Karma

by Barbara Huffert

  “They never have any faith.” Wyatt gestured for Abby to sit with him and seemed as surprised as Jesse when she did. “No way I’d let you use it if it wasn’t fully functional.”

  “You can’t really figure out how to do that? You’re teasing me, right?” Abby was openly curious.

  “Course I am,” Wyatt assured her. “Andie is waving, Jess. Go see what she wants before she comes over here and hangs on me again. Abby will be fine for a minute.”

  Jesse waited for her to second Wyatt’s opinion before he left them. He seemed amazed at how unintimidated Abby was by Wyatt.

  “Thanks.” Wyatt grinned again. “Gotta like Andie but she’s too much for me today. Rather ask you something.”

  “All right.” Abby had no idea what he would ever want to ask of her.

  “Frank told me about the dinner you had the day you and Jesse met. He said you can identify things by sniffing them.”

  “Sometimes.”

  “Sometimes? Like when you have a migraine and it heightens your senses?”

  “Not just then but I am more sensitive when my head hurts. It really depends on what else is around me.”

  “You get overloaded when there are too many things to isolate.”

  “Or when one thing is much stronger than the rest.”

  “Just food or other things?”

  “Mostly food but not exclusively. I can usually tell you what people use to clean their homes and if they’ve just painted something or done laundry.”

  “Cool. What about chemicals? Do you think you could identify them if I let you smell them individually first?”

  “Maybe. Why?”

  “If you could, you’d know if you were in a room with someone who was about to mix things together and blow everyone up.”

  Neither noticed that Frank was standing nearby. “What the hell do you think you’re doing, Earp?” He yanked Wyatt from his seat and hauled him out the door next to him. Abby rushed after the pair. “I don’t fucking believe you.” Frank exploded as soon as they were outside.

  “I wasn’t.” Wyatt couldn’t retreat because Frank hadn’t released him.

  “I heard you.” Frank lowered his voice even further as Holly and Dwayne burst through the door.

  “Let him go, Frank.” Holly wedged herself between them as Dwayne spun back inside.

  “Stay out of it.” Frank maintained his hold on Wyatt around her.

  Abby watched in terror. Frank was furious with Wyatt and clearly ready to forcibly move Holly out of his way to get to him. Wyatt was so upset by Frank’s actions that he was in tears. Just as Shelby raced out after them Abby sank to the ground in the corner beside the steps, covering her head.

  “Frank! Holly! Stop it!” Shelby yelled, startling them all into looking at her.

  “Now look what you’ve done.” Holly lashed out at Frank as Dwayne arrived with Jesse.

  Ignoring all of them, Jesse crouched next to Abby, speaking softly so as not to frighten her any more than she already was.

  “Not now, Hol.” Dwayne must have recognized Abby’s posture from some of the women he had helped over the years. “Come on.” He urged her back inside.

  “But…” Holly resisted.

  “Now, Holly,” Dwayne repeated firmly.

  When they were gone, Shelby pried Frank’s fingers from Wyatt’s arm.

  “What happened?” Jesse asked much more calmly than he felt.

  “We were just talking,” Wyatt insisted.

  “Tell him, Earp. Tell Jesse what you were just talking about,” Frank was barely restrained even though Shelby was holding on to him.

  “It wasn’t like that! I swear, Jesse I wouldn’t do that to Abby. We were just talking.”

  “Frank?” Jesse pleaded for his brother to make sense so he could figure out how to calm Abby.

  “Earp asked Abby if she thought she could isolate the scents of chemicals used in making bombs.” Frank finally stepped back.

  “I was just talking,” Wyatt repeated. “You’re the one who told me about Abby’s ability in the first place, Frank. You know I would never ask her do something potentially life-threatening. I hate it when you do but you were already into it so I can’t stop you. I was just asking, Jesse. I wouldn’t ever let Abby get hurt.”

  Shelby seemed shocked but clearly understood what had set Frank off. “Inside, Frank. They don’t need us out here.” She nudged him toward to door. “You and Wyatt can straighten your part of this out later.”

