The Rebound

Chapter 28

Oh my God.

“—and it was the first I heard about it, so I wanted to make sure you knew because I figured you would have told me and I—”

“I’ve got to go, Jess.”

“But—”

“I’ll call you later.” I hang up, sliding the phone into my pocket as I stare at Tyler.

Tyler who’s here.

Tyler who’s smiling at me.

“Surprise,” he says, and his voice sends a jolt through me. “Not that I meant it to be one. I tried to call but you got a new number.”

“An Irish one.”

“I figured.” He pauses, taking me in. “What on earth are you wearing?”

I glance down at my outfit, the now creased T-shirt over my summer dress. Louise’s rubber boots caked in old mud. “I was at a protest.”

“A protest?”

“With my sister. What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to see you,” he says as if it’s the simplest thing in the world.

Before I can answer, his gaze flicks behind me and I turn to see Tomasz’s car pulling into the driveway.

“That’s my—”

There’s a whiff of cologne as Tyler strides past, his hand outstretched. “Louise!” he says as she gets out. “We finally meet.”

I don’t take in a word as introductions are made and pleasantries exchanged. I feel like I’m in shock and it’s only when Louise steps on my foot do I realize she’s invited everyone inside.

We head into the hall, where she quickly pushes a laundry basket into the kitchen before gesturing us into the living room.

“This feels expensive,” Tomasz says cheerfully as he takes Tyler’s jacket and hangs it on the banister.

I risk a glance at Tyler to gauge what he thinks only to find him looking at me. I catch his smile before I turn away.

What is happening what is happening what is happening?

I follow them into the front room where Louise and Tomasz sit on the old couch while Tyler and I perch on separate ends of the love seat. Somewhere outside, two children shriek as they play on the road and I am sure my life will never be weirder than at this moment.

“Tea?” Louise asks suddenly, breaking the silence. “Coffee?”

Tyler smiles at her. “A coffee would be great.”

“It’s Nespresso,” she says, a slight edge to her words.

“Wonderful. The stronger the better.” He tries a laugh. “To be honest, I think I’m running on caffeine at this stage.”

She smiles weakly at him and makes a show of getting up, patting Tomasz’s knee.

He gets the hint. “I’ll help.”

I can only watch them go as Tyler turns back to me. This time, he cuts straight to the point.

“I got you an interview.”

I blink.

“A financial analyst at Hanson’s,” he continues. “I know it’s smaller than you’re used to but they had a few recruits drop out and I have a friend in—”

“I’m an associate,” I interrupt.

“I wouldn’t worry about it,” he says calmly. “You know how they are with these things. It’s a new company, a lot of competition. Give it a few months and you’ll be able to move up easily.”

“You flew all the way to Ireland to tell me you got me an interview?”

“No.” He takes a breath. “No, Abby, I didn’t fly over here just to tell you that. I thought we could—”

He breaks off as a cupboard slams, followed by a few words in Polish and the sound of the kettle heating up. It’s as if Louise and Tomasz suddenly realized how quiet they were being.

Tyler smiles, unruffled as always. “Is there somewhere we could talk?”

Not in this house. “Do you want to go for a walk?”

“I’d love to,” he says, and he looks so relieved that I feel a little bad.

I lead him back to the front door, letting him go ahead of me as I stick my head into the kitchen. “Louise?”

“ Go ,” she mouths, her eyes wide. Tomasz gives me a sympathetic smile, eating a chocolate biscuit.

I bring Tyler without speaking down the street, past the kids and their skipping ropes, across the road and down the unofficial pathway to the river, where the grass is soft and wet under our feet.

It’s always beautiful just after the rain and although I know Tyler’s shoes must be getting muddy, he makes a point not to notice as we reach the weathered bench that looks out at the water.

“What does it say?” he asks, peering at the polished engraving.

“ Do Margaret, mo chara ,” I read in Irish. “For Margaret, my friend.”

“I’ve never heard you speak Gaelic before.”

“I don’t speak it very well. Louise is fluent.”

“Well, it sounds beautiful. And so is this river,” he adds when I look away. “It must have been wonderful growing up here.”

“It was alright,” I say, watching him from the corner of my eye.

God, he looks good. The kind of good that money can buy. A decent haircut, a good skin regime, fitted, muted clothing that Tomasz was right about: it is expensive. I know it’s expensive because my wardrobe used to be similar.

He glances at me and I look away.

