by Iris Abbott
Two
Abigail breathed a sigh of relief. One full week of work was finished and done. That meant there were just thirty-five more to go. She couldn’t wait to meet with the girls tonight and unwind. A hot date would be better, but she hadn’t had any of those in awhile. Mid-thirties and single parenthood she found kind of put a damper on your love life.
Abigail had just finished applying the new cherry lip-gloss she had purchased when the doorbell rang. “That’s weird,” she muttered as she raced down the stairs to open the door. She was positive she had arranged to meet Caroline and Annabel at the bar. Maybe Annabel changed her mind and wanted to carpool. Annabel was always conscience of the size of her carbon footprint. Jonathan was in Washington DC on business so her mom was babysitting all four of the local grandchildren over at Annabel’s house.
Abigail threw open the front door just as the bell rang out again. She was hard-pressed to hide the look of shock that skirted across her face. “What are you doing here?” Abigail immediately challenged the man on her doorstep.
“Now is that any way to talk to the father of your children?” The man met Abigail’s greeting with a smirk.
“Father, what father?” Abigail demanded. “You haven’t called, written, or bothered to visit Jay and Emily in over five years. They were devastated when you left. You didn’t even take the time to say goodbye to them. What kind of person does that?”
“And I’m here to remedy that situation. Now.” He gave her hard stare. “Have you gained more weight?” he threw out almost as an afterthought.
Abigail ignored the weight comment. He had no clue what he was talking about. He was being spiteful and petty, as always. Through moderate exercise, proper nutrition, and counseling she had finally managed to lose those last ten pregnancy pounds. She was the perfect weight for her height. What’s more she knew it too. She wasn’t going to let her ex-husband’s poisonous comments affect her wellbeing. She was past that!
“You have got to be kidding me,” she threw her hands up in disbelief. “Why now? You walked out on the children and me several years ago and didn’t bother to look back. What makes you think you can just waltz back into their lives now? What makes you think I would let you anywhere near them?”
“What makes you think you have a choice?” Roger unfolded a sheet of paper and placed it on the foyer table.
Abigail looked at the paper like a swimmer eying a water moccasin. “What’s that?”
“I’ve recently seen the error of my ways as far as the children are concerned.” Roger informed Abigail. “And I want visitation as well as partial custody.”
Abigail had to bite her tongue to hold back the laughter threatening to spill from her mouth. Roger had always had a volatile temper especially when drinking. She didn’t know if he had been drinking. He looked sober, but she didn’t want to take any chances since she was alone in the house.
“I’ve remarried,” Roger bluntly stated. “My new wife Linda and I are suing for joint custody of Emily and Jay.”
“Over my dead body,” an overwrought Abigail exclaimed! “There isn’t a court in this state that will give you custody after the way you abandoned them several years ago.”
“Actually,” Roger smirked, “my lawyer says we have an excellent chance of winning. Linda and I as a married couple can provide a much more stable home environment than a single working mom suffering from a potentially debilitating or fatal disease.”
“Get out,” Abigail ordered. “The children are my life and I am not giving them up without a fight.”
“What are you going to fight with Abigail? We both know you still live at home with your mom. And you can’t make that much money as a teaching assistant. I have a great lawyer and Linda and I have enough money to drag this out for months. Can you say the same?”
The front door which had only been partially closed behind Roger suddenly flew open and then slammed shut. “Hello Roger. I see you finally crawled out from whatever rock you were hiding under,” hissed a furious Aubrey Montgomery Hampton.
Roger laughed. “Well what do we have here? It’s the baby Montgomery sister all grown up. Coming to your sister’s defense, I guess. What are you going to do? Rob your piggy bank to pay for her attorney.”
Aubrey arched an elegant eyebrow. “What if I do, Roger? You should be more worried about me raiding my husband’s bank account. Better yet maybe I’ll raid the horde of attorneys that he always keeps on retainer.”
Roger had the audacity to smirk at her this time. “I heard you married Matt Hampton. You know,” he said with a leer, “it’s gonna take more than a washed up rock star and his money to help your sister keep full custody of my kids.”
Abigail literally turned red she was so furious. “Since when have they been your kids?” she demanded. “This is my mom’s home and you and your insults are not welcome here. Please do us all a favor and get out! The sooner the better,” Abigail added for extra emphasis.
She opened the door and motioned her ex-husband to leave. Her back was ramrod straight, but she started crying as soon as Roger left. “Oh my God, I can’t believe the nerve of that man. What am I going to do Aubrey? Emily and Jay are my life. I can’t even begin to imagine not being able to see or take care of them every day.”
Aubrey wrapped both arms around her sister and hugged her. “Don’t worry Abigail. I meant what I said. Money is not an issue. Matthew and I will pay for an attorney or attorneys to represent you. He loves Emily and Jay almost as much as I do.”
“I can’t believe this! It’s been years,” Abigail sobbed. “Why does he want custody now?”
“That’s easy to answer. He’s an evil bastard, Abigail. Try not to worry so much and do not let him affect your health. Unbearable stress can cause bulimia suffers to have a relapse and God knows Roger is unbearable. Your family and friends will look out for you and the children. You will win this. You have too!”
