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I stared at the door for a full minute before I texted Abby back.
Sig: I’m happy you enjoyed the meal. You’re right. Today was a lot, and I have a tendency to run from emotions. The stronger they are, the faster I go. I try not to feel anything most days. It’s a practice I’ve almost perfected. But today, I failed. It became unbearable. I owe you an apology—again. It wasn’t you. Please know that. You were the best part of today.
My chest felt raw. It felt odd to be so…honest. I probably shouldn’t have admitted that last part, but it was true. Abby’s calm demeanor had helped balance the panic I’d felt from the moment she went in for the procedure. As difficult as this situation was, she made it better.
The three dots moved around as she responded.
Abby: We’ll get through this. One day at a time. Have a good night, and it’s okay. I understand why you left.
I sensed she really did. That’s why she’d texted me. It had been just what I needed to hear. My finger lingered over the keypad. Part of me yearned to continue the conversation, to release some of these trapped emotions. With her, I thought I could do it. But instead, I put my phone away.
That night, before I went to bed, I took my phone out again—not to text Abby back, but to do something for the first time in the five years since Britney died. I watched a video of her and me jaunting around London before she’d gotten too sick. It wasn’t as painful as I’d thought it might be. I even managed to smile as it brought many more positive feelings than negative ones.
Maybe I could watch it again sometime.
CHAPTER 12
Sig
Track 12: “Fast Car” by Tracy Chapman
The following Monday, Abby had completed her first day of training at Covington Properties. Not wanting to micromanage, I’d left it to my customer relations manager, Art Schumacher, to show her the ropes. I did, however, offer to drive her from London back to Westfordshire that night rather than call her a car so I could address any questions she had at the end of the day.
I hadn’t seen her at all, since my office was on another floor, but I’d asked her to meet me outside at 6 PM, and I pulled my car around to the front of the building to wait. It was a mild May evening, dry without a raindrop in sight.
When I spotted her walking toward me, my heart skipped a beat. Abby looked different than I’d ever seen her before. She wore a form-fitting, pinstriped dress with an edgy diagonal neckline. While businesslike, it was a more provocative wardrobe choice than I might’ve imagined for her first day on the job. Simply put, she looked smoking hot, and I knew a few of the wankers who worked for us must have had a field day ogling her and drooling. I supposed I was one of them right now.
“Hey.” She smiled as she got in and fastened her seatbelt. “Thank you for offering to drive me back.”
Clearing my throat, I started the car and took off down the road. “How was your first day?”
“There’s a ton to learn, particularly with navigating the database, but I’ll be able to handle the responsibilities no problem once I get the hang of the technical side of things. Like you explained, it’s mostly writing responses and handling phone calls, both of which I’m very good at.”
“Was Art helpful in explaining things?”
“He actually had to leave the office unexpectedly, so I didn’t get to work with him much.”
I narrowed my eyes. “What?”
“Yeah. Some kind of family issue. I thought you knew.”
“No, I didn’t.” I glanced over at her. “Who the hell was training you, then?”
“Alistair Jones.”
I scowled.Great. Just fucking great.Alistair Jones was a known philanderer who loved women, and I was certain he’d try to dig his claws into Abby. Sadly, he reminded me of myself a decade ago, only worse. “He’s not qualified to train you properly.”
“He works under Art, doesn’t he? He seemed to know what he was doing.”
“He’snotqualified.” I gritted my teeth. “I’ll work with you tomorrow if Art isn’t back.”
“Okay,” she muttered, likely confused by my reaction.
Ask her how she’s doing, for fuck’s sake. She could be pregnant.I had a tendency to forget that, or maybe it was more that I tried to forget. “How are you feeling?”
“Fine,” she said. “No different than normal.”
Trying to calm myself, I took a deep breath and nodded. “Good.”
