Obsession - A Sexy New Adult Contemporary Romance Novella (9 page)

“This is why I had decided not to date anymore. They’re all the same. All of them,” Abby mumbled as she started getting back to work. If Scarlett would ever get here, she would be able to breathe a lot easier knowing that things would be getting back in order.

Ten minutes passed, and Abby blinked away tears for at least the fifth time.
I can’t get anything done with the screen getting blurry every few minutes,
Abby thought in frustration. Even though the airport needed her, she couldn’t do this a moment longer. She was currently useless, and that fact made her mad. How dare she let a man affect her this way!

Jumping up, she gathered her things together as quickly as she could. She had to act, had to do something.

“What are you doing?” her father asked her with alarm when he saw her bundled up in her jacket and hat.

“Sorry, Dad. I’m not feeling well, and I need to go home right now. I’m sure Scarlett will be here any minute,” she explained and shot out of the office door, keys in hand, heading for her truck. For once, she was going to think about herself first. She wasn’t making a difference at the airport in the state she was in right now, anyway.

Cranking her truck up, she decided that there was no way she could stay in Pinesville any longer. Jake Penner was sealing that deal before the ink on the contract would even have time to dry. The thought of a new job and moving away had initially been scary, but now it was appealing. She needed to start fresh. Away from the airport and a lying Jake Penner. Those two things were now going to be irrevocably bundled together.

Did he really think she would be okay with his dishonesty when she found out? He obviously didn’t know her as well as he thought he did. Being able to trust someone meant more to her than anything else.

I’m just going to do it. Pack everything up and leave Pinesville in the dust. It seems I am only destined for heartbreak here,
she thought sadly.

She pulled into her drive and hopped out of the truck. Rushing inside, she grabbed her barely used luggage and began tossing things into the bags in a frenzy. Connor barked and jumped, not knowing what had gotten into Abby.

“Buddy, get ready. We’re about to go on a trip,” she said in a silly voice to the dog. Even when her world was crumbling around her, Connor still brought in a ray of sunshine.

In record time, she had packed up all of her clothes and necessities. She wasn’t going to take the furniture, but she did pack up her quilts and kitchenware. She paused when she saw the old coffee tin at the back of the pantry.

I know I was saving this for a rainy day, but this snowy day is good enough,
she thought as she opened the lid and pulled out several wads of bills. She knew there was enough money in her stash to get her comfortably through several weeks.

Within two hours, her truck was loaded and Connor was settled happily in the passenger’s seat. He loved going for a drive with Abby. With one final look at the cozy little cottage she had called home for several years, she pulled out of her driveway, not exactly sure where she was headed, but knowing it was on a road out of Pinesville.

* * * *

Jake threw the wrench down harder than he should have. He was just so frustrated. He could tell in Abby’s cool demeanor that the walls he had broken down around her heart had gone right back up the moment he confessed his true identity. Even though he hadn’t actually ever lied, he had omitted his true reason for being here. When he was in the office earlier, he knew there was no reason to even bother pointing that out. He saw the way Abby looked at him. He was a liar in her eyes.

After replacing the spark plugs and refilling all the fluids on the plane that was scheduled for a flight to Boise at three, he motioned for one of the other mechanics to take over. He had to find Abby and get her to talk to him. He cared about her way too much to allow her to freeze him out.

He was falling head over heels in love with her. He had only been in love once before, years ago, and even though he had only known Abby for hardly any time at all, he knew his feelings for her were going to run strong and deep. Something about her drew him to her like a moth to a flame.

Jake made his way quickly back to the office where he had left Abby barely an hour ago, but she wasn’t there. Instead, Jim and Scarlett were manning the office.

“Where’s Abby?” he asked a flustered Jim and a frustrated Scarlett.

“She left a while ago. Said she wasn’t feeling well,” Jim told him.

“Will and I just got here. She left us in quite a mess,” Scarlett complained.

