by Kimi Flores
With wide eyes and a racing heart, I scanned the surrounding area, plotting my escape. “You’re right, let’s go the other way.” Quickly, I turned, not caring if Leah followed. I zigzagged through the crowd until I felt someone pull on my arm.
“Abby, didn’t you hear me calling you?” Asked a deep voice I instantly recognized.
Sagging my shoulders, I spun to face him. “Hey, Caleb.” I craned my neck past him, catching a glimpse of Leah talking to the stunning woman now holding Madison in her arms.
Traitor.
His smile was warm as he ran his hand up and down my arm. “I didn’t know you were going to be here.”
“It’s a tradition.” I shrugged, pulling away from his touch. “We go to a couple of different festivals every year.” Nervously, I stood with my arms covering my chest, legs slightly separated and rocking a bit side to side. I hoped Leah would recognize my anxious stance and rescue me.
“Come here,” he said, placing his hand on my back and directing me toward Madison and the other women. “I want to introduce you to one of my favorite people.”
My heart sank. Was he serious?
We weren’t dating or anything, but I’d thought there might be something between us. Obviously, I was the only one feeling it. My lips quivered as we headed toward my ex-best friend and the striking woman standing next to her. This woman must not have been told that it was going to be a sunny day because she was wearing dark colors, from her purple blouse and tight black skinny jeans, all the way down to her designer black heels.
Leah smirked and looked down. Grr, how could she think this is funny?
“Abby, this is my cousin Brianna. Bri, this is Abby.” He gave ‘Bri’ a knowing look, who put Madison down and reached a hand out to me.
Cousin?
Cousin?
Yes, the award for the most shocked dimwit went to Abby Sullivan. I felt like such an idiot. Great first impression Abby.
“It’s nice to meet you, Brianna.” Trying to recuperate, I shook Bri’s hand. Caleb’s cousin was so beautiful, it was difficult not to stare. It must’ve been a family trait.
When I pulled my hand back, Madison ran up and hugged my legs.
“Just call me Bri. Between my cousin and this sweet thing,” Bri said, bending down and squeezing Madison’s cheeks, “all I’ve heard about since I got here is Abby this, Miss Abby that.” She gave her cousin a teasing smile. “You’re right, Caleb, she is beautiful.”
Wow! He told her I was beautiful?
Appearing to be nervous, Caleb cleared his throat. Was he blushing this time?
He explained, “Bri is here visiting for a couple days before leaving for New York, and then Europe. She travels a lot.”
“How fun. Do you travel for business?” I asked as Madison grabbed onto one of my hands.
“No. Pleasure.” Bri smirked, peering down at Madison, a pleased look on her face.
⁂
Caleb
I was stoked that we ran into Abby and Leah. I’d wanted Bri to meet them while she was in town, but I hadn’t figured out how to arrange it without it looking too suspicious. We’d just gotten our bowls of chowder and taken our seats when I noticed Abby starting to fidget. She seemed uneasy.
Leaning into Leah, Abby whispered something, causing Leah’s head to snap to the side before she uttered something in Spanish that sounded like an insult.
My eyes followed where Leah’s had just left. I took in the sight of a fairly tall, blonde female walking alongside a sandy blond male, and another woman with dark brown almost black hair similar to Bri’s.
I recognized the blonde woman. Her son was the boy who’d caused Madison so much grief the day of the fire drill. The first time I’d encountered her at back-to-school night, she’d flirted shamelessly with me and I’d had to get downright rude for her to understand that I wasn’t interested.
By the similar looks, the guy must’ve been Abby’s ex-boyfriend I’d heard was back in town. I made no assumptions as to whom the other female was until I noticed that she and the guy were holding hands, and then he leaned over to kiss her on the cheek.
I had to help Abby snap out of this. “So Abby, what’s your favorite chowder here?”
She was looking down, defeated, and anger started to boil in my blood. I glanced at Leah who wore her own look of concern.
“Abby, Caleb asked what your favorite chowder was.” Leah ran her fingers down Abby’s arm.
