A Risk Worth Taking

by Melissa Klein

  Chris wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “Baby girl, you deserve to be happy, too.”

  She squeezed her eyes closed. “I will be, eventually,” she croaked, hoping if she said it enough it would come true. “I’ll go to London, have a good time, and forget all about Mr. Sex-On-Legs.”

  Enough of the pity party! She stood. “But, first I need to get the outrageously expensive car he loaned me out of my garage.”

  “Don’t even worry about it,” he said, pulling out his phone. “I’ll get a couple guys from my crew to swing by here on their way to Charleston.” He cupped her cheek. “You know if you need me to stay here tonight, I can.”

  He’d already done so much for her over the course of their friendship. She wasn’t going to let him jeopardize his business. She tried to make her voice sound light as she answered. “What, are you crazy? Only one of us is allowed to lose their mind at a time. Go, I’ll be fine.”

  “Do you want me to call Jackson?”

  “Heck, no. He saw Grant and me together and flipped his lid. I’m not ready to hear an I-told-you-so from my kid.”

  “He did what?” Chris growled.

  The anger in his voice reaffirmed her decision. She’d already caused enough problems for this family, and she didn’t want to turn a tear that could heal into a chasm. “It’s not an issue anymore now that Grant and I are no longer together.”

  “I’m so sorry,” he said. His serious expression softened as he smiled. “Jack loves you, and I know he’d want to be here for you.”

  “True, but I want to lick my wounds in private. Thank you very much.” Abby drew in a breath. “Now, tell me about your date.”

  He chuffed and rolled his eyes. “Are you kidding? You don’t want to hear about that train wreck. Let’s write off relationships. We’ll be two old maids together.”

  Love for him tightened her chest. Even his weak attempt at a joke made her smile. “You’re so good to me,” she croaked. “That sounds like a plan. When we get too old to live by ourselves, we’ll move in together. It’ll make it easier for Katie and Jackson to look after us that way.”

  Chapter 22

  Abby scanned the food-laden table. “Where do you want this?”

  Chris took the bowl of chocolate biscuits with one hand while scooting a plate of meat pasties over with the other. “The guest of honor doesn’t work at her own party.”

  “Just trying to be helpful,” she chuckled, looking around the room. “You know, if you decide you want to get out of the construction business, I think you’ve got a future in party planning.”

  He’d sweet-talked her into having a big farewell party, and in his usual attention to detail was throwing a British-themed event. His living and dining rooms were swathed in an Anglophile’s dream, with everything from cutouts of the royal family to Union Jack bunting and a cake shaped like Big Ben.

  She couldn’t believe she was actually leaving for orientation in the morning. From Washington she was flying to London. Abby let out a long, slow breath to calm the pounding in her chest. “Boy, this month has flown by.” That was good on a number of levels, one of which was that it kept her mind off of Grant. Mostly. Sometimes.

  She fingered the aquamarine bracelet he’d given her for her birthday. Sending back the over-priced car had been as easy as walking away from a hundred pound box of chocolates. Sure it was cool to have. But really, who needed all that? Relegating the symbol of a very happy period in her life to the bottom of her jewelry box, not so much. “I need something to do. Otherwise I’m going to take up cigarettes or nail biting.”

  He slipped an arm around her waist, giving her a gentle squeeze. “Nervous?” His green eyes danced. He’d been so excited about her new job, that she’d have thought it was he who was spending the year abroad.

  She hugged him back, holding on hard for a few seconds. “Yeah, a little.”

  It wasn’t just a case of cold feet. The teacher exchange was an absolute godsend, a chance to heal. But what would she do without Chris? Or Jackson and Katie? She’d never been away from her family for more than a week much less three months until Chris flew over in August.

  He hip-checked her on his way to the bar he’d set up on his buffet table. “Everything will be fine.”

  Abby fiddled with the bracelet again, trying to keep her hands busy while her mind ran on an endless loop. There were still loose ends to tie up. “You’ll be sure to send me my mail and check that the lawn maintenance company cuts the grass.” Her mind raced in a hundred directions, then zeroed in on the woman she was trading places with. “And you’ll look in on Miss Griffin. I want her to feel at home here.”

