Carolina Mist (13 page)

“I’m sure I must have mentioned it, dear.”

“And I’m sure you did not. The last time I called, you told me she was napping.”

“Now, did I say that?” Belle shook her head slowly, as if trying to recall. “I just get so forgetful sometimes.”

Abby’s head swiveled around as she reached for the empty vegetable bowls. Why was Belle persisting in this absurd imitation of one whose faculties came and went?

Belle’s mind and memory were as sharp as a tack. She glanced over at Alex to see if he was falling for his grandmother’s little act. The lines gathering on his brow assured her that he was.

“All the more reason why you should not be alone here,” he told Belle with gentle concern.

“But I’m not alone, dear.” Belle smiled. “Abigail is here now, and she takes excellent care of me. And you’re close enough to come and help out whenever we need you.”

“Absolutely whenever.” He nodded.

Melissa’s eyes narrowed, and her lips grew taut over her teeth as her face settled into an unpleasant mask.

“How many for coffee?” Abby asked brightly from the doorway.

“And what marvelous surprise do you have for dessert, Abigail?” Belle tapped her fingers in happy anticipation, hoping it would be something with chocolate.

“Dessert?” Abby stopped halfway through the diningroom door. She turned and looked at the apples piled in the centerpiece along with the pine cones, sprigs of boxwood, and trails of ivy. Those same apples had been destined for the apple pie. That very apple pie she had not made.

“Ah, dessert will be a real surprise, Belle. It’s
…
I’ll bring it out in a minute.”

"Dessert,”
she whispered aloud to the empty kitchen. Even she couldn’t throw something together in forty-five seconds.

Panicked, she dialed Naomi’s number.

“Abby, is that you?” Naomi said. “Speak up, honey, I can’t hear you.”

“I can’t speak up,” Abby whispered into the phone. “I said, do you have any desserts left over?”

“Why, sure. We have some peach pie and some pecan pie and, let’s see here, a few slices of coconut cake.”

“No, no. I need a
whole
something. Something that hasn’t been cut yet.”

“Well, the only thing that’s not been cut is the Yule log my sister brought over last night.”

“Can I have it?” Abby cut her off.

“Sure, Abby,
but
…”

“Could you bring it right over?
Right now?”
Abby pleaded desperately.

“Yes, but Abby…”

“Thank you, thank you.” Abby breathed a sigh of relief. “And Naomi, would you bring it to the back door?”

Abby was waiting f
or Naomi as she walked up the
driveway, the Yule log perched on a silver tray.

“Abigail, what is going on here?” She laughed as she handed the tray to an obviously frazzled Abby. “You and Belle planning on a little sugar binge to top off the holiday?”

“Belle invited Alex
to spend Christmas Day with us—
without telling me, I might add—and the apples went into the centerpiece instead of a pie because I thought we needed a centerpiece. I mea
n, I did intend to bake the…
”

“Alex is here? Now?” Naomi’s eyes widened at the news. “But how lovely for Belle. And
for you.
How’s it going, after all these years?”

“Not so good,” Abby told her as they filed through the back door. “We sort of got off on the wro
ng foot, and he brought along…
”

“Well, I just have to poke my head in and say Merry Christmas.” Naomi grinned and disappeared through the door into the dining room.

Three minutes later, Naomi was back. “Abigail, who is that woman in there?”

“She’s with Alex.” Abby turned her back.

“I know she’s with Alex.” Naomi plunked herself down on the nearest kitchen chair. “Just who is she? In his life, I mean?”

“I know they work for the same law firm. Which her daddy and uncle own, by the way. Beyond that, I’m not sure. Naomi, you didn’t tell them that you brought over that Yule log, did you?”

“What? Of course not. Are you trying to pass that off as your own?”

Abby nodded, her lips drawn into a tight smile.

“Why would you do that? Oh, for Pete’s sake.” Naomi’s eyes lit with mischief. “Abigail McKenna, are you aiming to seduce that man with food?”

“I can’t deny the thought crossed my mind.” Abby sat down opposite her friend at the small table.

