by Amy Brent
We started carrying boxes down the stairs and loading them into the truck. I wanted to make conversation, but Abigail seemed lost in her own thoughts. I imagined there was a lot going on in that head of hers right now. I knew she had lived here for a while now, and she was probably saying good-bye to the place while we carried her things down. I didn’t want to intrude upon that.
“Are you sure you want to put all this stuff into a storage unit?” I asked her once everything was in the truck. “I’m pretty sure it’ll all fit in my place—our place. And like I said, I don’t plan on kicking you out.
“I think it’s better that we just put it in the storage unit for now,” Abigail said. She gave a small laugh. “Gives me a chance to see what I don’t even miss, and maybe then I can downsize a little.”
“If you’re sure,” I said, shrugging. I hoped she didn’t think I was going to kick her out the second I found someone else for the place. I didn’t even plan on looking for someone else. As far as I was concerned, it was her home as much as it was mine. Like I’d said the previous day, I was just relieved not to have to weed out all the creeps to find someone decent to live with.
We took her things over to the storage unit, and then we drove over to our place. “I guess I’ll leave you to your unpacking,” I said, glancing at my watch. “I’ve got a couple work appointments today, so I have to run.”
“No problem,” Abigail said. “And thanks for everything. Seriously.” She looked around the room, biting her lip.
I knocked her lightly under the chin and was happy to see her grin at me. “Chin up,” I told her. “Things are going to be good.”
“Yeah,” she said, exhaling heavily.
I wished I had more time to cheer her up, but I had to get to work. Maybe I could take her out to dinner later, though. I started making plans, just hoping she would agree.
Sure enough, that night we found ourselves on our way over to a local restaurant. “I figure you have to know all the best places in the neighborhood,” I joked. “You know, now that you live here.”
Abigail laughed, but I could see something else in her eyes. “Are you sure you don’t mind paying for me?” she asked anxiously.
“Relax,” I said. “It’s one meal, and we have to celebrate you moving in.”
“Okay,” Abigail said.
Fortunately, I saw her relax as we ate. “So, you’re a bit of a foodie, aren’t you?” she asked.
I laughed and took another bite of my chicken. “You could say that,” I said. “It kind of goes along with being a personal trainer. I started out just being a gym rat, and then I started trying to get creative with my meals so I was eating healthy and getting into the best shape I could be in. Then I started sharing some of the recipes I liked the best with some of my clients, and then they started asking for recommendations for good, healthy restaurants in the area.”
“Are there are a lot of healthy restaurants?” Abigail asked in surprise. “I mean, obviously this is one of them, but isn’t that one of those things everyone says about America, that there aren’t any healthy options here when you eat out?”
“That’s an outdated stereotype,” I said, shaking my head. “There are plenty of healthy options if you know what you’re looking for, especially now that it’s so normal for people to be counting their calories and dieting and whatever else. You’ll notice that a lot of restaurants now will even tell you how many calories are in each dish. So, if you know what you’re looking for, you can definitely find good places.”
“So, what, you’ve tried every restaurant in the area?” Abigail asked, a teasing note in her voice. “You take all your dates out to different restaurants just so you can try someplace new?” Instantly, she clapped a hand over her mouth. “Not that this is a date,” she added hurriedly. “I just meant that it’s just the two of us, and you’re not eating alone, and I know you sleep around a bunch.” Again, she looked mortified at the words that had just come out of her mouth. “Not that there’s anything wrong with that.”
I laughed and poured her another glass of wine. “Relax,” I said, not for the first time that night. “Your brother is my best friend, and I’m sure you’ve heard about my reputation from him.” I frowned. “Not that I’ve been sleeping around that much lately.”
“You have a girlfriend?” Abigail asked.
“Nah. I just haven’t been interested in sleeping with anyone lately,” I told her. That wasn’t exactly true. The more I got her to relax and the more I heard her laugh, the more I started thinking about sleeping with her.
But Zach would kill me if he found out I had slept with his little sister. And besides, we were roommates now. The last thing I needed was to make things awkward.
“Oh fuck,” Abigail said, ducking down in her seat.
“What?” I asked, looking around to where she was looking. There was a guy on the other side of the room at the bar, staring at the two of us. He looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t place him. “Who’s that?”
“Do you remember my ex, Jason?” She shook her head. “It’s like he’s stalking me or something.”
“Didn’t you guys break up a while ago?” I asked, confused.
“Yeah, and then he moved away, and now he’s back. I ran into him the other day while I was having coffee with Brittany.” She paused, giving me a guilty look. “I told him I was engaged.”
I had to laugh at that. “Was he really trying to get back together with you? The guy should have moved on by now.” I winced. “Not that I think you’re super easy to move on from. You’re great. I just figure it’s been months now.” I felt like I was digging the hole deeper and deeper, and I wondered if this was how she had felt when she was talking about me being a player.
Fortunately, Abigail didn’t seem to notice how flustered I was making myself. Her full attention was on Jason, who was on his way over to the table. Immediately, I reached over and grabbed Abigail’s hand. I wasn’t sure why I did that, but Abigail shot me a grateful look, and I was glad I had.
