Abby pried herself from his chest and said, “Why do I feel like I got caught making out under the bleachers?”
“I’ve never done that,” Aiden said with a devilish grin. “Shall we go find some? Add it to our list?”
They all laughed.
Aiden carried their clothes into the laundry room, and Cait said, “Relax, Abby. I’m your sister, not your judge. Besides, you two are good together. I’m glad it’s not all work and no play.” She lifted her mug as Aiden walked back into the kitchen and said, “I made coffee. It’s not nearly as good as Aiden gets from Keira, but it won’t kill you.”
Aiden and Abby exchanged glances. Aiden had turned her into a coffee snob, too. No other coffee tasted good to her anymore. And now that she knew about his mornings with his father, she had a feeling nothing ever would.
“Aiden’s making pancakes this morning. Why don’t you and I go to Keira’s and pick up some coffee and a newspaper?”
Aiden winked.
“Thank God.” Cait dumped her coffee in the sink, looking cute in skinny jeans and a white T-shirt, and said, “I suck at making coffee.”
Aiden kissed Abby and said, “You can take my rental.” He dug his keys from the pocket of his jeans. “You never answered me about the pancakes, Abs. Chocolate chips, blueberries, or plain?”
“I’m a glutton. I want chocolate chips and blueberries,” Abby said.
“A woman after my own heart. Cait?” Aiden asked.
“I’m good with both, thanks.”
As they headed outside, Cait said, “Tank says I should never be allowed to make coffee.”
“I’ll show you how to make it, but between you and me, I can’t get enough of that special coffee Keira makes for Aiden.”
“Based on that twinkle in your eyes, I’d say you can’t get enough of him, either.”
“I think we’ve proven that women should rule the world,” Leni said later that morning at the Bistro. Her auburn hair framed her face, and her green shirt set off her flawless, fair skin. “In a matter of hours, we’ve come up with a grassroots campaign and a big-picture marketing plan that fits your budget and should bring you excellent exposure.”
“Your brain never fails to amaze me,” Daphne said. She had come up with so many great marketing ideas, it was no wonder the winery already had a waiting list for events.
“It’s almost like Leni does marketing for a living,” Jules said as she pulled her hair into a ponytail, her cropped yellow sweater exposing the top of her high-waisted jeans.
“That’s why they pay her the big bucks,” Abby said.
Abby was overwhelmed by the generosity of her friends. They’d come armed with lists of ideas and contacts, worked through lunch—they’d ordered pizza—and had not only helped her devise marketing plans, but they’d also provided more ideas for the logo and nailing down the menu design. Cait’s mock-ups for the logo were gorgeous, using soothing blues and browns with just a hint of gold, giving them a touch of class. Some were more elaborate than others, and all the girls agreed that they should go with a fluid, clean design, focusing on the name of the restaurant and giving it an upscale beachy feel. Cait was going to work up another idea for the logo this week using hers and Abby’s favorite elements of the mock-ups she’d shared.
“Speaking of earning big bucks,” Leni said. “Cait, you’re incredibly talented. Would you ever consider doing graphic design for corporations?”
“No offense, but no,” Cait answered. “I like doing my own thing.”
Leni said, “I guess I’ll scratch recruit Cait off my list.”
“Hey, get your claws away from my sister. I just found her, and I’m not giving her up without a fight,” Abby said, earning the biggest grin from Cait. “You guys are amazing. I can’t believe it’s all coming together.” Excitement bubbled up inside her. “Holy cow, Cait. We’re really doing this!”
They all laughed.
Abby took a deep breath and voiced the worry that had been nagging at her. “Hopefully I’ll get approved for the line of credit I applied for, or else all of this will be for naught.”
“What do you mean?” Leni asked.