“It’s a good thing I still have my job at the school. I’ve had it for a few years now. That should help my case and prove I can provide a stable home for the children, single or not.”
“Abigail, I’ve been wondering. Have you ever thought about remarrying? I know you’ve dated a lot in the past, but you never seem to get serious about anyone. Why is that?”
“Have you forgotten sister dear that I don’t have much luck with men? I’m thirty-four and divorced with two children. Most men are looking for younger women that don’t come with a readymade family. Besides all that, Emily and Jay are older now. If I remarried, it would be reasonable to assume they’d form an attachment with my new husband.”
Aubrey puckered her brows in confusion. “Well, that’s a good thing isn’t it? You wouldn’t want to marry someone they couldn’t love too. Am I right?”
“And what happens if I get close to someone, but it doesn’t work out or heaven forbid we get married and then end up divorced? Not only do I get hurt, but the children get hurt too.”
“You know Abigail, not every man in this world is like Roger.”
“I know that. I’m willing to admit God placed a few good men here on this earth. But dad is dead, and you and Annabel married Matthew and Jonathan already.”
“Like Matthew and I didn’t have a few bumps along the way! If it hadn’t been for your sisterly interference when a lack of communication led to our separation, Matthew and I would probably be divorced and brokenhearted right now. And what about Annabel and Jonathan? It took the two of them over four years to find their way back to each other.”
“I took a chance with love already and it didn’t work. I don’t want to get married again. Ever! There’s just too much at stake.” Abigail pushed aside the horrible thoughts swimming around in her head and gave her baby sister a hard look. “What are you doing in town anyway?”
“Matthew and Savannah Lynn wanted quality father and daughter time,” she shrugged her elegant shoulder. “So I thought I would take advantage of the opportunity and visit with my sisters and nie
ces and nephews. Where is everyone? I know mom’s not home or she would have been down here giving that jerk hell.”
Abigail laughed at the image of her petite mom giving Roger what for! “She’s at Annabel’s babysitting the children. Annabel and I are meeting a new friend of mine at one of the university bars. You’re just in time. You can ride with me. I would love for you to meet Caroline. She just moved here and teaches science at one of the county high schools. She’s about your age and she reminds me a lot of you and Annabel.”
“Oh! A night out on the town with just the girls! That was worth the drive down from Savannah. Let’s go!” Aubrey practically dragged her sister out the door. “And it’ll obviously do you some good right now too!”
One hour and two drinks later The Montgomery sisters were staring openmouthed at their new friend. “That rat,” Annabel exclaimed! “No wonder you left Atlanta. I can’t believe it took you this long.”
“She was actually in his lap, right there in his office?” Abigail asked in disbelief.
Caroline nodded and the other women just shook their heads.
“Men,” Aubrey exclaimed! “You know that name sounds familiar. I live in Savannah. I think I might have actually met him somewhere. What does he do for a living?”
Caroline sighed. After all this time it still hurt to talk about Kyle. She just wanted to leave all that behind and be done with him and the memories. “He’s a corporate raider for lack of a better term. He’s the CEO of a company that specializes in taking over and then selling businesses that are in trouble, at a large profit, of course.”
“Of course,” Abigail agreed. She could tell her new friend didn’t want to talk about her ex-lover anymore. She had the perfect conversation changer. “Speaking of ex’s and rats all in the same breath. Guess who came to see me today?” Abigail spent the next thirty minutes telling Annabel and Caroline about the visit from Roger. She included his threat of a custody suit.
“What are you going to do?” Annabel wanted to know.
“There isn’t much I can do,” Abigail admitted. “He is their father, even if he hasn’t acted like it the last few years. I guess I’ll hire a lawyer and wait for him to make his next move.”
The girls ordered a few more appetizers and spent the next couple of hours getting to know Caroline and making her feel welcome. “Well it’s now official,” Abigail told Caroline as the night was drawing to a close. “You are now an adopted member of the Montgomery family. I always wanted a third sister!”
Caroline was overwhelmed and almost in tears. “Thank you, ladies! That means a lot to me, really.” Caroline and the Montgomery sisters all hugged each other as they got up to make their way out the door and into the parking lot.
Abigail caught a glimpse of Mason Blake sitting alone at the bar. The couple of drinks she had sipped throughout the night made her less inhibited. “Aubrey, I see someone I want to say hello to. Why don’t you catch a ride back with Annabel? I shouldn’t be too far behind you guys.”
Mason had seen Abigail with her sisters and friend. He’d thought about going over to their table, but he didn’t want to throw himself in temptation’s way anymore than necessary. He had enough problems on his plate. Since he’d gotten the promotion to school superintendent the board was constantly dropping hints about how the superintendent should be a family man. Several of those hints included marriage and settling down.
He felt someone come up behind him and place a small hand on his shoulder. He could only hope it wasn’t another female family member of someone on the board looking for a date. Even though it had been months since he had taken the job some of the more zealous board members were still harping about how the superintendent of schools should be married. They knew he was single when they offered him the job! Now they had started taking it a step further by trying to force him on blind dates with their daughters and sisters and nieces. It was ridiculous. It’s not like he couldn’t find his own wife if he wanted to. He’d just been too busy to settle down.
