“Will you work for him again?”
I sighed. “I don’t want to work for him. I don’t want to deal with him now. I don’t know why you think I’m doing this because I want to be around him. I’m doing this for my dream. For SkinnyCakes.”
“It seems like you’re enjoying it.”
“I’m enjoying my time with you, Graham, when I get time with you. Lately you’ve been MIA quite a bit. I’ve helped Brett one day a week, that’s it.”
“What about this week?”
“What about it?”
“Are you working for him?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know.”
“Are you going to be able to get everything done for Saturday? For the picnic?”
I sighed, frustrated with the conversation. “Yes, Graham. I’ll handle it. I’m a big girl.”
“Don’t be that way, Abby. I’m worried about you. I want things to go well for you. I want you to succeed.”
“So do I, Graham. I’m not going to let Brett, or anyone else, stand in the way of my success.”
Abby’s a screw-up seemed to be the message of the week. It dominated the conversation Tuesday night as well.
“Are you going to have enough time to get everything done for the picnic?” Charlie asked as she sat down next to me.
“Yes. I’ll have time. I can’t do anything until the weekend anyway.”
“Do you have all your supplies on order?”
“Um, no,” I confessed. I’d forgotten all about ordering extra supplies. There was no way I’d get everything in three days.
“What do you need?”
“Need for what?” Carrie asked.
“Abby didn’t order extra supplies for the picnic. She’ll never get a new order in time.”
“Ooh, not good. Any chance you can get what you need from the store?”
Charlie laughed. “If she wants to clean them out. It’s possible, but it’s not easy.” She turned back to me. “I’ve got an order coming in Friday. You can have it. Whatever you need. There will be some stuff you’ll need to grab from the store or try to get in, but use what I’ve got.”
“What will you do?” I asked.
“I always order in advance. I’ll put a call in tomorrow and get a double order next week. Plus, I’ll be closed Monday for the holiday.”
“Are you sure?”
Charlie nodded. “Of course. Do you need help baking everything? I’m guessing you’ll do most of it Friday.”
I shook my head. “I should be fine. My plan is to get as much done Thursday as I can and bake Friday.”
“If you need help, let me know. We don’t have anything going on and Kendall will be here anyway.”
I nodded. “Thanks, but I should be fine.”
“Do you know the other vendors?” Claire asked.
I shook my head. “Only what I’ve seen in the ads. I haven’t met any of them yet.”
“Did they tell you who backed out?”
I shook my head. “Olivia would probably tell me, but I didn’t ask.”
“Who’s Olivia?” Carrie asked.
“The mayor’s assistant. You guys would like her. I thought about inviting her to a girls’ night.”
“You should,” Claire insisted. “We always have room for more.”
“I’ll talk to her Saturday. She’ll be at the picnic.”
“Introduce us. Then she’ll be more comfortable about coming to girls’ night.”
“Good idea. I’m glad you guys will be there. I know I’ll be so nervous.”
“Who’s helping you at the picnic?” Claire asked.
Shit, something else that fell through the cracks. “I meant to ask you guys. Can anyone help me out?”
“Yeah.”
“Of course.”
“Count me in.”
“What time does it start?” Carrie asked, pulling out her phone.
“Eleven. Goes until seven.”
“What time are you getting there to set up?”
“Ten.”
She tapped her phone, then looked up again. “How are you getting everything there?”
“Um, I don’t know. I’ve never done this before. I haven’t had time to think it all through.”
“Why not? Is Graham keeping you that busy?” Sam teased.
Everyone snickered until I shook my head. “We’ve been fighting.”
“Why?”
“What happened?”
“He was so nice.”
I nodded. “He is nice. He’s amazing really. And we’re fighting over stupid shit.”
“Like what?”
I sighed. “He doesn’t want to get married or have kids and thinks I do.”
“I thought you did, too,” Tara asked.
I shrugged. “I always wanted to, but I have no plans to jump into another marriage. Kids make me even more nervous these days. It’ll be hard for me to trust another man enough to marry him let alone want to create people.”
Carrie snorted. “Create people. I like that.”
“He thinks I’m going to change my mind and talks about us breaking up as though I’m ready now and going to end things.”
“You haven’t been together that long, have you?” Claire asked.
I shook my head. “No, a few weeks. It’s too early to be talking about stuff like that.”
Sam tilted her head and leveled me with a look. “It’s never too early. Better you both know where you stand. If you’ve told him you don’t want to get married and have kids and he’s mad at you, maybe he’s not right.”
“That’s not it though. I mean, it’s a topic, but we’re fighting about Brett a lot more.”
“Brett?” Charlie asked. “Your ex?”
“Yep.”
“What does he have to do with anything?”
“He keeps calling and demanding I help him. He has a trial next week that he needs help getting ready for. I worked for him Friday and Graham saw us out to lunch and got mad. He didn’t answer my calls or texts all weekend.”
“That’s pretty shitty.”
“I agree, and I told him so yesterday morning.”
“Good for you.”
I shrugged. “He wasn’t just going to walk back in and act like everything was fine, not that he tried, but still.”
