Finding Us

by Debra Presley

  “What does your gut say to do about your mom?”

  “To cut ties.” Abby played with the end of her sweater.

  “You don’t say that like you mean it.” Sophie wrinkled her nose.

  “It isn’t easy. We’re tied financially. She has a contract, and she isn’t going to let me go gracefully. She’ll fight.”

  “Well, you have to decide what’s more important. Your freedom. Or your money,” Sophie said it as if it should be the easiest thing in the world for Abby.

  “It’s not that simple, but I get what you’re saying.”

  “No one expects you to decide anything right now. That’s one of the reasons you’re up here.”

  “Oh, well, yeah,” Abby said, sarcastic. “The other is because I have a violent asshole for an ex-boyfriend trying to find me and finish what he started.” She got up and walked to the edge of the boat.

  “Why don’t you worry about the things that are in your control, instead of stressing over what isn’t? You can’t do anything about Sean so figure out what you want for yourself.”

  “I guess.” But it wasn’t that easy. Sean was out there somewhere, and it unnerved her.

  “Let the guys worry about him. What I want to know is who the hell is helping him? You didn’t drug yourself, and that wasn’t some random act. It makes me worried that there is some mysterious someone out there screwing you over.”

  Abby turned, ready to tell Sophie what she remembered, but Connor called from the stairs, “Lunch is ready.”

  “Oh, good, I’m starved.” Sophie got up from her chair. “Coming?” she asked Abby.

  “Sure. I could eat.” Abby put on a brave face and followed them to the first level of the boat.

  * * *

  “Enjoying yourself?” Danny asked.

  He sat down next to her on the front deck. Abby had her feet up on the rail as the sun warmed her skin. “Yes. It’s so relaxing. I can’t remember the last time I felt this calm and stress free.”

  “Good.” He smiled and stared out over the water. Abby recognized his recon look, and she tensed little.

  “It really is beautiful out here,” she said, trying to get back into her previous relaxed state.

  “I couldn’t agree more.” He sounded a little distant, but he turned his gaze to her.

  Abby chewed her lip for a few moments, uncomfortable under his scrutiny though she knew he was only concerned about her. “Um, can I tell you something?” She fumbled a bit with the question.

  His shoulders relaxed a little. “You can tell me anything. You know that.”

  She took a deep breath and fiddled with her fingers in her lap. “I remember what happened that night.” She watched Danny for a reaction. All she saw was attentive concern.

  “Some things are still fuzzy…” she continued. “But I know I wasn’t raped.”

  Danny exhaled softly, as if he’d been holding his breath.

  “He tried but didn’t get that far. I’m guessing your guys or somebody interrupted him.”

  “Do you remember anything else?” His voice was steady.

  “I needed to use the bathroom and told Kelly I’d be back, but she came with me instead. It was in the bathroom that I really started to feel sick. I asked Kelly to go get the guys, and I waited, but no one came so I went to find them. When I left the bathroom, no one was there.” She rubbed her head, thinking. “It gets a bit fuzzy there, but I vaguely remember falling against someone. When I looked up, it was Sean.”

  “Was he with anyone?” His voice remained steady.

  “No. It was him, but…” she hesitated. “I tried to scream and get someone to notice us.” Tears sprang to her eyes, and she turned away. “I tried. I really did,” she whispered.

  “I’m sure you did. You’re okay now. Get it all out so that you can let it go.”

  She took a shaky breath. “Kelly spotted us, and she didn’t help.” She stared at her hands. “Why didn’t she help? She smiled and let him take me. She saw the state I was in, and she did nothing.” Abby wiped at the tears on her cheeks. “Sophie never liked her, and she warned me several times to cut ties with her, and I ignored her. And you…” she lifted her head so she could look at him. “You didn’t want me to go that night, and I was too busy being immature to listen.”

  He was silent for a few moments. “You’re absolutely sure you saw Kelly and she did nothing to help you?”

