Love Me: The Complete Series (20 page)

The hostess cleared her throat. “So, you’re meeting someone for the first time here?”

“Uh, yeah. Dumb right?”

“No, it’s cute. And don’t worry, the elevator opens to an empty hall so you can wait there.” The doors slid open as if to confirm and she held them while they exited.

“Whew. That helps a little.” Caroline looked at Abby. “You look amazing, by the way. No matter what he looks like, you’re the hottest woman in the place and he’ll be lucky to have you as a date.”

Abby smiled. “Thanks. You’re the best. So, go look.” She gave a playful push.

Caroline disappeared around the corner. There was a hum of voices in the room and Abby could only guess at the size of the crowd. Still, it couldn’t be too hard to find a guy with an Astros cap on his head in this kind of place, right? Most guys probably wouldn’t be wearing a hat at all.

When Caroline returned, she was carrying a bloody mary and munching on celery. “Wow, they make really great drinks here.”

Abby stomped a foot. “Well?”

“Um, well he’s tall. Dark hair. Nice eyes.”

“I like tall and dark. Sounds good. Is he good looking? Oh, why do I care? It doesn’t really matter. He’s a nice guy, right?” Abby wrenches her fingers together. “Great! Thanks for checking, I’ll go on now. You can take the car and I’ll catch a cab.” She handed the keys over.

Caroline grabbed the keys and clenched her fingers in the process. “Um, question.”

“What is it? What’s with him? Come on … spill.”

“No, nothing’s wrong. It’s just that—he looks kind of like—Carter. You think Carter’s good looking, right?”

“Carter’s history. An over-complicated ass that I hope to God I don’t see again in this lifetime. By the way, I meant to tell you that you’re going solo on that contract from now on.” Abby pulled a brush from her purse and ran it through her hair.

“Weeellll that might be a problem.”

“Why?”

“Look, it wasn’t his fault you know. All the complications, those were actually just a part of all the miscommunication. He’s … ”

“History. Look, I’m going in. I’ll call you later.”

“No. Wait. Abby!”

“What?” Abby hit the brakes and checked her friend’s harried expression.

“It’s him. It’s Carter. He’s in there with a friend and he’s the only guy in a baseball cap. An Astros baseball cap.”

Abby’s gut felt like a vise had tightened over it. “Yeah right. Ha. Ha. That’s not
even
funny.”

Caroline put a hand on her arm. “I’m not kidding, honey. It’s really him.”

Abby stepped out and peeked around the corner. Yep. “No fricking way! How the hell does that happen? Is this a joke? Did you send him here? Or Roger?”

Caroline gulped her bloody mary and shook her spiked head. “No, really. I didn’t know.”

Abby yanked her phone out of her purse and looked at the Justchat app. How the hell could she join an app that was
supposed
to be anonymous and end up with him out of all the people in the entire city? “That’s crazy. Why would I get stuck with him? I’m calling their customer support. Hang on.”

She dialed the number she found in fine print on their support page. After pressing several more keys and going through a selection process, she finally ended up with a real person on the line. “You want to tell me how you guys choose who sees our chat messages? I mean isn’t it supposed to be anonymous?
Totally
anonymous?”

The attendant on the other side sounded confident and soothing. “Yes, ma’am. All of our members are anonymous. No real names are used, nor divulged. Nor are addresses, or other personal information. However, if the person wishes to give out information they can. We also go through a series of questions upon setting up the account … all optional, of course … which are used to determine like personalities. If you answer them, then we will use those to distribute your chat messages to people with similar interests. However, you are welcome to skip all the questions if you choose.”

Damn. Wish I’d known that up front.
“So, if a person happens to answer all the questions, including locale related ones … you use that as sort of a matching thing?”

“Yes, ma’am. It’s intended to put like personalities together in a situation where they can take it to the next level if they wish.”

Abby pulled the phone from her head and stared at the screen as if the woman had lost her mind. Not knowing what to say, she simply clicked end on the call and shook her head. “I don’t believe this. Is the whole world out to get us? I mean me?”

Caroline lifted a brow and leaned in while sipping her drink. Abby could smell the tomato juice and pepper as she opened her mouth. “So, what’d they say?”