  Frank’s whole demeanor changed. “God, Jess.” It was as if he didn’t want to walk away from the mess he had created.

  “Later, Frank. Please?” Jesse could see his brother’s feelings but couldn’t let him stay. No matter how much Jess wanted to soothe Frank, Abby was more crucial at the moment. He had faith in Shelby to take care of Frank.

  “I’ll go too.” Wyatt slumped as he watched Jesse begin to comfort his new wife. “I’m sorry, Jess. I should have waited for you to come back but I was so interested.”

  “Wait.” Abby’s voice halted his retreat. Still shaking, she lowered her arms enough to look up at Wyatt. “I know you were just being curious.” She held out her hand toward Wyatt as she leaned against Jesse. When Wyatt closed his fingers around hers, Abby tried to smile. “You’re one of the few who didn’t treat me like some sort of freak. I don’t usually admit that I can distinguish smells like that but when Frank asked I wasn’t thinking because of my migraine.”

  “You’re not a freak, Abby. People are afraid of what they can’t understand. Don’t let their ignorance influence you,” Wyatt stated from experience.

  “I’m sorry he got so mad at you because of me,” Abby whispered.

  “Frank’s usually mad at me. He’ll get over it.” Wyatt shrugged, downplaying his hurt.

  “He should have asked,” Abby stated.

  “You’re right. He should have. Not that I’m making excuses for him, but Frank was protecting you. Unnecessarily. There are few things that push my brother into acting without thinking as I’ve already told you. Apparently, you’ve become one of them.” Jesse wished Abby would uncurl herself. When he first saw her crouched in a fetal position with her arms up to protect her head, he had almost reacted as badly as Frank had.

  “Hi.” A new voice startled them after the door opened. “Abby, I’m Gwen, Brett’s mother.” She sat on the steps and rested her hand on Wyatt’s shoulder so none of them would move. “I think I can help.” When no one protested, she continued, “I saw how you reacted when my son bit Andie. You did much better than I did the first time I saw that. Alex, Brett’s father, practically carried me from the room to keep me from making a big mistake.”

  “W-what?” Abby was confused.

  “Someone hurt you. I can tell because my first husband abused me. When you’ve been through it yourself, it’s not hard to recognize someone who’s experienced the same thing. You got out very recently.”

  “This week,” Abby admitted, sensing she could trust this woman.

  “Good for you.” Gwen kept her voice soft. “I met Alex, Brett’s father, when I was still unwilling to fight for my life. He was the intern on duty one night when I couldn’t avoid going to the emergency room. My first husband took me one night after he went too far. Alex knew I was lying before I finished telling him the story I came up with. He took one look at the man with me and knew I was ready to let him kill me. For some reason, he wouldn’t let me do it. He used some fancy medical terms and wheeled me out of the room so fast neither one of us had a chance to react. He moved me to a restricted area and called security and told them that no one but him was permitted to see me. Then he patched me up and gave me something to knock me out.

  “When I woke up there was a girl sitting with me, holding my hand and talking to me. She got Alex as soon as she knew I was awake. I tried to leave but he wouldn’t let me. He kept insisting that he couldn’t stand by and let me kill myself by going back. I denied every word he said but he knew he was right. The
girl stayed until his shift was over. She kept telling me that I would be safe with Alex. I didn’t have the energy to argue with both of them so I gave in and let Alex take me home with him. He sat with me for hours. I still believe he stayed awake the whole time, just so he could reassure me whenever I opened my eyes. He was so kind and gentle. And I was absolutely petrified of him. I couldn’t understand why he cared about me.

  “At some point, I started to listen. I started to believe that I didn’t cause my husband’s brutality. I started to believe in the things he said I deserved to have in my life. I started to believe he wasn’t trying to trick me into something and that he really cared. Alex has two other sisters in addition to the one who sat with me in the hospital. They took turns helping him watch over me when he had to go to work.

  “My parents were older when I was born. I thought I was doing the right thing when I got married right after graduation. I was too ashamed to ask for help after the first time he hit me. I blamed myself, just like he wanted me to.

