Chapter 44
CHAPTER 44
ABIGAIL
O livia, London, and I arrived at the family outreach event Simon and Karen had organized, and before we’d even parked, I was impressed—and a little intimidated.
Their chosen venue was a park in a part of the city that housed thousands of families and yet was decidedly underserved in terms of child-friendly events. Not only that, but I’d seen their campaign on Fit Gal’s—and their own—social media, and they’d appealed to the entire city of New York to get involved.
Promising affordable, wholesome, active fun, they’d delivered in spectacular fashion and people were here for it. Literally.
All of them.
Well, maybe not all, but the park was packed. There were people everywhere as far as the eye could see—and everyone seemed to be having a blast. I spotted dozens of parents getting in on the action with their children, laughing as they made their way from one activity to the next.
I swallowed hard as I pulled into a parking space that had been designated for the Fit Gal Team. The fact that Karen and Simon had even thought of something so simple as reserving parking spots for the representatives of the company sent panic sliding through me. Mentally reviewing my and Jeffrey’s plans, I tried to pinpoint small details we might’ve overlooked, but I came up empty.
Olivia’s eyebrows rose as we climbed out of the car and she pulled off her sunglasses. “This is quite something, isn’t it? It kind of reminds me of that fair we put on at the ranch, but this is definitely better for families. And less cow crap. I mean, I assume.”
“Thanks, but I don’t see any cow patties.” I sent her a tight smile, keeping my own sunglasses firmly in place so my eyes wouldn’t betray my worry. “But don’t be too impressed. The ball tonight is going to blow this little fun day out of the water.”
She chuckled. “I don’t doubt it.”
London came up on my other side. “Astor really brought it, didn’t he? I hope you weren’t planning on taking it easy on him.”
“No way.” I slid my cross-body purse on and locked my car. “Let’s go check it out, girls. Just don’t panic, okay? No matter what we see in there, Jeffrey and I have got a fantastic event planned ourselves.”
“Yes, you do,” London said confidently, tossing her shiny blonde hair over her shoulder and lifting her chin. “We’re about to see how the losing team did it.”
I chuckled, but I also wished that Simon hadn’t been on the team I was hoping would lose. On the other hand, I still hadn’t heard a word from him after Florida, and considering the way his attention had been overtly focused on Ashley last night, I was trying to prepare myself for the worst.
My sisters and I made our way into the park, paying the reasonable entry fee despite the lanyards around our necks identifying us as Fit Gal guests. Music was playing from speakers on a small stage that had been set up for the occasion and my first impression was that so far, their event seemed to be incredibly successful.
As we made our way around, the music suddenly faded and I glanced at the stage just in time to see Karen and Simon ascend the few steps to it. She took the mic, which was no surprise, and grinned at the crowd even though she was dressed like she belonged on a talk show rather than at an outdoor charity event.
“Good afternoon, everybody,” she called into the mic, her grin unable to get any wider as loud cheers broke out. “Wow. What a welcome. It is such an honor to see you all out here today with us. Thank you for taking the time to come out and support the Fit Kid Program!”
Finally, she handed over the mic to Simon. At least he was dressed like he belonged out here, and honestly, he looked like any Fit Gal’s dream come true in those tight-fitting shorts. I almost swooned until London smacked my arm.
“Stop it,” she hissed. “Today, he’s your competition. You can go back to drooling over him tomorrow.”
“Boy, he did grow up pretty, didn’t he?” Liv said, lifting her sunglasses for the specific purpose of winking at me before she dropped them over her eyes once more. “He also still has all that gorgeous hair, which is a definite plus.”
“We’re not even thirty yet.” I chuckled softly. “Not all of us are as old as your husband.”
She bumped her hip into mine. “Watch what you say about my cowboy. He’s not old. He’s just mature, and he also still has thick, beautiful hair.”
I smirked. “He’s almost forty.”