“You wouldn’t believe it if I told you. Look, I’m not going in there. Give me the keys back and let’s leave.”

“But I’m not done yet. And besides you can’t just leave him there. That’s even meaner than everything else you’ve already done.”

“Is it? The guy dumped a trash can on my head. I think he’s gotten his payback. Besides I can assure you he won’t want me to be the date.” She punched the button on the elevator repeatedly.

“Jennifer Abigail Jeffries, you get your ass in there and talk to that man! Stop playing around. Think about it, woman. There has to be a reason all this stuff keeps happening—”

“Yeah, I am too chicken to tell the truth and we both have some very meddlesome friends who just can’t seem to butt out of our lives.”

Caroline quirked a brow. “Hey, none of us had anything to do with you using that app to meet him. I don’t even know what Justchat is. You did that completely on your own.”

“Yeah, but the rest … ”

“The rest was karma, honey. Nature’s way of trying to beat into your thick skulls that the two of you need each other.”

“Right. Like a pitcher needs a broken arm.”

Caroline thumped a palm to her head, “Geeze you’re a pain. Come on.” She grabbed her hand and dragged her out of the hallway and into the bar.

• • •

Carter took a drag on his beer and slid a glance around the room. She should show any time now. He wished he’d asked what
she
looked like. He just mentioned the cap because in truth, he didn’t really care. He liked her voice—or at least her written voice—and it hadn’t even occurred to him to ask for descriptors. Not like him to do that. Actually not like any guy. He was losing his touch.

Oh shit.
He whirled around and faced the bar.
What the hell is Abby doing here?
With her ditzy partner even. He focused on the screen above the bar and the game. Maybe they wouldn’t see him and leave. There were a lot of people around. None of them wearing a stupid Astros cap. He yanked it off and stuffed it in his back pocket.

“Well, if it isn’t my partner in crime and trash buddy.”
Great.
So much for not being seen.

“Oh, hey.” He put the beer to his lips and ignored her. “What are you doing here? Seeking another victim?”

Abby lifted her head and grabbed the refill beer the bartender brought him. She drank two gulps then wiped her mouth with her hand. “Mmm. Modelo. One of my favorites.” She dropped the glass back in front of him.

Carter shoved it her way. “Feel free to drink the rest then. Preferably on the other side of the room if you don’t mind. Out in the parking lot would work too.”

Abby twisted her nose at the fizz from the lime. Guess he should have told her he’d pushed one into the bottle. Although if he’d actually intended her to drink it, he probably wouldn’t have done so. She puckered her lips. “Ooh. Ooh. Aren’t we a little grumpy tonight? What’s a matter? Had a bad day?”

Was she tipsy? Or just feeling extra nasty for some reason? “My day was great actually. Getting better by the minute. But I kinda have a date so why don’t you and your friend go somewhere else?”

“A date? Lucky you.” Abby peeked around his backside then smiled into his eyes. Dammit he hated when she did that—he immediately felt the heat and his dick started to betray him. He couldn’t stave off the reaction as much as he wished he could. He watched her glossy lips move. “You forgot to bring the trashcan though. Want me to go get it for you so you can dump it on her too?”

Carter rolled his eyes and took another drink, glancing in the mirror at the entrance. “Real funny. Tell me something, Abby. Or should I call you Jennifer? Who’d you manage to get fired this month? Or who else are you stringing along like he matters?”

Her mouth fell open. Thank God he’d finally found a way to silence the sarcasm. Now if he could just get rid of her before his date showed. He glanced at the entrance again as a couple entered. Nope.

Abby winced and followed his gaze. “Well, I guess I’ll let you get on with your date then. Bye now.” She wiggled her fingers and walked away. He hated himself for watching too. Her hips always had this natural sway that showed off the tightness of her butt and legs. All that running certainly did the trick. Too bad the rest of her was so hard to deal with. Except in bed.

He closed his eyes tight, trying to dispel the image.

Saturday afternoons were the best. Everyone that came in the shop had a celebration to attend, therefore moods were always good, and it was the day before Abby’s upcoming relaxation break. Sundays were her day off, just as Fridays belonged to Caroline. Both of them worked Saturday since the day tended to be busy and they often had a lot of deliveries beyond just normal store activities.