“What did he say?”
“He said he doesn’t like seeing me throwing away my dreams.”
“I can agree with that,” Riley said. “You’d be miserable if you did. Why does he think you are?”
“Because every time I work for Brett, I have to close SkinnyCakes.”
“So you’re losing money when you work for him? Probably customers too?” Charlie asked.
I nodded.
“Why are you helping him?”
“He said he’ll call the mayor and tell him I’m not reliable and to hire someone else.”
“This late they can’t do anything about it, can they?” Mandy asked, looking at Charlie.
Charlie shrugged. “I suppose they can do anything. If they pulled the contract now though, there’s probably something in there that would give Abby leeway to file a lawsuit for expenses incurred, but I’m not sure.”
“Are you sure he has that kind of influence?” Claire asked.
“Yeah. The mayor’s assistant knew exactly who I was when I gave her my name the first time.”
“That sucks.”
“Yep. It’s ruining my relationship and hurting my day-to-day business.”
“Well, Brett seems like someone you can’t do much about until all this is over, but what about Graham? If he’s upset you’re throwing your dreams away-”
“I’m not!”
“I know,” Claire continued. “But he thinks you are. I hate to say it, but I sort of agree with him. It might only be one day a week or here and there, but if I was a new customer and you weren’t open on a day I went there and the hours said you would be, I’m not sure I’d go back. I’m not trying to make you mad, but I think you
might need to cut Graham a little slack.”
“You went on and on the other day about all the work he’s been doing around SkinnyCakes, too,” Charlie said. “If he’s doing so much work for you, for free, he’s trying to help you. I think he really cares about you.”
“Yeah,” Mandy said. “It’s hard to watch someone you love be miserable. Or even just a little unhappy. Especially when you know what would make them happy, but they aren’t doing it. When Xander and Drew were talking about starting XD, Xander would come home from work exhausted every day. I hated seeing how worn out he was. It wasn’t fair to him. It’s the same thing. There’s a good reason for it, but it’s still hard to watch.”
“So what are you guys saying?”
They all exchanged glances before Tara spoke up. “I think we’re saying Brett is a soul-sucking douchebag who doesn’t deserve an ounce of your time, but because he’s a conniving asshole he’s getting it. Graham, on the other hand, is such a good guy that he’s hurting watching you not fight Brett, especially when he’s confronted with it in person. On top of that, I have no doubt Brett either said something to Graham when you weren’t around or was giving him one of those ‘you can’t do anything about it’ looks that he’d always give me in college when you chose him over me.”
“You never told me about that!”
Tara shrugged. “It never mattered. You were in love with him. Now that you know who he really is, I can tell you what a worthless piece of garbage he always was.”
I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, allowing Tara’s words to sink in. “So I need to call Graham and tell him I was an idiot and I’m sorry?”
Claire shook her head. “You don’t need to do anything, Abby. It’s your life. You can do whatever is right for you. I think Tara’s right though. I think Graham is a good guy. He clearly enjoys helping you. He’s a nice guy. From what you’ve told me, I think he has some commitment issues, but so do you. I think you guys are good together. You just have to get rid of Brett so you can actually be together.”
I thought back over the last few weeks and how much Graham made me smile, how cared for I felt with him. My mom’s words came back to me, but I knew I wasn’t with Graham because of everything he did for me. I appreciated it, yes, but I didn’t love him because of it. I didn’t love him at all. I was getting closer to falling in love with him, but I wasn’t there yet.
Brett, on the other hand, made me tense and angry and disgusted. He slept with his new assistant during her interview. He kissed me when he had no right to. He blackmailed me into helping him, giving me an opportunity only to benefit himself.
I knew my friends were right. Graham wasn’t the bad guy because he cared. I was an idiot though. And I needed to talk to him.
Chapter 20
When I left girls’ night, I pulled out my phone. Before I even started my car, I called Graham. Thankfully he answered.
“Hello?” He sounded confused.
“Hey, it’s Abby. I want to talk to you, but I was hoping I could come see you.”
He paused for a little too long, making me instantly nervous and alert. I listened for voices in the background, certain he wasn’t answering me because there was another woman at his place.
“Unless you’re busy,” I finally said, giving him an out.
“No,” he said finally. “Not busy. Just surprised, I guess. After yesterday I wasn’t sure I’d hear from you again.”
“If you don’t want to see me, or you’ve moved on or whatever, that’s fine. I guess I shouldn’t have called.”
“Ab, don’t. I haven’t moved on. I want to see you. God, honey, so bad. I went to my job site early today so I couldn’t go see you. It almost killed me to miss you this morning, but I didn’t think you’d want me there.”
I took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. I… can I come over?”
“Yes,” he said on a laugh. “Please. I’ll text you my address, okay?”
I bit back the nasty comment on the tip of my tongue and said, “Okay.”
A few seconds after we hung up a text came in. With his address.
I followed my phone until I pulled into the driveway of a small ranch with a two car garage. A few big trees dotted the front yard with well maintained bushes below the front window. The brick had been painted gray, making it look a bit more modern, and a red door welcomed everyone inside.