“I always knew it.” Naomi grinned triumphantly. “I always knew you two would end up together. Is this just the most romantic thing?” She pounded her fist twice on the table to emphasize her glee.

“No, no, Naomi, see…
” Abby attempted to explain.

“Oh, my stars, Abby, it’s just like one of those romance no
vels. Childhood sweethearts, torn
apart by time and circumstances, reunited at last.” Naomi almost swooned.

“Naomi, listen. It’s not like that.”

“Now, tell me what happened. He showed up here today, and you just fell head over heels when you saw him again?”

“Naomi,” Abby said sternly. “This is not love we’re talking about here. It’s a matte
r of convenience. I need Alex…”

“Say no more.” Naomi held up one hand to stop her. “I understand completely. Passion often leads to love, Abby. It’s nothing to be ashamed about.”

“Naomi, I need him to help me figure out what to do about Belle.” Abby grasped Naomi’s arm, shaking it gently. “I can’t afford to keep this house. I cannot spend the rest of my life in Primrose. I need to find a job. I have to support myself. I need Alex to take responsibility for Belle so I can get on with my life.”

“That’s all?” Naomi asked in mock horror.

“That’s all.” Abby nodded.

“You sure?”

“Positive.”

“What a pity.” Clearly disappointed, Naomi shook her head and stood up to let herself out. “What an absolute
pity.”

“Them’s the facts.” Abby shrugged.

“Enjoy your dessert,” Naomi told her as she closed the screen door behind her. “But Ab?”

“
What?”

“Didn’t I tell you he’d grown up real nice?” She grinned, the touch of mischief returning to dance in her eyes.

Abby laughed out loud as she lifted the tray holding the Yule log and carried it into the dining room.

16

T
he rest of the evening seemed to go downhill after dessert, which Melissa had declined, saying, “Oh, I just never eat dessert, Abigail. I’d just end up looking like a house. Of course, you doin’ all that
manual
labor, you probably just burn
it right off.”

Abby had glared, mentally stuffing the meringue mushrooms, which adorned the Yule log, firmly into Melissa’s nostrils.

With one eye on the clock, knowing she was running out of time, Abby was fitfully stacking dishes on the counter when Alex appeared in the doorway.

“Can I give you a hand?” he asked.

“Sure.” She opened a drawer and pulled out a linen towel. “You can dry as I get these washed up.”

“Great.”

She ran hot water over the plates, then stacked them on the counter while she filled the old porcelain sink, mentally searching for her opening line. She just couldn’t say,
Look, Alex, I want to leave Primrose, so you are going to have to get your grandmother out of this house by the time I sell it.

“Abby, I owe you an apology. If I’d thought before I opened my mouth, I’d have known that you’d never have deliberately left Gran here alone all that time.” The apology came easily, without embarrassment or hesitation. The brown eyes that had earlier snapped in anger were once again soft and warm as molasses. “It was just such a shock,
finding out that Leila was dead. And imagine Gran forgetting to tell me.”

“Alex, Belle did not forget.” Abby handed him a wet plate. “She didn’t want you to know.”

“Didn’t want me to know?” He laughed. “How long did she think she could get away with that?”

“Apparently, she got away with it for about three months,” she reminded him.

“That’s my fault. I should have made time to visit before this. I just got all caught up with this new job—you know how you get when you let your job absorb you?”

“Yes, unfortunately, I know all too well.” She nodded. “It’s been years since I visited with Aunt Leila. Far too many years. And I regret it more than I can tell you. I can still hardly believe that she left everything to me, after the way I neglected her.”

“She loved you, Abby. And she knew how much you loved this house. I think she always intended for you to have it.” He took another plate from the rack. “Besides, you always said someday you’d live in Primrose. How many people get to live their dreams?”

The dream,
a tiny voice inside her threatened to confess aloud,
was to live in Primrose with you.

“And you don’t know how lucky you are,” he continued. “I have such wonderful memories of this place. The happiest times of my life were spent in Primrose. You don’t know how much I envy you, coming back here to stay.”

