Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
“Abby?”
His voice drew Abby from her errant thoughts. She blinked and found herself once more staring into those mesmerizing icy-blue eyes. Her heart was still racing. Did he know she’d just been fantasizing about kissing him?
Just the thought sent heat rushing to her face. She lowered her head, not wanting him to see her blush. Oh my! She couldn’t believe she’d let her thoughts drift so far off track.
“Abby, are you all right?” There was a note of concern in his voice.
No. She most definitely was not. But there was no way she was going to admit that to him.
Instead, she raised her head, carefully avoiding staring into his eyes. She nodded. “Sorry. I was thinking about a problem at the coffeeshop.”
“Anything serious?”
“I hope not. It’s just that if I had been there, I might have caught it before things got worse.”
“That’s the way I feel about my work. Reed gives me a hard time about working too much, but there’s always something that needs my attention.”
They had that in common. She wondered what other similarities they shared. Not that they were going to have time to find out, because Brad was due to fly out Sunday morning after the party.
“Do you think Reed is really buying the story that there’s something, uh, going on between us?” Heat flared in her cheeks.
Brad shrugged. “It’s hard to tell.”
“But you know him well, don’t you?”
Brad nodded. “We’ve been buds since we shared a dorm room our freshman year at college. He was a journalism major, and I was into programming.”
“Did you two start the Rumor Quill as soon as you graduated?”
Brad shook his head. “That was a few years down the road. It was actually Reed’s brainchild.
He called me one day and asked if I wanted to go into business with him.
At first, I was hesitant. But the more he explained his vision to me, the more interested I became.
I’d already developed and sold a popular app, so I had the capital we were going to need. ”
She found herself caught up in his words. “It must be hard for you now that Reed has moved to Bayberry.”
Brad shrugged. “It’s not much different from when he was out scouting for newspapers to add to the Rumor Quill. In the beginning of this venture, his apartment was nothing more than an oversized closet where he kept his things and visited on the weekends.”
“And what’s it like now?” She was genuinely interested. She’d only ever lived in Bayberry, and all of her friends were here. Well, Sadie had moved away for an extended period, but she was back now, and something told her Sadie was back for good.
He frowned. “Why all of the interest? Are you worried that after the wedding, Sadie and Reed will move away?”
Abby shook her head. “No.”
“So, you think they’ll stay in Bayberry?”
Abby nodded. “I do. Why would they move away? This is a great place to raise a family. Everyone knows everyone else.”
“And that’s a good thing?” His arched brow emphasized the disbelief that glinted in his eyes.
“Of course it is.” She felt obliged to add, “Most of the time.”
It was only then that he bestowed upon her a genuine smile. She hadn’t spotted a smile like that from him since they were decorating the hall.
He leaned in close. When he spoke, his breath gently brushed over the nape of her neck. Her heart jumped, and a wave of goosebumps cascaded down her arms. “And when isn’t it so great?”
When he pulled back, he sent her an expectant look.
Seriously? He was going to distract her like that and then expect a serious answer. She struggled to remember what the question even was.
After her heart rate slowed, she recalled what he’d said. “It isn’t so great when you’re the center of the gossip.”
He nodded as though he understood. “I get that.”
She shook her head. “I don’t think you do. You’d have to live in a small town to know what it’s like.”
She’d been the center of gossip once when she was just out of high school and a really hot bad boy came to town. His name was Ace. He had dark hair, dark eyes, and a devilish smile. He was a good girl’s temptation.
He took a job at the Bayberry Candle Company. She’d been working at Mel’s Grille. Ace would come in and flirt with her. She remembered how he’d made her feel special. Her heart would flutter every time he smiled at her.
When he’d asked her out, she thought her heart was going to pound its way out of her chest. They’d dated for a month before he dumped her for the next girl.
Abby drew her thoughts up short. The past was in the past. There was no need to go visiting old ghosts.
“What is it?” Brad sent her a concerned look.
She shook her head. She didn’t know her thoughts had transferred to her face. “It’s nothing.”
He looked as though he wanted to inquire further, when his phone rang. They stopped dancing.
“Sorry. I need to check this.” He pulled his phone from his back pocket.
When she glanced down, she saw the name on the screen. The caller’s name was Linda.
He looked up at her. “Sorry. I’ve got to get this.”