  Chris handed her a pink gin concoction with a patient smile. “She’s no replacement for you, but yeah, I’ll check in with her.” He made a shooing motion with his hands. “Now go. Sit. Enjoy your friends.”

  Abby wandered into the living room, stopping off to give first Katie a hug, then check on Jackson. He looked up from the conversation he was having with his Uncle Tripp and gave her a wink. Just as she’d hoped, things were back to normal between her and Jackson. She squeezed his shoulder and moved to her sister, Sarah.

  “Would you like something to eat?” she asked, taking a seat on the sofa next to her. “Or, there are soft drinks in the other room if you want one.”

  Sarah shook her head. “I’m fine. Katie fixed me a glass of tea.” She smoothed her hand over her cherry-red skirt that she’d paired with a white blouse and royal-blue scarf.

  A tribute to her sister’s destination, Abby thought. At least Sarah was making an effort. Since she’d walked into Chris’s house, she hadn’t made one cutting remark or offered Abby one of her famous backhanded compliments. “Don’t forget you have an open invitation to visit while I’m in London. There will be plenty of room in the flat.”

  Sarah pressed her lips together and shook her head. “That would be too far to go. Besides Tripp and I wouldn’t know how to get around in a big city like London.”

  Abby wasn’t going to press. Making the trip to Turks and Caicos for the wedding had been the adventure of a lifetime for them. “At least think about letting Jessica come over on one of her breaks from school. I promise not to let her get lost or swept off her feet by some rakish duke.”

  “We’ll see.”

  Abby doubted her sister would lengthen the umbilical cord that far, but at least the offer wasn’t shot down. She started to get up, but Sarah tugged on her hand. Her gray eyes more serious than usual, she began, “You always were the brave one in the family.” She reached over to tuck the strap of Abby’s bra under the strap of her sundress. “I wanted you to know I’m proud of you for taking this job.”

  “Thanks,” Abby stammered, thinking how much it cost her sister to offer the compliment. Their diametrically opposed lifestyles had been a large reason for their strained relationship. “That means a lot to me.” Abby patted her sister on the leg. “I need to mingle a little bit, but I’ll check back with you in a little while.”

  Abby made the rounds, speaking to all her guests and making similar offers to be hospitality central to all who wanted to come across the pond. She sidled up to Chris on her way out to the deck behind his house. “I’m going to get some air.”

  He turned from talking with their neighbor from across the street. “Don’t disappear on me. I’m making toasts in a few minutes.”

  “I won’t, just need a little break from being Popular Pattie,” she responded with a laugh.

  Abby circled the perimeter around Chris’s pool. Between making up with Jackson and her sister’s praise, she felt like all the loose ends were winding into a tidy ball. There was one thread that refused to join the others. Hopefully in time Grant would forgive her.

  ****

  “How many green blocks do you have?” Grant asked. He smiled when Grace held up five chubby fingers. Spending time with her was his only solace these days. He rubbed his sternum. Four weeks and it still felt like he’d been sucker punched.


  Heather walked into Grace’s room and sat down at the low table where Grant and the three-year-old were putting together a block tower. They’d made the parental hand-off a little while ago, and she was in the process of heading out to her condo in the city. “Are you happy with the way things are?” she asked, her body language screaming there was certainly something that she wasn’t happy about.

  His first thought had been hell no! But he knew she wasn’t referring to his love life. “Yeah. Why?” he answered, wondering what was up.

  Heather combed her fingers through Grace’s hair. “You’re not looking to make any changes to our relationship, are you?”

  “Changes?” He folded his arms across his chest. “You know I’m no good at reading between the lines.” If he was, he’d have understood what Abby really meant when she told him she didn’t want to see him anymore.

  “Did you buy an engagement ring?”

