Resisting Her Rival (13 page)

Chapter Fifteen

Three days had passed since they’d returned from the botched trip. Nick still saw Abby for brief periods of time in keeping with their original agreement about the building, but they rarely talked about anything except things that didn’t matter.

He still tried to wheedle Oscar into selling to him, and he knew that Abby was doing the same.

Having been so close to her, on the brink of hope only to have it crushed, was painful. But he knew better than to cave to the pain in his heart and tell her that he’d take the kind of casual relationship she’d offered. It was ironic that he, king of casual relationships in the past, now wanted one that would last.

To spare his heart as much turmoil as he could, he avoided eating lunch at the diner as usual. Instead, he drove the extra ten miles to a burger franchise in Summerville. When he walked in to the restaurant, Eric was already waiting for him. He pulled out a chair and sat down opposite his friend.

“I ordered you a veggie burger,” Eric said.

“Like hell you did.”

When the waitress came to take his order, Nick didn’t even have to look at the menu. He ordered the steak burger minus the mushrooms.

“You look like someone dragged you around the block and then kicked your ass,” Eric said once the waitress left. “Problems with the business?”

“Nah. Work has turned around and things are going well. I’m booked solid through the holidays. This is something worse than problems with the business. It’s problems with Abby.”

Eric took a swallow of his beer. “I could have predicted that. After her divorce, when did you ever see her date anyone other than every now and then?”

“Yeah, I know.” Nick tried not to take offense at Eric’s not-so-subtle I told you so.

“So what time do you need my help out at your place?”

“This evening’s fine.”

Eric looked surprised at that. “I thought you and Abby were working evenings together at Oscar’s building? Is that off now?”

“She takes a night and goes in there to work, and I take the next. It’s better this way. We’re mostly doing some cosmetic stuff.”

“Oh, wow.” Eric leaned back when the waitress set a plate in front of him. As soon as she put a second plate in front of Nick and left, Eric continued, “When are you moving out to your house?”

“Next weekend. You volunteering to help move my stuff?”

“You buying the brew?”

“You know it.”

“I’ll be there. I’ll round up a couple of the guys to help. Keith gonna make his famous barbecue?”

“Says he is.”

“You don’t sound too thrilled.” Eric frowned. “You’re about to move into the house you busted your ass to build. Business is booming. So why… Ah, I understand now.” Eric bit into one of his fries.

“You understand what?”

“You’re white-picket-fence-take-the-kids-to-soccer-practice in love.”

Nick lifted the top of his burger and slathered it with steak sauce. He fixed the bun and took a bite. Eric still looked expectantly at him. “Doesn’t matter. Me loving her doesn’t change a damn thing.”

“Did you tell her you love her?”

Nick frowned. “I didn’t have to. I practically spelled it out for her. I let her know I’d be there for her. What the hell are you smirking for?”

“You don’t know a thing about women.”

“No? I don’t see Ann sitting in that empty chair beside you.”

“That’s a work in progress.”

“You can’t close the deal.” Nick smirked.

“Oh, I’ll close the deal.”

“Sure. Meanwhile, in the middle of your own unclosed deal, you want to give me advice about women?”

“You want my help or not?”

“Not.”

Eric wouldn’t be dissuaded. “Go big or go home. That’s how you get Abby to see what she means to you. Go all out. Something that will mean more to her than all the flowers and champagne and fancy words.”

“Like what?”

“How the hell should I know what would mean something to Abby? That part you have to figure out on your own.”

Nick shook his head. He’d let himself hope. He’d fought past his own fears about love and put himself out there only to end up verbally kicked to the curb. No way was he about to be love’s punching bag again.

Just thinking about Abby tied his stomach up in knots. Shoving away from the table, he took some money from his wallet and tossed it onto the table. “I’ve got to go.”

He left the restaurant and drove around Summerville, not really seeing the buildings or the numerous vehicles passing him. He’d been an idiot to think someone like Abby would ever want to be with someone like him.

What did he have to offer her? What the hell did he know about love? It wasn’t as if he’d had a good example from his own family. Given what Abby had told him about her ex, maybe she feared any guy growing up in an environment of abuse would be like that, too.

His heart cramped up. He’d taken a chance. It hadn’t worked out. All he could do was move on.

But how the hell am I supposed to move on when it hurts to even breathe?

…

That evening after her shift at the diner, Abby deposited two cans of paint in the center of Oscar’s building. To be fair to both of them, she and Nick had agreed on neutral paint colors. That way, whoever bought the building would be able to work with it.

She looked around the room. With all this space, she could really make some fantastic changes to the business. Now if only she was the one who ended up with the building, all would be well. A finger of sadness tapped on her heart, and Abby brushed it aside. There was no time to think about what could never be.

Ann pried open one of the lids and laid it on the plastic they’d spread out. She stirred the color with the wooden stick. “Desert Sand. Sure you didn’t pick this color as a testament to what’s going on with your love life? Desert. Dry. Tumbleweeds. No man around for miles.”

“Nick is the one pulling back. It’s his choice.”

“Isn’t that just like a man? You give it up in North Carolina, and he takes off.”