“With the insurance money we inherited and my savings, we still didn’t have enough capital to make it work. It’s much more expensive than I realized. I need to have two months of capital up front so I can order food and pay staff. I don’t know what I was thinking, but I should be okay if I get approved for the home equity line of credit. Thank goodness Aiden went with me to the bank. I almost went with a loan instead of a line of credit, which would have cost me a lot more in interest. I should hear if it’s approved Monday or Tuesday. I keep telling myself they have to approve it, since our house is worth so much, but the truth is, I’m scared shitless. Without enough money for inventory, staff, and everything else it will take to get this off the ground, even if I win the competition, I can’t open the restaurant unless I run it as a one- or two-person show, which would be impossible.”
“Is there another way to get the money?” Daphne asked.
“Yes. There’s an investment company that wanted to buy the restaurant, and Aiden thinks we could approach them for an angel investment deal instead of a purchase. He also offered to invest.”
Cait’s eyes widened. “He did?”
Abby nodded. “I said no, of course.”
“That was smart. If there’s one thing that can kill a relationship, it’s mixing business with pleasure. Abby, how much money are we talking about?” Leni asked.
“A lot. Way too much for him to be offering. I really want to do this on my own, with my sisters. I don’t want an investor hovering over me, much less to feel indebted to Aiden. I mean, it was sweet of him to offer, but like you said, it’s not smart.”
“He must really believe in you to offer you money,” Jules said.
Abby sat back and felt a smile tugging at her lips. “He does, and it’s the most incredible thing I’ve ever experienced. I can’t wait to show him the menu design and logo ideas.”
“Where is he today?” Daphne asked. “I thought he was helping you with all of this.”
“He is helping, but he’s supposed to be on vacation, remember? He and Brant were going sailing this morning.” She wished she could have gone with them. She’d love to see Aiden piloting a boat, the wind bringing out his curls, and kissing him as they sailed swiftly through the water, the ocean breeze on their faces.
“You’ve got that dreamy look again, like you did last night,” Jules said.
“It looks good on her,” Daphne said. “Doesn’t it?”
Abby rolled her eyes. “Stop.” Her phone vibrated, and she pulled it from her pocket. Her pulse quickened at the sight of Aiden’s name on the screen. Hey, Abs, I’m running pretty late. Sorry. Can I meet you and Cait a few hours later? 6:00 at the Bistro? A wave of disappointment washed through her.
“What’s wrong?” Cait asked.
“Nothing. Aiden’s running late.” She thumbed out a reply—Sure. Thanks for letting me know—trying to quell the hurt of being pushed to the back burner, and at the same time, she knew it wasn’t fair for her to be hurt. He had a right to enjoy his vacation, and skating with her and Cait probably wasn’t nearly as fun as sailing with Brant.
Leni sat back and studied her. “And you’re upset?”
“No, just disappointed. We had something planned that I was really looking forward to.”
Leni held her gaze with a look only a best friend could serve up—the one that said something was going on, and she was going to get to the bottom of it. “You know, you dated Paul for a long time, and you were never this invested.”
“Not everyone who dates is meant to be together forever,” Abby said as she put her phone in her pocket.
“I get that,” Leni said. “But you never put in much effort with Paul, and here you are, in the middle of huge life changes, moving back to the island and opening the restaurant, which would be enough to make me more closed off than ever, and yo
u seem to be letting Aiden in.”
“Ever heard of chemistry?” Jules asked.
Leni gave her a big-sister eye roll. “Yeah, I get that. Even though I only went out with Abby and Paul a few times, the difference in how she and Aiden look at each other and treat each other is obvious. But why are you willing to put in so much effort when your entire life is up in the air?”
“I don’t know,” Abby admitted. “I’m sure this will sound like I’m lying, but I honestly don’t think I’m putting in more effort. I’m not shirking responsibilities to be with Aiden; we’re doing it together. This thing between us isn’t me rearranging my schedule to fit him into it. It’s just happening. We met, we clicked, and we really like each other. I haven’t ever had a relationship like this before.”
“That’s how it was with me and Jock,” Daphne said. “Suddenly we did everything together, and life was fuller and better. I was a nervous wreck at first because he had trouble with little ones, and I have Hadley, but it was worth every second.”
“But, Abby, what happens when he goes back to wherever he came from?” Leni asked.