  Grant clenched his eyes. After the breakup, he’d been in a fog for days. He barely remembered staggering into the kitchen downstairs and shoving the ring in a drawer. He let out his breath all at once. “Yes.” Then he held up his hands to ward off the barrage of questions that had to be coming his way. “But not for you.”

  A smile played at the edges of her mouth as she made the keep going motion with her hands. When he didn’t answer right away, she grumbled. “Talking to you is like pulling teeth. Who is the ring for?”

  “Abby Roberts.”

  Heather blinked several times. “I didn’t know you two were dating.”

  “We’re not.”

  She barked out a laugh. “She’s going to be pretty surprised when you give her that ring.”

  Grant got to his feet and began pacing. This was not a conversation he wanted to have with anyone, least of all his ex-wife. “We were seeing each other, but she broke it off when she decided to take a teaching job in London.”

  She stared down at Grace’s little table. “Oh, that’s too bad. I’m sorry.”

  He didn’t deserve Heather’s sympathy. The mess was his own damn fault. Perhaps if he hadn’t pushed to make their relationship public, or mentioned babies, she wouldn’t have felt cornered. “No big deal. Shi….” He shot a look toward Grace, minding his language. “Stuff happens,” he corrected.

  “Why did she break up with you?”

  Reliving what had happened with Abby wasn’t high on his must-do list, but he couldn’t help feeling he’d missed something. He pressed his hands to either side of his head. Maybe if he squeezed hard enough, his brain might pop out a clue.

  The morning of the Help and Hope picnic everything had seemed fine. She was more than glad to see him and they’d decided to meet back at her house later to discuss what to do about her new job. After that he’d spent the rest of the day with Heather and Grace. A thought niggled at the back of his mind. Abby had always seemed okay with the amount of time he and Heather spent together. She encouraged it even.

  “Holy…” He clamped his hand over his mouth before the rest of the phrase slid between his lips. “Surely she didn’t,” he groaned.

  Heather’s eyes widened. “What?”

  “I’m not sure, but I think Abby thought if she broke things off, you and I would get remarried.”

  “Nooooo,” she breathed then plunked down on the end of Grace’s bed. “So, what are you going to do?”

  He shook his head. “Nothing. It’s too late. She’s leaving in the morning.” Katie had been keeping him posted on Abby’s agenda.

  Heather narrowed her eyes. “Who are you and what have you done with my ex-husband? Because the Grant I knew wouldn’t have given up so easily.”

  Her mocking words were a verbal kick in the ass. She was right. Grant wasn’t going to let Abby leave without hearing him out. If she truly didn’t want him, that she wanted to start a new chapter of her life, he’d back off. But he needed to make sure she was making that decision based on the truth: that the only woman he wanted to marry was her.

  He bolted toward the door then just as quickly spun on his heels. “Can you cover for me?”

  “Of course. Go, before she gets away.” Heather chuckled, moving to join Grace at her table. She called after Grant, “wait,” then tossed the black velvet box to him. “Here, nothing says ‘please hear me out’ like jewelry.”

  On the way out the door, he punched up his sister’s number. “Katie, where’s Abby’s farewell party?”

  ****

  Abby jerked her attention to the sound of loud voices. Grant erupted from the house and stalked toward her. One look at his snug T-shirt and jeans and her body heated, knowing exactly how good the well-worn cotton and aged denim felt under her hand.

  “Grant. I didn’t know you’d been invited.” She went for light and casual as she spoke, but failed miserably. A month had done nothing to lessen the pain of seeing him again.

  Chris and Jackson followed quickly on Grant’s heels, with Jackson cutting off Grant’s trajectory. “He wasn’t invited.”

  Grant towered over Jackson, menace in his eyes. “I need to speak to your mother alone.”

  “Don’t you think you’ve hurt her enough?” Jackson retorted, pushing against Grant’s chest when he tried to outflank Jackson.

  Abby hadn’t provided her son with details of the breakup. Shame from the hurt she’d caused rushed back as she confessed, “Grant has never done the first thing to hurt me. I broke things off.”

