Chapter 16 #2
But to her relief, everything had gone smoothly. Now that she had the new espresso machine, her stress had gone down considerably. She’d already made two payments to Brad. It was going to take her longer than she would like to pay him back. But with every payment, she felt a little better.
Now settled in the office, she started to sort through her email.
Knock-knock.
Abby glanced up to find Mia standing in her doorway. “Thanks for taking care of the place this weekend. I really appreciate it.”
“It was no big deal.”
“What do you need?”
Mia shook her head. “Nothing. I was just wondering how your trip went. Did you see Brad?”
Abby rolled her eyes. “You know I did. He’s the reason we flew to Chicago.”
Mia stepped farther into the office. “And how was he?”
Heat rushed to her cheeks. “Mia, please stop. There’s nothing going on between Brad and myself.”
Mia looked at her with disbelief showing in her eyes. “You might tell yourself that, but a man doesn’t buy an espresso machine for someone he’s not interested in.”
She’d had the same thought, and now that she knew who Linda was, she reconsidered the possibility of him and her—of them. “It would never work. He lives in Chicago.”
“There are ways around that.”
Abby shook her head. “He loves the city, and I love Bayberry. There’s no in-between.”
“Never say never.”
Chime.
At last, a reasonable excuse to put an end to this awkward conversation. “I need to get this.”
Mia nodded. “Just remember what I said.”
After Mia slipped out the door, Abby picked up her phone. She wasn’t expecting to hear from anyone. She’d already told her mother she was home safe and sound.
When she glanced at her phone, she was surprised to see Brad’s name on the screen.
Brad: Just checking to see that you made it home safely.
Abby: Home safe and sound.
Brad: That’s good to hear. The next time you’re in Chicago, we have a date to get deep dish pizza.
A date? She reread the message over and over again. She assured herself that he didn’t mean an actual date. It had to be an offhand comment, nothing more.
Abby: I’ll be in touch soon to go over details for the wedding shower.
Brad: Shower? Why would I care about that? It’s for the women.
Abby: It used to be. Now it’s a combined event.
Brad: You mean us guys have to go to the bridal shower?
She could already imagine him with a distinct frown. A little smile tugged on the corners of her lips.
Abby: I told you it’s a wedding shower. Note the word wedding instead of bridal.
Knock-knock.
“Come in.” Abby glanced up from her phone.
Mia poked her head in. “Thought you’d want to know that your mother just stopped in.”
“Thanks. I’ll be right out.”
Brad: When is this shower?
Abby: The end of next month. Gotta go!
She slipped her phone into her pocket. She glanced up at the computer monitor with all of the emails that she’d missed. There were a couple of bills that needed to be paid, but other than that, there was nothing urgent.
It looked like the coffeeshop was able to function in her absence. In one way, it felt good. In another way, it didn’t feel so good. She shut down the computer and made her way to the front of the shop.
She immediately spotted her mother standing in line for coffee. Feeling extra good after her weekend off and extra generous, she made her mother’s favorite coffee: medium roast, extra cream, and two packs of sweetener. She carried it around the counter to her mother.
“Here you go.” Abby held out the hot coffee.
Her mother looked at her and arched a brow. “Why do you have that look on your face?”
What look? She honestly didn’t know what her mother was talking about. “I don’t have a look.”
“You do. You were smiling. It was like this dreamy look.” And then her mother’s eyes widened. “Are you in love?”
The question came out much louder than Abby would have preferred. Heads turned in their direction just as the heat of embarrassment swirled in her chest before rushing to her face.
At that moment, her initial reaction was to lead her mother outside where they could have a private conversation, but a glance toward the window let her know that it had begun to snow.
Instead, she led her mother over to a table for two next to the window. Once they were both seated, she lowered her voice and said, “What did you have to go and say that for?”
“But isn’t it true? I should have known this was going to happen when you said you were flying to Chicago to go see that guy.”
“Mom, I didn’t fly out to see Brad. I went to help Sadie with some wedding stuff.”
Her mother’s gaze narrowed in on her. “You’re in love with him, aren’t you?”
“No. Of course not.” Her words were rushed and running into each other. Even though her heart was now racing and her palms were sweaty, she slowed her words and tried to sound nonchalant when she said, “I think you’ve been reading one too many romance novels.”
Her mother stared at her. The look on her face said that she didn’t believe her. “And I suppose you’re sticking to your story that he didn’t gift you that expensive espresso machine? The whole town is talking about it.”
She inwardly groaned. “I told you that it’s a loan. Nothing more.”
Her mother nodded. “And when is Brad coming to visit again?”
Abby shrugged. “He doesn’t consult me on his plans. But I would suspect that the next time he’ll be here is for the wedding shower.” And now it was time to change the subject. “Speaking of the shower, can you make some of the food?”
Her mother loved to cook and was always complaining that it was no fun cooking for one. So, any time her mother got to cook for a group, she was all over it.
Her mother’s eyes lit up. “Sure. What were you thinking? Maybe some rigatoni?”
Abby nodded. “And how about some pierogies?”
“I’ll have to get the big pans from the community hall’s kitchen.”
“Sounds good. I’ll mark you down for bringing two side dishes. Thanks, Mom.”
Even after her mother took her coffee and left, Abby was left with her mother’s observation. Had she been smiling? She supposed that was possible. After all, she’d had a good weekend—a really good weekend now that she knew who Linda was.
But smiling didn’t equate to love—not even close. She enjoyed Brad’s company, nothing more. After all, she enjoyed a lot of people’s company, and she wasn’t in love with them.
And the fact that she looked forward to their verbal sparring via text message didn’t mean anything either.
He was just a friend. Although, it was getting harder and harder to believe the stories she kept telling herself about him.
Someday soon she might have to admit that he was more than a friend. But how much more?