by Bria Quinlan
I picked up the phone and called The Brew.
“Hi! This is the Brew Ha Ha! How can I caffeinate you today?” So not Abby.
“Hey, Emily.” I laughed to myself picturing Abby glaring at her across the counter. “Is Abby around?’
“Can I tell her who’s calling?”
Wow, she was efficient.
“Sure. Tell her it’s Hailey. And when she says she doesn’t have time to talk to me, tell her I’ll have Jenna walk over there and handle this if she doesn’t make the time.”
There was a long pause and then muffled mumbling.
When Emily started laughing, I knew my extra instructions had been needed.
“What?” Abby demanded as soon as the phone was passed off.
“Get the night off and get your rear to girls’ night.” I wasn’t putting up with this from her. She needed to learn better.
“I don’t want to be the extra girl.” I could hear the doubt in her voice.
I guess I didn’t really blame her. It was tough to be the new girl. But, it was time for her to acclimate. If we were bringing her into the fold, she had no choice.
“Jayne’s the extra girl. Just ask her, she’ll tell you.”
“Pfft. Whatever.” But, I could hear her stifling a laugh.
“Abby, suck it up. You’re stuck with us. Get Thursday night off. John can watch your new protégé close. Sarah’s out that night anyway. And twenty-four hours gives you plenty of time to sulk about having to leave the building.”
“Fine, whatever. I’ll bring a cake.”
Oh, super bonus. I didn’t even think of her incredible gift with baked goods when I invited her.
“Excellent. I’m texting you the address.”
“Whatever,” was all she said before she hung up.
Oh, Abby. Never change.
19
That night Connor got home from what he called a brutal workout and collapsed in The Chair before pulling out an iPad from the magazine rack he’d stuck between The Chair and the wall. I occasionally kneeled on The Chair and leaned over the edge to glare at the rack.
But, now there was an iPad there?
“What’s up with the iPad?” Because apparently the only way I was going to know what was going on in my own place these days was to ask.
“Oh, well, I was thinking you didn’t seem to love all the magazines and Nick says he gets his digitally. So, I changed all my subscriptions.” He gave me a little smile and went back to his iPad reading.
At first I felt a little bad. I hated those magazines. They were clutter in my already small space. And they had just started appearing like ants at a picnic.
But I never said that. I struggled with where the balance of Connor feeling welcome and Connor taking over was. A few pieces of paper stapled together every month felt a bit extreme to be the breaking point, but for some reason they felt that way to me.
And he’d figured that out on his own.
Mr. Oblivious.
And changed to an iPad.
Of course, it gave him an excuse to buy another gadget. And he and Nick probably bought matching covers or something.
I went over and climbed into his lap, pushing his new toy out of the way and resting my head on his chest.
“Thanks for that.” I reached up to kiss his cheek.
He let the iPad fall to the side and wrapped his arms around me.
“Hails, I know I kind of take stuff over.” He huffed a sigh. “I’m trying to learn to fit into your life instead of shoving you into mine. Especially since the places you are shoved in, we don’t have a lot of options about. So, you need to tell me this stuff.”
I glanced around the little room and realized the things that had been adding up so quickly over the last week felt like nothing now. Of course I wanted him to be comfortable here.
I couldn’t help but wonder if we were just living together now, or if once he got his place redecorated we’d spend a little more time split between them and on our own.
As if he could read my mind, Connor continued on. “I’ve never had a spring training schedule that made me think about anything other than Am I in my best shape going into this? But this year, I feel like my biggest worry is how we’re going to make this work? How is it going to work having my girlfriend a thousand miles away?”
I felt a deep sigh escape as I thought about that too.
I worried the girls were right, that everything was just so rushed because of Connor’s world and the schedule it forced on him for seventy percent of the year. But, when we were together like this, the angst was gone. It wasn’t even real.
It was just us and we fit.
“I’ll be better about sharing my space.” Because, that’s all he was really asking, right? That he could share my space so he could be with me.
“Hails, I don’t want to take over your world.” He kissed the top of my head. “I just want to be in it.”
And really, was there anything better than that?
20
I was a new woman. I was a woman who would accept and embrace change.
Yup.
I told Connor not to show up Thursday night because of girls’ night. I went to the store and got snacks and margarita mix. I was planning to mostess my hostess duties like a super heroine.
With Abby bringing something tasty that meant we’d only be ordering takeout if people wanted dinner too—the perfect night. I even went to RedBox and grabbed something that didn’t have explosions in case we wanted to veg in front of the TV.
When Jenna showed up, she glanced around the living room like there might be something new there.
“What?”
“Where’s Connor?” she asked.
“Why would Connor be here for girls’ night?”
“Ummm…” Jenna just gave me her weapon-smile and breezed by, putting her stuff in the fridge.
“What?” Because, that was not nothing.
“I just thought—”
“What?” Pulling teeth was not on my agenda for the evening, but it seemed it was on Jenna’s.
“He’s just always here.” Even though she stated it as a fact, there was an underlying negative vibe to the statement.
