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But something tells me everything’s going to be fine. We’ll have our weekend, and they’ll probably call her Monday to let her down easy.
Tell her someone who was closer or had more experience got the job. That’s what usually happens.
As hard as Abby works at what she’s so damned good at, there are a thousand other dancers with more experience and better connections.
I only wish the best for Abby, but if it could all just wait a couple of days? That would be awesome.
Snatching my keys and helmet from the coffee table, I grab the bag I’ve already packed. Ready to head over on my scooter.
Almost forgetting my swimsuit, but knowing better than to pretend I forgot it, I make an effort to find it and pack it in with my other things.
Abby would never believe me if I said I forgot it. She sees through my insecurities because she doesn’t have any of her own. Worse than that, she’d probably make me squeeze into one of her own bathing suits, which would not be a pretty sight.
But the thought of her dad there and him seeing me in my swimsuit?
I shudder at the thought, hoping it magically snows somehow this weekend, but I tell myself that Abby’s dad isn’t the type to hang around when she has people over.
He’s a mature, older, and professional guy.
I’m sure he’s got way better things to do than have any interest in his daughter’s sleepover with her best friend.
That’s what I tell myself anyway, kick-starting the motor of my tiny but cute ride until it sputters to life.
A cloud of smoke from the exhaust makes me cough a little before I zoom out onto the quiet suburban streets on my way to the nicer side of town where Abby and her dad live.
And there it is. There’s that funny feeling again.
It’s like an itch behind my belly button that runs all the way down between my legs.
And no. It’s not the vibration from my aging scooter either.
It’s that feeling I’ve worked so hard to ignore for a long time now.
The feeling only makes sense when I use words likeAbbyanddadin the same sentence in my mind.
But I shake my head, crimping a frown.
Just let it go, Jen. A guy like that wouldn’t even look twice at you in that way. Not in a million years.
CHAPTERTWO
Kane
Home again.
I can’t say I’ll miss the connecting flights or the weeks at a time away from home. The three-star accommodation and, worst of all, the food they serve on and off the rigs.
Because this time, it's home for good.
With Abby all grown up now and with plenty of real and play money shares piled high, I figured it was time for a change.
The permanent kind.
This time Monday, I’ll no longer be the regional head of engineering for the oil rig operation.
Those shares I took instead of a higher salary have more than paid off after twenty years, and now, me doing the same job for money that I don’t need, early retirement is a no-brainer.
Let some young buck or some up-and-coming Chad take the reins. I just want to settle down and relax for what feels like the first time in my life.