“Nick’s not like that.”

“Then you did give it up in North Carolina.”

“And you’re interested in my sex life because?”

“Because at this point, I’m having to live vicariously.” Ann unrolled the floor covering and grabbed the blue painter’s tape.

“Besides the fact that he wasn’t honest with me, he wanted too much, Ann. He started talking about wanting a future with me.” Abby climbed up a ladder and started taping around the ceiling to keep paint from getting onto the molding. She stopped and looked down at her sister when Ann didn’t answer. “I warned him that I couldn’t give my entire heart to a relationship, and he chose to back off.”

“Imagine that. Nick selfishly wanting you to care about him.”

“Your sarcasm is noted, sis, but it’s not helping, okay?”

“For the record, Nick did come clean to you because he cares. He was honest about how he handled the beginning of your relationship, and he was honest about wanting to be with you.”

From her perch on the ladder, Abby looked toward the front door expectantly and changed the subject. “I know Amelia’s not coming because she doesn’t need to be around the paint fumes, but where’s everyone else?”

“Sue’s on the way. Chad said he’d be here, and Eric said he was helping Nick. Granddaddy and Henry are coming along with the waitress and cook from the diner.”

“Good, then we should be able to get the first coat on tonight. Nick can finish it up tomorrow.”

“I thought the point was for the two of you to work together, build a relationship maybe.”

“Again, his choice,” Abby said firmly. “I was never dishonest with him.”

“Hmmm.”

“You know when you do that, it irritates the hell out of me. Just say it, Ann, so we can get to work.” She climbed down the ladder to grab some more tape from the bag of supplies.

“Okay, I will say it. You don’t run away from things physically the way that Amelia did by skipping around the world, but you run just the same.” Ann paused to pull her hair up into a ponytail. “The night we found out Mom and Dad died, I remembered being so scared. You hugged me and told me we were still a family and that you were there for us.”

“I remember that.” Abby worked to keep the lump in her throat down.

“It took me a while to realize that you were probably just as scared as Amelia and I were. But you never showed it. You just kept on going. Day after day and eventually, we found a new normal because of you. I remember thinking that if you were okay, eventually, I would be, too.”

Abby was surprised to see tears form in her sister’s eyes.

Ann took a breath and continued. “I want so much for you to be happy, and I think you’re afraid to be. You don’t want it snatched away from you the way it was first with our parents and then with your marriage to that—thing. You’re afraid to be with Nick because you’re afraid you’ll be happy and that something will happen to take it away.”

“Oh, Ann. That’s not it, honestly. After everything, I’m too broken inside.” Abby put her hand over her heart. “I would only end up hurting him and myself.”

“Life breaks a lot of people, Abby, but if anyone is strong enough to fight back and grab the happiness she deserves, it’s you.”

“Is this where the party’s at?” Sue said as she walked in with Chad following.

“Promise me you’ll consider what I said,” Ann whispered.

“I will.” Already she was mulling over what Ann had said, but her sister didn’t understand. She’d patched her life together once. What if she took a chance and it didn’t work out? What if she got her heart broken again?

Abby wasn’t sure she could handle that.

…

Seventy-two hours crawled by. Nick worked, but he barely ate or slept. On the way home, he took the long way around to avoid having to pass by the diner, afraid that if he got a glimpse of Abby, he’d rush in, only to find that once again, words failed him.

Surrounded by half-unpacked boxes, he lay on the floor staring at the ceiling. He should be beyond exhaustion. Eric and Chad had helped him move his things from the rental house to his new home. The once-peaceful sounds of the lake and the quietness only underscored how alone he was without Abby.

If he were mayor, he’d outlaw love. No man should ever hurt this much. If only there was a way he could prove to Abby that he wasn’t the same guy he’d once been. He wasn’t a player; he wasn’t like her ex.

He wanted her and not just for a few casual nights. He was talking the big forever. The kids, the ugly minivan. The soccer practice.

In the beginning, he’d thought being with her was about having others view him differently, and to improve his reputation. He knew now that it had never been the case. What others thought of him didn’t matter. Never had. Only what Abby thought of him mattered.

He’d been grasping at straws, trying to convince himself from the very beginning that theirs would be nothing more than a casual relationship. One of lightheartedness, where neither of them got in too deeply.

But how could he risk his heart again? It still hurt from having Abby’s footsteps all over it. She’d stomped it into— Nick sat up from the floor.

What the hell is wrong with me? Lying around, moaning like a chump
.

He was a man of action. By his actions, he would show Abby how much he loved her. If it didn’t work out again, then at least he’d know he’d given his all. Oorah.

Jumping to his feet, he called Eric, told him to meet him, and then headed into town. He had a building to get.

When Nick went to work in the building that evening after Abby had been there, he could see her handiwork. There wasn’t a drop of spilled paint on the floor or a smudge of paint on any of the baseboards. In everything she did, she made sure she was so careful, so reserved. Unless she was making love with him. That was a whole different Abby, and something told him it was the real woman locked inside the one who’d learned to play it safe. He realized that playing it safe was the reason she’d walked on his heart. She was afraid.

