Accidental Meeting (6 page)
Week Four
Abbey
chewed her lower lip while she drove. She'd contemplated Bruce's permanent job
offer, and as much as she'd like to take it, she couldn't. Somehow, during the
time of playing Good Samaritan, she'd started to develop feelings for Bruce.
Maybe her feelings only stemmed from helping right a wrong and caring for him
and inadvertently caused her to care too much. Whatever the reason, she
couldn't put herself in an awkward situation, especially after what happened
with Gary. The last thing she needed was to be accused of inappropriate
behavior in the workplace.
She
tapped the index finger of her left hand on the steering wheel as she drove.
Normally she went to her own church on Easter. It wasn’t the thought that of a
different church that bothered her, or that she had feelings for Bruce. Today
she would meet Bruce’s mother. That thought alone terrified her. What if his
mother didn’t like her?
“What
are you thinking about?” Bruce shifted in the seat next to her.
“Nothing,
really.”
“Nothing?
Well either you’re concentrating really hard on the road or you’ve taken off
into a distant land. I hope it’s not the latter of the two.” Abbey could see
Bruce smile from the corner of her eye.
“There’s
nothing wrong with my driving.”
Bruce
chuckled. “Still touchy aren’t we?”
“I
am not a bad driver.” She wasn’t. How could he think that? Realization dawned
on her. Okay, so maybe he could questions her driving, but now he knew why she was
upset the day of their accident. “If I hadn’t run into you that day, you and I
might have never met.”
“I’ve
thought about that, too.”
“God
has a way of working things out.” At least she hoped so. Abbey heard the low
grunt Bruce made. “What? Don’t you believe that God can turn a bad situation
into something good or that maybe he had a reason for us meeting?”
Bruce
shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe it was meant to be. But I don’t know that
everything always works out. At least for good.”
Abbey
glanced quickly at Bruce then back to the road.
Father, is there something
that didn’t work out for Bruce? Please give me the right words to say. You know
how much I care about him. I want to help him. I love him.
Gulping at her
own admission, Abbey clutched the steering wheel tighter, turning her knuckles
white.
“Abbey,
there’s something I should tell you before we get to my sister’s house.” Bruce
was quiet for a moment. Abbey waited for him to continue. “My father died
nearly eight years ago. I haven’t spent any time during the holidays with my
family since then. You see…”
Abbey
wanted to reach out and take his hand but she didn’t chance removing hers from
the steering wheel. Her eyes clouded with mist at his candor. She blinked
rapidly to clear her vision. Bruce was revealing a deep part of his heart,
sharing something she knew wasn’t easy for him. Whenever she talked about her
father’s death it made her throat constrict and she could barely whisper. It
was understandable that this was hard for Bruce. Men weren’t inclined to share
their feelings as easily as women. She felt honored that he would share his
with her.
“…
It was my fault my father died in that car accident.”
Abbey
jolted in her seat. She hadn't expect that piece of information. “What do you
mean?”
“If
I had been there eight years ago, on the Fourth of July, I would have been the
one to drive my sister home and Dad would be here today.” Bruce looked out the
passenger side window.
“And
where would you be?” Abbey glanced at Bruce. He continued to stare out his window.
“Dead, Bruce. You’d be the one who was killed instead and I don’t think that
would have been any comfort to your father now to be the one alive, knowing his
only son had died.”
“Maybe
I could have avoided the accident,” Bruce mumbled.
“Maybe,
but we can’t live by maybe’s. Maybe if I had given in to Gary’s advances I
wouldn’t have hit you and you wouldn’t have been hurt.”
“That’s
ridiculous!” Bruce snapped.
“Yeah,
that’s right and it’s ridiculous to think that if you had been the one driving
that things would have been different. You don’t know what would have happened
and it wouldn’t necessarily have been any better. Maybe by the time you and
your father argued over who was going to take your sister home, you would have
left later and perhaps both you and your sister would be dead today.
“You
can’t blame yourself, Bruce. It wasn’t your fault. Things happen sometimes.”
Abbey’s heart ached for the anguish Bruce had gone through all these years,
thinking it was his fault.