Leni had always been straightforward, and Abby usually loved that about her, but she didn’t want to think about Aiden leaving. “We haven’t gotten that far, Leni. We’ve talked about still seeing each other, but you know me. I don’t like to put expectations on people.”
“The look on your face when you got that text told me otherwise,” Leni challenged.
“In Abby’s defense, how can you build a relationship without expectations?” Cait asked.
“That’s exactly my point,” Leni said with a softer tone. “Relationships take trust, and trust builds expectations.”
Frustrated, Abby pushed to her feet and paced. “But not expectations of a future. It’s not like I’m pining for a wedding ring. We just started seeing each other a little over a week ago.”
“I can’t believe you’ve only been together that long. You guys are so comfortable with each other,” Jules said. “When you looked at each other last night and the other day when I saw you in town, it was like you two could read each other’s minds.”
“That’s exactly how it feels,” Abby confessed. “And I know it makes no sense, but we’re that good together, and I’m happy for the first time in years. He gets me, you guys. He fosters my friendships, he values family as much as I do, and he supports my ideas. Although he pushes, too, like signing me up for the competition when I said I didn’t want to do it.”
Leni raised her index finger toward the ceiling and said, “He gets extra brownie points from me for doing that.”
“Great. I’ll tell him that,” Abby said. “That’s what I mean. His bad thing is a good thing. Is it a crime that I want to enjoy it and not worry about if we’re going to last past these few weeks?”
“No, that’s not a crime.” Leni pushed to her feet, stepping into Abby’s path, and said, “But the fact that you think we don’t realize you’re lying to us about not being worried is ridiculous.”
“I am not lying,” Abby said as a kernel of guilt lodged in her chest.
Leni crossed her arms and arched a brow, and Abby couldn’t keep a straight face. Laughter bubbled out, and they all laughed with her. She stalked around Leni and plopped into a chair with a heavy sigh. “I’m screwed, aren’t I?”
“If the panties and bra on the stairs this morning were any indication,” Cait said sassily, “I’d say you got good and screwed last night.”
“What?” Leni shrieked.
Daphne giggled, and Jules popped to her feet and began singing to the tune of “Hot in Herre” by Nelly. “He got a whole lotta, ah, uh . . .” She accentuated the last two sounds with hip thrusts. “She got a whole lotta, ah, ah.”
“Nooo! Stop!” Leni covered her ears.
The next few hours flew by with old-school girl talk, which was exactly what Abby needed. Jules and Daphne left midafternoon, but Leni stayed all day. She lectured Abby about trying to manage her expectations with Aiden, but she also raved about him again and reminded her that her cousin thought the world of him. She invited them to spend Mother’s Day with their family, but Abby secretly had plans to make Cait and Aiden a delicious brunch, and she hoped to go through more of her mother’s things. By the time Leni left, Abby realized once again that she’d made the right decision by coming home to rebuild her life. With Leni’s and the rest of her friends’ support, she would always have a shoulder to lean on.
As she and Cait locked up the restaurant, the late-afternoon sun shone down on them, and the sounds of the waves kissing the shore was music to Abby’s ears. “Ready for your surprise?”
“My surprise?” Cait looked skeptical. “I should clue you in to the fact that I’m not big on surprises.”
She draped an arm over Cait’s shoulder and said, “You survived finding out you had two sisters. I think you can survive this.”
They walked around the side of the Bistro, heading for the parking lot. Abby’s heart skipped at the sight of Aiden with his Silver Island hat on and three sets of skates in his hands. That skipping warred with her earlier disappointment, which she’d all but forgotten about until now. It gnawed at her like a rat stuck in a maze.
