Romance: The Second Chance - Contemporary Romance (Romance, Contemporary Romance, Suspense Romance Book 1) (7 page)

              “They’re good. Marta’s been sick, but she’s starting to feel better. Jay is very much ready for school to be over. I keep telling him it's only a few more months, but to him that is forever.”

              “Yeah, I know the feeling...” Eli’s gaze slowly drifted downward, towards his hands on the table.

              They finished their hot dogs in silence, then got up, gathered their trash, and headed back to Kirsten. Ricky stopped Eli at the garbage can.

              “You hang in there, OK?” he said seriously. “You don't give up on me, and I won't give up on you. Me, Marta, and even Jay, we are here for you, you know that. Don't ever hesitate to call or come over. Alright? I'm serious.”

              Eli nodded, and thanked him. Ricky pulled him in for a big hug. Though they rarely embraced each other like this, Eli admitted it felt good, and welcomed the encouragement.

              Ricky didn’t bring it up again as they went back to finish off their shifts with Kirsten, but Eli knew the offer had been sincere. He also knew that although Ricky's intentions were good, he and his family could never offer Eli what he had lost. And he feared he would never feel whole again.

             
T
he night before Abby had told herself she would apologize to Eli for her apparent rudeness, but now she was having doubts. Was that really the best choice? Or would it just restart the cycle for them both? Maybe, instead, the best plan of action was time. Time to heal. Time to forget. Time to move on. As she always had done.

              Abby squeezed her eyes shut.
Move on.

              She brushed the covers away, and pulled on a pair of jeans and tank top. She didn't work today, so she could wear whatever she wanted. Comfort won out, as it usually did.

              As she scrubbed her teeth with a firm new toothbrush, she stared at her reflection in the mirror. The toothbrush slowed, then stopped. Abby barely recognized herself. Barely recognized the women staring blankly back at her. Surely this couldn't be her… could it?

              There were subtle changes in her face—not obvious, but enough that she noticed.  There was another crease in her forehead. Her eyes drooped slightly at the corners, and dark circles had dug in underneath. Her skin had a vaguely tired look to it.
She had changed.
She looked like someone beyond her age, not just physically but mentally, too. The mental strain, the anxiety, stress, sorrow and grief weighed on her heavily. She’d thought she would be able to keep them hidden but they’d only shown up in her face instead. She looked like a woman engulfed by sadness, and overwhelmed by regret. Could the rest of the world see it too?

              Abby couldn't stand to look at it anymore. She splashed cold water on her face, hoping—praying—it would wash away the evidence of her sins.

              When she finished, she made her way downstairs. Melody was already awake, and Abby could hear eggs sizzling and spitting in the pan.

              “Oh, you're up!” Melody said, surprised. “Would you like some eggs? I could easily crack a few more in for you.”

              Abby smiled, but shook her head. Her appetite was as lacking as the joy in her heart. “No thanks, I think I'll just have some toast. I'm planning on meeting Molly at the bottom of the hill at 9:00, so I don't have a lot of time.”

              “Oh, toast won’t be enough for you. Here, let me throw in a few eggs, it’ll only take a minute.” Melody made her way towards the fridge to grab the extra ingredients.

              “No, really,” Abby said, louder than she probably should have. Melody froze, looking over her shoulder. “I mean, really... it's fine Grandma. Thank you though.” She made sure to tack on the last part. She didn't want to sound rude, but the idea of seeing Eli today had her all out of sorts. She figured she could apologize later. First she had to face Eli.

              Melody frowned, and slowly made her way back to the stove.

             
Better to ask for forgiveness later, than to spill the beans now.
She thought.

              Abby quickly made her toast and choked it down. It was a little burnt, which didn't make getting it down any easier, but she managed.  Then she was gone. She even forgot to say goodbye to Melody, she was in such a guilty rush.
Another thing to apologize for,
she thought, tacking it onto the list.

              She met up with Molly as planned, and they both made their way towards Splash Cafe. Abby didn't fill Molly in on the exact reason she wanted to go, but really wanted her there for support. They had started to become really close again, and it felt good. Molly definitely had a few quirks, but Abby wouldn't change any one of them.

              As they arrived, Abby's stomach began to flip and turn, like she was back at the local fair riding the big roller coaster, and she immediately had second thoughts. She hesitated, but she took a deep breath, and continued on.

             
You can do this. You
need
to do this. No more running.

             
Having Molly along really helped. Courage was contagious, and Molly had it in spades. Abby wasn't sure whether it was from ignorance or confidence, but it made her feel better, either way.

              They made their way towards the front and saw that Kirsten was working.

             
Uh oh...

             
It had never dawned on Abby that Eli might not even be there, and she didn't think she could muster up the confidence to do this again another day.

              “Hey Kirsten!” Molly said, before Abby could even get her thoughts straight.

              “Hey Molly. Hey Abby.” The gum smacked and turned in her mouth. She was flipping through a magazine that read
Woman's World,
and started on a big pink bubble.

              “Slow day?” Molly asked.

              “Not really, just got through the morning crowd. It should pick up again in the next hour or two.” Kirsten said as she flipped through to another page. “Is there something I can get for you guys?”

              “No,” Abby chimed in. “We were… um, is Eli working today?”

              Kirsten looked up at Abby from her magazine, raising an eyebrow. A smirk drew across her face. “Why?”

              Abby opened her mouth, then closed it. Could she just tell her the truth? That she just need to talk with him for—

“Abby just needs to talk with him,” Molly said. “Where is he?”.