  “Yeah. She even waved, I think.”

  Danny didn’t respond, but the cold, hard expression on his face scared her a little.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I couldn’t.” She still couldn’t promise that her memory wasn’t off track. But it felt real. The choking fear from that moment rose like bile in her throat if she thought about it for very long.

  He smiled at her, and the warmth in his eyes sank right into her heart. “It’s okay,” he said. “It was a lot to handle. Thank you for telling me. I’m so glad you did, because I had a feeling Kelly was involved somehow.”

  Abby wiped at her face again with her sleeve. “I can’t wrap my head around why she’d help him. I know they were friends, but I thought we were pretty close.”

  “Jealousy is an ugly monster,” Danny said.

  “Jealousy? Of what? Her father is Billy West of West and Howard Modeling Agency. They’re the top firm worldwide. She has never had to work a day in her life to get what she has. As long as she keeps West and Howard in the press, her dad’s happy.”

  Danny shrugged. “You might think you don’t have anything for her to feel jealous about, but she might see it differently. You’re very talented, and to most of the world, you have it all.”

  “But my mother—”

  “I know your mother tries to control everything you do, but there aren’t many that know that. Did you tell Kelly about your relationship with your mom?”

  “No. I can’t see why anyone would want all this crazy that is my life.”

  “They don’t see anything other than the fame and the money,” Danny explained.

  She sank back in her chair. “I guess I know that. Doesn’t make it any less frustrating. What am I going to do about Kelly?”

  “Nothing. Connor and I talked about her already, and we’ve been watching her. I have an idea, but that’s not for now. I want you to enjoy the day. Tomorrow we’ll talk about what our next step will be.”

  “Okay.” She picked at her nails. She’d wanted to tell him, and she knew she couldn’t hide anything from Danny. Somehow he always knew when she was keeping something. He also deserved to know, but that didn’t mean she wanted to get into it all now.

  “You still look like you have something on your mind. I’ll listen if you want to talk.”

  “I’ve been thinking about my mother a lot lately, too, and how our relationship…I don’t know.”

  She hesitated, and Danny waited. She loved that he could sense when she needed a moment. “I started out so young that I think I’ve come to accept how she is. There wasn’t much I could do when I was a teen. She pushed and pushed. There was always an audition to go to or a person to meet. I never had a normal childhood. Once I got my break she became worse. She controlled everything I did, said, and wore. It was how it was, and I never questioned it.”

  “You said it yourself; you were young. No child would question a parent about those things. You were a kid, and it was her job to do right by you.”

  “Most teenagers rebel. I went with it. Now I’m nearly twenty-four, and I’m stuck with a mother that controls my every move, and I don’t know how to fix it.”

  “You’re not stuck. You’re an adult, and if you don’t like how things are being done, you can make a change.”

  “I wouldn’t even know where to start.”

  “You know that’s not a reason to not try. That’s an excuse. Talk to Sophie about it. You know she’s like super woman, and she’ll help. Or if she can’t, she’ll know exactly who can.”

  “True, and we did talk a bit befor
e. I’m at the point where I’d rather give it all up than have to live another day with my mom as my manager.”

  “I’m glad you started the conversation, but I think you really need to put your heads together and come up with a plan.

  “Yeah, I guess.”

  “Promise me,” Danny pushed.

  Abby nodded, a solemn expression on her face. “I promise.”

  “Good. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.”

  “I know. I mean it though I’d rather give it all up than spend the rest of my life unhappy. It’s not worth it. Thanks for listening. It feels good to get this all off my chest.”

  “Anytime. Do you want anything out here? A beer? Soda?”

  “No.” She smiled at him, and he squeezed her shoulder. For the first time in a while, she felt a lightening between them, and maybe a little bit of a spark.