Abigail slid onto the barstool next to Mason. “Hello stranger. I haven’t had you to myself in ages.”
Mason felt his body respond to the sight of exposed thigh when Abigail sat down. He was floored by Abigail’s flirtatious comment. He figured it must be the alcohol talking. He reminded himself that they were in a bar and she had been there for who knows how long with her sisters and friend. He decided to play along. He could be as bold as he wanted and later they could both blame it on the alcohol. She didn’t have to know he’d only downed one glass of whiskey on the rocks.
“Well, hello to you too, beautiful. I miss our morning coffees together. Here’s an idea, how about if I treat you to a latte at the local java joint tomorrow, darling?”
Abigail blushed at the endearment. It was the first time he had called her by anything other than her given name. “I’m sure I can find someone to watch Jay and Emily for just an hour. What time works for you?”
“How does nine-thirty sound?” Mason asked his smiling companion.
“Excellent actually, it’s not too early for a Saturday morning, but it’s early enough that we’ll beat the lunch crowd. I’ll see you then. Goodnight Mason.” Abigail almost skipped to her car. She had forgotten how potent Mason could be up close. He definitely affected her senses and sent them into overdrive. Not that she would admit that to anyone else, of course.
Mason pushed away the half-empty glass of whiskey. Having Abigail close did devastating things to his body and mind. What was he thinking asking her out? Even if it was just coffee, he was asking for trouble. He paid the bartender and headed out to the parking lot. He should go home and get a full night of sleep. He’d need it to keep from doing something foolish tomorrow morning.
****
Abigail walked into her mom’s house to find both her sisters staring at her. She didn’t like the expectant looks they were throwing her way.
Aubrey was the first to break the silence. “We didn’t expect to see you this soon.”
“What she meant to say,” Annabel clarified “was that we were hoping we wouldn’t see you this soon. We saw you talking to Mason Blake in the bar. Are you two an item now?”
“Not really,” Abigail replied. She hoped they couldn’t pick up on the disappointment lacing her words. “We’re just meeting for coffee tomorrow. That’s all. Don’t go reading anything in to it, especially you Aubrey. I’m sure your mind is running a mile a minute after our conversation in the foyer this afternoon.”
“You’ve got that right!” Aubrey exclaimed. Mason Blake is gorgeous and even though the two of you have never dated you do have a history together.”
“Technically he’s my boss. Be it four or five people removed. I’ve got enough problems. I don’t need to add trying to maintain a relationship with my boss’s boss’s boss etc. to the list. Besides he doesn’t date coworkers, don’t forget.”
“Oh good grief don’t start with that again,” Annabel wailed at her older sister. “You’re a sexy woman. Tempt him to break the rule. I promise neither of you will regret it.”
“Whatever! It’s only coffee,” Abigail protested. “Do not go marrying us off already, because that is not going to happen.”
“Famous last words,” Aubrey joked as she ran upstairs to her old bedroom.
“Yeah, well you’d know all about that wouldn’t you,” Abigail shouted up the stairs.
******
The next morning Abigail arrived at the coffee shop fifteen minutes early. She felt butterflies fluttering around in her stomach. She’d really been surprised when Mason invited her out, even if it was just for coffee. She missed seeing him on an almost daily basis. When he still worked at the elementary school they almost always took their coffee breaks together. She thought for awhile there he was going to ask her out, but he never did. Word finally got out about his personal rule not to date other school employees. Abigail would be lying if she said she hadn’t been disappointed.
Mason arrived and kissed
Abigail on the cheek. He knew he was asking for trouble, but he couldn’t resist touching her. “Sorry I kept you waiting. How are you feeling after your girl’s night out last night?”
“I’ll live. We did more talking then drinking anyway. Alcohol is the least of my worries though. Because of my history with bulimia the doctors have warned me to avoid major stress. Of course I don’t see how that’s possible with my ex-husband suing for custody of my children. You know, the ones I’ve been raising alone for the past several years.” Deep lines furrowed her forehead. “Let me clarify that. My parents and sisters have been a big help. I don’t see how I could have managed without them. What I should have said is my ex-husband has had nothing to do with Jay and Emily since he walked out on us several years ago.”
A slight frown marred the handsome features of Mason’s face for just a second, but Abigail didn’t notice. She was too caught up in the misery of her wretched ex and his threat to take away her children. “At least I still have my job. Being on the same work schedule as the children’s school schedule will be a big plus for a single mom in a custody battle.”
Mason really didn’t like the sound of this. He felt a biting sting of jealousy for the man that had been Abigail’s husband. “You were already divorced when I moved to town. I thought your ex-husband was completely out of the picture.”
Abigail laughed a bitter laugh. It was so unlike the tinkling silver bell sound that Mason had become fond of over the years. “He abandoned me and the children because I was diagnosed with bulimia and he didn’t have the guts to stick around. A sick wife and two small children to take care of kind of cramped his style.”