              Abby smiled.
Thank God for Molly.

              Kirsten looked at them both, her eyes darting back and forth between them. Brow still raised. Finally, she lowered it in surrender. “If you say so. He's just on his break. In the back. I guess I could go get him if you wan—”

              “No it's okay,” Molly said. She was good at interrupting people, and right now Abby loved her for it. “Thanks Kirsten.” She grabbed Abby's wrist, leading her towards the back of the cafe.

              “Whatever.” Kirsten muttered, shaking her head as she went back to her magazine.

              “What are we doing?” Abby hissed.

              “Going to talk to him,” Molly said innocently. “Isn't that what you wanted?”

              “Well yes, but...”

              “Alright then, here he is.” Molly stopped right in front a large door directly behind the front cashier. A large sign attached read “DO NOT ENTER – EMPLOYEES ONLY”.

              “Are you sure about this Molly? I mean, I can wait for him to come out.”

              “No, it's fine. I used to go back here all the time and talk to a girlfriend of mine that used to work here.”

             
Wonder why she got fired
,
Abby thought.

              “Really it's fine, just go in.”

              “Isn't it locked?”

              “Don't think so. Let’s see.” Without warning Molly grabbed the handle, and swung the door wide open. Eli, sat reading in a chair, nearly fell out of his seat.

Molly’s face opened in surprise. “Oopsies! Sorry Eli, I didn't think it was gonna open so fast.” She laughed, completely oblivious to the heart attack it looked like she'd almost given him.

              Abby felt her face warm.

              “What do you guys want?” Eli asked. He looked incredible, better than usual. His hair fell naturally to the side. His clothing sharp and dapper. A little stubble visible from missing a morning shave, something Abby always liked. And those eyes. Deep, full, and flooded with color. It was as though they could see right through her.

              “Abby just wanted to talk to you.” Molly said cheerfully.

Her courage was a double-edged sword.

              Eli's expression immediately changed. A mixture of excitement and surprise flashed across his face before it settled again.

              “So... here you go.” Molly motioned for Abby to step inside the room, but Abby froze, then took a few baby steps, barely making it through the door way.

              Eli stood up, sitting down again in a different, more rickety one nearby. Offering her his with his free hand.

              “No, it's OK. I'd rather stand.”

              Eli's face relaxed. The excitement gone, the curiosity leaving. She was doing it again. Shutting herself off. Not even allowing someone the gratification of accepting their chivalry.

              That had to stop.

              “Actually, you know what, I would like to sit. Thank you.” She smiled at him, and sat down in the chair. It was pretty comfortable. And still warm with the heat from his body.

Eli was smiling a little, now. “So what was you wanted to talk with about?”

              Abby abruptly realized that in the madness of deciding to do this and actually coming here, she hadn't given any thought as to what she would actually say. And now here she was. The man who had caused her so much inner turmoil, five feet in front of her, waiting patiently for whatever left her mouth next. Abby hoped it wouldn't be her breakfast. Her heart quickened. Her body quivered. She was on the verge of a full blown panic attack.

             
Just tell him the truth...
She took a deep breath. Closed her eyes, and...

             
“I just wanted to apologize.” She said. No idea how he would react to such a blunt statement.

              Eli looked caught off guard. “Apologize for what?” Clearly emphasizing the last word implying she’d done him no wrong—except, she had.

The genuine surprise in Eli's voice did make her feel better, though. She’d thought he must loathe her, but he seemed honestly shocked by the idea that she’d done anything warranting an apology. Which also made Abby feel guilty. He was a man of impeccable character, and she'd treated him like a player looking for his next one-night stand.

              “For being so rude to you this last week. You've been nothing but nice to me, and I wasn’t nearly as kind in return. It's not you, and it's not who I want to be, it's just… some things have… have happened, to me. In my past, I mean. I’m more wary and skeptical of people than I used to be. I don't like it, but it happens without me even realizing it. I think I did it with to you and... I guess... I'm just sorry, that's all.”

              Abby hadn't noticed, but somewhere during her speech, Eli's mouth had opened subconsciously. Another indication of complete astonishment.

              He shook his head, blinking a few times, then stopped. He looked directly at her, expression steady, and said.

              “It takes a lot of courage to do what you just did, and I’m honored, but you really have nothing to be sorry for. Nothing. If anything,
I’m
sorry. I think I... overstepped some bounds, and if that made you feel uncomfortable at all then that’s my fault. Not yours.”

              Abby stared at him. This was far from how she had expected him to respond. She felt like a complete fool for ever thinking all those horrible thoughts about him, and what his character was made of.

              “Alright?” he asked.

              She nodded mutely.

              “Good. Maybe we can start over?” He offered his hand. “My name is Eli, what's yours?” When he smiled, Abby nearly melted into her chair.

              She extended her hand. “I’m Abby. Nice to meet you, Eli.” She smiled back, and felt something begin to swell inside her chest, warm and small.

              “It's very nice to meet you too.”

              Abby stood up, and headed back through the doorway, where she'd first been so terrified to stand barely three minutes ago. Now she felt completely at ease. A small part of her didn't want to leave, even. But she did, Eli walking her out. They spotted Molly, who had bought some fries and had been feeding the seagulls, and walked up beside her.

              “Did you two love birds work things out?” she said, licking her salty fingers.

              Abby's eyes widened. The words “love birds” rang in her ears, but as usual, Eli was unphased. Instead he smiled, looked at Abby and said, “I think we did.”