“Sometimes there’s a heron here,” I say, turning to the heron-less river.

“Abby.”

“They’re pretty impressive close up.”

“Will you look at me at least?”

I turn to him stiffly, focusing my gaze somewhere above his right shoulder.

“I’m sorry,” he says.

“For what?” I’m unable to stop the note of tension that enters my voice. “For breaking up with me or for the timing of the breakup?”

“I don’t expect for this to be an easy conversation,” he says. “But I have a few days and if you have space in your heart to listen to me, I’d really like to talk to you.”

“We’re talking now.”

He gives me a small smile. “Maybe when you don’t have sand in your hair.”

I frown at his words but before I can respond a loud engine cuts me off and we both look up the bank to see a red car speeding down the road.

Luke.

He does a double take when he spots me, one hand lifting in a wave before realizing I’m with someone. There’s just enough time to see confusion flash across his face before he drives past.

“A friend of yours?” Tyler asks as he pulls in up ahead.

I hear the car door shut and a moment later he appears over the crest of the hill, looking just as unkempt as I am.

Or maybe I just feel that way standing next to Tyler.

Luke’s clothes are even dirtier than mine and he’s thrown on the old hoodie he keeps in his trunk.

“Everything okay?” he asks, his eyes on me as he makes his way toward us.

“Everything’s fine.” My voice comes out too high. “Luke, this is Tyler.”

And as always, he can’t keep the shock from his face.

Tyler smiles. “Tyler Olsen. And you are?”

“Luke Bailey.” He holds out his hand and Tyler doesn’t hesitate to grip it.

The shake goes on a little longer than necessary.

Are they…

“Okay,” I say. I’ve never been interested in a macho show off and I’m not about to start now. “ Okay ,” I repeat when neither of them stops. They reluctantly let go, still sizing each other up.

“Tyler surprised me,” I say to Luke, needing him to believe I didn’t plan this, that I didn’t know my ex-fiancé was coming and didn’t tell him. To my relief, he nods.

He believes me because of course he does.

And now I have to deal with both of them.

“Luke’s an old friend,” I say as they stand on either side of me, a buffer to the wind.

“Well, that’s great.” Tyler’s still smiling. “I was hoping you’d introduce me to people. But, if you’ll excuse us, Luke. We were in the middle of a private conversation.”

“Were you now?” Luke asks, equally as friendly. “I’m afraid you’ll have to catch up another time. Abby’s going to start seizing up if she doesn’t get into warmer clothes and we have a lunch to get to.”

“Lunch?”

“With his parents,” I explain. “They’re my next-door neighbors.”

“Sounds great. Would there be room for one more?”

“No,” Luke says before I can open my mouth.

“Alright,” I say firmly. “Let me just…” I turn to Luke. “Give me five minutes. And then you’re right. I need to take a shower. Could you let Louise know I’ll be late?”

Luke doesn’t move, looking at me as if he’s trying to read my mind. But if I am trying to give him a secret message, I hope he tells me what it is because I sure as hell don’t know.

“It was nice to meet you,” Tyler adds.

Luke doesn’t so much as blink at him. “I think I’ll stay right here,” he says, talking to me.

Tyler laughs once in disbelief, looking at me as if I know what to do.

When I say nothing, his jaw tightens. “Fine,” he says.

“Sure, pal, do whatever you want.” He turns fully toward me, essentially blocking Luke from the conversation.

“The job is assured, Abby. The interview is a box tick, that’s all.

You’re one of the smartest people I’ve ever met and you’ll be moving up the ranks in a few months. You know you will. Take it.”

“I don’t—”

“Take it,” he repeats, as Luke scowls behind him. “Don’t worry about me. Don’t even think about me. We can talk about that later. Do this for you because you know it’s the right thing.”

“But I don’t think it is.”

“I know you’re mad at me, Abby, but you can’t—”

“It’s not that,” I interrupt, trying to sort out my thoughts as I say them. “I’m not sure if going back to New York is the right thing for me.”

“You want to stay here?”

“I don’t know.”

“To do what?”

“I don’t know .”

He’s taken aback. He obviously expected me to be reluctant but not about this. Not about a job. But he’s annoying me. Him with this “I’m here to save you” attitude. Him with his nice clothes and his charming smile as if nothing happened between us.

“You’re angry with me,” he says eventually. “I understand that, I do. And I’m sorry. But you don’t have a job. You don’t have your friends. You have nowhere to live and I know you want to move back because you’ve been applying to everything under the sun.”

