Summer Fling (Players of Marycliff University Book 1) (10 page)

"It's just me, Mom." Abby pitched her voice loud enough to carry from the kitchen across the house through the closed bedroom door. It wasn't that loud. The house was small and the doors were cheap. They provided a sense of boundaries and blocked prying eyes, but they did next to nothing to block sound.

A moment later Diane poked her head out of the bedroom door, like a mouse checking to make sure that no predators lurked nearby. When she only saw Abby, she came the rest of the way into the living room. "Where is he?"

"He went outside to wait for me." Abby thought about saying something in Lance's defense, but didn't. It wouldn't make any difference. Instead she put the last few things in the pantry and picked up the stapled bag from the pharmacy. "Here's your new medication, Mom. Make sure you read the list of side effects. You can call me or text me if you need to and I can call the doctor if you have any of the bad ones."

Diane took the package and ripped open the top. Abby got her a glass of water while her mom looked over the insert from the pharmacy. "Thank you, sweetie."

Abby gave her mom a gentle hug. "You're welcome, Mom. I need to go now. I'm sure Lance wants to get home. I've taken up too much of his time."

Diane patted Abby on the back. "When will you come for another visit?" Her face was hopeful and sad.

"I don't know. I need to get my car fixed first. But text me if you need me, okay?"

Diane nodded and looked away, the hope gone from her face. "Okay."

"I love you, Mom."

Diane looked back at Abby and gave her a small smile. "I love you too, baby girl."

Diane walked Abby to the door. Once outside the locks clicked into place, shutting her mom away once more.

CHAPTER NINE

Lance was leaning against his car waiting for her. He stood with his back to the passenger door, arms crossed, head down. It was after eight now. The sun was getting lower on the horizon, casting a golden light on everything. Abby closed her eyes and took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of the trees in the summer evening. She let the warm air wash over her, trying to release the tension and frustration that she always felt after dealing with her mom.

When she opened her eyes, Lance was watching her. She walked down the few steps in front of the house and he straightened at her approach. Lance studied Abby's face for a moment when she stopped in front of him, then opened her door without saying a word. Abby slid into the seat, debating with herself what to say to Lance. She felt like she should say something, but didn't know what.

The sound of Lance's door closing and the engine starting pulled Abby out of her circular thoughts. "Are you hungry?" He turned the car around. "I'm hungry. Let's go get some dinner."
 

Lance's easy manner helped Abby to relax, releasing some of the tension she'd felt since she'd gotten her mom's text hours before. She nodded and smiled at him. "Yeah, I'm hungry."

Lance took them to the resort that dominated the waterfront on the lake downtown. Memories of spending time here with friends washed over Abby as they pulled into the parking garage. "I haven't been here in years."

Lance flashed her a quick smile. "You've figured out where we're going?"

"Well, I'm assuming we're headed to Dockside. My friends and I always came here and got desserts when we had something to celebrate. Or in the summer just for fun. I haven't been since graduation weekend, though."

"Why not?"

Abby shrugged. "I needed to save money for college, and when I'm in town it's to help my mom. There isn't time or money to come here a lot, and there hasn't been much to celebrate the last couple of years."

"What about the friends you used to come here with? They haven't had anything to celebrate?" Lance parked the car and turned toward her, giving her his full attention.

Abby shook her head. "We've drifted since then. They went away for college. We're Facebook friends, but we don't get together when they're in town. Megan's the only one I still see, and she stays away more than I do."

Lance seemed to consider this for a moment, but didn't comment on it. "You ready to go in?"

Abby led the way to the elevators and Lance stood close enough to her while they waited that his arm almost brushed hers. She looked up at him and he just smiled at her. When the elevator dinged and the doors opened, his hand went to the small of her back to usher her inside. He did it again when they got out in the resort lobby, though he let it drop while they walked to the restaurant.

