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More silence. It was the silence that spoke volumes. The silence that was filled with heavy things. It was the silence that she hated and the silence that scared her the most.
“Okay,” she’d managed to say. “Call me when you…when…”
“I will. I’ll call you when I know.”
Her throat had closed up and even if by some miracle, she could speak, at that moment she had nothing. She had nothing but a boatload of words that she couldn’t articulate and a truckload of fear pressing into her chest.
“Abby, things will be okay. I hate that you have to go through this, but I promise you…I…
I…shit. I don’t know what I’m trying to say.”
What? Say it! Please, oh God please say it…
“It’s okay.” But it wasn’t okay. God, it was so not okay.
“I have to go, Abby. Our charter is ready.”
Click.
“I love you,” she’d whispered.
***
>A knock at the door brought Abby out of the funk that had settled over her the night before. She’d barely slept. Had crawled into bed, snuggled into Tucker’s pillow, chest tight as she inhaled his scent.
After a while, she’d given up and tried the sofa but again sleep had pretty much alluded her. All she could think about was Marley. And Tucker. Marley and Tucker. Where the hell did Abby figure into all of that?
She thought about it until her nerves were so shot, until her body trembled so badly, that she ran to the bathroom and was sick. Never had she felt so alone. So pathetic and helpless and just…alone.
Maybe I should have let Lisa stay.
Again the knock sounded and sliding off the sofa, Abby tugged her bathrobe together and swung open the door, thinking it most likely was Lisa or one of her brothers.
It wasn’t Lisa. Or any one of her brothers.
“Jesus, you look like you need a drink.” Cooper Simon held aloft an amber bottle and winked, his blue eyes electric as he gazed down at her. “Good thing I was in the neighborhood.”
Abby shook her head and winced. Every part of her ached. “You’re crazy. It’s not even noon yet.”
“But it’s sure as hell four o’clock somewhere.”
“That’s lame,” she shot back.
“True, but it’s all I got.” Cooper’s eyes softened. “And darlin’ you need something stronger than coffee right about now. So are you going to let me in or what?”
Abby hadn’t seen Cooper since Christmas Eve in Florida, and as much as he pushed a lot of her buttons, there was something sweet and lost about him. This man had been hurt. This man knew what was going on inside her.
“Are you going to promise to just be normal? No jokes. No innuendos. And if you try and grab my ass—“
Cooper pushed his way past her, dropping a quick kiss onto her cheek. “Jesus. You’re taking all the fun out of this.”
Abby closed the door behind her. “I mean it, Cooper. I’m not up to it.”
Cooper tossed his coat over the sofa and set down what looked to be a very expensive bottle of scotch on the table in the kitchen.
“Glen Livet?” she asked moving toward him.
“Is there anything else?” He arched an eyebrow. “Neat or over ice?”