  “Alex and his family literally saved my life. He also gave me the life I always dreamed of. It took six months for me to disagree with him. A year before I stopped cowering when someone spoke loudly. Two before I stopped questioning why Alex cared enough to put up with my emotional baggage.

  “I doubt if I’ll ever be able to leave it completely behind even though I can go weeks without thinking of how my life almost ended. When I saw you react, it brought back so many memories. I saw all of you come out here. When the others returned, I had to come talk to you. Forgive me if I’m wrong and tell me to go away if I’m making this harder on you, Abby.”

  “You’re not.” Abby was amazed that Gwen could be so open with a stranger.

  “Good. I’m sure you can guess that, as a rule, I don’t speak of this. Brett knows very little, which is why Alex didn’t let me go off the deep end when he nipped Andie. I thought it was more important to help you if I could than to protect my past. I’ve known Jesse for about a year now. Brett and Jordan are much choosier than it seems on the surface when it comes to true friendship. They’ve accepted Jesse as one of them. They like his family too.

  “It’s easy to see that Jesse cares for you. Let him. He’s not one who will use you or betray your trust. Try to let his family in too. I know how hard it is to think you truly matter to anyone. You do. A tremendous amount if I’m not mistaken. Don’t fall into the trap of isolating yourself even though it would be so much easier to hide. I tried to for the longest time. It took forever before I could reach out to Alex, let alone his family. But once I did, it was the best decision of my life. I don’t know how you and Jesse got here together but try not to push him away from you. Not that I think he’d be easy to chase away. The rest of his family wants to care too. If you can let yourself take the chance, I think you can have what I do with Alex.”

  “Thank you.” Abby stood and reached for Gwen, accepting her hug. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to do what you just did.”

  “Don’t say that now. You’d be surprised what you can do with unconditional support from the right person. Here.” Gwen handed her a slip of paper. “My number. Call if you ever feel like talking. Any time and I hope you know how much I want to hear from you.”

  “Okay.” Abby nodded.

  “Take good care of her, Jesse. You too, Wyatt.” Both men assured her they would as she left them alone.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Jesse and Wyatt remained silent and motionless as Abby continued to stare at the door that Gwen closed after herself. Neither seemed to want to intrude on her thoughts as she mulled over the woman’s surprising words. Both men clearly struggled with the effort it took.

  Abby’s mind was back on overload. Jesse’s unusual cousin had been so openly enthusiastic in his interest in her strong sense of smell that she willingly answered his questions instead of avoiding the subject. Wyatt was as unfrightening in person as he was on the phone. Abby wasn’t sure how she kept herself from hiding under the nearest booth when Frank had grabbed him, let alone why she followed the pair outside. The instant Frank growled, Abby reacted on instinct, making herself as small as possible and protecting her head.

  Her arms had blocked out some of their raised voices but not so much that she didn’t hear all the commotion she had caused by lowering her guard. When they stopped, Abby knew Jesse was there even though it was Shelby who had stepped in. She heard the tone of Dwayne’s voice. Add it to what Jesse had told her about Dwayne doing pro bono work at a shelter and she had to assume he would form an accurate picture of why she had reacted as she had.

  Abby didn’t resist when her internal autopilot kicked in. As it had in the past, her humiliation and turmoil receded behind the shell that kept her functioning for years. Squaring her shoulders, Abby faced them.

  “Now that was certainly interesting,” she commented in a pleasant voice, avoiding all eye contact. “She added a whole new perspective. What an amazing woman!”

  “Abby.” Jesse’s tone was full of remorse as if he could sense her slipping away. “I can’t apologize—”

  “Don’t. Please. There’s no need.” Abby smiled in his direction. “It was a misunderstanding. I overreacted. I’m fine now. Really. We should get back before your friends think that you deserted them.”

  “I’m sure no one would mind if you and Jesse left early.” Wyatt seemed to share Jesse’s concern.

  “Why would we do that?” Abby asked, sounding startled by the suggestion. “I don’t want your friends to get the impression I’m rude. I’m all right now. There’s no reason to go because of me. Unless I embarrassed you and you want to go?”

