Page 80 of A Whim and a Prayer

Removing her hand from his thigh, he quickly grazed her knuckles with a kiss. “Because dating is one thing”—he cleared his mind with a deep exhale as he tried to distance himself before motioning a hand between them—“but this, well, it’s a whole ’nother set of problems that frankly, neither you nor I need.” He ducked to pin her with a gentle gaze. “Not to mention Winnie, because I’m not looking to hurt either one of you.”

“Okay, Beck,” she said with a sad smile. “I understand and completely agree.” She scooted over to her side of the car and looped her purse strap over her shoulder with a sassy smile. “As long as I still get a kiss at the door …”

He grinned as he got out of the car, ducking to deliver a wink. “Try and stop me.”

Whistling on his way back to his jalopy, Beck suddenly realized that Winnie had been right, at least as far as keeping his mind off of her this last month by dating others. But he’d see her on Christmas, which was only one week away, and all at once the thought of any other woman paled in comparison. The thought of her dating others as well—Abby had kept him apprised of umpteen dates she’d had—didn’t sit well, but what was good for the goose was good for the gander, he supposed. He scowled as he put the car in gear. But he sure in the devil didn’t like it.

Lost in thoughts of Winnie as he turned onto his street, he yawned as he parked in front of his house, groaning when he saw the time was past midnight. He’d planned on getting to bed early since he’d volunteered for the 5:00 a.m. weekend shift at The Herald to help out a friend. But as Cari Lee had so aptly put it—all of their dates had been amazing, which was pretty hard to cut short.

Getting out of the car, his smile instantly disappeared as he glanced down the street at Winnie’s house, grateful she was spending the night with Abby instead of out on a date. Only one more week, he thought with a twist in his gut, and he’d finally find out which way his life was headed.

A love affair with the girl of his dreams?

Or out of her life altogether.

Chapter Fifty-Four

Bong. Bong.

Two o’clock! Abby shot straight up in bed, heart pounding louder than the grandfather clock in the parlor as she glanced at Winnie’s bed.

Empty!

“Winnie, where are you?” she hissed as she ran to the window to stare outside, the dried leaves of the oak tree completely obscuring her view. Cocking her head, she closed her eyes to listen for any sound of her cousin, but all she heard was the dry rustle of the wind through icy trees and the lonely wail of a faraway train.

“Why did I let her go?” she rasped as she reclosed the window to the bare crack they’d agreed upon and started to pace. Back and forth for a full twenty minutes, hardly able to believe she’d actually dozed off as worried as she was.

She suddenly halted in her tracks with a hard grunt. “Why did I let her go? Ha! As if I could have stopped her, short of telling my parents, something she made me swear I would never do.” She continued pacing—to the window to look out—and back again, making her mind up right then and there that would be one promise she would cancel after tonight for dead sure!

“And you have to promise not to tell Beck either,” Winnie had added for good measure because they both knew Beck would never agree to such a promise. Abby glanced at the alarm clock, her worry ramping up along with her anger. “Well, Cuz, you broke your promise first, so now it’s my turn.” Grabbing her robe and slippers from the closet, she put them on and stuck her head out the window once more to listen before closing it as before.

She held her breath as she silently unlocked her bedroom door and eased it open, stopping to listen before stepping into the hall. Bella’s door was closed as always, and so was her parents’, her father’s familiar snore reassuring her that the coast was clear.

At least for me, she thought as she tiptoed down the stairs, carefully avoiding all familiar squeaks, step by step.

But not for Winnie once I get my hands on her …

Hurrying to the kitchen, she cautiously opened and closed the swinging kitchen door, thanking the heavens above that Mama had coerced Daddy into oiling its noisy hinges. Hands shaking, she carried the phone book to the kitchen table and frantically flipped till she found the address for the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity at Boston University, fingers trembling as she lifted the receiver from the phone to wait for the dial tone. Relieved to have the party line free at this wee hour of the morning, she fortified with a deep draw of air before dialing Beck’s number, praying he would answer and not his parents. Each and every ring ratcheted her nerves up until she actually squealed when Beck finally answered the phone, his voice as groggy as expected.

“Hello?”

“Beck? Oh, Beck—I’m sorry to call so late, but I’m worried about Winnie.”

“What? Why?”

“Because she was supposed to be home by now and she’s not.”

“What do you mean? I thought she was supposed to spend the night at your house.”

“I know, and she was and is, but she talked me into letting her go to a party as long as she agreed to be home by two, but it’s 2:35 now and she’s not home yet.”

A hiss sounded sharp in her ear that might have been a swear word, but she wasn’t sure. “Where the devil is she, then?”

Abby swallowed hard, her pride now in shambles. “At a Christmas party at Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, Boston University.”

“What?! With whom?”

The muscles in her throat hitched twice while her eyelids lowered in shame, her words a guilty whisper. “Brayden McCarthy.”