I climbed from my car and took the short walk to the front door. I pressed the bell and heard Graham’s footsteps as he approached. I was nervous all of a sudden, unsure what I’d find on the other side of the door.
He opened it, his green eyes instantly seeking mine. His lips tilted up at the edges, but he kept his hand on the doorknob, opening the door wide so I could walk inside. I didn’t touch him as I stepped past him, even though I wanted to.
I’d missed his touch. It was like a part of me was absent. Seeing him, knowing how close I came to screwing up everything, nearly made me cry at his feet for another chance. To let me back in.
When Brett and I split up, I knew it was over. I was done. I was ready to be done. Going back or giving him another chance was never something I would have considered. With Graham, the idea of him not giving me a second chance was nearly debilitating.
I looked up into his green eyes, his dark skin stretched into a tight smile. His shaved head, his wide shoulders. The hands that held me close after they drove me wild. And I knew. I could lie to everyone around me and say it wasn’t true, but I could no longer lie to myself. Standing there, praying he’d let me back in, there wasn’t a doubt in my mind.
I’d fallen in love with Graham.
“Are you okay?” he asked, breaking into my thoughts.
I nodded once, even more anxious after realizing what was at stake. “Um, you have a nice house.”
He shrugged. “It’s all I can afford. It’s all I really need.”
“It’s still nice. It smells like you.”
He chuckled. “I’m not sure that’s a good thing.”
I rested my hand on the back of his couch. The living room was right off the foyer. The tv was on, telling me he’d been watching the movie on the screen before I interrupted his night. I resisted the urge to press my nose to the leather and inhale his scent. “It’s a good thing.”
“Do you want a drink? Or something to eat?”
I shook my head. “I won’t take up more of your night than I need to. I’m sorry for barging in on you.”
“I’m glad you’re here, Ab.”
“Really?”
He chuckled again and stepped closer. “Yeah, really. You’re making me nervous though. Why don’t you just say what you came here to say.”
He took a step back, all traces of a grin falling away. He walked around the couch and grabbed the remote, turning the tv off. He faced me, his arms crossed over his chest.
I took a deep breath. “Okay, well, I wanted to apologize first. I know you’re trying to help me. All the things you’ve done at SkinnyCakes have meant a lot to me. I hope you know that.”
He nodded.
“I, um, I think a lot of you, Graham. I shouldn’t have dismissed your concerns so easily. It wasn’t right of me. And I’m sorry.”
He nodded again. “Okay.”
Okay? That was it? “Okay,” I repeated. “I, um… Really? Okay? That’s all you have to say?”
He threw his hands up. “What do you want me to say, Abby? You come over here to break up with me and apologize for it in advance. I’m trying not to lose my shit here and tell you how wrong you are to go back to that lying, cheating asshole!”
“What the hell are you talking about? I’m not going back to Brett and I never will. I came over here to try to get a second chance with you!”
“A what?” he breathed, fiery eyes turning toward me. “What did you just say?”
“I said I want you, Graham. Not Brett. I owed you an apology because I was wrong. I know you’re helping me, you’re trying to protect me, and I was a bitch abo
ut it.”
He chuckled and slid his hands over his head. “You’re kidding, right?”
I took a step back. Guess second chances weren’t in his vocabulary either. “No, I’m not, but I see I was wrong.”
“What?” he asked, his eyes going wild. “What are you talking about?”
“You don’t want to give me another chance. So I’ll just go.”
“Don’t you dare,” he growled. “I was laughing because I’m the one who needs to apologize to you, Ab. I shouldn’t have tried to tell you what to do. I don’t like you being around him, and the eat shit look he kept giving me the other day pissed me off, but you were right. You’re a smart woman, and you can make your own decisions. I shouldn’t have tried to tell you what to do, even if I had the right intentions.”
I smiled and stepped closer to him. “So we were both wrong?”
He nodded and took a step toward me. “We were both wrong.”
“And we’re both sorry?”
He took another step. “We’re both sorry.”
I stepped again, our bodies barely a breath apart. “Then why aren’t you kissing me yet?”
His lips met mine the same instant his hand speared my hair. He tilted my head to where he wanted me, his tongue pressing against my lips. I opened for him, as eager as he was to put the past behind us.
My first kiss with the man I loved was everything I hoped it would be. Graham’s tongue was warm and firm in my mouth. He was in control, taking care of me. He knew how to kiss me. He knew what I liked. He knew how to ramp us both up toward out-of-control.
My hands toured his body, anxious to feel every inch of him. I tugged the back of his t-shirt up, letting my fingers at the hot skin underneath. He pulled back and yanked his shirt the rest of the way off, then pulled me right back in for another kiss.
I ran my hands over his back, his chest, his abs, down his arms. He clasped my fingers in his and wrapped our arms around my back as he led me from the living room down a hallway and into his bedroom.
A king sized bed sat beneath a window overlooking his backyard. Crisp white sheets met my calves when he backed me up to the edge. Graham pulled back, smirked at me, then pushed me back onto the bed.
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