“Imagine seeing you here!” Jason said when he reached us. “Abigail, I didn’t realize you ever came over to this side of town.”
“I live over here now,” she said.
“Oh really?” Jason asked, raising an eyebrow at me. I could tell he was about to say something snide to me, and I didn’t want to hear it.
“Jason, why don’t you get out of here?” I suggested icily. “Abigail and I would really rather be alone.”
Jason frowned, and I thought for a second that he was going to challenge me, but he seemed to think better of it. “Whatever,” he muttered, turning and stalking off, shooting one last dirty glance at me as he left.
Abigail sighed when he was gone. “He probably thinks you and I are engaged now,” she said. “Sorry.”
I shrugged. “Let him think that then,” I told her. “I don’t really mind.”
“Thanks,” she said, and I could tell just how thankful she was. She cleared her throat and withdrew her hand, and I realized I had still been holding it. I felt embarrassed, but she didn’t say anything about it.
“You know, I never liked that guy,” I commented, startling a laugh out of Abigail. I never knew him all that well, but I hadn’t thought he was the right kind of guy for Abigail. He just seemed…creepy or something, and nowhere near as witty or funny as the kind of guy she deserved to be with.
Not that I spent a lot of time thinking about the type of guy Abigail Foley should be with.
Abigail smiled at me. “I honestly don’t know what I saw in him,” she admitted. “I guess I’ve grown up a lot since we broke up.”
“Just since you two broke up?” I asked teasingly. “I still remember that time when you came up to your brother and me and announced you were too old to play with dolls anymore so we’d better teach you how to play hockey.”
We fell into an easy conversation, reminiscing about when we’d been kids, and I was glad to see Abigail relax even more. It was a good thing, her movi
ng in with me, I decided. I just had to make sure I didn’t make things awkward between us. She needed a friend, not another guy trying to get in her pants.
Chapter 5
Abigail
The day after I moved in with Ian, Brittany and I went out for lunch. “So, you’re living with Ian now?” Brittany asked, waggling her eyebrows at me.
I shrugged nonchalantly even though I knew exactly what she must be thinking. “Yeah. His old roommate had to move out so he had a free room,” I said. “I’m hoping that with so many businesses in the neighborhood, I can get a job close to the apartment and not have to worry about commuting.”
“And every night you get to go home and play house with Ian,” Brittany said knowingly.
“Excuse me?” I asked.
“Come on, Abby, I’ve known you since sixth grade. I know you have a crush on him. Now you get to go home and make dinner and talk about your day and whatever else with him.” She eyed me carefully. “Are you two sleeping together yet?”
“No!” I said, my face flaming. I couldn’t believe she had even asked that. I wanted to be offended, but I remembered that last day in my apartment, touching myself while I thought about him. Brittany was right. I did have a bit of a crush on him. Or at least I was attracted to him, but I didn’t want her to know that. “Honestly, he’s more like a brother to me than anything else,” I lied. “I’ve known him practically forever.”
“Whatever you say,” Brittany said, but I could tell from the way she smirked at me that she wasn’t buying it.
“I’m going to miss this place,” I said, sighing and looking around the sandwich shop as I dusted he crumbs off my fingers. It was one of the first places I’d tried when I’d moved into the neighborhood, and Brittany and I had had lunch here a bunch of times.
“It’s still going to be here even if you’re living over in a new neighborhood now,” Brittany pointed out. “We can always come back. Or we’ll find someplace better near your new place. There’s that one taco place that everyone always recommends.”
I sighed. “I know, but things just aren’t going to be the same.”
“That’s because they’re going to be better,” Brittany said confidently. “You’ll see.”
After we finished, we headed up to my old apartment to give it one final scrub. I was still hoping to get part of my deposit back since I had moved out quickly and the month wasn’t over yet, but I didn’t really expect to get any of it back.
“So, are you living with Ian for good then, or is it just until you find a job and somewhere else to live?” Brittany asked while we worked.
“I don’t honestly know,” I admitted. “At this point, I’m just taking everything as it comes.”
“That’s a good attitude to have,” Brittany said. “I still can’t believe you and Ian are going to be living together. Remember when we were kids and we thought Zach and Ian were so gross?”
I laughed. “That’s because they used to throw worms and frogs and stuff at us, remember?”
“Ugh, yeah, I remember,” Brittany said, shaking her head. “So nasty.”
“I haven’t really seen him that much lately. He’s gotten hotter.”
“Yeah. Doesn’t he work at one of the fitness centers?” Brittany asked. “Being hot is kind of his job.”
I laughed and shook my head. “Fair point, but still.”
“You’re not going to get involved with him, are you?” Brittany asked. “Because with the two of you living together… I just want to make sure you’re being careful. I don’t want you to end up with a broken heart again.”
“Of course I’m not going to start something with him,” I said, scandalized that she would even ask. “He’s Zach’s best friend. I’d never cross that line.”
“Good,” Brittany said. Then she flashed me a wicked smile. “Would you mind if I started something with him then?”
I threw a rag at her. “Don’t you dare,” I said, laughing.