“I
don’t know, Abbey,” Bruce spoke barely above a whisper. “I feel responsible for
allowing work to keep me from going that night. I can’t help but wonder…”
“Don’t
let Satan beat you with lies and don’t let him keep you from your family
now." Abbey sighed. Her tone softened. "Your family loves you, Bruce.
I’m sure it hurts them when you continue to stay away. You have to go on. Enjoy
what you have and don’t let the past destroy your future.”
*
*
*
Bruce
let Abbey’s words sink in. She was right. It wouldn’t be easy to recoup the
last eight years. He barely knew his nephews. But he could make the effort and
try.
“Make
a left up ahead." Bruce pointed in that direction. "My sister lives
at the end of the road. You should see her white minivan in the driveway.”
Abbey
nodded and followed his directions. Bruce felt nervous, why, he wasn’t sure.
After all, it was
his
family. It wasn’t like they were total strangers.
When
they were parked next to his sister’s minivan, Bruce climbed out of Abbey’s
car, using his crutches to lift himself to a standing position. He was looking
forward to being able to discard the crutches. But when they went, so did
Abbey. His gut clenched. One way or another, he had to talk her into staying.
Angel
greeted them at the door. “I wondered if you two were going to make it in time
for church. Michael went with Mom and Ted. It’s Michael’s week to teach Sunday
school.”
Bruce
checked his watch. “It’s not that late.”
Angel
laughed. “No, not really but when you’re the teacher you have to get to church
before the kids do.”
“Uncle
Bruce!” the boys shouted, running to hug him.
John
and Alex bustled to the door, trying to squeeze past their mother to see him.
Bruce barely recognized them; they had both grown so much since Christmas. He
knew John was the taller one because he was the oldest. Angel had been pregnant
with John when their father died. She said she wanted to name her son after him
as a way to remember and honor his memory. To Bruce it had been a painful
reminder of their loss.
“Careful
boys,” Angel warned as they lunged to throw their arms around their uncle's
waist.
His
heart melted. They loved him. How could he allow the past to keep him away? Abbey
was right. He needed to go on. For the last eight years, he had allowed one
tragic event to separate him from the people he loved and the people who loved
him.
*
*
*
The
smell of lighter fluid burning wafted through the back door of the kitchen,
signaling the grill had been started. Abbey's stomach grumbled. Hopefully they
would be eating soon.
She
was glad she had thought to bring a change of clothes with her. The jeans and
light blue cardigan she had donned after church felt more comfortable and she
was thankful to trade her heels for tennis shoes.
“Is
there anything I can do, Angel?” Abbey felt useless watching Angel put together
a salad and Bruce’s mother bustle around the kitchen.
“Why
don’t you set the table, Abbey?” Bruce’s mother pointed to a drawer near the
dishwasher. “The silverware is in there.”
Abbey
retrieved forks from the drawer and found napkins on the table. She began setting
the table when she noticed Bruce’s mother watching her and smiling. “It was
hard to have a chance to talk at church today. I was curious how you and my son
met.”
Abbey
swallowed hard. “Well,
Mrs
….”
“Call
me Agnes,” Bruce’s mother cut in.
Abbey
could feel her cheeks grow warm. She couldn’t keep avoiding answering his
family's probing before they began to think of her as Bruce’s girlfriend.
“Bruce… well, it’s my fault he has the broken leg. I hit him.”
“You’re
kidding? How did that happen?” Angel paused, turning to look at her. Abbey
could tell that Angel couldn’t believe the irony of the situation by the way
her mouth hung open in disbelief.
“So
Bruce broke his leg in the accident?” Agnes shook her head. “I tried to picture
how he could have broken his right ankle without having any other injuries.”
“Well,
he didn’t exactly break his leg in the accident.” Abbey relayed the whole
story: how she'd been relieved that he hadn’t been hurt and how he'd fallen
down the embankment while trying to get away from her. Both Angel and Agnes
roared in laughter.
“What’s
so funny? We heard you all outside,” Bruce asked. Michael followed him into the
kitchen. Bruce looked at his mother and sister, then at Abbey who was the only
one not laughing. “Did I miss something?”
“Abbey
told us how you two met,” Angel said, wiping away tears from her eyes. “You
ought to write that story up and submit it somewhere, Abbey.”