  “Okay. You know where to find me.” He stood, and she watched him from behind her sunglasses and appreciated how he moved. Maybe if there wasn’t all this crazy in her life, there would be a chance—no. She wouldn’t want the mess of her life to taint Danny’s any more than it already had. But it did feel good to talk to him. She smiled and turned back to the view, feeling better than she had in a while.

  “Hey, sunshine. We’re going to be late,” Danny said as he knocked on Abby’s bedroom door. They had a dinner reservation at eight for one of his favorite local restaurants.

  “Five more minutes,” Abby called.

  Danny heard her laughing with Sophie and having a good time. God only knew what women did when they were huddled together in a bathroom.

  They were going to be late, but there was no way he was going to rush her when she sounded so happy. It had been so long since he heard her laugh freely. Since Abby opened up to him and confessed that she remembered everything that happened to her that night, she seemed lighter in some way. He knew he felt a huge sense of relief, so she must’ve felt similar. Since then Abby hasn’t stopped talking to both him and Sophie. He leaned against the wall, thinking, then went back downstairs to the living room.

  “Hey, are they almost ready?” Connor walked in from the garage.

  “Who knows? I didn’t get in the middle of what they got going on up there.” He sat back on the couch and flipped through the channels on the TV.

  “Yeah, Sophie might kick my ass…though that might be worth it.” Connor laughed.

  “Oh, so that’s how it is between you two.”

  Connor smirked. “What? She’s feisty. I like that.”

  “She’ll eat you up then spit you out,” Danny taunted.

  “Like I said. I like that.”

  Danny laughed. “To each his own.”

  Connor watched the TV for a bit, then without turning to Danny, he said, “Are you going to talk to Abby about Kelly tonight?”

  “That’s the plan.”

  “It’s the only thing to do,” Connor sounded far too calm about a situation that was anything but.

  “Doesn’t mean I’m happy about it,” Danny grumbled.

  “It’ll be fine. We can control things, and she’ll never be touched.”

  “Really? The fucker has gotten to her twice.” Danny worked hard to keep his voice level. The thought of putting Abby in a position of danger on purpose terrified him.

  “If we all stick to the plan, he won’t get through again.”

  “I’m still not thrilled.” Danny clenched his teeth.

  “Ultimately, it’s your call, but you know the longer we wait for him to make his move, the worse it could get.” Connor was being rational, logical, and Danny appreciated it. He needed that to offset his emotional overload.

  Danny nodded, but he didn’t like it.

  “Okay, while you’re down here messing with the TV, I’m thinking I need a good ol’ fashion ass kicking. I’ll go interrupt the secret rituals of the women.”

  “It’s your funeral.” Danny watched Connor fly up the stairs with a big smile on his face.

  * * *

  The trip to the restaurant, a local sports bar in the town, was only twenty minutes, and the group chatted about nothing special. Danny felt pretty comfortable here. He had owned his house in the area for years and knew most of the locals.

  Danny parked a few blocks from the restaurant. This time of year, tourists took up most of the parking throughout Lake George. “We’ll eat and then we can check out the sights,” he said as they climbed out of the vehicle.

  They walked in relative quiet. Danny and Connor flanked Abby and Sophie, keeping them close.

  “Here we are.” He pointed at the structure. Outside, several people were smoking and talking.

  “Are you sure it’s okay to go in there?” Abby asked, clearly worried.

  He figured she’d panic a bit when she saw the crowd, so he had called ahead and spoken to the manager. “It’ll be fine. I have it all covered. Come on.” He took her hand and led her inside.

  “Somebody might recognize me.”

  “It’ll be fine. Keep your head down and come on.” Danny gently pulled her toward the door while Sophie stood on her other side.

  “Here.” Sophie swiped Connor’s baseball cap and handed it to Abby. “Keep your sunglasses on until we’re settled.”

  Abby took the cap and pulled it low over her eyes and let Danny lead her to the door through the crowd.

  “Welcome to Mystic Sports Bar and Grill,” said the cheery hostess.