They were seated right away, only seeing a few other diners on the way to a table looking out over the water. The sun had nearly set, with just a slice peeking over the mountains ringing the lake, painting the sky with orange and red streaks. The combination of the view, the empty restaurant, and the resort setting lent a sense of intimacy to their dinner that made Abby feel like it should be a date.
 

But it wasn't.
 

It couldn't be.
 

Lance was a serial dater, and Abby couldn't afford to get tangled up with him. She'd told him as much when she'd turned him down on Sunday. He was just being nice. Maybe they could be friends. That's it. He was being a good friend by picking her up and bringing her home so she could help her mom. They were only out for dinner because it was late and neither of them had eaten. He'd probably picked this restaurant because he wasn't from here and it was the only one he knew. He'd been watching her all evening. He knew that she was stressed and just made the decision about the restaurant so he didn't have to pester her to make a recommendation. That must be it.

They decided what to order and waited for the waiter to come in a companionable silence. It was easy and unstrained, just like it ought to be between friends. Dates didn't go by in easy silence, right?

After the waiter took their order, Abby stared out the window, watching the changing colors in the sky.
 

Lance cleared his throat. "Why haven't you had much to celebrate the last couple years?"

Abby tore her attention from the view to look at him. "What?"

"In the parking garage you said you used to come here to celebrate, but the last couple years there hasn't been much to celebrate. Why not?"

Abby looked away again, not really wanting to answer his question. But he hadn't pressed her about anything all night. She took in a deep breath and blew it out slowly. "My mom's anxiety has gotten steadily worse since I graduated from high school." She met Lance's eyes again. "That's why we bought her groceries tonight. She can't manage to leave the house and go to the grocery store right now, even though she's been going to that same store for at least ten years. Just thinking about it makes her have a panic attack.
 

"Thank you, by the way. I know it was probably weird hearing from me out of the blue. I really appreciate you coming and taking me. She wouldn't tell me what was wrong. It could've been something fairly simple like groceries, but she also could've been suicidal. I never know."

Lance made a sympathetic sound. "Is it always like that?"

Abby tilted her head back and forth. "Not always. Sometimes she goes for a few weeks and is pretty stable, as long as nothing stresses her out too much. Basic shopping is really stressful for her. More often than not I have to do it. We'd go shopping together when I still lived at home, but I'd usually be the one to talk to the cashier. The first few months after I went to college, she tried to do it herself, but it was too much. She's been trying different medications, but nothing has really helped."

"Wouldn't it be easier for you to come home on the weekends to do this kind of thing?" Abby narrowed her eyes slightly at the question, but then relaxed. Lance's voice held curiosity and concern, and his face matched his tone. There was no judgment, he was only curious.

Abby nodded. "It would be. But Mom told me last weekend that she'd take care of it."

"So what happened?"

Abby ran her fingers over the condensation gathering on her water glass, studying the paths the droplets made. "She didn't go to the store over the weekend. And today was a bad day. She had a panic attack this morning and was out of medication. She hadn't filled her new prescription from her last appointment, either. I had to call the pharmacy to get that taken care of and then get her some food so she wouldn't starve."

"What happens if she can't go and you're not available?"

"She doesn't eat. Sometimes she does that—she runs out of groceries, can't make herself go, but feels bad about calling me. So, she just goes hungry until she can either make herself go to the store, asks for my help, or I check on her and find out what's going on. That's why she's so skinny."

Lance opened his mouth, and closed it again, his brows drawing together. "How often do you check on her?"

Abby looked up and lifted one shoulder in a half shrug, then refocused on the water glass. It was easier to talk about her mom if she didn't make eye contact. "I try to call her on the weekends. She doesn't always answer the phone, though. She doesn't like to talk on the phone. If that happens I text her, but she won't always tell me she needs groceries."

"Last weekend?"

Abby managed a small smile. "I left her a voicemail, but she never called or texted me back." She looked Lance in the eye, then. "I was a little distracted and didn't try again."