“It’ll
be something you can tell your grandchildren. That’s hilarious,” Agnes said.
“Is Ted still outside? He’s got to hear how you two met.”
Abbey
had been afraid how Bruce would handle his family’s reaction to their meeting
but he seemed to take it all in stride. She caught him glancing at her a couple
times and managed a smile, which he returned and even joined in with their
banter.
Bruce’s
family was adorable. Abbey knew she'd miss them even though she barely knew
them. She was tempted to accept his offer of a permanent job. But in her heart,
she knew it wouldn’t work out because of her feelings for him and it would kill
her to ever see Bruce with another woman.
By
the way his mother talked he hadn’t dated anyone in awhile. While she silently
admitted feeling a tiny burst of exhilaration at that knowledge, she didn’t
know why his mother thought they were a couple. Bruce didn’t look at her in
that way, no matter how much she wished he would and if she continued to work
for him, he would never see her that way. When she tried to set Agnes straight,
she merely responded with a low chuckle and said, “You two will get together
one day. Don’t worry. It’ll happen.”
And
what if all you're ever be is only Bruce's employee? Abbey thought to herself.
No, it wasn’t likely to happen. She could tuck her daydreams into her pajama
bag and save them for bedtime.
Week
Six
Abbey
parked on the street in front of Bruce's house. A gray Lexus was parked in the
driveway next to Bruce’s Lincoln. She couldn’t help but wonder who was visiting
him this early in the morning. Doris was off today so that ruled her out. When
she rang the doorbell, it took a few moments for someone to answer.
“Hello.
You must be Abbey.” A tall, slender blonde in a gray, pinstripe suit stepped
aside for her to enter the foyer. “Come on in. Bruce is in the living room.
Would you like a cup of coffee? We’ve just finished ours but I can make you
some if you like.”
“No,
thank you.” Abbey smiled as she passed the other woman and went into the living
room. Bruce sat on the couch gathering folders and putting them into a soft,
leather briefcase. Two empty coffee cups sat near each other on the coffee
table. Bruce and Jean were obviously working very closely together on the
couch.
“Is
something wrong?” Bruce asked.
Abbey
looked up to meet his gaze, her mind still on the coffee cups. “
Hm
? No.”
“You
looked like you were frowning. I thought maybe something was wrong.” Bruce
zipped the briefcase closed. “Abbey, this is my assistant, Jean.”
“Hi,”
both women said in unison.
Abbey
shook Jean’s outstretched hand. Then it dawned on her, his assistant
—
the one who recently had a baby. “Does this mean you
won’t be needing me anymore?” Abbey glanced from Jean to Bruce. Her pulse
quickened. What excuse could she use to ever see him again if he no longer
needed her? She moistened her lips and swallowed the lump in her throat.
“No.
I mean, yes. I still need you. Jean is going to be working at our home office.”
Bruce stood.
“Have
a seat. I’ll get this mess.” Jean moved her briefcase to a chair nearby and
took both coffee cups to the kitchen.
While
she was gone, Abbey and Bruce locked gazes. He sat down and rested his forearms
on his legs. “Why don’t you have a seat?” Bruce nodded towards the chair
nearest him. “I was hoping we could talk for a moment before we go.”
Abbey
heard Jean’s heels tap against the linoleum and she looked up. Jean grabbed her
briefcase and smiled at Abbey. “It was nice to meet you.”
“You,
too. Congratulations on the new baby.”
“Thanks,”
Jean answered, then turned her attention to Bruce. “I’ll call you later.”
“Okay.
Thanks, Jean.”
As
soon as Jean had left, Abbey couldn’t help but blurt out, “She doesn’t look
like she just had a baby.”
Bruce
laughed. “You should have seen her when she was pregnant. She looked like a
toothpick with a bulge.”
Abbey
giggled. “She must have if she got her figure back already. I hope I’m that
lucky when I have children.”
“Would
you like some coffee or something, Abbey?”
Bruce’s
chocolate, brown eyes melted her to the core and made Abbey’s heart race. She
loved it when he said her name softly. In fact, she loved everything about him.
From the way he looked at her to the way his musk after-shave tingled her
senses and even the way he defended her in the incident with Gary.