Two hours to closing. Then she’d be at home with a Netflix movie, some microwave popcorn, and much-needed peace and quiet. The phone rang and Abby picked it up, acknowledging her mind had already left. Until the voice on the other end spoke.

“Um, hi, this is Becky Coben’s pharmacist. Do you have a minute?”

She stared at the display as if it had reached out and slapped her. How did they get her number? Why
her
and not Carter?

“Is everything okay? Does Becky need something?”

“No, that’s not it. Um, we sort of made a mistake here and we need to check on her, make sure she’s doing well. One of those meds is new here and she hasn’t taken it before. Apparently there are a few known drug interactions with something she’s already taking and well, we just want to make sure you’re aware.”

Holy crap. If they called to check, then it had to be fairly serious. Thoughts of Becky lying out in the tall grass behind her house flitted through Abby’s head. “What kind of interactions?”

Hesitation made the crackle on the phone sound explosive. “Well, there are a few things she needs to watch out for. Dizziness, high blood pressure, loss of appetite, frequent urination, nausea—”

“You’ve
got
to be kidding me! All that and you didn’t even think to mention it?”

“Well, she already knows about the others and normally her son is here and reads through everything and asks us. Someone else picked them up this time. Our girl didn’t think to check it because she usually has a lengthy visit with Carter.”

Yeah, I’ll bet she does. A lengthy visit, huh? So, when it’s just some unknown girl from out of town, who cares about the health and safety of the patient?
Abby thrust her hand under the counter and yanked out her purse. It caught on the edge, spilling the contents on the floor. She shifted the phone between her shoulder and ear, using both hands to scoop the mess into the bag.

“Have you told Carter all this?”

“We called but it kept cutting out. He said he was out of the country and gave us this number to call. Said it was … ”

“Jackson’s. Yeah, I’ll go check on her. What else do I need to know and how can I reach you if there’s an issue?”

She should just call Roger and tell him to go. Still, she felt responsible. Besides, Becky was nice. The voice on the other side scrambled off several other minor things and she noted everything, asking for a repeat while she penned it onto a pad then ended the call.

“Caroline, I have to run out. I know it’s early, but I have a little problem. Sorry. I’ve already forwarded the phone to my cell for the night so it should be quiet.”

Caroline just waved her off.

There was no way in hell she intended to be responsible for anything happening to Carter’s mother even if she was on his shit list.

The drive to the farm was agonizing, but she made the trip without once consulting her GPS or Google maps. When she rolled to a stop behind the house, Becky wasn’t in the yard as before. The house was still. With the sun behind the roof, long shadows engulfed her as she tromped up the steps and knocked on the door. No answer. She stepped to the window, framed her eyes, and peered through the glass. With dusk encroaching, it was too dark to make anything out. Her stomach growled a reminder of the time, but the deeper sting of fear was more threatening than hunger.

She hated to intrude. Circumstances being what they were, it was probably best. A quick jiggle of the doorknob showed it was unlocked. She stuck her head in and called, “Becky, it’s Jackson’s friend Abby, are you here?” She also cringed at calling herself
Jackson’s friend.
It was definitely more an insult than a compliment to be on that list of friends.

The silence was oppressing. No car noises, sirens, people—just big chasms of—nothingness. She clenched her jaw and stepped inside. No lights were on, and her fear heightened. What if she’d had a dizzy spell and passed out?
Please don’t let her have fallen and knocked her head on something.
Worse, what if her blood pressure spiked and she had—NO, stop thinking that way.

Abby strode through the main areas then started toward the back. Like many old houses, this one had a lengthy passageway to traverse in order to reach the bedrooms. She opened a closed door and cringed. Steps filtered down to a basement. No. She thrust aside the thought of Becky falling into the darkness. She rushed to another door. An empty bedroom decorated in lavender and green—a girl’s room. Then she heard it.

A faint moan followed by a stronger one. Oh no. She trudged toward the sound and threw open another door. Becky screamed and jolted upright. Along with a strange person beside her—a strange
male
person.