Conflicting emotions swam in Abby’s eyes, and Aiden knew it was because he’d been running late. He could only imagine how she’d feel when he told her he was leaving Monday morning. He had been having a great day until he’d received a call from George Pennington, the founder of Pennington Development Group, one of his father’s old clients. His grandson Damon had taken over last year, and they were expanding the business in a new direction. Aiden had already invested heavily in the company, and now they needed more capital. Although Aiden believed in the company’s potential, he preferred to keep his portfolio diverse and had already invested all he was willing to. George was taking his financial team on a road show—hitting four cities in five days, pitching to groups of potential investors to sell additional interests in the business—and they had a better chance of winning over other investors with Aiden on board for the presentations. Aiden had known about the road show two months ago, but while he’d suggested he go with them, they had initially turned down his offer. He wasn’t surprised at their last-minute reality check. It was a much smarter business move to bring him along, even if the last thing he wanted to do was leave Abby.
“Hey there, stranger,” Abby said.
“Hi, babe. Are you ladies ready for our roller derby?” Aiden asked lightly, though he felt anything but light.
“We’re really doing this?” Cait asked as he handed her a pair of skates.
“Hell yes. You can’t go your whole life not knowing how to skate.” He pointed to the open trunk of his rental car and said, “Helmets and knee pads are in there.”
“If I break an arm, Tank is going to be pretty upset,” Cait said as they retrieved the rest of their gear.
Cait sat down on the grass to put on her skates, and Aiden kissed Abby’s cheek, guiding her a few feet away. As they sat down to put them on, he said, “I’m sorry for running so late.”
“It’s okay.”
“It’s not okay, Abs, but it couldn’t be avoided. I am sorry.”
She focused on putting on her skates, but his chatty girl had gone reticent.
“Talk to me, Abs.”
“I hate the way I feel right now,” she said in a hushed and anguished tone. “I was disappointed because I was so excited to surprise Cait, and you knew that. But it’s not like you canceled, and it’s not like we have some great commitment. Not to mention that this is your vacation. You’re supposed to be out having fun, not only doing things for me. I feel stupid for even being disappointed in the first place, but I was.”
“You have every right to feel slighted, and I am so very sorry. Hell, I was disappointed in myself, but the delay couldn’t be avoided. I had to get a few things done, and they took longer than I anticipated. I texted the second I realized I’d be late.”
“I
thought you were out sailing with Brant all day.”
“That was the plan, but you know what they say about best-laid plans.” He pulled on kneepads and put on his skates. As he laced them up, he said, “I also got some bad news today. One of my father’s old buddies—a client of his—needs my help next week. He’s in a pretty dire situation. I’m taking a five o’clock flight Monday morning to New York so I have time to swing by my place, change into a suit, and pack. I’m meeting my client in Manhattan at ten, and we’ve got meetings in New York, Chicago, LA, and Boston. I’ll be gone until late Friday evening.”
“Oh. Okay.” Confusion joined the disappointment in her eyes, but she quickly put on a braver face and said, “I thought you lived in LA?”
“I’ve got a place in New York, too, because I work there often. I’ve got a few places of my own.”
“A few?”
“Some people invest in 401(k)s. I happen to like real estate and businesses.”
“Wow, okay. You weren’t kidding about traveling a lot for work, were you?” She managed a smile and said, “Does Remi know?”
“No. This client doesn’t work through my assistant. He called me directly. I’ll call Remi at some point. She knows that I don’t put off my father’s friends or clients.” He was pretty sure Remi would go off on him, but Abby didn’t need to worry about that. He took her hand and said, “I hope you know that leaving is the last thing I want to do, and I’ll bust my ass to get back as soon as I can. I hate that I’ll miss helping you for these next few days. I was looking forward to painting with everyone.”
“It’s fine. I totally understand.” A real, though tempered smile appeared, and she said, “You have a life, Aiden, and that’s something we can’t pretend doesn’t exist.”
“For the first time in my life, I wish I could. I’m sorry about being late today and about leaving Monday.” He kissed her and said, “I’ll make it up to you when I get back.”
As he pushed to his feet, Cait crawled over to them, cutting through the remaining tension. She went up on her knees, planted her hands on her hips, and said, “You didn’t think I was going to try to stand up in these things alone, did you?”
Maybe We Will (Silver Harbor) Page 26