Now if only she would reach the point where she’d break free and take a chance. He was hoping what he was about to do would show her that she had nothing to fear from loving him back.

Besides Eric, Nick arranged to have his crew of contractors also meet him. They’d have to pull an all-nighter, but with a little bit of luck, by the time Abby walked in here tomorrow, the transformation would be complete. She’d see first hand how much he cared.

“How do you know where she wants everything to go?” Eric asked. He carried a box in and set it in a corner along with a stack of others just like it.

Nick took a folded slip of printer paper from his back pocket. “She outlined her plan and shared it with Sue and Oscar the night she took them on a boat ride. Sue gave me a copy.”

Oscar hurried in with Sue by his side. “We got those fixtures she wanted from that shop in North Carolina, and since we took them all, the woman cut us a deal.”

“Hand those over to the electrical guy.” Excitement crept through him when Nick looked around the building. By the time he was done, Abby was going to love it. Surely, once she saw all the hard work he’d put in, she’d realize he’d done all of this for her.

When Eric had said to find something that meant something to Abby, it had taken him a few days, but he’d known it had to be the building. Sure, he’d feel the hurt if it didn’t work out, and he would also have to find another office. But if everything went according to plan, that wasn’t going to be an issue. He and Abby would end up with the building they wanted
and
the kind of love he knew would last.

Chapter Sixteen

That was the third time someone in town had smiled and winked at her in a knowing way. Abby stopped near a parked car along the sidewalk and leaned down to check her reflection. Her hair looked fine and so did her makeup. She pulled her lips back to check her teeth. Nothing embarrassing there.

Patting down the sides of the short blue skirt she wore, she double checked to make sure the pockets were tucked in. What was going on?

Abby shrugged it off. She didn’t have time to wonder at the over-the-top friendliness. One of the vendors had screwed up her order for lemons, delivering limes instead. She had to have the lemons for the eighteen lemon meringue pies ordered for a family reunion.

This was when she missed Ann’s help the most. Not only had Ann kept the books in great order, but she’d had the habit of double checking every single order by calling ahead. Ann would have known yesterday that the lemons weren’t coming in on today’s delivery.

But, it was done. She could grab the lemons she needed and be back at the diner in time to handle the lunch crowd. Of course, she’d have to stay late over the next few nights to catch up with the food order for the reunion, but it wasn’t as if her evenings were booked.

She still saw Nick, but it was like being around a stranger. He treated her politely, but kept his distance. His actions were in such stark contrast to the closeness they’d shared at the bed and breakfast.

Abby drove to the grocery store. She’d get the lemons, and while she was at, it she might as well pick up a few things she needed for home. She could just store any items that needed refrigeration at the diner until it was time to leave work.

She parked the car, but before she could get out, her cell phone loudly rang out the tune for Nick Lachey’s “Shut Up.” Abby dug quickly in her purse to find it. Amelia had threatened to switch the ringtone, and she’d done just that.

Turning on the speaker, she said, “Ame, I’m not amused at the ringtone.”

“Where are you?”

Abby didn’t like the seriousness in her sister’s usually playful voice. “I’m at the grocery store about to go in, why?”

“There’s a rumor that you’re not going to like.”

“Just tell me, Ame.”

“I don’t know how to tell you this, and I wish it wasn’t true, but it is.”

“What?” Abby’s anxiety level rose.

“The paperwork’s been signed. Oscar sold the building to Nick.”

A crushing pain stabbed Abby in the center of the chest. Was this what a heart attack felt like? She gripped her phone. “Wh-what?”

“Chad loaned Nick the money to buy the building outright. No bank financing. That included the money to do the renovations he needed,” Amelia said. “I think that’s why Oscar was so quick to sell. Guaranteed funds up front. Maybe he found it too hard to walk away from.”

Nick lied to me.

Hadn’t she thought from the beginning that he was a sneaky rat? And now, after all the intimacy they’d shared, he’d gone and done this.
What a fool I’ve been.

“Sis, I can loan you the money to buy another building. You can move the diner,” Amelia offered.

“No. The location is good for the diner. Plenty of parking, easy in and out accessibility. This is a setback, but that’s fine.”

“That’s it? You’re just going to let it go?” Amelia asked.

“No. I’m going to confront Nick and let him know exactly what I think about it.”

“Hang on a second. I’ll come with you.”

“I can handle this, Ame.”

“I know. It’s just, it’s so rotten. After Ann urging you to grab the happiness and us both thinking that would be with Nick, I feel really bad.”

“It’s not either of your faults,” Abby insisted. “I have to go.” She turned off the speaker and leaned her head back against her seat. Spending time with him building the theater sets, going for ice cream, the picnic, the stay at the bed and breakfast… The memories rushed her, demanding that she view them. How could she have been so wrong about Nick? The entire time she’d fought herself, thinking she was falling in love—no,
they
were falling in love—he was only biding his time until he could steal the building.

She would go to him, tell what she thought of him, and she would move on. Survive a heartbreak. Again. She was getting pretty damned good at that.

But this time, it hurt ten times more because it was Nick who’d done the breaking.