“Where’s Will?” Jake asked, needing someone on his side.

“Your pilot is helping load luggage onto the plane that should’ve departed half an hour ago,” Scarlett said.

“So you know. . . ,” Jake said.

“Yes, Will told me on the way here. I’m guessing Abby found out from someone other than you that you were both lying,” Scarlett surmised.

“No, I’m the one who actually told her, but only after your father asked me a question that gave me no choice,” Jake explained with agitation.

“Hey, I had no idea she didn’t know that you were the one buying the airport,” Jim added.

“I know. It’s my fault. I should’ve told her in the very beginning, but I didn’t think she would open up to me,” Jake told them, running his hands through his hair in exasperation. He didn’t have time for this. He needed to find Abby.

“I know I was upset when Will told me the truth, but we are working it out,” Scarlett admitted, but she had to answer the phone on her desk before Jake could ask her anything more.

“You should go find her and talk this out with her,” Jim said straightforwardly.

“I have every intention of doing that as soon as I go and find Will,” Jake replied.

Jake hurried out of the office in his search of Will. He needed to find out what exactly Will had said to Scarlett.

Jake found Will on the runway, loading luggage.

“Dude. I told you not to say anything,” Jake said when he got within Will’s earshot.

“Jake, I was done being dishonest. Get mad if you want, but you need to come clean, too. I know about you and Abby,” Will said.

“I already have, and it didn’t go too well. I have to go find her. I think she is a lot more upset than she originally let on. I need to know exactly what you told Scarlett,” Jake explained.

Will finished putting the cart of luggage on the plane and started rolling it back. “All I told Scarlett was that I was your pilot, not the other way around. I’m sure she hasn’t talked to Abby, because she has been crazy-busy since we got here,” Will told him.

Jake nodded as he listened.

“Okay. I just needed to know if Scarlett had talked to Abby and what all you had said. I’ve got to get to her house and see if I can sort this out between us,” Jake said as he started jogging away.

Minutes later, he was in his driver’s seat zooming out of the parking lot.
Curse this snow,
Jake thought. It was making him have to drive a lot slower than he needed. By the time he was pulling into Abby’s short driveway, he slumped in his seat, knowing he was too late.

Staring at her little house, he could almost feel the emptiness exuding from its frame. His heart sank into the pit of his stomach. Getting out of the SUV, he walked up onto the porch. There was no sound of the loud barking Connor had welcomed him with the day before.

On a whim, he turned the doorknob. To his surprise, it opened. In her hurry to leave, she must have forgotten to lock the front door. That’s when he saw it: on the table by the door sat a set of keys and a note. The note was addressed to her landlord, but Jake picked it up and read it anyway.

Mr. Davis,

             
I have regrettably had to leave town unexpectedly. Per our phone conversation, I have left the keys on the table with this note. I hope you can find tenants to replace me soon. I am so very sorry for any inconvenience my leaving has caused you, and I will be in touch again soon.

Sincerely,

Abby Seymour

             
The note fell out of Jake’s hand and onto the floor. He had expected her to be upset, but he hadn’t seen this coming. She was gone.

             
He picked up the note and placed it back on the table. Shutting the door firmly, he stepped back onto her little porch. He couldn’t believe this had happened. For the first time in his life, he had met a woman that made him feel alive. A woman he couldn’t get enough of. After only a day, she was gone, and he had no idea how to find her.

             
After contemplating what to do, he squared his shoulders in resolve. He wasn’t about to give up. He realized that he had finally found the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. He was going to find Abby Seymour and bring her back to the place she loved and the man who loved her. By God, he would see it done.

From the Author

I’d like to thank you for taking the time to read my very first story :)

I hope you’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading it as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it.

I welcome any suggestions, questions or just a general chat.  You can contact me direct at my personal email address:
[email protected]

Also I’ll really appreciate it if you’d take just a few seconds to leave me feedback on Amazon.

Thank you :)

~ Amy x ~