  Shock washed over Jack’s face. “Because of me?”

  “Partly,” she admitted. “I couldn’t stand to see what our relationship was doing to you.”

  Jackson shifted his focus to her. “Mom, I’ve been so selfish.” He took a breath. “I just want you to be happy, no matter what.”

  Emotion clogged her throat. “That’s what I want for you as well,” she choked out. His sentiment helped but ultimately changed nothing. She turned to Grant. “I want you to be happy, too.”

  She searched his face, looking for signs of acceptance. Or anger. She’d certainly earned that. Abby found none, just the stubborn set of his jaw. Realizing he’d never gotten the chance to say his piece, she asked Chris and Jackson, “Can you guys give us a minute?” Neither made a move to leave till Abby shot Chris a pleading look.

  “Come inside, Jack,” Chris said as he took Jackson by the arm. “Your mom can handle this.” After a scowl directed at Grant, Jackson return to the house.

  Grant closed the distance between them, until his body became a wall that blocked everything else from view. He glared at her from underneath hooded eyes. “We need to straighten a couple things out.”

  Abby clenched her fist, bracing for the recriminations she deserved. “Okay,” she croaked. “But, first please let me say this.” Tears welled in her eyes. “I truly regret the way I handled things back at the gazebo.” She also owed him the real reason she’d pushed him away. “However, I do think it’s best for everyone if I go to London and you work things out with Heather.”

  Heat flared in his eyes. “Listen, if you don’t want there to be anything between us, that’s one thing,” he snarled. His voice softened as he continued. “But, understand this. Heather and I are never getting back together.” He stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. “How could you think I could remarry Heather when I’m in love with you?”

  Abby opened and closed her mouth several times, trying to put her thoughts into words. “I never did see what you saw in me,” she finally managed. She flailed her arms around trying to make her point. “You could have someone younger, prettier, some woman who likes skydiving and scuba.”

  He pinned her arms by her side. “Don’t you see from the moment you asked me to call you Abby instead of Ms. Roberts, you’re the only one I’ve wanted.” He bent down to brush a kiss over her lips. “The only one I could even think of.” He feathered the kiss across her cheek. “You’ve got me so tight in knots, it’s a wonder I can even function.”

  Even as he was doing exactly what she wanted him to do a
nd saying what she’d longed to hear again, fear screamed louder. Eventually, he was going to want someone who could love as openly as he. “I don’t see how this can work out.”

  All the passion bled from his face. He thumbed the tears that trickled down her checks. “Oh my beautiful lady, always so cautious.” He pressed a single kiss on her forehead. “Thanks for hearing me out.” He let her go, turning toward the house.

  How could Sarah ever think her brave? Going to London wasn’t brave. It was the same job in a different location, a risk with training wheels. Being brave wasn’t even telling Grant she loved him. If she truly was brave, she’d admit the way he loved her scared the ever-lovin’ crap out of her. God, she wished she were different. Frozen there by the pool, she watched his back as he strode away. “No more regrets,” she called out when she came to her senses. If she wanted to be different, she needed to act differently.

  He turned. “What?”

  Abby hurried to catch up to him. Pain contorted his handsome features. She bit her lip knowing she was the instrument of that hurt. She was about to alleviate his pain and the mistaken notion that she didn’t love him. In a way he deserved to hear. “There are a couple things I regret leaving undone. I’d like to fix them if you’d let me.” She took him by the hand, interlacing their fingers. “I told Chris I wanted to say a few words to my guests. Please come inside. I’d like you to hear my speech.”

  He bobbed his head and let her lead him into Chris’s dining room. Everyone was huddled in the small space, with a glass of something in hand. She reached for two champagne flutes, passing one to Grant. The plan she and Chris had worked out was he would say a few words then she’d go afterward. Abby eyed her friend, signaling there’d been a change in plans.

  Abby scanned the crowd, wondering what they would think. Knowing there was really only one important opinion at this point was what gave her the confidence. “I never intended for things to turn out this way. It was just supposed to be one dance.”