Chasing Abby (14 page)

“How about Ryder?” I ask.

“He’ll eat when he wakes up. I try not to wake the kids up too early in the summer.”

“You didn’t mind waking me up this morning,” Jimi says, cutting a piece of waffle and stabbing it with her fork.

“That’s because you’re grounded, and part of being grounded is losing privileges, like waking up late,” Claire replies.

Jimi doesn’t respond, so Chris leans over and whispers something in her ear. Her nostrils flare as she purses her lips together, trying to maintain her composure. But tears begin to well up in her eyes and she throws down her fork on the plate and rises from the table, storming out of the breakfast nook without another word.

“What did you say to her?” Claire asks when Jimi is gone.

Chris continues to cut his waffle, unimpressed with Jimi’s emotional exit. “I told her that I locked her cell phone in the safe. She’s not bringing it to the beach house.”

Caleb and I glance at each other, unsure what to say. I don’t know if I should acknowledge that I’m the reason Jimi is in a bad mood. Maybe I should just offer to leave. I open my mouth to speak, but Chris puts up his hand.

“Don’t let her get to you. This has nothing to do with you being here.”

“I’m not sure that’s true,” I reply. “I really don’t want to ruin her summer.”

Claire stares at the plate of waffles in the center of the table and Chris grabs her hand before he looks me in the eye. “I’ll admit that I’ve spoiled Jimi. After losing you, it was hard not to channel all the love we felt for you into her. We doted on her and treated her like a princess. But we also raised her to be loving and helpful. She knows that we’ve been looking forward to meeting you for a very long time. She may be sixteen, but she’s a bright girl. She knows this behavior is not welcoming. So she’ll just have to deal with the consequences of her actions until she decides she’s ready to approach this situation from a place of maturity.”

I nod when he’s done speaking. For some reason, I feel a bit chastised, like I’m not allowed to stick up for Jimi. Then I realize, this is what it feels like to have siblings. You fight and your parents try to keep the peace. But, inevitably, someone ends up in trouble. Then a bit of time passes and everyone loves each other again. 

I don’t like being a source of anguish for Jimi, but maybe this tension will change us for the better.

“You want to ride with us to the beach house?” Caleb asks Junior, and I’m grateful to put an end to the heavy silence.

“Really? Can I drive?”

Chris and Caleb laugh. “No, but I’ll put the top down and you can sit in the back.”

“I’ll take that.”

I glance at Claire and she’s smiling at Junior. Then she reaches across the table and squeezes Chris’s hand. “Go talk to her.” 

Chris nods and turns to Caleb as he stands from the table. “Are you sure you don’t mind taking him with you?”

“Not at all. I like his style,” Caleb replies and Junior grins.

Chris looks a little leery of Caleb’s friendliness, as if he suspects Caleb of trying to get on his good side. I smile as I realize I have
two
fathers who want to protect me from Caleb. How lucky am I?

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

“M
AKE
IT
QUICK
,” Claire says, grabbing my wallet off the dresser and handing it to me. “I want to make it to the beach house before eight. And… I have a surprise for you.” 

“A surprise?” I say, tucking my wallet into the back pocket of my jeans. “Does it involve nudity?” I grab her hips and pull her toward me so her breasts are pressed against my chest.

She lets out a nervous giggle as I brush my lips over the length of her slender neck. “Maybe. Just hurry up, okay?”

I take her face in my hands and look her in the eye. “In that case, I’ll be back in a flash. Do I need to pick up anything on the way home? Massage oil? Whipped cream? Batteries?”

She shakes her head and pushes me away. “Just go have your drink and come back soon.”

I slap her ass as I walk out of the bedroom and she yelps. “See you later, babe.”

I rush out of the house and slide into the driver’s seat of my Jaguar. One of my many regrets I have as a father is that I taught my children to appreciate the feeling of being behind the wheel of a fast car. I used to set Jimi and Junior in my lap when they were much smaller and let them steer while I drove around empty parking lots. I regret it because now they refuse to drive the safer self-driving cars. They want to grab that steering wheel and command the road.

Normally, I ride my motorcycle everywhere during the summer, but there’s a chance of rain today, so I’ll stick to the Jaguar. Last thing I need is to have my bike slide over a slick road and into a busy intersection just hours before I’m supposed to go to the beach house to spend the summer with my firstborn.

My Abby.

I park the Jaguar next to Tristan’s new Tesla and head straight into the pub. He’s sitting on the second to last stool at the end of the bar, as usual, and nursing a draft beer while laughing about something with Link. Link bought the bar about ten years ago when the previous owner retired. So, naturally, Tristan Pollock has spent the last ten years getting drunk on Link’s dime.

His shoulder-length light-brown hair flies all over the place as he points his finger in Link’s face and laughs. “Ha! I knew it was you at that fucking show. You don’t have to pretend with me, bitch.”

Link shakes his bald head. “I don’t know why you’re talking shit. You were at the same fucking show.”

“Yeah, but I was there with my daughter. You were there with your girlfriend. That’s some sick shit.”

I take a seat on the last stool. “What show are you talking about?”

“Defy This show at Walnut Creek last Sunday.”

I shake my head. “I’m glad Jimi is past that stage.” Link slides a draft beer to me and I down a few big gulps. “So what happened with Xander? Did you talk to Estelle?”