“Yeah, well, you’re almost thirty,” she retorted just as Simon started explaining more about the Fit Kid program. We’d missed the first part of his talk, but at least we were catching the important bit.
“The whole idea behind it is to get the next generation moving at an early age in the hopes that they’ll stay active as they get older. It’s an initiative that benefits all kids, everywhere. You don’t need a gym membership or fancy equipment to get active, kids. All you need is all that energy you’ve already got.”
Cheers and whoops erupted through the crowd, and the event certainly seemed to be making an impression on the attendees. Karen announced that a dance-off would be up next and then introduced a couple professional dancers from a Fit Gal partner to the stage.
They took over, encouraging children to come to the cleared area right in front of them or to dance exactly where they were if they were more comfortable that way. Simon and Karen prepared to leave the stage. I glanced at my sisters. “I’ll be right back. I should go and offer my congratulations. This is an awesome thing they’ve done here.”
London objected, but Olivia nodded and waved me ahead. “Go, we’ll be right here when you’re done.”
As I started forward and weaved my way through the crowds, I kept my gaze on Simon so he couldn’t disappear on me. All around, kids were excitedly starting to participate in the Freeze Game Dance, jumping, dancing, wiggling, and freezing when the song said to do it.
It seemed like they were having the time of their lives and I smiled, glad to see how much they were all enjoying this. When I reached Simon as he was coming off the stage, however, it was a little bit of a struggle to keep my smile in place.
Particularly because when he turned in my direction and saw me coming, his jaw immediately tightened and his muscles tensed. “Abigail.”
“You did a great job today,” I said instead of acknowledging the sudden tension between us. “I’m super impressed with what you guys have done. Truly. Every kid I’ve seen seems to be having an amazing time. I think you’ve completely nailed the brief.”
His full lips curved into a smile. “Thanks.”
I expected him to ask about our event or even just how it was going with me, but instead, he offered me a curt nod, spun, and walked away. My eyebrows shot up as I stared after him, my stomach dropping and my heart convulsing in protest.
Something is definitely wrong.
As a teenager, I would’ve run after him and demanded answers, but I wasn’t that girl anymore. Whatever had happened after we’d arrived back in the city, I hadn’t been responsible for it. When I’d said goodbye to him at the airport, we’d been fine. This was about something else, even if pushing me away again had been an obvious consequence of it.
Drawing in a deep breath as I watched him being swallowed up by the crowd on his way over to the basketball courts, I filled my lungs with oxygen and tried to dispel my fears. Perhaps this was all just about the fact that we were competitors and not team members right now.
It wasn’t inconceivable that he simply didn’t want to seem too friendly with the enemy. I wasn’t entirely convinced it was that, but I wasn’t going to freak out or jump to conclusions. Today was too important.
Heartache and disappointment could wait. If that was what was in store for me, then it would still be there tomorrow.
Tipping my face toward the sky, I closed my eyes and let the sunshine warm me from the outside in. It was a beautiful, joyful day and I refused to let Simon ruin the positive vibes I had going. I needed to hang onto them if I wanted to be a good host tonight and I was now more determined than ever before to win. If he could be so laser focused on the competition, so could I.
With children dancing everywhere, it was a little difficult to find my sisters without bumping into anyone, but I finally saw them taking in the action from the sidelines. They were both smiling, but Olivia was clutching her hands to her heart as well, grinning from ear-to-ear as she watched a tiny human shake it only a few feet away from her.
“You’re going to be a really good mom when the time comes,” I murmured as I went to stand next to her. “You know that, right?”
“I sure hope I will be, but I’m going to give it my all.” She straightened up and lowered her arms to her sides as she turned to face me. “Where’s Simon? I thought he might come say hi.”
“Uh, no. He’s gone to basketball. They’re still rotating the games even though some people are busy dancing.”
“Of course.” She smiled. “It’s a busy day for him. We’ll catch up another time.”
