“Yeah, it was okay.”
“Just okay?” She put her teacup down and leaned against the counter, crossing one bare foot over the other at the ankle. “Want to talk about it?” she asked gently.
“Naw.” Gus came up to him and sniffed his hand before Cooper scratched his head and sat down at the table. “It’s just that—I don’t know what it is, Mom. It just feels kinda weird over there. I don’t really know how to explain it.”
Abby sat down on the chair opposite Cooper. “Coop, you’ve always had an exceptional judge of character when it comes to friends. Trust that judgment.”
“It’s probably nothin’.” He stood up so quick his chair nearly tipped over. “I’m gonna go see Grandpa.” And he was off.
After closing up the store, Jeremiah retired in his room while Abby, Cooper, and Gus went out by the bonfire pit. Gabriel sauntered up moments later.
“Mind if I join you?”
“As long as we don’t have to play another of your silly games where you make all the rules.”
“Cooper,” Gabriel chuckled, “your mom’s a sore loser.”
“I did not lose at anything, Cooper.” She looked at Gabriel. “Tomorrow it’s rock skipping. You won’t stand a chance.”
“It’s on,” he challenged.
They continued to banter back and forth, laughing, until Cooper, oblivious to the flirting going on between them, demanded to know what they were talking about.
Gabriel filled him in, Abby correcting him whenever needed while she built the most impressive, blazing, crackling bonfire on this side of heaven. They roasted marshmallows and told stories, even telling a ghost story or two.
There were times, like the other night when she and Piper were sitting out here, that it seemed like there was a real ghost at the resort already. She didn’t need to conjure up more, but she didn’t have the heart to deprive Cooper of something every kid loved to do around a campfire. She did, too, for that matter. At least Hunter—or whoever it had been—hadn’t been calling or texting anymore. Cooper’s attitude seemed to have tamed as well. Perhaps it was just the adjustment from the move.
It was after eleven when they all fell silent, staring at the glowing embers. She lay back in a chaise lounge. Gabriel and Cooper were each sitting on a big oak stump, both leaning forward, their elbows on their knees, hands clasped together loosely. The resemblance in their posture was startling.
Despite the ghost stories, she was calm and relaxed. The full moon hung in the sky, huge, round, and bright, and stars dotted the sky around it, twinkling their magic. She sat up and looked around the grounds, noticing most of the lights inside the cabins and campers had gone dark. Abby stifled a yawn seconds before Gabriel stood and took his leave. As much as Abby hated to see him go, she was ready to turn in for the night. It had been a long, emotionally charged day.
Cooper made sure the fire was completely out while Abby waited for him and watched as the last camper went dark. Gabriel’s camper.
Abby and Cooper began walking to the house, her arm draped over his shoulders when she caught sudden movement out of the corner of her eye and heard a slight rustling of leaves. She stiffened but continued walking, hoping Cooper hadn’t sensed her fear. No such luck.
“What’s wrong, Mom?”
“Nothing, honey. Just tired.” She looked over her shoulder but decided she was simply exhausted and needed some serious sleep. But when they got in the house, she couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching them.
She closed the curtains, the water from Cooper’s shower running before she finished the last one. She needed to shower, too. Otherwise, she would reek of bonfire smoke all night from her hair. But as quickly as the thought formulated, it dissipated as the smoke had dissipated into the air. Instead, she slipped into an oversized T-shirt, climbed beneath the cool, crisp sheet, layered a blanket on top of the sheet, and had just started to doze off when she heard Cooper go downstairs. Gus obviously needed to go outside. But before she could think about getting up and going down with them, she was off into dreamland before she even finished her prayers.
20
Abby pulled her robe around her, tying the jersey belt, as she padded barefoot downstairs to start the coffee pot. Her long tangled hair fell into her eyes and she swooped it up, pulled a ponytail holder from the pocket of her robe, and with one expert move took care of the problem.