Her eyes were filled with sorrow as her whispered answer came. “I like the corn chowder.”
That forced smile spoke volumes of hurt, and my heart broke for her. I wanted to throw my chair back, pull her toward me, and take all that pain away. But I had no right to do that.
Because my eyes were on her, I didn’t notice when the group approached us.
“Hey, Abs. How’ve you been?” A male voice asked.
Without thinking about it, I scooted closer to her and put my arm protectively around the back of her chair.
“I’m fine, Peter.” Abby answered quietly. She glanced at his sister, who had a phony smile plastered on her face.
The devious woman’s eyes glinted as she turned to the female beside Peter and opened her mouth. “Oh, you have to meet Peter’s fiancé, Janice. She’s the best sister-in-law a girl could ever ask for.”
I was so close to Abby, I could feel her trembling as she stood and shook Janice’s hand.
“Nice to meet you,” she said, her voice sounding small but still present.
I was so proud that despite the circumstances, she held her own. Abby went as far as to introduce our whole table. I noted that Peter’s eyes never left Abby, and something made me want to pull her down on my lap and claim her in front of this guy who’d hurt her so badly. It was an urge that I had to use all my strength to fight. She didn’t belong to me.
Noticing my arm across the top of her chair, Abby smiled at me before taking her seat again.
“Abs, I’ve been trying to get a hold of you. Can we get together and talk?” Peter asked, uncertainty covering his face.
“No. I’m good. Congratulations, though. I hope everything works out for you guys.”
Tiffany, was glancing between Abby and me. “So, when did this happen? Isn’t there a school policy against parents and teachers dating?”
Leah started to open her mouth when Abby placed her delicate hand on her arm. “We aren’t dating. Our families are close.” She motioned to everyone at the table, as though we were all part of the same family. “To answer your question though, no, there isn’t a school policy prohibiting it.”
Interesting. I wondered if there was a reason she knew that fact.
“I’m going to take Madison for ice cream,” Bri whispered into my ear before leaving the table with her.
“Well, now it all makes sense. You do show her favoritism.” Tiffany pointed at Madison with a snarl on her face. “And apparently you show her daddy some too.” She gave a wicked grin.
That was it. I had enough. I grabbed the arms of my chair and threw myself up just as Abby did the same. “Now wait a minute,” I started to rumble.
“That’s enough, Tiffany,” Peter said as he started to back away, forcing his group to do the same. “I’m sorry, Abs,” he said with a frown, before turning and guiding his group away.
I wondered what that apology truly meant. There seemed to be much more behind it than what just happened.
Abby plopped herself back onto her seat. “I’m so sorry, Caleb.” Her eyes started to gloss over.
I sat back down and grabbed for her hand, slightly pulling her toward me. “I wish you’d stop apologizing for other people’s actions.”
“I know she does have reasons to hate me,” Abby admitted quietly. “But she shouldn’t have said anything like that in front of you.”
“Dammit, Abby. Stop that,” Leah chimed in. “We’ve been over this a million times.” She touched the table with her pointer finger. “You have nothing to feel guilty about and that
puta has nothing to hate you for. She’s the problem. Not you.”
“It’s not just her,” Abby said. “Peter keeps calling me, and I don’t want to talk to him.”
I sensed that I was missing a large piece of this puzzle, but I just sat back and listened.
Without wavering, Leah retorted, “You have to at some point, or you’re not going to get over this.”
“Not now, okay?” Abby’s full pouty lips came up to a half smile. “Another time. Let’s just enjoy the rest of this day, please.” She took her napkin and blotted under each eye before sniffing and placing it onto her lap. “I’ve been looking forward to this chowder for a year.” Taking a spoon full of the creamy goodness filled in her bread bowl, she brought it to her open mouth.
And now I couldn’t stop staring at her mouth. I felt eyes on me and glanced over at Leah, who was beaming like the cat that ate the canary.
Well damn, I was caught. I had to return the smile before shaking my head and grabbing a spoonful of my own chowder.