“This is random, but I just thought of a way you could help me and I could help you,” Brittany said. “I bet our catering group could set you up with some part-time stuff. You know, on call, nothing major. But it would at least be something.”
“That’d be great,” I said. “I’m still hoping I can find something in the therapy field, but at the moment I’ll take anything.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” Brittany said, beaming at me.
She was my best friend, and of everyone in the world, I could count on her to have my back.
“So what are you going to do about Jason?” Brittany finally asked. I could tell she’d been sitting on that question for a while, probably ever since he’d shown up at the coffee shop.
“I’m hoping that telling him I’m engaged was enough to keep him away from me,” I told her. I deliberated for a moment and then sighed. “Actually, I saw him again after the coffee shop. Ian and I went out to dinner last night and he was there.”
“That’s just too weird,” Brittany said.
“I mean, it’s the same thing he was doing last time,” I pointed out.
“Didn’t you ever get a restraining order against the guy?”
“I thought all this was over,” I said, shrugging. “He moved away. But now, apparently, he’s back.” I paused. “I think he thinks that Ian’s my fiancé, though.”
Brittany snickered. “Well, in that case, you’ve definitely traded up for a better model,” she said.
We finally finished, and I headed down to the office to drop off my keys, trying not to feel too sentimental about the place. Maybe things were going to be better, just like Brittany had suggested.
It sure felt like it when I got home that evening to find Ian just arriving as well, balancing a couple pizzas in one hand. “Hey,” he said, unlocking the door and letting us in. “I had a coupon that I didn’t realize was about to expire, so I grabbed a couple pizzas on the way home.”
I grinned at him. “Is this a chance for me to try some other healthy restaurant in the area?” I asked.
“Oh no. This is as unhealthy as it comes,” Ian said, laughing. “Greasy and meaty and cheesy, just the way it should be. You know, I’m a personal trainer, but every once in a while, I like to give myself a little reward. There’s even a few beers in the fridge.”
I laughed and trailed after him into the living room. “So, what did you get up to today?” Ian asked as we dug into the pizzas.
“Applied for some more jobs, had lunch with Brittany, and officially moved out of my old place,” I said, sighing. “The good news is that they gave me half of my deposit back, so that’s at least a couple hundred bucks I didn’t think I was ever going to see again. And Brittany mentioned that she might be able to get me some part-time, on-call gigs with the catering company she works with for her party planning stuff. It’s not much, but it would at least be a start.”
I didn’t want to say it out loud, and I felt guilty for even thinking it, but I’d almost given up on my ability to pay rent. No matter how cheap this place with Ian was, everything was just way out of my budget—impossibly so. But at least a couple smaller jobs would give me a little spending money so I wouldn’t have to mooch off people for food and coffee and other day-to-day expenses.
“Hey, that’s awesome!” Ian said, holding up his beer. I clinked mine against his.
“Did you want me to put it toward rent this month?” I asked, though I was worried he’d agree and I’d have to pinch pennies until I got a job again. It was nice to think I’d be able to afford groceries for the coming weeks.
“Nah. Don’t worry about it,” Ian said, and I tried not to be too obvious with my sigh of relief.
Suddenly, my phone started ringing. I frowned when I saw who it was and immediately sent it to voice mail.
“Your mom?” Ian asked, glancing over at me.
“Jason, actually,” I said, still frowning.
“You still have his number saved?” Ian asked in surprise.
“I wanted to make
sure I knew who it was so that I’d know not to pick up,” I said.
“Makes sense,” Ian said. “He’s really been bothering you that much?”
“Not so much in the past year. He hasn’t been here. But now he’s back and he’s apparently not ready to be done with me. Again.” I shook my head. “You’d think I wasn’t justified in breaking up with him or something.”
“What really happened there?” Ian asked curiously. “You guys seemed like you were all good. You dated for, what, like two years? Then you just broke up.”
“He cheated on me,” I admitted. “With a bunch of different girls from what I’ve heard.” It was something I hadn’t even told my family. I’d just told them that Jason and I had realized we had too many differences and that things weren’t going to work out.
I think it was part of why Mom was confused about my lack of relationship. She thought Jason had broken up with me because I wouldn’t commit to him or something like that. I’d never bothered to correct her.
“Ouch,” Ian said. “Sorry to hear that.”
I shrugged. “I was really upset at the time, but now I know it was for the best.”
“Fair enough,” Ian said. He snorted. “I can’t believe you told him you’re engaged, though. That’s pretty bold.”
“Well, I figured if I just told him I had a boyfriend, that wouldn’t be enough to get him to leave me alone,” I said, shrugging. I didn’t want to get into the whole backstory from the last time. Ian was good enough to humor me about all of this already; I didn’t need to babble out every minute detail of my life.
“If I just left it at ‘I have a boyfriend,’ I think Jason would think he could still come between us or something.” I paused and then raised an eyebrow at him. “You know, you did a really good job at getting him to leave me alone last night. Maybe you could teach me how to do that. Was it just the big muscles talking, or was it something else? Some guy code?”
Ian laughed. “No guy code,” he said. “But maybe you just need me to be your fake fiancé.”