Jeremiah was already at the table, reading the paper.
“Whatcha got there, Pops? Mud or coffee?”
“Coffee-flavored mud.”
She looked in his cup then at the pot and wrinkled her nose. “Yummy. You may as well save the water and just slurp the grounds.”
“Had you been up first you could have made the coffee the way you wanted it.”
She looked at him still reading his paper, snickered, and started a fresh pot of coffee.
“Why’d you have all the curtains closed?” he asked. “It was like nighttime when I came down this morning.”
“Well, what time did you get up and come downstairs? Maybe it was nighttime,” she teased. “Kidding. Cooper and Gabriel were telling ghost stories around the bonfire and I got a little freaked out.”
This time, his head popped up from the paper for the briefest moment before he looked back down again. “What’s that about? Ghost stories never scared you before.”
“I know. In fact, I didn’t really realize I was scared until just now. Guess I’m just jumpy lately.”
He glanced at her then back at his paper as he turned the page. “Hunter been callin’ again? Thought it stopped.”
“No, he hasn’t, thank goodness. Not me anyway.”
He set the paper down and studied her. “What’s that mean?”
She looked out the window while she decided whether she should say anymore. When she looked back at him, he was still studying her.
“I can’t help but wonder if he called Cooper.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know why. Probably to talk to him. Get Cooper to side with him.” The irritation in her tone surprised her. She heaved herself down on the chair next to her father and rested one foot on the bottom rung of his chair. “Sorry. I’m letting it bother me more than I thought.”
“Did Coop say something?”
“Not exactly. It’s just a feeling I get from knowing him as well as I do and by what he’s not saying.”
She waited for him to say something, not surprised when he didn’t. She knew how he responded to things almost as well as she knew how Cooper does. Almost. Well enough to know he needed to think things through before he said anything more on the subject.
She looked at Gus sprawled out on the big oval braided rug, basking in the morning sun coming through the large picture window. “It’s a dog’s life.” She pointed at Gus.
“Was there when I came down this morning.”
“He didn’t sleep in Cooper’s room?”
He looked at her and squinted. “Would appear not since he was there.” He nodded toward Gus. “The boy’s bedroom door is closed.”
“That’s strange.” Abby frowned and looked at Gus. “I heard Cooper come downstairs with him after I got into bed. Wonder why he didn’t take him back up?” She felt an uncomfortable flutter in her chest.
“You say Gabriel was at the bonfire with you?”
“Yup.”
“Nice boy.”
Abby snickered. “He’s hardly a boy, Pops.”
“Nice, nonetheless.” He turned a page from his paper.
She poured herself a cup of coffee that was finally ready. “Don’t go getting any ideas. He’s Sam’s uncle and a friend. That’s all.”
She desperately hoped he couldn’t hear the slight hitch in her voice. Lying wasn’t something she could ever do well. But it wasn’t really a lie, was it?
“Didn’t say nothin’ about it.”
But she saw one side of his lips curve upward. The uncomfortable flutter in her chest again.
&nbs
p; “I’m going to take my coffee and go jump in the shower. The kids will be here in about an hour. Thought I’d get some work done in the store before Victoria takes over.”
Jeremiah grunted his acknowledgment, keeping his eyes on the paper.
Abby heard Cooper’s voice when she passed his room. She rested her ear against the door, placed a hand on the cool, smooth wood, the other quietly on the doorknob. She listened for a moment until there was silence, then she slowly opened the door.
“Hey, Mom.”
“Morning, buddy. You’re up early.”
“Yeah.”
Abby’s stomach twisted into a knot. “Heard you talking on the phone. Who’s calling you at this hour?”
“Johnny.”
She exhaled her held breath but the knot in her gut tightened. “What’s so important that he thought you needed to know at this hour?”
“He must of butt-dialed me. I kept trying to get him to talk but all I could hear was his radio. He told me he sleeps with it on all night. That way he can’t hear … well, he must of finally realized what he did ’cause then it went dead.”