“Well, Alex, that’s something I need to talk to you about.” She took a deep breath and prepared for the launch.

Melissa chose that moment to be helpful. “Abby, here’s the dessert plates and the cups. I’ll be back in a second with the saucers.” She flashed an efficient smile at Alex as she blew in, then back out, only to return with the promised dishes in hand.

“Melissa, why don’t you keep Belle company while Alex and I tend to the dishes?” Abby smiled a sweet smile of her own.

“Great idea.” Alex nodded.

“Well, now, Alex, there’s so many things to be washed up, and since Abby worked so hard on that lovely dinner, I think I should help out a little.” Melissa, having clearly reevaluated the cleaned-up Abby, was reluctant to leave Alex alone in the company of such obvious competition for his attention.

“It’s no problem,” Abby assured her, “and it’s a good opportunity for you to get to know Belle a little.”

Melissa hesitated, pondering the advantages of getting to know the grandmother over keeping an eye on what Abby might be cooking up in the kitchen.

“Go on, Melissa,” Alex said as he opened the kitchen door and held it for her.

“Well, just keep in mind that we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow,” she said somewhat disagreeably.

“I know.” He nodded. “This shouldn’t take too long.” Abby waited for the kitchen door to close before opening her mouth to give the speech she was mentally preparing. She hesitated a few seconds too long.

“Listen, Abby, I didn’t know what to get Gran for Christmas.” He leaned back against the counter. “I was going to give her cash, but
if you have a better idea…”

“Cash is good.” Abby smiled wanly.

“Can you think of anything she might really need?”

“New glasses,” Abby told him without a second thought. “She desperately needs new glasses. She can barely read and has a real problem seeing the television.”

“That’s a great idea.” He grinned. “I knew you’d know just the right thing. Can you arrange that? Take her for her glasses, and I’ll reimburse you?”

She hesitated, knowing this could be her opening. “I’m afraid my cash is pretty limited right now.”

The realization that it embarrassed her to admit that to him slowed the momentum that had surged within her for the briefest of seconds.

“Oh. Of course, you shouldn’t have to pay for them.” He seemed to study her face. “I’m sorry, Abby. How ’bou
t if I leave you with…
” He fished his wallet out of his back pocket and counted bills. “Three hundred dollars enough?”

“That should cover the exam and the frames and lenses.” She nodded without looking at him. “But don’t you think you should give it to Belle, so she knows it’s from you?”

“Good idea.” He put the wallet back into his pocket and, with the cash still in his hand, started toward the dining room.

“Alex, are you just going to hand that to her?”

“Well, yeah.” He looked confused.

“No card?”

“I sent her a card,” he told her, still perplexed. “Is something wrong?”

“I guess not.” She turned back to the dishes in the sink.

“Abby?”

“Well, don’t you think it’s a little insensitive to hand your grandmother a pile of cash and say, ‘Here, go buy yourself some new glasses’?”

“What would you suggest?”

She turned around and leaned back against the sink to think, then took the towel from him and dried her hands.

“Wait right here,” she told him.

She returned with a sheet of writing paper and an envelope, purloined from Leila’s desk, and handed them to him with a pen.

“Write her a note. Tell her what the money is for. That way, she’ll feel obligated to spend it
on her glasses, instead of…
” Her voice trailed off.

“Instead of what?” He looked up from the paper.

Instead of on food,
she could have said.
Or on oil for the furnace.

“Instead of on something else,” she said, and resumed washing the dishes.

She could feel his eyes on the back of her head for a very long minute, but he did not speak.

Finally, he said, “Here, do you think this is okay?”

He leaned over her shoulder, holding the paper in front of her.

Gran,
it read,
you can’t do the crossword puzzles if you can’t read the clues. This is for new
—he had drawn a pair of glasses.
Merry Christmas. Love, Alex.

“I think it’s perfect,” she said softly.

He was close enough that she could feel his breath on her neck. It tickled her ear and sent a shiver someplace deep inside her. She stiffened herself against the unexpected nearness of him.

