A Risk Worth Taking (21 page)

He stalked away and with each step, the cracks in her heart grew. Never had doing the right thing felt so wrong.

Chapter 21

Abby rolled over in bed and caught a whiff of aftershave. She buried her nose good and deep in that sandalwood scent she loved so much. “Grant,” she groaned, more asleep than awake.

Her fingers tunneled beneath the covers, reaching for him. She found nothing but cold sheets, and the sudden deviation from her dream jolted her awake. “Oh, God,” she cried as the events of yesterday rushed back with sickening clarity.

For hours after Grant stalked away, she couldn’t move from the gazebo. She didn’t weep, though, far from it. Her fist muffling the sound, she screamed till her throat was raw. Abby raged against a fate that would have her fall in love only to require her to give him up.

Finally, her anger spent, she emerged from the protection of the gazebo. A couple families remained at the park, but thankfully they were absorbed with their own pursuits, and she was able to make it to the parking lot unnoticed. Abby had no recollection how she made it home. Her only thoughts once she was behind the wheel were of finding some way of stopping the stabbing pain in her chest.

She stumbled through her house and collapsed fully clothed into her bed. The tears started then and hadn’t stopped until her body couldn’t make any more. Silent sobs took over after that, till she finally fell asleep. It wasn’t a restful slumber. Bent on torture, her unconscious mind replayed every touch, kiss, and word she’d shared with Grant.

Thank God, there were some self-preservation impulses in her and they’d mercifully yanked her from her dream. The only point in reliving what she could no longer have was punishment for the pain she’d caused him, and she had the rest of her life to work out her penance.

Abby shifted in the bed, telling herself it was time to get up. She quickly found intent wasn’t much help when her body wouldn’t cooperate. She let herself go limp, but if she thought avoidance would fix things, once again she was sadly mistaken. With her face touching the sheets where Grant had lain next to her, her whole brain seemed one giant olfactory nerve. She pulled the cotton to her face and breathed deeply. Then she drew her shirt to her nose. She even sniffed her hair. His scent permeated everything.

Until last night she’d reveled in the way his scent marked her. Bolting to the floor, she snatched the covers from the bed. Once she got started, she didn’t stop till she cleaned everything that could be thrown in the washer or scrubbed with bleach.

Later, while she pulled the last load from the dryer, she realized she still had a very large, expensive reminder parked in her garage. How was she going to get that thing back to him? All day she’d half expected Grant to show up at her door. If he had there’d have been no way for her to keep up the pretense. She reached for her phone, knowing she needed help.

Half an hour later, her back door opened. “Girl, I’m glad you called. I have got to tell you about my date last night,” Chris began. That was as far as he got. One look at her and his smile evaporated. “Good Lord, Abby, you look like death warmed over.”

She knew exactly how bad she looked, having seen her swollen eyes and washed-out face in the mirror. She tried to cover some of the effects of an eight hour crying jag, but there were some things makeup couldn’t fix.

He rushed to the table, touching her arm gently. “Is it your wrist?”

She wanted so badly to tell him yes, but at the moment she needed her friend more than she needed her pride. “My arm is fine.”

He cocked his head. “I get the feeling I’m missing something here.”

She took several deep breaths, trying to ease the tightness in her chest. “Grant Davis and I are…” Her voice broke. “He and I
were
having an affair.”

Chris dropped into one of her kitchen chairs. “You were
what
?”

Abby clenched her jaw, angry not at Chris who had plenty of reasons to be upset, but at herself for keeping the one person who might have talked some sense into to her in the dark. She poured her frustration into her explanation. “An affair. You know dating, kissing, having sex. That thing you’ve been after me to do.” She waved her arms above her head like a lunatic as she rambled on. “Well, I’ve been doing it with my daughter-in-law’s brother.”

Her hysteria must have shown on her face since his indignation melted away. “Oh hell, all those things I said yesterday. “ He took her hands in his, asking her softly. “My God, why didn’t you tell me?”

She struggled to recall her brilliant logic for keeping things on the down low. “I wanted to be discreet in case things didn’t work out.” As the words left her mouth, she realized a part of her always thought it was a matter of
when
, not
if
things went sour for them.

Chris shook his head. “How long has this been going on? Was it serious?” He waved his hand in her direction. “Of course it was serious.”

“Yeah, I…” Abby’s words trailed off and it was several seconds before she could speak. “I love him.”

He blinked. “Did he break up with you?”

Abby shook her head. “No. I did.”

“Was it because of what I said?” he breathed. Chris took her hands in his. “You know I don’t know my head from a hole in the ground.”

Abby waved her hand, cutting his concern off. “Not because of you. It just wasn’t right. I’m leaving for London soon and I don’t want to try to manage a long distance relationship.”

“But if he loves you,” Chris said.

She should have known better than to attempt to fool him. “I broke it off because I love him…” She put her hand over her mouth to stop a sob that was threatening to escape her lips. After a second she tried again. “I love him, and I want what’s best for him. He needs to give his marriage to Heather another shot, and he’ll do that if I’m not in the picture.”

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.