nice little surge in the numbers.”
Abby was delighted that Leigh was smiling at her, but realized it was a patronizing one as soon as she went to speak. “Oh, Abby, you just don’t know, do you? It costs money to do those things.”
“Leigh, you just don’t get it, do you? I understand that, but there are ways to make things happen that don’t involve -- ”
Leigh threw up her hand in her signature “stop talking” move that she always used on Abby. “It doesn’t matter. The place is going to be sold. End of story.”
Leigh was on her way out of the kitchen when she turned back to Maria. “Did Daryl call?”
Maria’s face was placid as she shook her head no. Leigh turned and hurried out of the kitchen. Abby felt defeated from their exchange and wanted nothing more than to just get off the property for a bit. Vowing to shake it off, she thanked Maria as she gathered the plates that were overflowing with enough food for eight people and made her way back to the pool house to deliver the food for the guys and wake Andrew.
To her surprise, he was up and showered, sitting at the kitchen table chatting with Ben.
“Good morning, you look refreshed,” he said as he pulled her onto his lap.
“What can I say? It’s a gift. Here,” she placed the dishes on the table for the boys. “Compliments of the chef. I just wanted fruit. The rest is all you.”
The two boys dug into the plates with reckless abandon. Abby went to change and found their plates cleared when she came back to the kitchen.
“Well, that was no joke,” she teased.
Ben was already up and heading out the door. “I’m off, guys. Need to go check my animals at school then hit the books. Andrew, you sure you’re okay hanging out with this one today?”
Andrew acted put out. “Well, I was hoping to hang with you today. But you won’t make out with me, so yes.”
Abby rolled her eyes. “Whatever!” she teased right back.
After Ben was gone, Abby straddled Andrew as he sat on the chair. “So, what do you say we go to Brimstone Fortress?”
Andrew kissed her square on the mouth. “I think as long as you’re there, I don’t care where we go.”
“Good. Get your shoes on. I’m driving.” Abby grinned wickedly and held up the keys to Ziggy’s cab.
“Ziggy’s letting you drive?”
“No, Maria is. Her car needs to stay here in case Leigh needs it, and since Ziggy’s asleep still . . .” Abby smiled conspiratorially in Andrew’s direction. “So I want to get the taxi back before he needs it.” God bless Maria and her good ideas, Abby thought. She had asked Abby her plans for the day and when she found out Abby wanted to drive across the island, had offered Ziggy’s keys to her without hesitation.
Andrew was impressed. “A taxi ride for free? Let’s do this.”
#
/> They managed to arrive at Brimstone in one piece. Abby realized when she was driving over why she didn’t want to drive at all -- the Kittians loved to drive like madmen. They sped and zoomed all over, making it hard for her to relax since she was used to a more structured environment behind the wheel. After a few near collisions and some angry words from another driver, they arrived, laughing and intact.
They climbed the hill to the Brimstone Fortress, a gorgeous architectural masterpiece that had been constructed by African slaves starting in 1690 through 1790. It commanded a complete tactical view of the Caribbean, designed to protect the island if and when the French were to invade.
Being an architect, and surprised he had not explored this before, Andrew was in heaven. He talked to Abby about the mortar that was used, as well as the volcanic rock from which it was constructed. He was so enthralled he danced up most of the steep hiking spots all day. She was happy to see him so elated. And so sad to know it would end in just a few days.
They were at the top, sitting next to an old cannon and looking over the Caribbean, when Andrew brought up the subject of his imminent departure.
“I know. And you were right when you said we should just enjoy this. So, let’s do that, okay?” She was almost pleading with him to stop talking about it.
“Abby -- ” he was blushing -- “I never thought I could meet someone like you. You’re strong, you’re beautiful, you’re sexy, you’re smart and capable of just about anything.” He took her hand in his, stroking it slowly with his forefinger. “I know it’s only been a few days, but I don’t like thinking that this time next week I won’t be waking up next to you.”
Abby swallowed, hard, to fight the tears that were threatening to spring up. “Well, it’s not next week. So let’s just enjoy this, okay?”
Andrew wasn’t satisfied. “Abby, I’m crazy about you.” He took her face gently in his hands. “I don’t fall like this. And I don’t like thinking it’s just for a week.”
Andrew pulled her closer to him, so they were almost touching, as if to kiss. “I’m thinking you could be that once-in-a-lifetime chance, so I want to give it a shot.”