  “Not at all,” Jesse said evenly. “That’s not why Wyatt suggested it.”

  “Okay so let’s get back to the party.” Abby was determined. “Surely Frank has accepted that you were only making conversation, Wyatt.”

  “Sure,” Wyatt agreed, looking thoroughly miserable.

  Jesse nodded for Wyatt to precede them. When he reached for Abby’s hand, she flinched before steadying herself for his touch. He must have noticed, because instead of forcing her to endure more discomfort, he lowered it to his side. “All right. I doubt if this will last much longer anyway. Not with the way Brett and Andie have been looking at each other. Andie’s aunt decided to go back to the city tonight to give them privacy.”

  “She doesn’t seem nearly as imposing as you described her,” Abby replied.

  “She’s on her best behavior, just as Andie’s mother is. We’ll have to visit her on our own so you get to see her feisty side,” Jesse said as he and Abby trailed after Wyatt to the rest of his family.

  Before any of them could speak, Andie appeared next to them. “I hope there’s nothing wrong. I saw you going outside.”

  “Sorry to have worried you,” Abby responded. “They were nice enough to humor me when I said I wanted to meet them all in a slightly more subdued environment. I should have waited until later and not taken them all away from your party.”

  “Nonsense,” Andie took in the rapid agreement of the group and played along. “If Jesse weren’t being so selfish, he would have invited his family to the gatehouse earlier this afternoon instead of waiting until everyone was here.”

  Holly snorted. “We all know that without you demanding his presence, he would have whisked her away to some remote hideout and refused to let us meet her for months. We should all thank you for giving us this opportunity.”

  “Yes.” Shelby joined in. “We’re very grateful. So grateful that we’ve all promised not to harass them. We’re going to behave for a change and let them decide when they accept our open invitation to get together for a gathering of their choosing.”

  “No matter how long they make us wait,” Frank added pleasantly.

  “I’m amazed.” Andie laughed.

  “Don’t be.” Jesse rolled his eyes. “They’re feeling the effects of Brett’s patience with you.”

  Brett embraced Andie from behind. �
��Hate to tell you, Jess, but it’s all used up. For today anyway. So, if you’ll excuse us, we’d like to thank you for being here and say good night.”

  “Hey!” Andie squealed happily as Brett spun her so he had access to her mouth.

  “Silence, wench,” he commanded. “Or I won’t extend this into a private celebration.”

  “Oh please.” Andie pouted. “I’ll behave. Honest.”

  “Sure hope not,” Brett grinned wickedly as they all offered another round of congratulations.

  While the couple said their goodbyes, Alex offered a quiet word of encouragement to Jesse. “I won’t lie. If Gwen is right and you want a life with Abby, it will be the hardest thing you ever do. You’ll need more patience than you can imagine. The frustration will be so unbearable sometimes you’ll question your sanity. You will hit innumerable obstacles that pop up out of nowhere. The setbacks will seem endless. But, if you’re the kind of man I think you are, you’ll never regret going through any of it. And, if Abby is at all like Gwen, you’ll be the happiest man alive. It’ll be worth it.”

  “I already know that, Alex, but thank you. Please tell Gwen how much I appreciate her joining us,” Jesse replied just as quietly.

  “My wife’s strength still amazes me. I know she told Abby to call her any time. You’re welcome to do the same with me.”

  “I’d like to say it won’t be necessary but I know you’ll be hearing from me. I hope we’re as fortunate as you have been.”

  “Me too.” Alex was sincere. “One more thing and I’ll stop holding you up. Don’t think you have to fill every silence. Show Abby you aren’t uncomfortable if she can’t explain something right after it happens. I used to think whenever I shared a part of me, I could get Gwen to do the same. It doesn’t work that way. You need to learn to be available without making your presence feel imposing. Don’t take it personally if she pulls away physically from what you or I consider an innocent gesture. It’s not you just as it wasn’t me. She’ll be protecting herself, not trying to hurt you.”