Chapter 62
CHAPTER 62
ABIGAIL
“G ood morning and thank you for coming in early on a Monday.” I smiled and waved at the continental breakfast spread at the center of the conference table. “I hope the food makes up for it at least a little bit.”
Chuckles rang out from the team I’d gathered for our big Fit Guy planning meeting. Austin was seated on my right, which was only fitting considering he was always my right hand, but he would probably be my right and left with this pitch.
He looked around the table once everyone had fallen silent again. “As some of you know, I’ve been working to create some media ideas and branding for our presentation, but time is not on our side and we’re going to need all hands on deck for this one.”
“What he’s trying to say is grab some food, make some coffee, and let’s get going.” I shot them a wide grin. “We’ll get started in five minutes.”
Austin had spent the last few weeks working on this in the background, and ever since they’d told us exactly what they wanted for the Fit Guy pitch, he’d been going full steam ahead. I let him take the lead for our team meeting, loving the direction we were going in as he laid it all out for us. By the time we were done, I was feeling pretty damn good about what I would be able to achieve during our prep at Fit Gal tomorrow.
“Have I told you lately that I love you?” I asked playfully as we left the conference room. “Seriously, dude. That was awesome. Thank you.”
Austin winked at me. “You’re not the only one with talent around here, boss lady. I’m glad you like it, though. I don’t have anything else.”
“We don’t need it.” I laughed. “This is what’s going to get us the account. I can feel it in my bones.”
When we reached my office, we stopped walking and Austin’s eyes suddenly became serious. “I know we’ve been all about Fit Gal recently, but we have the Lumiere Luxe opening this afternoon. You remember, right?”
“Do I remember the grand opening for a super bougie client where there will be tons of high-end people in attendance? Hmm, no. It slipped my mind.” I smiled. “Of course, I remember. I’ve been looking forward to it for weeks.”
“I extended the invite to Eden and Hazel as well,” he said.
I arched both eyebrows at him and fought a smile. “I know you did that just so you’d have some time with Hazel.”
“Hey, don’t hate the player. Hate the game.” He pumped his eyebrows and I rolled my eyes, waving at him before he headed to his office and I went into mine.
With my hectic schedule this week, this was the only day I would be here and I had a whole mountain of work to get through, but only a few hours to do it. All day tomorrow, I’d be at Fit Gal, and then on Wednesday, Simon and I were off to Texas. Yeehaw.
As much as the prospect made butterflies erupt in my stomach, I didn’t have time to get excited about it. I glanced at the seahorse bracelet on my wrist, glad that I’d decided to keep it on even if I hadn’t been sure. It was a constant reminder of our day together, and while I would have loved to sit and daydream about the boy who had given it to me, I settled for simply smiling at the sensation of the bracelet on my arm for now.
Immediately after I sat down at my desk, I dug into all the urgent files I needed to review, and time raced past in a complete blur. It felt like I’d barely even started when Austin appeared in the doorway.
“We’ve got to go, babe. Do you want to meet us there? You look like you’re still in the zone.”
“I am, but it’s fine. If I don’t leave with you, I’ll get sucked in and miss it. Let’s go.” I grabbed my things but left my laptop where it was. “I’ll come back and put in a few more hours once we’re done.”
“We’d better get this Fit Gal account,” he said as he offered me his arm. “They’re running you ragged with everything they’re expecting of you while you’ve got a firm to keep afloat.”
“Even if we don’t get it, it’ll still have been worth it for the experience.” I wrapped my fingers around his elbow and followed him to the elevator.
Lumiere Luxe was a super fancy store, a brand Austin and I had been involved with from the very beginning. I was damn proud of what we’d done for them, but especially so when we arrived to an overflowing opening that seemed to be progressing brilliantly.
“There’s Hazel,” Austin said as we walked across the thick carpet on the floor toward where the bar had been set up. “I’ll just go say hi.”
I chuckled. “Good luck, buddy. You’re going to need it. Do you see Eden yet?”
“Nope, but I’m sure she’ll be here soon.” He straightened his tie before he glanced at me. “I don’t have anything in my teeth, do I?”
“Nope.” I gave him a gentle shove toward my friend. “Go get her, big guy. Who knows? Today might just be the day.”
“I really fucking hope so,” he muttered under his breath, nodding at me before he turned and strode through the crowd.
As soon as he was gone, I spotted our client, an older woman who was just about the most fabulous, eccentric person I’d ever met. Today, she wore sequins from head to toe. Her hat was encrusted in them and so were her dress and shoes.
After saying hi to her, I made my rounds, greeting people and having brief conversations with everyone I recognized. When the door opened again, my stomach dropped when I saw the couple walking in.
Lisa Astor held George’s arm. Both of them looked around the room until, horrifyingly, they both seemed to spot me at the same time. Lisa smiled and immediately started toward me. George followed his wife through the crowd, but he certainly wasn’t smiling.
“Abigail Walker!” Lisa cooed when she reached me. “Is that really you?”
“I’m afraid so.” I had always liked Lisa, and when she opened her arms, I was happy to give her a quick hug. “How are you?”
“We’re alright, honey. Thank you for asking.”
Mentally bracing for the worst, I nodded at her husband after I released her. “Hello, Mr. Astor.”
“Abigail,” he said curtly. “What are you doing on this side of town?”
“Oh, I’m just here to support my client.” I watched with smug satisfaction as shock splayed across his face.
His lips parted, his eyes widening for just a moment when he realized that meant Lumiere Luxe had trusted me with their business. Suck on that, you old grump. They’d been a huge get and competition for the account had been fierce, if not quite as intense as Fit Gal.