Estelle Greenway is Xander’s sister. Xander was my manager for twelve years until we parted ways over a contract dispute. We’ve stayed in touch for the past eight years, though we hadn’t spoken to each other in about five months when Estelle contacted me last week. Xander has been in the hospital for three weeks with persistent pneumonia and, despite the doctor’s best efforts, his condition continues to decline. I visited him in the hospital on Friday afternoon, but he was in a medically induced coma and on a ventilator. Tristan was supposed to visit him yesterday to see how he was doing.

Tristan shakes his head. “It’s not good, man. Estelle said they’re taking him off the ventilator on Wednesday if he doesn’t improve.”

I grit my teeth against the anger. “It’s a fucking lung infection. You’d think they could just give him some fucking antibiotics. This is no way for him to go.”

Tristan shrugs. “I don’t know. Estelle looked pretty relieved about it. She’s been watching him suffer for weeks. That’s no way for him to
live
.”

I don’t want to get into an argument about life and death with Tristan, so I change the subject. “I’m going to the beach house tonight.”

Tristan downs the rest of his beer and grabs the new one Link just set down for him thirty seconds ago. “I know. You told me that on the phone.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t tell you who’s coming with me.”

Tristan squints his eyes as he stares at the pint glass in front of him. “Wait a minute. Are you saying…?”

I nod and let out a sigh. “She came to our house yesterday.”

Link sets another beer down in front of a customer a few seats away then rushes back to join the conversation. “Who came to your house?”

“Look at this nosy hen,” Tristan remarks.

“Abigail, my first daughter. The one… we gave up for adoption eighteen years ago.”

 I’ve told Link about Abby before, but it was at least a decade ago. I wouldn’t expect him to remember. And as much as it pains me to say that
we
gave her up for adoption, I’ve always stood behind Claire’s decision. Because I know her decision to give Abby up was made completely out of love for me. I can’t show my gratitude to her by blaming her every chance I get.

“So what does that mean?” Tristan asks. “She’s going to the beach house with you all this summer? Do you think that’s a good idea?”

“I don’t know, but there’s no way I can convince Claire that it’s not. So I’m going along with it for now. And, I gotta admit, it feels really fucking good to have her with us.”

“Is she there right now?”

“Nah, she went home to pack some things. She took Junior with her. They’re driving to the beach house with her boyfriend tonight.”

“Sounds like a perfect family reunion. Now I know why you called this emergency meeting.”

I slide the beer away and turn to Tristan. “Listen, I know Senia’s busy with Izzy’s dance stuff, but can you make sure she checks up on Claire? I know she’s going to need to talk to Senia over the next week or so. However long Abby decides to stay.”

Tristan’s eyebrows shoot up and he laughs. “Are you fucking kidding me? When I tell Senia about Abby being at the beach house, she’ll probably pack up the whole fucking family and drive down there herself.”

I let out a soft chuckle. “I guess so. Then, maybe don’t tell her right away.”

He turns to me with one eyebrow cocked. “Now you’ve really gotta be kidding me. You know I can’t keep shit from her.”

“All right, fine. Just don’t tell her I want her to check up on Claire.”

We sit for a few minutes in silence, just sipping our beers, then Tristan clears his throat, like he’s getting ready to say something very serious. “So what do you want to do about Xander?”

“What do you mean?”

“Are you gonna come back for the funeral?”

I press my lips together as I contemplate this question. “Don’t talk about him like that. He’s not dead yet.” I slide off the barstool and nod at Link. “Later, man.”

T
HE
HOUSE
IS
QUIET
as I climb the steps to the second floor. My home is rarely quiet, so it always raises the hairs on my neck when I walk through the door and I’m greeted with silence. I enter the bedroom and see the door to the master bathroom is closed. I approach slowly, listening for the sound of running water, but I hear nothing. I raise my fist to knock on the door, but it opens on its own. 

Claire screams when she sees me. “Shit! You scared me. I didn’t know you’d be back so soon.”

“Why are you naked? Are you taking a shower?”

She looks over my shoulder at the bedroom door. “Close the door!”

I smile as I turn around and head over to pull it closed. Then I lock the door, for good measure. When I turn around, she’s at the dresser, sifting through her panty drawer. I come up behind her and nuzzle my face in her neck so I can taste her skin.

“Where are the kids?” I murmur into her ear.

“Jimi took Ryder to get a new bodyboard. They just left.”

“Good.”

“Chris?” she whispers, her back arched as I slide my hand between her legs. “Remember that surprise I told you about?”

My finger slides between her flesh and she lets out a soft squeak when I find her clit. I pull her backward, away from the dresser, then I gently lay her belly-down on the bed. Sliding my left hand down the back of her left thigh, I pull it sideways to spread her legs.

“You said the surprise might involve you being naked, so I’ll just come right out and say that I
really
like this surprise.” My hand glides between us to undo my pants and she laughs. “What’s so funny?”

She tries to turn around, but she can’t with me lying on top of her. “Get up. I need to turn around.”

“Okay, fine. No doggy style today.” 

I stand up so she can flip onto her back, but the minute I see her ample breasts trembling with movement, the sinful curve of her hips, and the light patch of hair on her mound, I can’t resist. I get right back on top of her and she laughs as she pushes me back. 

“I’m serious, Chris. I have to talk to you.”

I roll my eyes as I stand up again and offer her my hand to help her up. “What could be more important than having sex right now? All the kids are gone.
All
of them.”