Chapter 20
Two months later, Lucy stood in the living room of her new two-bedroom apartment. For the first time in years, she had something all her own, even if it was a rental.
“That’s the last of it,” she said, adding one final cardboard box to the large pile stacked along the wall.
Abbey’s eyes glistened. “You don’t have to go.”
“Oh, no. It”s far too late to turn back now.” Lucy indicated the collection of boxes. “I’m not moving all that.”
Abbey frowned. “You haven’t unpacked anything. Let’s toss out this insane idea and take all the boxes back to my place.” Lucy gave her sister a quick hug. “It’s time, beyond time. Kaylee needs her own room, and we’ll never feel completely settled until we have our own space. I need to know I can do this on my own.”
Lucy put her hands on Abbey’s shoulders. “I have to do this. Living with you has been amazing, but it feels a bit like summer camp; fun but not real life. You know I appreciate everything you’ve done for us, but I need to do this alone.”
Abbey hung her head. “I know. But I’m going to miss you. I’ve gotten used to having you around. Who’s going to have coffee ready for me in the morning? Who will I gossip with?”
Lucy laughed, pulling Abbey toward the sliding door leading onto the balcony. “I’m literally one street away from you.” Lucy unlocked the door and pulled Abbey outside. “Look, there’s your backyard. I can spy on you anytime, and you can do the same. Besides, I plan to drop in unannounced as often as possible.”
“Promise?”
“Yes. And Kaylee will be over all the time.”
Abbey sighed. “It won’t be the same.”
“No, it won’t. And listen, I know I have a track record for disappearing, but I’m done with that. I’m ready to set down roots. And now that I have you back in my life, I’m not letting you go.”
Abbey looked over the railing toward her house. “Wow, you can see straight into my living room.”
“And your bedroom,” Lucy teased, bumping her elbow against Abbey’s arm. “Better close those drapes before you get freaky.”
Abbey dropped her gaze.
“It’s going to be okay,” Lucy said quickly. “Things will get better. Rob loves you.”
Abbey shrugged.
A look of concern crossed Lucy’s face. “You do want things better, right?”
“I do,” Abbey whispered. “I’m not so sure about Rob, though.”
“You seemed to be getting along in Spain,” Lucy commented. “What happened?”
Abbey sighed. “Spain was a band-aid. Sure, we got along, but there was no time for deep, meaningful conversations. I had my husband back for a short while, and I didn’t want to cause waves by talking about our problems; I wanted to enjoy the vacation.”
“And since you’ve been back, have you tried to talk with him?”
Abbey leaned her back against the metal railing. “Whenever I try to, he shuts me down. He doesn’t want to talk; he thinks it will end in a fight, and it probably will. He always makes up some excuse to get away from me or leave the house.”
“If you want things to work, you need to force the conversation,” Lucy said.
“I can’t force someone to talk to me.” Abbey’s tone dripped with irritation. “And I’m not going to chase him down and force him to listen; that would certainly send him running.”
Lucy blew out a breath. “The more you ignore it, the greater the distance will become.”
Abbey raised an eyebrow and looked at her sister. “And do you put into practice this advice you dole out? Have you told Aidan how you really feel?”
“Don’t change the subject.” Lucy walked back inside the house. “There is nothing to talk about with Aidan. It was fun and casual, and now it’s over. That’s the thing about casual relationships; when you’re done, it’s over; no harm, no foul, and everyone is happy.”
“Oh, yeah, you’ve been real happy.” Abbey followed her into the living room. “Moping is more like it.”
Lucy glared at her sister. “Ok, I admit it, I got a little more attached than I wanted to. Maybe I was in a funk for a while, but it’s fine; I’m over it. I got a new apartment and am ready to move on.” Lucy tried to sound as if her heart didn’t still ache at the mention of his name.
Abbey wasn’t buying it. “If you say so.” She picked up her purse and jacket off the couch. “I’ve got to get back to work. I’ll leave you to unpack or, rather, think about unpacking.”
Lucy looked at the stack of boxes. “I should unpack some clothes and the sheets. It will be nice to sleep in our own beds, in separate rooms. I know Kaylee is keen to start setting up her space.”
“I can imagine,” Abbey agreed. “You’ll be over for dinner tomorrow, right? It’s takeaway night.”
“We would never miss that.”