I smiled and looked directly into his eyes. “Thank you for coming. Barbara and her team appreciate your support.”
That’s right, asshole. You might think you know me, but you don’t. You never have.
“I’m so glad we ran into you.” Lisa gave me a smile that said she actually meant that.
My head cocked of its own accord. “You are?”
“Yes.” George looked at me the same way that giant shark had looked at Dory in Finding Nemo . “You should come to the house for dinner sometime.”
I should? Why on God’s green earth would I want to eat with the shark? And then I realized what this meant.
“I’ll speak to Simon and we’ll set it up.” Jeez, is it hot in here? Or is it just me?
Evidently, my ex had told his parents that we were together again. My heart skipped and raced, bubbles of joy floating through me because I knew how tough that would’ve been for him. It was a big step. I also knew it meant that he’d decided to hell with what his dad thought about it, which was so much more than I’d expected.
“You’re welcome to join us after presentation day next week,” he pressed. “We’d love to have you and we can all go straight from Fit Gal.”
“I’ll check my calendar,” I said politely. “Thank you for the invitation. Please enjoy the opening. Try the shrimp. Trust me. We flew it in this morning.”
I flashed them both another smile and then went about my business, confused about the fact that they wanted to have me over at all. George was a very confusing man, which was why he’d twisted Simon around so often.
It was almost impossible to know at any given moment whether he was an ally or the devil himself. He usually had something up his sleeve to tear me away from his son though, and until I knew exactly how he’d even found out about us, I was going to take his invitation with a healthy dose of skepticism.
If Simon had told them, it would mean everything to me, but I wouldn’t put it past George to have learned about it some other way, sneaky old bastard. Apprehension tightened my insides, but I kept it at bay as I continued making my rounds.
I smiled and spoke to everyone, but I went back to our offices as soon as I was able to leave and got a bit more work done. It was only once my eyes were burning and I was so tired that I could hardly move that I gave up for the day.
My limbs felt like concrete blocks as I made my way to my car, but I managed to drum up enough energy to get myself home safely. Stumbling to my bathroom, I opened the faucets in my tub and ran the bath deep and hot, adding vanilla-scented bubbles I’d bought at the opening as well as a scoop of citrusy bath salts. I had earned a little self-pampering.
I shed my clothes and set my phone down on the edge of the tub. As I climbed in and sank down, the hot water washed over my tired muscles and I groaned. My eyes closed as I leaned back.
After the day I’d had, I seriously contemplated sleeping right here, but there was one more thing I needed to do. Picking up my phone, I scrolled to Simon’s number and hit dial. Then I put it on speaker and set it down again.
“Hey, you,” he answered, his voice quiet and surprisingly gentle. “How was your day?”
“Long.” I chuckled. “So, so long, but good. Until I ran into your parents this afternoon, that is.”
“You…” He trailed off, suddenly sounding a lot more awake than he had a moment ago. “You saw my parents ? Both of them?”
“Yep. Guess who got invited to dinner with the Astors? I’ll give you a hint. Your dad hates her and is probably going to use the opportunity to poison her.”
“He doesn’t hate you.” I could hear the smile in his voice. “I’m surprised they didn’t talk to me about it before they invited you, though.”
“Yeah, well, it sounds like they know we’re sort of together again. Care to explain how that might’ve happened? Do I have more intern spies to fire?”
And there’s the million dollar question. Please, please let him have heard it from you.
Simon groaned quietly. “I asked him to play golf with me yesterday so I could tell him the truth. If I had known you were going to see them, I would’ve given you a heads-up, but I wanted to tell you in person at the office tomorrow. Surprise ,” he added.
Joy erupted through me, instantly vanquishing every ounce of exhaustion and replacing it with pure exhilaration. “How did he take it? Did he hit you with a putter?”
“He would definitely use a driver, but no, he didn’t freak out. Hell, he invited you to dinner, so maybe he’s finally accepting that you’re not just going to go away and that I’m not going to just forget about you. It’s your call if you want to go, though. You’re not under any obligation whatsoever. I definitely wouldn’t hold it against you if you decided not to sit at a table with my dad.”
“I’d love to go, but I’m not sure if it’s a trap or a real invitation to spend some time with your family.”
Simon’s rich, warm chuckles flowed through the line and so many parts of me melted at the sound. “I guess there’s only one way to find out.”
“Yeah, I guess so,” I agreed, closing my eyes again and wishing suddenly that he was there with me. “So, you told your dad about us, huh?”
“I may have mentioned that I’ve been seeing you,” he said, his voice light and playful. “I may also have invited him with the express purpose of letting him know.”
“Oooo, okay, so we’re getting serious then?” I couldn’t help picking at him, too happy and too relieved to end the call just yet.
Simon’s laughter made me smile, soothing all the places that had still been smarting about everything that had happened between us before. “I would very much like to get serious with you, Abi. I really wanted to have this conversation in person, though. Also, why does it sound like you’re in a bathroom?”
“Because I am,” I said, my smile widening as a thrill shot down my spine. “I needed a relaxing soak after the day I had, but I wanted to tell you about running into your parents before I fell asleep.”
“Does that mean you’re naked right now?”
“Yes, but don’t come racing over here. I’m liable to be asleep before you even get out of your building.” I paused for a beat. “Okay, Si. We’ll have this conversation in person, alright?”
Thankfully, I’d stopped myself just before I’d tacked on an I love you at the end of the sentence, but the words were right there on the tip of my tongue. The feeling was alive and well in my heart, but we weren’t there just yet.
Maybe, hopefully, we would be soon. I just refused to let myself go there until I knew for an absolute fact that he was right there with me.