Before she could say anything, he had the phone pressed to his ear as he headed for the door. She returned to their table. It didn’t matter because the slow song was over, and the next song had a fast tempo.
Who was Linda? She had a hard time believing it was business, considering it was getting late on a Friday evening.
Was it his girlfriend? No. It couldn’t be, or Reed wouldn’t be so interested in pushing them together.
Unless Linda was someone new in Brad’s life, and he hadn’t told Reed about her yet.
There was that uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach again. She refused to evaluate what it meant.
The best thing she could do was call it a night. They’d both played their parts for Sadie’s sake. Now she was done pretending there was anything going on with her and Brad, especially now that she knew about Linda.
She looked up to find Sadie and Reed heading toward her. When they reached the table, Reed asked, “Where’s Brad?”
“He had a phone call. I think he went outside so he could hear.” After Reed nodded in understanding, she said, “And I think I’m going to call it a night. I have an early start tomorrow.”
“Aw...” Sadie sent her a pouty look. “Do you have to go already?”
“I do. Mia said there was a problem at the coffeeshop. I want to swing by and check on it.” Then she realized that they’d all come in the same car.
“What’s wrong?” Sadie asked.
“I just realized that I drove us here.”
“Don’t worry,” Sadie said. “It’s not far to my car. We’ll figure it out.”
“Are you sure?”
Sadie nodded. “Positive.” In a blink, her gaze was filled with concern. “I hope the problem at the coffeeshop isn’t too serious.”
“Me too. The equipment is getting old.”
“Do you want us to tell Brad anything for you?”
Abby once more shook her head. “Goodnight.”
She put on her coat before heading toward the door. She hoped to avoid Brad. She thought about going out the back door, but she didn’t want to make it obvious that she was avoiding him. He might read far too much into such an action—and see things that weren’t there.
The best plan was to head out the front door just like everyone else and hope he was so involved in his conversation he wouldn’t notice her. She turned her thoughts to the problem at the coffeeshop. She really hoped it wasn’t too serious.
She pushed open that door. Lost in her thoughts, she bumped into someone. The other person was solid, unmovable. It was to the point where she was the one who bounced back a step.
Feeling flustered for more than one reason, she said, “I’m sorry.”
It was only then that she craned her neck upward until she met a pair of amazing icy-blue eyes. Her heart beat faster. Brad. So much for slipping away quietly.
He took a couple steps back to allow her to pass by him. “If you were looking for me, I was just on my way back inside.”
Abby shook her head and averted her gaze. “I was just leaving.”
“Leaving? So soon? I thought we’d get another dance in.” He had the nerve to send her a little grin that made him look so cute.
Was he really going to flirt with her after he’d just finished a lengthy conversation with his girlfriend? What did he do? Tell Linda that he missed her so much, but he was doing everything he could to give his best friend a wonderful engagement party?
Wait. No. She’d played a part in a similar situation with her ex. Brad wouldn’t have said anything about that party, because if he had, the girlfriend would expect to be his plus one. And it was obvious that wasn’t part of the plan.
Feeling Brad’s expectant gaze on her, she said, “We danced more than enough. Reed either believes our cover story, or he doesn’t. Either way, I have things to do.”
And without further explanation, she walked right past him as she headed down the sidewalk to where her car was parked.
The coffeeshop was only a few blocks away. In nicer weather, she would have left her car at home and walked. Bayberry was a safe town with lots of streetlights. Abby felt safe walking anywhere in town.
But tonight, she had someone on her tail. She didn’t have to look over her shoulder to know Brad was following her. Feeling frustrated, she stopped. The only problem was that she’d stopped so quickly that Brad literally ran into her back.
The collision sent her body flying forward. Gravity played its part, pulling her downward toward the salted walkway. Before her body could smack into the frozen concrete, two hands reached out to her.
Brad’s hands gripped her shoulders. In an instant, she was drawn backward until her back pressed against a hard, warm body.
Her pulse was racing. She told herself it had nothing to do with his closeness and everything to do with her near-miss with the sidewalk.
Having regained her balance, she shrugged off his hold. When she turned around, she frowned at him. “What are you doing?”
He sent her a lazy smile. “Is that what is considered a thank you around this town?”
“A thank you?” Surely she hadn’t heard him correctly.