“Perfect.” Abbey had her hand on the door handle but turned back to Lucy. “Before I forget, and since you’re all good on the teacher situation, I need help setting up for the Saint Patrick’s Day breakfast at school next week.”
Lucy’s eyes grew large. “I don’t…”
Abbey waved her hand. “We’re decorating the hall in the morning after school starts. He’ll be in class; you won’t see him.”
“It’s not that…”
Abbey cut her off. “It is that, so let me stop you there. We don’t have enough people signed up to help; this is a big event, and we really could use your help. You can come, decorate, and leave before any students come to the hall for breakfast. You never have to see him.”
Lucy shook her head. “I don’t think it’s a good–.”
Abbey pointed at her. “You said you were fine. You’re over it, remember?.”
“I ghosted him,” Lucy spat out. “I feel guilty and embarrassed.”
“Then, say sorry and move on,” Abbey continued. “It was just a casual fling, right? I’m sure Aidan doesn’t even care; he’s probably moved on to another mom by now.”
Lucy’s gut twisted as if Abbey had stabbed her straight in the stomach.
“I’m kidding.” Abbey rolled her eyes, and a small smile played on her lips. “You are so not over this guy.”
“I am,” Lucy said softly. “I’ll help with the decorating only. I can’t take extra time off to do more than that.”
“Great.” Abbey smiled smugly. “I’ll see you tomorrow night.”
Lucy leaned against the closed door, rubbing her palms over her face. She had spent the last two months throwing herself into work, taking on big projects, searching for an apartment, and doing whatever it took to get her mind off Aidan.
Finding housing had been a great distraction; apartments were few and far between in Dublin. Lucy got lucky; one of her work colleagues owned this apartment, and the previous tenants had given their notice. She was able to skip all the hassle and secure the place. The co-worker was more than happy to rent to a friend rather than strangers. They were double lucky with the location, literally in Abbey’s backyard.
Another perk was that the place had come fully furnished. Lucy’s co-workers had donated all sorts of home goods to the move. Plates, silverware, candles, towels, mats, and other random trinkets filled the cardboard boxes Lucy and Abbey had hauled over this morning. They planned a big shopping spree for the weekend to spruce the place up. Kaylee and Lucy were both excited at the prospect of designing and creating their own space.
Standing alone in the living room, a wave of sadness washed over her. A big part of her wanted to stay with Abbey and live the life they missed out on in their childhood. Abbey had always been the one person who had never abandoned her, even after Lucy continually left her. Neither sister had any relationship with their father. And together, they watched their mother disappear until she became similar to a robot, going through each day with little emotion.
Now, it was as if those years had never happened. Abbey had always been there and always would be there for Lucy, no matter what. Abbey had been the one to give her a home after Kaylee was born. Each time Jeremy abandoned her, Abbey threw open her doors, rejoicing in her sister’s return. She never asked too many questions or gloated; instead, Abbey listened with love, always trying to heal whatever had been broken in her sister.
Even after Abbey made her big move to Ireland, she was still always there for Lucy. Although it was over the phone, email, or text messages, she allowed Lucy the space to vent, whine, and cry, often ending every conversation with the invitation to move to Ireland and escape Jeremy for good. Through it all, they were best friends. Lucy would never have made it this far without Abbey’s support; she needed that shoulder to cry and lean on.
In a way, Lucy felt she was abandoning Abbey once again. After all, Abbey had done for her, Lucy bailed when it seemed Abbey’s relationship was falling apart. Lucy couldn”t fix whatever was happening between Abbey and Rob, and it scared her to think no one could.
Abbey met Rob shortly after graduation, and they have been together ever since. Lucy was always jealous of their relationship. Rob rescued Abbey the way Lucy had believed Jeremy would save her. Rob had always treated Abbey like a princess, setting her high on a pedestal and adoring the very ground she walked on. Seeing them stuck in such a difficult place in their relationship was heart-wrenching. They seemed to exist around each other but never connected or showed affection.
Lucy needed to leave that house; she was becoming a crutch for Abbey. Maybe once they were gone, Abbey and Rob would be forced to communicate with each other. They had to fix things. To Lucy, they were the epitome of a healthy relationship. If they couldn’t make things work, what chance did Lucy have?
A loud knocking pulled Lucy from her thoughts. Thankful for the distraction, she went to the door and peered through the peephole.
A smile spread across her face as she pulled open the door to her daughter.
“Welcome home!”