Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
He yawned.
Again.
Brad wanted to blame his lack of sleep on the fact that the mattress in his room at the B&B was too soft, but it wasn’t that. And he couldn’t blame it on the place having thin walls and noisy guests because it wasn’t that either.
No, the fact of the matter was that he couldn’t stop thinking about spontaneously kissing Abby.
He had been wondering if her rosy lips were as soft as he imagined, and the next thing he knew, he was holding her in his arms. And then he’d acted on impulse.
He could testify that her lips were softer and sweeter than the mini marshmallows she kept under the counter.
If only they hadn’t been interrupted by Mia...
Then again, maybe that was a good thing. After all, what sort of relationship would they have with him in Chicago and her in Bayberry? And the chance of him moving to Bayberry was the same as her moving to Chicago—zero, zip, zilch, and nil.
Neither one of them had mentioned the kiss after Mia left. But he did notice how Abby’s gaze never met his. And honestly, he didn’t know what to say about the kiss, except that it shouldn’t have happened, even if there was a part of him that was happy it did.
Just the memory of her being in his arms and her glossy lips beneath his made his heart beat faster. The thing was, the more time he spent with her, the more she consumed his thoughts when they were apart.
While working in his room at the B&B that morning, he was continually losing his train of thought. One moment, he was typing on his laptop and the next moment, Abby’s beautiful image would come to mind.
So, when his phone rang, and it was Reed, he welcomed the distraction. When Reed offered a lunch invitation, Brad jumped on it. It had been a long time since it was just the two of them.
They met up at Mel’s Grille. It seemed like it was the place to eat in town. There were a couple of other places, but this was the main place for good food.
After they’d finished eating burgers and fries, Brad knew this was his chance to convince Reed to move back to Chicago after the wedding. But he knew he had to tread lightly.
Brad took a drink of his cola and then casually leaned back in his seat. “I was thinking if you wanted to come back to Chicago, we could get a bigger suite of offices. In fact, I saw there are some offices available next to our building, which looked perfect for what we need.”
Reed shook his head as he pushed away his empty plate. “I told you before that my future is here in Bayberry.”
Brad sighed. “I just don’t get it. You’re basically in the middle of nowhere. They don’t even have an airport close by.”
“You’re right. It’s the exact opposite of Chicago, and that’s what makes it great. You have to stop judging all small towns by the same yardstick you used for Barch.” Reed leaned forward as he made direct eye contact. “I know you didn’t have it easy in that town, but not every place is like that.”
Brad remembered how the busybodies used to talk about the way his father died and left Brad’s mother in a heap of debt. They said his father liked to gamble. His mother refused to discuss it.
As Brad grew older, the same busybodies said he was just like his father—trouble.
He was young and impressionable, so he believed them.
He figured if he was trouble, then he might as well get into some.
So, he spray-painted the high school and partied until all hours.
His mother tried to keep him out of trouble, but he had a chip on his shoulder that she couldn’t remove.
Not wanting to think about his unhappy past, Brad pushed away the thoughts. “So, you think that you can work remotely from here?”
Reed nodded. “I’ll set up offices here, and I’ll still be able to travel to find more small town papers to roll into the Rumor Quill.
But now that the paper is established, I don’t plan to travel nearly as much.
And if we close the deal on purchasing the magazine, we’ll be able to reach a lot more readers. ”
Brad couldn’t help but wonder if Reed would come to regret sacrificing his home in Chicago, settling for their current business model and all of the other things that Reed was giving up on just for love. Just like his mother had sacrificed her dreams for a man who was no longer alive.
Brad wasn’t going to end up like either of them. He was determined to walk through this life alone. Then he briefly thought of Abby and how much he’d wanted to kiss her again.
“You know with you seeing Abby, you’ll be spending a lot more time in Bayberry.” Reed smiled at him, as though they’d been playing some sort of mental chess, and he’d made a move: check.
Brad wasn’t out of moves. He could still move his queen to safety. “Once the wedding is over, I’ll rarely see her.”
“That’s what you say now, but you’ll be back. There will be birthdays, births, and a whole host of other things. Don’t forget football games to watch.”
Brad shook his head. “You won’t have time for hanging out once you have a family. And we won’t be able to fly back and forth that often.”
Reed let out a laugh. “We’ll see about all of that.”
After they left the restaurant, Brad yawned. What he needed was some caffeine. But that would mean going to the Steaming Brew and seeing Abby.
He came to a stop on the sidewalk as he debated how much he needed the coffee.
Then he realized he was being ridiculous.
