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“Thank you for dinner, Parker. I really appreciate it,” Abbey says with sincerity.
“Any time,” I tell her. It seems like a strange thing to say when I think about it. We agreed we would just be acquaintances at best. Rosie’s best friend and Drew’s brother. Yet, everything about today feels like we’re so much more. And I mean more than a one-night stand. More than a lustful longing. I think we just might be becoming friends.
As we stop in front of her apartment building, we face one another, neither of us saying a word at first.
Abbey pushes a strand of hair behind her ear. “So, this was nice. Uh, fun,” she pauses a second before continuing, “at least it wasn’t as bad as I imagined.” A tiny, teasing smile spreads across her features. I can’t help my own smile that forms.
“Goodnight, Parker,” Abbey says.
Lifting my hand in a small wave, I continue to face her and take a step back. “Goodnight, Abbey.”
She gives me one last smile and disappears into her apartment building. Man, this woman gives me butterflies.
Ten
ABBEY
The urge to look back at him is overwhelming as I walk to the door, but I hold myself together and don’t give in to the desire. I don’t even take a breath until I’m safely in my apartment. As soon as I close the door, I fall back against the door and let out a long, drawn-out sigh. My eyes close. That man stirs up feelings in me I’m not used to. He throws me off balance and makes me wonder what could be. I’m not quite sure how I feel about it. When he says my name, it sounds different than when anyone else says it. It’s like he’s placing tiny kisses along the column of my neck. I shiver at the thought.
Lost in my thoughts of Parker, I practically jump out of my skin when my phone rings from inside my purse that I just set on the entryway table.
Reaching into my bag, it takes me a few minutes of searching and shuffling, and the ringing continues. When I finally find my phone, I look at the screen to see Rosie’s face smiling back at me. I tap the green button to answer it, hoping I’m not too late, and she isn’t hanging up at the same time. “Hey!” I pipe into the phone.
“Hi-ya, are you home yet?” Rosie inquires.
“Just walked through the door,” I let her know as I slip my shoes off next to the entrance table. “How was the menu tasting? Tell me again how you double-booked yourself? That is so unlike you.”
“Well, I let Drew book the menu tasting. Although I gave him the date for the cake tasting, he got it wrong, and so we ended up double-booked. I panicked at first, of course, but it worked out. As for how it went…let’s just say it was interesting,” she laughs. “Drew is kind of picky, and for some reason, I find it endearing that I had to maneuver through each dish delicately for him. He is rarely opinionated, but man—he had something to say about everything.” She giggles into the phone again. Geez, she is in love. “We finally agreed on several options,” she continues. “I’ll have to bring the finalized menu to work so you can see our choices.”
“Yay, one less thing to worry about or actually two things less to worry about,” I state. “We chose the flavors for your bride’s and groom’s cakes. I think you will be happy with both choices. They were so delicious, and Parker ate an entire slice in like three bites.” I smile at the memory. The way he stuffed each bite into his mouth was pretty cute.
“Gosh, Abs, I don’t think I could ever thank you guys enough for stepping into that for us,” Rosie said.
“Rosie, it’s really not a big deal. Not to mention, I think we both rather enjoyed ourselves,” I insist as I plop down on the couch, putting my feet on the coffee table. “And for once I’m seriously confident you will be happy with my choice.” This causes her to laugh.
“You’re such a butt! I’m not that hard to please,” she sings.
Smiling, I give her a little reprieve from my teasing and agree, “Yeah, you’re not that bad.”
“Thank you,” she laughs. “So, are you planning on bringing a date to the wedding? You’ve never said yes or no to that question.”
“That’s because I don’t know if I’m bringing a date or not,” I reply, a little more defensive than I intended. I hear a small sigh through the phone, so I soften my original statement. “Sorry, Rose. I’m just not sure what I’m doing. I think wedding dates lead to complications sometimes, and you know me.”
“Yeah, I know you,” she says quietly. I can tell she wants to say more, so I wait. “Abbey, I’ve been worried about you lately. You seem more on edge, sad even. I feel like you might be keeping something from me, and it’s not a good feeling. Just know, whatever it is—I’m your best friend, and if you need to talk, I’m here for you. No matter what is happening in my life.”
Rosie sounds so hurt, and I can tell she’s been wanting to say this to me for a while.
She is right, as usual. I am keeping something from her, but I just don’t know how to talk about this situation with her. I mean, it involves her soon-to-be brother-in-law. And to top it off, I don’t even know how to handle everything I’ve been feeling the last several weeks. Things are confusing—from my constant thoughts about Parker to the fact that when I see him, I never want him to leave. All things I am not comfortable feeling. When I do have a handle on my emotions, I will talk to her. Right now, though, I can’t talk about what I don’t understand.
“Rosie, I value our relationship so much. I’m so thankful I have you. But I’m fine. Believe me, when I truly need you, I will let you know. Until then, you only need to focus on the wedding. Remember, my name is Abbey DeDiego—I’m a strong woman, and I’ll be just fine,” I try to reassure her. If I’m truly honest, that little speech was just as much for me as it was for her. Curling my legs beneath me, I grab a throw from the back of the couch, placing it over my legs.
Sighing, she says, “You’re right. I just want you to know that you will always be a priority in my life.”
“I know this without you ever having to say a word about it,” I state, smiling at the fact that I hit the best-friend jackpot.
“Good because Drew and I love you. We want you to be as happy as we are,” she adds. “Drew was just saying the same about Parker, too. It seems like we’ve been so self-absorbed with all the wedding details that we haven’t even stopped to make sure life is good for both of you.”
The mention of Parker sends little ripples of nerves through my belly. I’ve got to get in control of myself when it comes to that guy.