Lance's face went from curious to horrified. "I'm sorry, Abby. I had no idea—"

Abby cut off his apology with a wave of her hand. "Don't apologize. I had a nice weekend with you. If she'd wanted my help she would have contacted me. Like she did today." She sighed. "I just wish she wouldn't wait until she was down to stale crackers and ketchup."

Lance was silent for a moment, then frowned. "What about your brother? Why doesn't he help?"

Abby's mouth hardened. Then she gave in. Might as well tell him everything. "Aaron did help a lot. When we were kids he was the one who made sure we had groceries, made dinner, took care of my mom and me. He started handling the bills when he was like twelve years old. He balanced the checkbook and made the budget so that we would have enough to pay for food and electricity and everything. Once I got old enough, we divided up the responsibilities. He still did the budget, but I took mom to the grocery store and took over the cooking when I was twelve. We shared other household chores, and mom did the cleaning. She's a little bit OCD on top of the anxiety.
 

"But when I graduated from high school he was done. He said that he'd given up his childhood so I could keep mine and it was my turn to take care of Mom. He left. I've only heard from him a handful of times in the last couple of years."

She paused, taking a sip of water and gathering her thoughts. Lance waited, watching her like he had been all afternoon. "I got scholarships for school and took a summer job. Mom gets disability benefits, and that pays for most of what she needs. I help with what I can and Aaron sometimes sends a little money." She smiled a little, but it was a sad smile. "He still cares and he helps how he can, but …" She trailed off with a little shrug, watching her fingers slide up and down her water glass again, collecting the drips of condensation.

"Don't defend him, Abby."

Abby raised her eyes to Lance's face. "What?"

"Don't defend him for abandoning you. You deserve better than that."

Lance's voice was soft, but his eyes were intense and angry. Abby sighed again. "It doesn't matter, Lance. It is what it is. My mom's the way she is, and the men in my life have a tendency to leave and I get to pick up the pieces afterward."

The waiter arrived then with their food, breaking the tension created by confession and revelation. Abby steered the conversation onto lighter topics so that they could enjoy their meal and the remaining sunset over the lake.
 

When the check came, Abby reached for her bag to pay for their meal. She figured that she could at least pay for dinner to thank Lance for driving her around all over today. She reached for the little vinyl folder, only to have it snatched out from under her hand.

Abby held out her hand to Lance. "What are you doing? Give me that."

Lance leaned to the side so he could pull his wallet out of his pocket. He placed his card in the folder and set it on the corner of the table next to him out of Abby's reach. "No."

Abby leaned across the table trying to reach it anyway. The tips of her fingers made contact and she scrabbled at it, trying to get enough of a grip to pull it toward her. Lance placed his hand flat on top of it, ensuring that she couldn't move it at all.
 

Abby sat back trying to figure out what he was doing. He watched her with a bland expression, his hand still resting on the little black folder. "Lance, please give me the check. I'd like to pay for dinner."
 

Lance quirked an eyebrow at her, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "I appreciate the polite request, Abby, but I'm afraid the answer is no."

Abby narrowed her eyes at the humor fighting for control of his face. "I'm serious. I'm paying. You drove me to my mom's house, waited outside without complaining, ran errands with me, and now you're going to get home late because of all of it. At least let me buy you dinner."

Lance tilted his head to one side like he was considering what she said. "Hmmm, you make an interesting point."

"Yes, I do. Now give me the damn check."

He clucked his tongue at her. "Language, Abby. Language." The grin he'd been mostly holding back took over his face now.
 

Abby balled her hand into a fist in her lap, restraining the urge to walk to his side of the table, slap him, and yank the little folder out from under his hand. "Fine. I'm going to pay you back for my meal at least." Her voice was tight with frustration.

Lance chuckled. He leaned forward, one arm on the table. "Abby, I'm glad you called me. I like spending time with you. Remember? I even asked you for another date. This was it. You said thank you and you let me take you to dinner. That's repayment enough."