“Can’t hear what?” She stood in his doorway, leaning against the jam.
“Anything. It drowns out the background noise.”
“How could he have butt-dialed you, as you so grossly stated, if he was sleeping?”
“Probably rolled over on it.”
“Weird,” she mumbled. “Hey,” she said, louder, “I was just drifting off to sleep when I heard you going downstairs with Gus. Did he have to go out?”
“No. I needed a drink of water, and you took the glass from my bathroom.”
“Cause I think it was growing something. It needed to be washed.”
“Mom, that’s gross,” he complained then yawned.
“No, the glass in your bathroom was gross. How come you didn’t take Gus back upstairs with you?”
“He wouldn’t come up. He just kept growling at the door that goes into the store.”
“Why didn’t you come and get me or Grandpa.”
“What for? He wanted to go into the store, that’s all.”
“Okay.” She attempted to smile at him, grateful it was dark enough in his room that he wasn’t able to see the concern inevitably etched in her face. “I’m going to shower and start the day.”
“I’m going back to sleep.”
Abby had just closed the door when she heard Cooper’s voice.
“Mom?”
She opened the door a crack and looked in. “Uh-huh?”
“What time is Victoria coming?”
Abby stifled a smile. “Same time as always. Now go back to sleep.”
She closed his door and went down the hall to her bedroom. She crossed the room to the window and stood there for a moment. Was Cooper right? Was it simply that Gus wanted to get into the store and nothing more at all?
She shook her head, clearing the onslaught of disturbing thoughts. Maybe the ghost stories had her more freaked out than she even thought. But what was with the phone call? Was it really Johnny or was he covering for someone? Like, Hunter.
She was dying to go back and ask him straight up but didn’t want to wake him back up. Nor did she want to put him on the defensive. If it really was Johnny, what kind of a message was she sending her son? That she thought he was a liar? Running it by Gabe might give her some insight she hadn’t thought of. So maybe it was an excuse to talk to him, but it was a good one.
She smiled, looked at the clock on her nightstand and quickly slipped off her robe. She didn’t have time to do any more thinking one way or another. She needed to get a move on.
Thirty minutes later, she unlocked the door that closed off the store from their living quarters. She had thirty minutes to do some things before opening for business.
She flipped the light switch and froze. The door to the outside was open, the screen door the only one keeping the outside world out, and that one was unlocked. Her mind scrambled to remember who closed last night.
“Pops?” she called over her shoulder. She had a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. “Dad!” she hollered, more insistent this time. A moment later, she heard him come up behind her.
“What’s with all the ruckus?”
She pointed to the door. “You tell me.”
“Tell you what?” He looked at the door then back at her.
“Pops, you were the last one in here last night. You closed up.”
“Yup.”
“Actually, you didn’t. The door was left open.”
“I closed and locked the door.”
She put her face in her hands and took a deep breath, buying some time to figure out how best to handle it. Finally, she decided to just come out and say it.
“Dad, if you’re going to be drinking, you can’t be working here. This,” she flung her arm toward the door, “is what happens.”
“I haven’t—”
“Save it, Pops. What would you call that?” His gaze traveled to the bottle she was pointing at on the counter.”
“That bottle’s not from me.”
“Really? Then who would it be from? Cooper? Me?”
“You’re being unreasonable.”
She could hear the hurt in his voice, but she didn’t care. In fact, she was glad.
“No, you are. Anyone could have gotten in here last night and taken anything they wanted. We could have been robbed blind.”
“Obviously, someone did get in here.”
His voice was low, almost a whisper. Abby could see the pain in his eyes, and she felt bad. But only for a moment. How could he do this? She thought he had been doing so well. Had he been sneaking booze the whole time? Maybe he needed more help than she could give him.
“Dad—”
He put his hand up and turned to walk away. “Don’t. I won’t stand here and be lectured like a child by my daughter.”