“I think I’ll give this to her now. Excuse me for a moment.”

Abby bit her lip. Time was slipping away.

“Alex,” she said when she heard him breeze back into the kitchen, determined that the moment was now. She would get this agenda back on track and ignore the fact that she’d spent the last five minutes trying to regulate her heartbeat.

“Abby, that was a brilliant idea.” He put his arms around her waist from behind, his hands resting lightly on her hips. “Gran was thrilled. You know, she had tears in her eyes when she was reading that little note? Thank you, Abby. It was just the right thing.” He leaned around her shoulder and pressed his lips to her cheek, saying, “Thank you.”

“Alex.” She cleared her throat, hoping to clear her head, and thrust the dish towel in his hands.

“Right.” He grinned. “Dry.”

“Alex.” She chose her words carefully. “I’m rea
lly glad that you came today…”

“So am I, Abby.” He lifted a plate from the dish rack. “You know, I never stopped wondering where you were. If you were well. If you were happy. What kind of man y
ou had fallen in love with…
” His voice trailed off.

I never loved anyone but you,
the voice inside her pronounced, loud and clear. Her head jerked up with surprise, fearing for a second that he had heard it. Her cheeks flushed with relief as she realized the words had not tumbled from her mouth.

“And I hoped he would be someone good enough for you. You were always so special, Abby,” he told her softly. “The most special person in my life, for a very long time. I can’t tell you how happy I am to see you again. Funny, isn’t it, to be here together again?”

“Alex, that’s what I want to talk to you about.” She seized the moment.

“You mean about the arrangement you and Gran have? She told me all about it. I think it’s wonderful that you’ve invited her to stay on with you. I realize that a lot of people wouldn’t want to have an elderly person around all the time.”

Abby barely heard a word from that point on. What on earth had Belle told him? And how could she set the record straight without calling his grandmother an out-and-out
liar?

Melissa entered the room with agitation written all over her face. “Alex, do you realize it’s going on nine o’clock,” she whined, “and we have depositions tomorrow morning, and we still need hours to prepare. Could we
please
get moving?”

“Well, I really wanted to help Abby finish the cleanup.” He reached for another plate, and Melissa took it from his hand, returning it to the rack.

“I’m sure Abby will understand,” she said pointedly. “You do understand, don’t you, Abby? This is a very important case.”

“Of course,” Abby said, her words clipped.

“Abby, are you sure?” Alex asked, holding the towel limply in one hand.

“Of course, she’s sure.” Melissa took the towel and tossed it onto the counter. “Abby is perfectly capable of finishing up.”

“Abby?” he said.

“It’s fine, Alex.” She forced a smile. “Really.”

“Well, then. That’s settled. Come get your jacket and say good-bye to your grandmother.” Melissa held the door open for him, and Abby’s heart sank as he shrugged an apology and walked through it.

“Abigail.” Belle poked her head in a few minutes later. “Alexander and what’s-her-name are leaving now. Aren’t you going to come out and say good-bye?”

“Sure, Belle,” she said. “I’ll be out in a minute.”

She dried her hands slowly on the towel Alex had used to dry the plates, then folded it carefully and placed it on the counter, silently berating herself for having blown her big
chance. She walked into the hallway, accepted Melissa’s thanks, and put her face up for Alex to kiss as he left.

“Gran, thank you for inviting me to spend Christmas with you.” His eyes sought Abby’s over the head of the tiny woman who stood between them, and for the briefest moment, Abby was propelled back to a time when the boy he had once been had stood in this same spot, that last night so many summers ago, his brown eyes drinking her in as if to preserve her face forever in his mind.

She blinked, and it was Belle he was kissing good-bye, not the girl of long ago.

“You’ll be all right, won’t you, Gran?” he was asking.

“Of course, she’ll be all right.” Melissa poked him. “She has Abby to take care of her.”

“Thanks, Abby. For everything,” he said, then hesitated, as if he wanted to say something more. When Melissa opened the door and stepped through it to walk swiftly down the steps, there appeared to be little choice but for him to follow.