  “Hi,” Danny said. “I called ahead and spoke with your manager. He said he’d hold a table for us under the name Nucci.”

  Danny stood in front of Abby, helping hide her.

  “Yes, here it is. Follow me.”

  Danny glanced back at Abby. She was fidgeting. He knew this had to be hard for her. They followed the hostess through the bar crowd and up a set of stairs. She walked them toward the outside deck. The room was separated from the main dining room yet Danny could still see everyone coming and going. Perfect.

  “Here you go.” The hostess motioned to the dining area. “Pick any table you’d like. We reserved the deck for you tonight.”

  “Thank you. Please send your manager my thanks as well.” And Danny would be sure to include a lot more money for this opportunity. The manager lost a lot of business with these other tables not in use.

  “Erin will be your waitress, and she’ll be over in a few to take your drink orders.” When they were all seated, she handed them menus. “The specials are listed on the first page. Enjoy your meal.”

  “This view is amazing.” Sophie said with awe.

  Danny turned his attention to where she was looking, and she was right; it was amazing. From the deck, you could see a panoramic view of Lake George. Tonight the lake looked nearly orange from the sun’s rays reflecting off it.

  “It is. It’s one of the reasons I love this place so much.” He opened the menu and glanced down at it.

  “What’s good here?” Abby asked.

  “I haven’t had anything bad yet.”

  “Hey y’all I’m Erin,” said a perky young woman. Her dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail. “I’ll be your waitress. Can I start you off with something to drink or an appetizer?”

  The group placed their drink orders, and when Erin left, they all studied the menu.

  “There are way too many choices. What do you recommend?” Abby asked after a few minutes.

  Without looking up from the menu, Danny said, “The baby-back ribs are really good and so are burgers. But no matter what, you need to get the beer-battered fries. I think they’re my favorite.” Danny stopped and cleared his throat. Weird. This felt like a double date, and the realization made him both nervous and kind of excited as if he were in high school again. He glanced over at Abby, who was studying in the menu. She’d taken the ball cap off, and she looked pretty cute. Her forehead creased as she studied the restaurant’s offerings. All right, quit it, he told himself. This is not a damn date. Head in the game.

  “Mm
m, I think I’ll have the ribs and fries, then.” Abby closed the menu and set it on the table in front of her.

  “You won’t be disappointed.” He saw Erin approaching with a tray of beverages. “Do you guys know what you want?”

  “Yep. I’m set.” Sophie closed her menu as well.

  “I’m good.” Connor did the same.

  “Here you go.” Erin handed out everyone’s drinks. “Do you need a few more minutes?”

  “We’re actually ready to order.”

  “Great, what would you like?”

  They all ordered their meals, and Erin bounced away from the table back to the stairs.

  “It’s very nice here,” Abby said. “Sorry I got a little freaky. Thanks for bringing us,” she said to Danny and took a sip from her drink.

  Danny picked up his glass. “It’s good to get out, see what’s going on.” He relaxed a little, glad that she’d decided to brave the public. He glanced at Connor, who gave him a barely perceptible nod, recognition that he, too, was keeping an eye on things. Danny scanned the room again then settled into the banter and conversation, though he couldn’t shake the feeling that this was some kind of strange double date. It felt good, but he knew having those thoughts would lead nowhere.

  * * *

  “Tonight was a lot of fun. Thanks for making it easy on me.” Abby looked out at the darkened woods; she couldn’t see much, but she didn’t care. It was quiet and peaceful. She sat back in the Adirondack chair with a light blanket draped over her legs and sipped her tea.

  “You’re a lot stronger than you think.” Danny sat beside her.

  “Taking this time away from the spotlight has really helped me. I know what I want, and I’m not going to let fear stop me. I’m beyond worrying about everyone else. In a way, I’m almost grateful this happened because it made me open my eyes. Now that I’m seeing clearly, I know exactly who I can and can’t trust.”

  “Good. Although I am not at all happy that you were attacked.”