They
hadn’t talked much about his firing Gary. He had only told her in a gentle
voice that she should have told him about her run-in with her ex-boss. There
was nothing condescending in the way he said it either. Abbey could tell
he felt concerned even if it wasn't his fault. The fact that he had taken
action meant a lot to her. If things were different, she would love to continue
working with Bruce. But how could she continue to hide her feelings?
Bruce
was nothing like Gary. She knew Bruce would never cross the employer-employee
line. But, as long as she worked there, she would never have a hope of their
relationship turning intimate. And, seeing that his cast would be coming off in
a week, there wouldn't be time to find out anyway. Abbey hoped that they would
keep in touch. Losing him and his friendship would break her heart.
Bruce
reached out and took her hand. “You didn’t answer me.”
“Hmm?”
“Would
you like a cup of coffee?” Bruce repeated.
“Oh.
No thank you.”
“I
was hoping we could talk, Abbey.”
Abbey
nodded. Her mind felt like a jumbled mess, especially when he looked at her
with those dreamy eyes that made her melt.
“I
don’t want you to leave.”
Abbey
blinked rapidly and looked from him to the door and back again. “What do you
mean?”
Bruce
smiled. “I don’t want you to leave Abbot &
Ellingsworth
.
I need you, Abbey.”
“You
don’t need me. You’ve got Jean back now and in a week your cast will be coming
off. You’ll be as good as new.”
“I’d
still hate to lose you, Abbey.”
“You
can always call me if you can’t find something. Plus, nothing says we can’t
keep in touch.” Abbey forced a smile, stood, and paced across the room, leaving
the possibility for any chance of seeing each other in the future up to him.
Her heart skipped a beat, hoping he would reach out and seize the opportunity.
If Abbey had been anything like Monica, she would have come out and told Bruce
how she felt, but her parents had always stressed that the man needed to be the
one who pursued the young lady. Abbey's parents never allowed her to call boys
when she was in high school either. It wasn't easy to change what had been
ingrained in her through her youth.
She
bit her lower lip. No matter how much she wanted to try, she couldn't bring
herself to tell Bruce how much she wanted to see him outside of work, like they
had on Easter. But to him, maybe it was only work. Abbey playing the Good
Samaritan. Bruce hadn't responded. She turned to look at him.
His
lips were pursed. “Okay, Abbey. You win.”
*
*
*
Over
the next week, Bruce never said another word concerning her staying. He hadn’t
said much at all. Sometimes Abbey caught him staring at her. Whenever she
looked at him, she saw something that may have been sadness in his eyes before
he turned away. Although Abbey was afraid he felt somehow responsible that he
couldn’t make up for the things Gary had done to her, she couldn’t tell him
differently. That would only lead Bruce to ask her for the real reason why she
was leaving. She didn’t want to answer that question if it came up. If she
stayed, it needed to be because he wanted her around as more than just an
employee.
Abbey
dressed businesslike in a navy blue pantsuit and pink blouse. She dreaded
today. Today, Bruce’s cast came off and her job would be finished once she
brought him back from the doctor’s office.
*
*
*
Bruce
stood in his office looking out the window. While he was relieved to have his
cast off, he couldn't shake the uneasy feeling churning in his stomach. His gut
clenched into tiny knots. Abbey would be cleaning out the few things she had at
Abbot &
Ellingsworth
and would be leaving any
minute. Like a wishbone at Thanksgiving being torn in two, his emotions felt
conflicted and torn apart. Abbey had left a door open for him when she told him
he could call her if he had a problem. Bruce ran his hand through his hair. He
had lots of problems. All of them began with how much he was going to miss her
when she left.
“Looks
like you have a lot on your mind?”
Bruce
turned to see Angel watching him from the doorway. “What are you doing here?”
“Can’t
a girl come see her big brother when she wants to?” Angel smiled. She was
carrying a small, white box.
“Sure.”
Bruce sighed, opening his arms to embrace his sister.
Angel
met him near the desk and hugged him, then stood back to look at his leg.
“How’s it feel having your cast off?”
Bruce
shrugged. “Okay.”
“You
don’t sound very excited about it." Angel gave him an inquisitive look.
"Wouldn’t have anything to do with a certain brunette packing up her
things down the hall would it?”
