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“Did I say that?” I shot back and when he said nothing I continued. “I will deal with my brothers, Knox. But why make some innuendo about us? You knew exactly what you were doing when you said that. You know Logan’s temper and you pushed too far.”
He glared at me. “You know what? You’re right, Abby. You’re absolutely fucking right. I knew I’d set him off if I made a comment about Princess Ashford.”
My skin prickled at the use of the nickname that was given to me in grade school by kids who thought I was a snob because I came from money, as if I had some choice about being born into a wealthy family. “Don’t do that,” I whispered.
Knox’s eyes narrowed and he opened his mouth as if to say something else. Instead, he turned on his heel and climbed into his truck, peeling out of the driveway like he couldn’t leave fast enough.
Chapter 14
Four days later not only had I still not heard from Knox, Robbie and Logan were giving me the cold shoulder as well.
Ever since the fight in the driveway and him speeding off like a bat out of hell, Knox seemed to be avoiding me like his life depended on it. I’d tried to catch him at the gym a few times but according to Greasy Hair (whose name I learned was Tom) Knox was always either not there or too busy with paperwork. Refusing to be a complete psycho, I refrained from going to his house or blowing up his phone. Nope. On the fourth day I left a simple text that summed up how I felt about him and his complete silence:
You’re an asshole.
As for my brothers, I needed them to get their heads outta their asses so that we could plan our parents’ damn anniversary party. Oh yeah, my mother left me a not so subtle voicemail reminding me that she and my dad would soon be celebrating “thirty five years of wedded bliss” and she’d love her kids to plan “a little something” as a gift for them. Sure, I planned parties for a living and sure, I could do it by myself. But as of one of three Ashford children it wasn’t solely my responsibility to do it.
“All the men in this town suck,” I grumbled to Simone as I helped her set up the new ruby display. Seeing as it was July and she liked to do special displays for each birthstone we were in the process of setting one up right in the front window of the shop.
She smiled and waved to a few people as they passed by on the sidewalk outside. “Can you not look so miserable, please? You’re scaring off potential customers and I need to make a living. Just take a deep breath, Abby. Inhale with the good, exhale with the bad.”
I was in the process of telling her where to shove her inhale/exhale bullshit when the bells sounded in the back of the store, signaling there was a new customer.
“Be right with you!” Simone yelled in her best customer service voice. “Can I trust you to finish this and wave at a few people?”
“Simone, I am perfectly capable of-”
“Hello!” she said, already conversing with someone else.
I rolled my eyes and finished up the display, pasting a very fake smile on my face and waving at a few people who strolled past outside.
I didn’t want to be juvenile, but I was pissed off. Pissed off that Knox was reverting back to the old habit of giving me the silent treatment and pissed at my brothers for refusing to acknowled
ge the fact that I was no longer a child.
For so long, my stalker was calling the shots, anticipating my moves and, essentially forcing me to live in fear. He was making decisions for me and it felt like a prison. I didn’t need the same treatment from my brothers and it felt like a slap in the face that they were acting as though I couldn’t fight my own battles. Yes, there was some animosity between Knox and Logan, and I was fully aware how lucky I was to have a brother that cared as much as he did, but name calling and trash talking was childish coming from two twenty seven year old men.
“Well, shit, why do you look so angry at the earrings?” a voice spoke directly behind me.
I turned and saw Caleb looking at me with raised eyebrows, his hands in his pockets. His glasses were on and he had a ball cap on his head.
“Nothing, I just… hate men,” I responded lamely.
He laughed and then nodded. “Maybe I should stay out of your way.”
For the first time all day I found myself smiling. “I think you’re in the clear for now.”
Caleb followed me around the store as I adjusted and fixed up the displays, helping me clean up a table that was strewn with twine bracelets. We worked together in silence and I had to admit that it was nice. My anger dissipated a bit as I had something to focus on, and it reminded me of the high school days. Me and Caleb working side by side in the computer room. There were times when we didn’t speak for over an hour, but there was a friendship, a camaraderie in the silence.
“Have you thought any more about the article?” he asked once we were finished. We ambled out onto the back deck, looking out at the ocean. The sun was warm on my bare skin and the air smelled like salt.
“Honestly? No,” I laughed. “I’ve been preoccupied.”
“Ah, yes. I heard that the Ashford-Fitzgerald love affair was back in action.”
Not right now, I thought humorlessly. “Yeah, there’s been a lot going on. I’m sorry I haven’t gotten back to you.”
“No big deal. But now that I have you here, what do you think? A short, sweet interview and then I’ll be out of your hair.”