“How do you—”

“Because I have friends in the business and they tell me,” he says, frustration starting to creep into his voice. “You still want to get out of here or else you wouldn’t be trying so hard. Let me help you.”

“I don’t need your help. Maybe I want to stay here.”

“You don’t.”

“I do.”

“Why?” He rears back as my eyes betray me, flicking to Luke before I can stop of myself. “Because of him?”

“I…”

“Abby.” Tyler shifts to the left, drawing my attention away from Luke, who’s now staring at me.

“I’m not mad if you met someone else, but you need to think about this rationally.

You want to get back at me? Fine. I deserve it.

But turning down this kind of opportunity for some hometown rebound is not you. ”

“He’s not a rebound.”

“You need to think about your future. Your life.”

“He’s not a rebound,” I repeat, annoyed.

“I had to pull some serious strings to get you this—”

“I’m in love with him.”

Tyler shuts up, this time unable to prevent his surprise from showing.

“I’m in love with him,” I repeat, not trusting myself to so much as look in Luke’s direction.

I thought Tyler might be angry. Embarrassed even. But his expression gentles. He almost looks sorry for me. “You don’t fall in love with someone after a few weeks, Abby.”

I say nothing, mute. I can tell he doesn’t believe me. I can tell he just thinks I want him to fight for me.

But that’s never been his style.

“I can see this isn’t the best time,” he says finally. “I booked a hotel room in Sligo if you change your mind and would like to talk. I’ll be there all week. If it’s okay, I’d like to give my regards to your sister and then I’ll let you all enjoy your meal.”

Ever the gentleman, he nods at both of us before striding back up the bank, toward the house.

For a moment, Luke and I just stand there, not saying anything even as a drizzle falls around us.

“I didn’t know he was coming,” I say eventually. “Luke? I swear I—”

“I know,” he says, but he doesn’t sound very reassuring. He gazes at the spot where Tyler disappeared. “Were you just saying that? That you’re in love with me?”

“No.”

“Right.” He takes a breath to speak, seems to think the better of it, and then tries again. “It’s just you can’t just go around making grand proclamations like that.”

“I know.”

“Words mean something.”

“I know ,” I say. “I know they do. I wanted to tell you before now but I couldn’t.

I kept chickening out because this thing between us felt so new.

” I hate the expression on his face, like he’s trying to hide his feelings from me.

Or trying to figure them out himself. “I meant it,” I say.

“I didn’t say it just because I wanted to get rid of him. ”

“But do you? Do you want to get rid of him?”

“ Yes. How can you ask that?”

“How can I not? You were engaged to him.”

“Before he broke it off, remember?”

“Does he remember?” He frowns. “Are you going to take that job?”

“I already said I wasn’t.”

“You said that to him. Now, I’m asking you.”

“And it’s the same answer. I’m not going to take it.”

“But you’ll go eventually.” He shakes his head when I don’t respond. “Do you even know anymore?”

“That’s unfair,” I say, a sharp note entering my voice. “A lot has happened and it’s a big decision. You can’t expect me to make it that quickly.” I cross my arms as the rain falls heavier. “Are you just going to stand there or are you going to say something to me?”

“What?”

“I told you I loved you, Luke, or did you forget about that already?”

He watches me for a long second. “I didn’t forget,” he says finally.

Embarrassment rushes through me, swift and all-consuming. “Right. I just thought…” I stumble backward, slipping slightly in the wet earth. The sudden urge to put space between us is overwhelming. “Whatever. It’s raining. I need to get back to Louise.”

“You’re not,” he calls after me.

“What?”

He almost looks pained. “You’re not in love with me.”

“I’m not? Oh!” I laugh, sounding a little manic. “Great! Thanks for clearing that up for me.”

“You can’t be,” he insists. “I know what I am to you.”

“And what’s that? A hometown hookup?”

“A distraction. One that, I admit, I’d hoped would go on a little longer than it has.”

I can’t believe what he’s saying to me. “That’s what you think?”

“That’s what I know,” he says firmly. “That’s what this has to be because I can’t give you anything more. I can’t give you what you want.”

“You don’t know what I want,” I choke out. “How can you when you clearly don’t know me.”

“Abby—”

“I have to go,” I say, climbing awkwardly up the riverbank. My foot slips in the mud but I manage to right myself as I move as far away from him as possible.

He doesn’t follow.

And for some reason, that’s what hurts me the most.