Bruce
didn’t answer. He didn’t want to talk about Abbey with his sister. It hurt
enough for him to think about her leaving.
“I
brought you both a gift. I guess you’ll have to open it yourself.” Angel handed
him the box.
“What
is this?”
“Open
it,” Angel urged.
Bruce
lifted the lid and extracted a plastic, wedding cake topper. Bruce laughed
involuntarily at the tiny, novelty car with a waving, smiling bride and an
equally happy looking groom inside.
“When
I saw it, I couldn’t resist getting it. It made me think about how you and
Abbey met.”
Bruce
smiled. If Abbey hadn’t run into him that day six weeks earlier, they most
likely would have never met. Even after all that had happened that day, Abbey
quitting her job the day he was taking over their company, their paths still
crossed. It was as if they were destined to meet. God had a plan for them.
“If
you hurry, you could still catch her,” Angel said, interrupting his thoughts.
“Why don’t you give it to her as a memento? You know, a way to remember how you
both met.”
“I
don’t know.” Bruce wanted to, but he wasn’t sure how Abbey felt. If only he
knew if she had feelings for him, it would be easier to tell her how he felt.
How in the world did he ever fall in love with her? His defenses were down. Having
worked his way to the top in business, he'd proven he didn't need anyone's help
and a car accident changed all of that—he needed Abbey. He let her into his
defenses and hadn’t expected to fall in love—it just happened. Bruce turned the
plastic car around in his hands. The bride even had the same color hair as
Abbey.
“Well,
if you’re going to go see her, you better hurry. She was crying when I saw her.
Which means she’s probably going to want to leave quickly so that nobody sees
her.”
“She
was crying?”
“Yeah.
I said something about how she’ll never have to put up with you again and she
broke down in tears.”
Bruce
smiled and hugged Angel. “You’re a pain, but adorable. I love you.”
He
heard Angel holler, “I love you, too,” as he ran out the door.
His
heart leapt in excitement. Abbey didn’t like the thought of not seeing him
either. Bruce hurried down the hall to the desk Abbey was using earlier. She
wasn’t there. Grabbing the phone, he called down to the reception desk on the
first floor.
“This
is Jacqui. How may I help you?”
“I’d
like you to stop Abbey Martin before she leaves. I need to speak with her.”
Bruce started to hang up the phone but heard the receptionists say something.
He pulled the phone back to his ear. “What was that?”
“I’m
sorry. Miss Martin has already left the building.”
Bruce
slammed down the phone and rushed towards the elevator. Most likely, she was
going home. He’d catch up with her there. By the time he reached his car he was
panting and out of breath. Inside his vehicle, he tossed the box Angel gave him
on the passenger seat, ground the key in the ignition and drove out of the
parking garage. In front of Abbot &
Ellingsworth
,
he spotted Abbey’s blue car.
*
*
*
Abbey
wiped the tears from her cheeks, put her car in drive, and started to pull out
of her parking spot on the street. The screech of brakes locking startled her.
She slammed on her brakes and looked over her left shoulder. It was Bruce’s
Lincoln. “Oh, no. I can’t deal with this again.” Abbey clutched the steering
wheel and laid her head against her hands, a new stream of tears began.
Bruce
opened her car door and knelt down on one knee next to her. “Are you okay?”
Abbey
nodded. “I’m sorry. I didn’t see you.”
“You
don't have anything to be sorry for, Abbey. You didn’t hit me and if you would
have, it still would have been my fault. I wanted to stop you from leaving.”
Abbey
looked up to meet his gaze. Bruce wiped the tears on her cheek away with his
thumb. The soothing sensation sent tingles racing throughout her body.
“
Here.
” Bruce handed her a white box. “I don’t want you to
go, Abbey.”
Abbey
pulled out the contents. “What’s this? I… I don’t understand.”
“Abbey,
I know our meeting wasn’t an accident and now that I know you, I can’t let you
go. You’ve showed me there was something missing in my life. I didn’t have joy.
You helped me overcome past hurt and guilt. You showed me love and taught me to
have a spirit of gladness, to look for the good in every situation. Through all
of this I’ve learned so much and I’ve come to care for you.”