⁂
“I really like her,” Bri said as we entered the house. She slipped her platform heels off and hooked them onto her index finger as I walked past her, carrying my sleeping daughter.
“I had no doubt you would. Let me get Madison upstairs. I’ll be right back.”
I climbed the stairs, entered my little girl’s bedroom, pulled the covers back, and laid her down. Grabbing her pillow, she snuggled into it. I turned to her dresser, noticing a picture she’d drawn and left on top. My eyes stung with tears, and my heart swelled as I picked it up to take a closer look. There was an angel, an arrow pointing to it that said ‘mommy’, and it was floating toward the top. There were three figures standing on green grass below: a man, a little girl, and a woman. Above each of the figures’ heads was a name: Daddy, me, Miss Abby.
I couldn’t help but smile, but also felt something squeezing inside my chest. Was I giving Madison hope for something I wasn’t even sure about yet?
Rubbing my hand over my face, I swiped a tear away when I heard her ask, “Daddy, what do you think about Miss Abby being my new mommy?”
Shit. My head snapped up to see her large innocent eyes watching me, hopeful, through her reflection in the mirror.
“Well, pumpkin, you have a mommy and Miss Abby is a friend.” I placed the picture back on top of her dresser, then looked over my shoulder as I rummaged through her drawer.
“But Daddy, I really like her, and she’s pretty. Don’t you think she’s pretty?” The inquisitive look on her cherub face nearly broke my heart into pieces.
I grabbed her pajamas. “Well, yeah, I think she’s pretty, but it’s more complicated than that, sweetie.”
“Why?” She started undressing as I approached.
“Honestly, I don’t know why. It just is.”
“Hmm, one of those growed up things that makes no senses?” She threw her balled up summer dress on the floor.
I chuckled, handing her pajamas over. “Yeah, us growed-ups don’t make a lot of senses sometimes, huh?”
She shook her head no as I slipped her nightgown over her head.
“Well, you get to sleep.” I rustled her hair, then placed a kiss on her forehead. “I love you, munchkin.”
“I love you too, Daddy. Goodnight.”
I turned off her lamp, then closed the door as I walked out of her room. Rubbing my face with my hands again, I walked into my bedroom and tried to figure out what I was going to do. This was exactly why I didn’t date. I had to consider my daughter’s feelings above all else. She was my responsibility, and I couldn’t screw this up.
I sat on the edge of my bed, took my shoes off, and tossed them toward the closet. I decided to change into sweat pants and a clean T-shirt before heading downstairs. Just as I hit the bottom stair, Bri came out of the guest room, wearing loose-fitting pants, an enormous T-shirt, and fluffy socks. “So cuzz, tell me more.” She pulled me toward the large leather couches, motioning for me to sit with her.
I took a seat and placed my feet on the coffee table. “There’s nothing to tell.”
“I don’t believe that for one minute.” Pulling her feet under her behind, she swatted my shoulder. “Did you see her face when she thought I was someone else? Her poor eyes almost bugged out of her head, and then she took off running. And you couldn’t make your attraction more obvious.”
“I don’t know what to do here,” I sighed as I rested my head on the back of the sofa. “She’s so good with Madison, has the biggest heart and damn is she beautiful.”
“Yes, but I know you see more. I can read it on your face. You really like her.”
I lifted my head and gave her a defeated look.
“It’s okay,” she chuckled. “Rene would want you to be happy. You know she would.” Bri was the third person to tell me this.
I sighed again, unable to rid my thoughts of my daughter’s well-being. “I have to think about Madison and how all this would affect her.”
“Yes, you do,” she agreed, “and Abby sounds like a perfect answer to that. You just said yourself how good she is with her, and Madison obviously adores her. I don’t see what the problem is.” Her expectant eyebrow shot up.
“I don’t know, I have to think about it more, that’s all.” Giving her a sly look, I attempted to divert this conversation away from my confused heart. “So, what’s going on with you? Why are you leaving again?”
“John’s taking me to Barcelona.” She didn’t appear to be thrilled by this so I pushed for more information.
“Because you haven’t been there before?” I gave her a suspicious look. Bri was always running away to one place or another, and it worried me.