London seemed a little more suspicious, her hands finding her hips and her gaze on mine. At least, I suspected it was. Her eyes were hidden behind giant black sunglasses, but I was looking at my own reflection in them since she was fully facing me.
“Rude. You’d think he could at least take the time to come and greet Olivia. He hasn’t seen her for a long time.”
Liv shook her head. “It’s really fine. Come on, I’ve been itching to take on that warrior course. Who’s with me?”
“Ooo, me,” London said immediately, smirking as she waved toward the row of Fit Gal warriors waiting beside the course. They were all hunky, muscled men and I’d noticed them literally turning London’s head a few times today. “I hope I get the one in the pink shorts. Liam would never wear something like that. He’s not comfortable enough with his masculinity.”
I didn’t say it out loud, but my sister had been bringing up that guy no matter what we were talking about. Personally, I felt like that meant something, but I knew she’d deny it up and down, so I let her cling to her fantasy of feeling no emotional attachment to him and chuckled.
“Yeah, he’s so insecure, he rides bulls and swims naked in the creek,” I joked. “They told me all about it when they were visiting here for the conference.”
“Real men wear pink, Abigail.” She sniffed and took off for the warrior course.
Olivia chuckled as we watched her go. “How long do you think it’s going to take before they quit pretending they don’t care about each other?”
My head tilted. “Another year. Tops. Probably less than that, though.”
“You’re underestimating how stubborn she is.” Olivia took my arm. “Let’s go be warriors, shall we?”
“You guys go ahead. I’ll watch. I need to save my energy for tonight.” It was true, but I was also a little too stressed to avoid be tackled by the Muscle Men right now.
While I was trying to enjoy the event with my sisters, I couldn’t help but wonder about Simon and what might’ve happened to have triggered this kind of response from him. Olivia nodded and joined London at the starting point and I hung back, lost in thought as my gaze absently skimmed across the crowd.
There were a lot of people here. We’d had a good amount of RSVPs for the ball tonight, but by its very nature, its attendance would be significantly less than this. As I looked around, I saw a familiar face across the field.
It took me a second to realize I was looking at George Astor, but when the realization hit, my stomach went cold. George was a tall man, not unlike his son. With dark hair streaked with gray and an imposing stature despite his age, it was impossible to miss him.
He seemed to have seen me as well, and he was making no secret of it as his lips curved into a creepy smile that didn’t lift his eyes. Cold as ice, he watched me in a way that made me feel like he was taking my measure.
In the past, I would’ve looked away quickly. I would’ve pretended not to have seen, noticed, or recognized him, and I probably would’ve walked away. Now, however, I stared openly right back at him. It was a weird, almost out of body moment when I realized I had an enemy in the world.
Someone who was always against me and wanting to see me fail. Someone who had caused me great loss from behind a veil weaved out of schemes and deception. An enemy who would steal from me, who had manipulated the man who had been supposed to have been the love of my life, and who wanted to watch me struggle.
The hardest part of it was that for the first time, I fully realized that my number one enemy in the world was the father of the boy I’d loved my whole life. As the reality of that set in, I had to fight against the urge to run and hide.
As a teenager, I’d done that plenty of times when George had been involved. I’d pretended not to hear it when he said mean things about me to Simon and I’d avoided confrontation with him at all costs.
Today though, I wasn’t a naive, scared teenager anymore. I didn’t run, hide, or cower. In a move I previously wouldn’t have had the courage for, I pulled off my sunglasses and looked him in the eyes, and then I smiled right back at him.
I wasn’t the same girl I had been back then. It was about time he realized he wasn’t dealing with a timid child anymore. I was a businesswoman now, one who would go toe to toe with him if I had to, and who would do whatever it took to win—fairly, ethically, and legally.
I wouldn’t back down and I wouldn’t let him steal anything more from me than he already had, least of all my prospects for a future I’d always wanted but had never thought I might still have a shot at getting.
I was too much of a classy lady to shoot the finger at the old buzzard, but his angry eyes told me he’d gotten my point just fine.