“Where are you going?”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m not goin’ to drink if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“Dad—” she exhaled long and slow. But he was already gone.
Abby locked the door and slipped her cell phone from her pocket. Piper answered on the second ring.
“You up?”
“Guess you could say that. I haven’t gone to bed yet. I worked a double and just got home.”
“Poor thing.” Abby filled her in on her morning discovery.
“Let me ask you something,” Piper said. “Are you upset because he left the door open or are you ultra sensitive because of your fear of Hunter?”
“That’s not the point. The point is—”
“The point is you know Dad drinks. Because you choose to look the other way and pretend he hasn’t been is being foolish.”
“You said yourself that you think he’s doing better here.”
“I didn’t say he’s not drinking.”
“Same thing.”
“Not even close. Listen, Abby, you need to get this obsession with Hunter out of your head. You’re far away from him and still giving him way too much time and energy. Let. It. Go.”
“Obsession?” she shrieked. “He almost killed me. And would have had Henry not intervened.”
She heard Piper sigh.
“Look, your fear isn’t irrational, honey, but the amount of space in your head you’re giving it is. He’s playing mind games with you. And you’re letting him win.”
“So I’m supposed to just ignore his—his sick—”
“I didn’t say that. Be vigilant but don’t let it rule your whole life.”
Abby felt tears sting her eyes. She wanted to speak but felt paralyzed and couldn’t utter a single sound.
“Hello?” Piper said. “Are you still there?”
“Yeah. I have to go, though. Victoria’s car just pulled up.”
“Patch things up with Dad. He’s not the one you’re actually mad at. You’ll feel a lot better. You both will.”
“Thanks, Pip.”
>
“Of course. And Abby?”
“Yeah?”
“Next time call me at a reasonable hour.”
Abby could hear the smile in her sister’s voice, lightening her own sour mood. Victoria walked in, fresh-faced and drinking a Red Bull energy drink. Sam and Gabriel were standing outside talking, and her heart did a happy dance.
The morning hummed with activity around the grounds, people in and out of the store, the steamer at the coffee bar a constant hiss as Victoria made latte after latte. Anytime Cooper wasn’t asked to do something else, Abby knew she would find him hanging out in the store with Victoria.
Shortly after ten o’clock, she saw her father heading out toward the studio. Her heart broke as she watched him walking away, his usually proud shoulders slumped a teensy bit. She was certain she hadn’t imagined it. It made her own shoulders slump under the weight of guilt.
Abby continued watching him as if to punish herself further, his legs appearing heavy from the weight of humiliation from his daughter scolding him. It occurred to her that maybe he was right. She hadn’t even given him the benefit of the doubt. Was the distrust she held based on her history with Hunter? Not a single truthful word came from Hunter’s mouth when he’d been drinking. If only the bottle she’d found wasn’t the same thing her dad used to drink. And it was empty. Coincidence? Whose could it be if not his? Maybe he just couldn’t remember.
She sighed. She would have to make a point of doing a follow-up check on the nights he closed. Without him knowing about it, just in case. In case of what, she wasn’t sure yet. It just seemed like the smart thing to do in order to avoid conflict. She chewed on the advice and words of wisdom Piper had issued her.
At twelve-thirty, she prepared a sandwich, pastrami on rye, a bag of baked potato chips and some dill pickles Maggie had left in the cellar for them. She packed the food in a brown paper bag and took it out to him, along with a bottle of water. She knew he had wanted her to stay away until he was done so he could surprise her with the final result. But Piper was right. She owed him an apology. And right now, that took precedence.
“Pops?” she called softly when she got closer, not wanting to startle him. “I brought a peace offering.” When he appeared from behind the studio, she held the brown lunch sack out to him with one hand, the bottle of water with the other.
Finding Abby: A Romantic Suspense set in the Colorado Mountains (Whispering Pines Mysteries) Page 17