It wasn’t like she was going to throw herself into his arms. And he could ignore the way her smiles made her eyes twinkle.
He didn’t have to notice the way the pink gloss she wore made her lips oh so tempting.
After all, he was a full-grown man, not some hormonal teenager.
Determined to prove that she couldn’t get to him, he turned in the direction of the Steaming Brew. Apparently, he wasn’t the only one who needed an afternoon pick-me-up, because when he entered the coffeeshop, he found most of the tables occupied, and there were a few people in line at the counter.
As he took his spot at the end of the line, his gaze swept along the counter, searching for Abby. He didn’t see her anywhere. He ignored the pang of disappointment he felt.
Instead, he focused on the espresso machine. It was still working. A little smile temporarily lifted the corners of his mouth. But it disappeared when he remembered it was just a bandage fix, and she really needed a new machine.
It was party time.
Abby had been in contact with Sadie most of the day. It was Sadie’s job to keep Reed distracted until the party. And she’d succeeded until Reed insisted that he was having lunch with Brad.
While the men ate, Sadie met Abby at the community hall. There were a few last-minute touches needed. But for the most part, the place was ready for a party. When she’d seen Sadie’s big smile, she knew it was worth all of the effort—even having to fake being Brad’s girlfriend for an evening.
And now it was time for the party. All of the guests had arrived and were waiting for the guests of honor.
Brad strode up to her. “The lookout spotted their car. They’ll be here any minute.”
“Okay. This is it.” Abby sent him a smile before climbing up on the stage. “Ladies and gentlemen.”
It took a moment for the murmur of voices to quiet down. As she waited, she looked out over the crowd of familiar faces. She was so happy that so many people had showed up to share in the joy of Sadie and Reed’s engagement.
“They are almost here. We’re going to turn off the lights. When the lights come back on, we’ll all call out surprise. Are you ready?” She glanced over to where Brad was at the light switch prepared to plunge them into darkness.
“They’re here.”
“Okay, everyone. Remember, not a peep.” She looked over at Brad once more. “Okay. Lights out.”
She used the flashlight app on her phone to help guide her off the stage. She stayed along the outside wall as she made her way to the door. She moved as quickly as she could in the darkness.
When she reached Brad’s side, she turned off the app on her phone. It was so dark and quiet in the hall it was hard to believe there were a couple hundred people inside.
Just then the door opened. The street lights illuminated the outline of Sadie and Reed.
“Why is it so dark in here?” Reed asked.
“Because no one is here,” Sadie replied.
“Then why was the door unlocked?”
It was a good question. She was glad they were done trying to keep this party a secret.
“Where is the light switch?” Sadie asked.
Reed turned on his flashlight app. Luckily, they were standing back far enough that he didn’t see any of the guests.
A moment later the lights came on, and everyone, including herself, yelled, “Surprise.”
Reed’s eyes widened as a big smile came over his face, but then he pressed a hand to his chest as his mouth gaped. Oh no! He was a terrible actor.
Reed had been on to them. The question was how long had he known about the party? She thought of the evening before and the double date. Had he known then? Had he totally played them?
She didn’t have a chance to ask him as Sadie and Reed greeted their guests. It wasn’t until much later that the four of them had a moment together.
Sadie smiled at them. “I want to thank both of you for arranging all of this. It’s perfect.” She looked at her groom-to-be. “I hope you enjoyed the surprise.”
“I did. Thank you.” He leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss to Sadie’s lips. When he pulled back, he looked at Abby and Brad. “And thank you both. I was so surprised.”
Before Abby could accuse him of knowing, Brad said, “How did you know?”
Sadie got a confused look on her face as her gaze moved back and forth between the two men. Then her eyes widened as she figured things out. Sadie remained quiet as they all waited for Reed’s answer.
Reed shrugged. “Ester Holmes might have let it slip.”
“Oh, Reed.” Sadie looked so disappointed. “You were supposed to be surprised.”
“I was,” he said reassuringly. “I had no idea you were planning such a big event. I think the whole town must be here.”
“Not quite.” The smile on Sadie’s face returned.
Brad arched a brow. “When did you find out?”
Reed hesitated. Then he glanced down. “A couple of days ago.”
There was a collective gasp.
Brad frowned. “So, when you had us go on the double date last night, you knew Abby and I weren’t seeing each other?”
“I didn’t know for sure. You two do make a good couple.”
So, if Reed had been honest with them, that kiss wouldn’t have happened. She didn’t know if she should be furious with him or thank him. The only thing she did know was come the next morning, Brad would be on his way back to Chicago. And her life would go back to normal.