I had no idea what her point was. She wasn’t always here, so I didn’t understand why him always being here would bother her.
“So?”
“I don’t know.” She shrugged, as if this conversation wasn’t secretly a Big Deal that neither of us was admitting out loud. “It just feels like he’s swept in and took over your life.”
I turned from her and walked to the couch, plopping down on it, a little surprised we were going there. Jenna was typically Ms. Happily Ever After, but apparently not for me.
“What about Max and Kasey?” Because Max was all about Kasey. He was around all the time. And, since he was Jenna’s boyfriend’s best friend that meant he was around even more than Connor. It was like there was our group of friends…and then there was Connor. And he wasn’t allowed in.
“Well, Kasey doesn’t want to be in a relationship, so Max is fighting a battle just to get her to let him pay for dinner.”
I was trying to figure out what the right response to that was when my updated intercom buzzed and I had to go answer it.
“Hi, Joe.”
“Ma’am.” We still weren’t past the ma’am thing. “There’s a young person here.”
Joe, the evening security person, was not Dan. Dan managed to make everything feel easy and laid back even as he protected the building from…whatever they thought was going to happen to the building and occupants.
Joe, on the other hand, acted like we were the White House and every occupant was the president.
So of course I liked to mess with him.
“Does she look suspicious, Joe?”
“I have to say, ma’am, she actually does.”
I muted the intercom while I giggled and Jenna came over to join me.
I turned the intercom back on. “Is she glaring
at you like she could take you out with a paperclip?”
“That’s exactly how she’s looking at me.”
“Looks a bit like a pinup girl? Big eyes, lush mouth?”
“Um…”
“Is she carrying a cake?”
“Oh, yes!” Joe seemed relieved to have a question he could answer that didn’t involve sexually harassing a guest.
“That’s just Abby. You only need to worry if she’s smiling. Send her up.”
Joe’s voice came over the intercom, “Ms. Abby, you’re cleared for entry.”
“What the hell is this, the Pentagon? Do you know who killed Kennedy? Is there an Area 51?”
Jenna and I were laughing our butts off, incredibly glad Joe hadn’t hung up yet.
“Ma’am, if I knew who killed Kennedy, I doubt you’d be cleared to have that information passed to you.”
Go, Joe!
“Humph.” I pictured her giving him her You’ll drink the coffee I made you look. “Fine. But I’m watching you.”
There was a beat of silence before Joe responded. “No, ma’am. That’s my job.”
“So you think.”
Then we could hear the click of her heels walking away.
I opened the door and stuck my head out, waiting for her to come up the stairs. As she rounded the corner, she spotted me and gave me an eye roll.
“What’s with the Men in Black routine downstairs?” She shoved the cake at me as if I’d forced her to bring it instead of her offering.
“I blame Marjory,” I answered, before clarifying. “The HOA president.” When they both just looked at me, I went on. “She’s using Connor and his celebrity status to force upgrades on the building in ways that are absurd.”
“And he’s letting her?” Jenna asked, shocked this was going on.
“He said he didn’t notice at first because people complain all the time and ask him for stupid stuff and favors. Then it became something that sounds a lot like emotional blackmail because I live here.”
“Oh.” Jenna stood there, arms crossed in her little general type of stance studying me. “And he just did it?”
“I didn’t know what was going on until after the doormen were already in place. Then I told him to let me handle Marjory from now on. Apparently she all but has his schedule memorized and knows to grab him in the hall when he gets here.”
“That’s—horrible.” Jenna turned and huffed off, apparently Team Connor now.
I gave her A Look because she couldn’t keep swinging like this.
“What?” she demanded. “It’s not like I can think he’s being pushy and that it’s horrible someone’s taking advantage of him.”
“Wait,” Abby had taken off her jacket and joined me on the couch. “What’s he being pushy about now?”
“See?” Jenna waved her hand in Abby’s direction.
“See what?” Abby asked, not liking being an example of something she didn’t know about.
“You agree that Connor is pushy.”
“Yeah. Sure he is. It’s part of his personality.” Abby looked at me like she wanted to say Why is this news?
“Exactly,” Jenna stated, looking like she’d just been vindicated in all her arguments ever.
“Wait, are you saying that’s a bad thing?” Abby squished up her nose, confused now.
“Of course, it is.”
Abby looked like she thought this was the funniest thing ever. “Right. Sure it is,” she snarked.
“You don’t think so?” Jenna was definitely in challenge mode this evening.
I was just sitting on my couch, watching my friends argue about my boyfriend, and wondering where Kasey was.
“Well, no.” Abby shrugged. “I’m snarky. Max is controlling. Kasey is a walking chaos. And you’re a bit manipulative. But no one is getting pissy about any of those.”
“Wait, what?” Jenna’s cheeks were so pink I thought she was going to explode.
I was a bit in shock too. I wondered if somewhere in my tiny apartment I had a panic room I didn’t know about.
“You heard me.” Abby crossed her arms, obviously doubling down on her snark.
“I am not manipulative.” Jenna was all but vibrating with anger now.
“Really?”