She scrunched up her face. “No. Because he likes me and respects my choices.”
“Does he?”
“Yes, Caleb, he does. He’s a nice guy, and our fathers play tennis together.”
“How romantic,” I said sarcastically. “You know I worry about you.”
“Well, stop.” She lightly shoved my shoulder. “Not all of us can meet our perfect companion twice in one lifetime.”
I ignored her comment. “What about Stefen? How’s he doing?”
“Uh, my brother is the same womanizing manwhore as ever. He gets so mad if he thinks someone’s trying to get me in the sack while he goes around town, sowing his wild oats. Such a hypocrite.” She shook her head, feigning annoyance, but the affectionate look in her eyes said she appreciated his concern.
“He’ll see one day. Stefen can’t go on like this forever, Bri, and neither can you. I know our parents and their pretentious world didn’t give us the best example of how to be completely healthy, functioning adults, but there’s a time to grow up, and you guys need to get to that point.”
Bri glared at me. “How did we go from talking about your love life to criticizing Stefen’s and mine?”
I just might be pushing her too far tonight. “I’m not judging. I’m really worried about you guys. You’re always running, Bri, and I don’t understand why. You know how much I would love it if you’d move out here, close to Madison and me.”
“I don’t mind visiting, but I need to travel, see the world.” She brought her legs up to her chest and placed her head on her knees, hugging them.
“I think it’s more than that, Bri. You were fine staying in one place until college. What changed?” I sat back further in the couch, waiting for her answer. We were close, and there was no reason for her to keep anything from me.
She shrugged, though her gaze was far away. “I just saw that there was a bigger world than the one I was living in.”
“But there’s always a different guy attached to each new adventure,” I said carefully. “I hope you’re being safe.”
Her head popped up. “Caleb! Please. I don’t sleep with these guys. They’re just fun to hang around. Besides, they leave once they realize they aren’t getting anything more.” Her eyes rolled toward me. “That’s why there are so many of them, if you mus
t know.”
“Good to know.” The protective side of me breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that she wasn’t being taken advantage of. “Maybe if you settled somewhere, you could meet someone stable and not just trying to get into your pants.”
My home phone rang just then.
“Maybe,” she said softly, looking off in the distance. “But I’m not ready for that yet.”
“Maybe? I’ll take that.” I picked up the portable phone on the side table and looked at the caller ID. “Speak of the devil.” Crossing my legs, I answered the phone. “Hey, your ears must be burning. We were just talking about you.” I winked at Bri.
“I can only imagine the awesome things you must be saying then.” Stefen’s low chuckle came through the phone.
“Not quite, Mr. Arrogant. What’s up?”
“Bri’s not answering her phone and I wanted to talk to her before she left, but I’m glad you picked up. You’re coming out here for Thanksgiving, right?”
“Damn, that’s right. This year it’s out there, isn’t it?” I hated going to my parents’ house for the holidays. There was always a drunken argument about some nonsense. Every. Single. Time.
“Yes, and don’t you dare try to get out of it,” Stefen warned. “It’s the only way I can get you to bring Madison out here.”
Although he only saw her a couple times a year, Stefen had fallen in love with Madison when he and Bri had to step in to help me out after Rene had died.
“You could always come out here, you know?” The couch dipped, then flattened again as Bri got up. I whispered, “He wants to talk to you in a minute.”
She mouthed back, “Of course he does.” She rolled her eyes on the way to the downstairs guest room.
Stefen spoke again. “Nice try, but we’re working a massive case right now, and it’s not ending anytime soon. It’s one of the most intense cases I’ve ever worked, and these people are ruthless.”
Something in his voice made me feel uneasy. Stefen never let a case get him so worked up. He normally acted more conceited about his ability to win them in record time.
“Yeah, we’ll be there,” I said. “Can we plan to stay at your house? I don’t want my parents to have the option of offering. Not that they would.” I paused for a moment. “We won’t be cramping your style, though, will we? You know I don’t want Madison exposed to your way of life.”