I jumped up from the couch. “Does anyone want something from the kitchen?”
“Sit down.” Jenna pointed to where I’d hopped up from and I, afraid to tick her off further, dropped back in my seat.
I glanced between the two of them, knowing that no good could come of this face-off and wondering why it had to happen at my place.
“Explain yourself,” Jenna demanded.
“Oh, did that need an explanation?” For someone who didn’t think she was part of our group, Abby was asserting herself pretty well.
“I am not manipulative,” Jenna repeated and stood, hovering above the two of us, glaring at Abby.
Abby glanced my way.
“Don’t bring me into this.” I leaned back as far as I could into the couch, hoping it would swallow me and maybe I could take a nap inside its warm, comfy stuffing. “I just want to have a girls’ night.”
Abby looked at me as if I was a betraying betrayal person. She turned back to Jenna, taking a deep calming breath, and gave Jenna a look that was almost pitying. “You mostly use your powers for good. I mean, you seem to have people’s best interests at heart. And you’re not really pushy. Or mean. But things are definitely going to go your way. It’s usually, you know, smile number three. But, when you’re desperate, you ratchet that up to a level four or five smile.”
Jenna looked annoyed enough that I suspected she knew exactly what Abby meant.
“I’m not…manipulative.” Jenna glanced at me as if I was going to help her out now. “Just because I typically know what the best plan of action is, and I sweetly make it happen, doesn’t make me manipulative.”
“Suuuurrrrre.” Abby drew the word out so that there was absolutely no denying what she really meant.
“I—”
“You know what?” I broke in. “I’m going to stop this right here.”
They both turned to me now, but my sanity was already in question by everyone. I was in stopping this before anymore deal breakers were thrown down.
“Ladies, let’s deal with one crisis at a time. Now me.” I waved at myself. “I was planning on a nice girls’ night. Having a margarita or two. Eating this lovely cake. Maybe we’d watch a movie and then tell the guys we actually played strip poker.”
“Oh, I kick ass at poker.” Abby looked so smug I didn’t doubt it.
Note to self, don’t play poker with Abby.
There was a stare-off brewing again, but I’m not sure what winning would mean, so I stood up and clapped my hands.
“What are you, a kindergarten teacher?” Jenna asked, still sounding put out.
“If that’s what I need to be. If we’re going to argue, we’re going to drink.” I headed to the kitchen where I’d already pulled out the blender.
Margaritas always made everyone feel better.
All our phones beeped and Jenna checked out the note.
“Kasey’s going to be late. Her client has issues.” Jenna put quotes around it and I could only assume that was Kasey influenced. “So, she’ll be here later if she can.”
Great. The best chance at a peacekeeper and she was working late.
Abby and Jenna made uncomfortable small talk while I tried to figure out where to go from there.
We were going to have fun if it killed us, darn it!
After some more awkward attempts at conversation, Abby stood glancing toward the bedroom where I’d tossed her jacket.
“You know what?” she said, “I should probably get going.”
“No. Absolutely not.” I stood up and blocked her way, forcing her to sit back down. Pointing at Jenna, I’d had enough. “You. Fix this. You broke it, you fix it.”
“I didn’t break it.” Jenna looked as mutinous as I’d ev
er seen her. “I’m apparently too much of a manipulator to break something like this.”
“Jenna, you attacked Connor. I still don’t know what your problem is, but you know that Abby and Connor are good friends. And Abby didn’t say anything that isn’t true. About all of us.”
“She didn’t say anything about you.” Jenna’s glare turned to Abby, who glanced at me and mouthed Sorry. “Don’t apologize to her. Say something mean about her.”
“These things aren’t mean. And I said something about myself.”
“Say something about her.” Jenna was shouting now and stabbing a finger at me like I’d been the one to rile her up.
“Fine!” Abby shouted back. “Hailey needs to get her butt in gear and get some self-confidence before she lets doubt and friends ruin her future.”
Someone gasped.
Then I realized it was me.
Jenna glanced my way, looking like I felt.
Abby dropped back down to the couch then let her head fall into her hands. She just sat there, not moving.
I was done. Done with this. We were not these girls.
“Are you happy?” I asked. “You broke her! Look at her. All the fight’s gone out of her. I didn’t even think that was possible. One night with us. One night. And you broke her.”
I sat down next to Abby and rubbed her back, making soothing noises in a way I never thought I would before.
“I’m working on it,” I said softly to her. “I know I’m not exactly reliable when it comes to myself, but I really am working on it.”
“I know.” She turned her head to the side and glanced up at me. “You don’t take his crap and that’s good for him too. But the only person who still worries if you deserve him sometimes is you.”
“And Jenna apparently,” I muttered.
The room fell too silent for any of us to be comfortable. I wasn’t sure what to say. It felt like the ball was in Jenna’s court but she wasn’t jumping in to fix anything.
After a moment, when I knew she wasn’t going to break the silence, I finally stood and crossed to the kitchen, silently cutting up Abby’s cake.
I stood there, looking down at my little tray and thinking that my life wasn’t where I thought it would be right now.