Cabin Glow: A New Adult and College Romance (The Billionaire Romance Redemption Series Book 3) (2 page)

“I’d like that,” she said, smiling up at him. She looked ahead. “Oh. That’s’ the diner over there. We can cross at the next light.

“Sounds good. This fresh air has worked up my appetite.”

“Yes. I’m hungry too.”

He whispered in her ear, “I wasn’t talking about food, Abby.”

“Mmmmm.” That did it for her. His voice, and his breath on her cheek sent a pang of need straight to her core. It spread out through her body and she could jump his bones right there on the sidewalk. She turned and gave him a brief kiss on the cheek. It could wait.

He cradled her back and leaned down to reclaim her lips. With her flats on—she wouldn’t dare wear pumps so soon after her ankle sprain—he still had to bend, but not too far. No heels would ever let her meet him in height. He honed in on her neck and her breath hitched. It felt so good, standing there in his arms. Her leg slid up and down his pant leg without her permission. It just followed the lead of her desire.

A car drove by the quiet side street, and pulled her out of her erotic haze.

“Let’s have some food and hurry back to my place.”

He held both her hands and gave her a kiss on the forehead. “Good idea. I may have undressed you right here where we stand.”

He held her around shoulder as they waited for the lights to change. When it did, they crossed the road and entered the diner. There were four patrons inside—two men at the bar, sipping coffee, and a young couple at a back table.

“Sit wherever you’d like,” the waitress said to them. “I’ll be right with you.”

They chose a window booth. It was one of those sixties styled diners, with the neon signs, decorated in red and chrome everywhere. Sixties music was playing quietly in the background too.

“I can’t remember the last time I’ve been out to eat at a diner,” Andrew said.

“Really?”

“Yes. Unfortunately, I haven’t been out much.” He looked around. “This reminds me of a place near the med school campus. It must be a restaurant chain. It’s almost exactly the same décor and layout.”

“Probably.”

The waitress came up to greet us, and gave us the menus.

“Can I get you folks something to drink?”

Andrew gestured for me to answer first. “I’ll have water. Bottled, please.”

“And I’ll have the same.”

“We’ve got great milkshakes. Best in the neighborhood,” she added.

“No thanks, Abby answered. “Dairy will be a little hard on my system this late at night. Another time, thanks.”

“I’ll pass as well.”

“Not a problem. I’ll be back with your drinks, and can take your order if you’re ready then.”

They nodded and turned their attention to the menus.

Andrew looked up from his. “This has got to be the same chain.”

“You think so?”

“Positive. The food’s identical. I guess it’s some consolation. Some things never change—even three thousand miles away and six years later.”

She nodded her agreement, and looked at the all-night specials. “See anything interesting?”

“The burger looks good, with garlic mash potatoes.”

“Yes. I have to warn you, though. Their hamburgers are massive. Tasty, but I’ve never been able to finish one. I think I’ll have one without a side.”

“Sounds great.”

“That way I can save some room for dessert. I’ve got a wicked sweet tooth, I’m afraid.”

“You do?”

“Yes,” she said, nodding, with lowered eyebrows. “I had to pry my eyes away from some of those tempting boxes of chocolates in your pantry this morning.”

“A few treats aren’t that bad.”

“True, but I would take it to the extreme if I had it around all the time.”

“Well we all have our weaknesses… What’s your favorite dessert?

“Cheesecake. And anything covered in caramel.”

“Okay. I’m making a mental note. By the way, I could take that in so many ways, Abby.”

She let out a shy laugh, and felt the heat rise up her neck as she blushed. Luckily, the waitress arrived with their water, so she didn’t have to answer.

“Here you go, folks. Are you ready to order?”

Andrew spoke for them both. “Yes. My…the lady here will have a double cheeseburger, hold the sides. I’ll also have a double cheeseburger, and would like a garlic mash on the side.”

“How would you like the burgers?”

“I’ll take mine well done,” Abby replied.

“Same for me.”

“Okay. Coming right up, sir.”

She waited until the waitress left to continue. “So, what’s your favorite dessert?”

“New York style cheesecake. It’s hard finding it as good anywhere else. Thankfully, I’m not that much of a dessert person.”

“Okay. And what’s your weakness?”

“You mean in general?”

“Yes.”

He briefly looked down at the tabletop, and then back at her. “Mostly, allowing myself to be riddled with guilt,” He said softly.

“Guilt about what?”

She saw him recoil slightly again. And averted his eyes. And the hand went to the scar.

“Oh, the past. It’s probably not the best topic for a late night dinner. But the one food I can never say no to is Mexican fried beans and rice. I don’t know what they put in that thing, but I can never resist. My housekeeper makes it for me once or twice a month.”

“Interesting.” She smiled.

He was quick to change the subject, but not quick enough. Abby saw that pain in his eyes again.  She wasn’t as concerned about what it was from his past that troubled him so—it was how it seemed to swoop in and steal the happiness from his soul. It shut him down. She wasn’t in a hurry to ask yet—certainly not at dinner. She would wait until he felt more at ease. Now,
she
was the one beginning to have stray thoughts. She leaned forward and focused on how good he looked, sitting opposite her. Four days ago she didn’t know this man existed. Now she was wrapped up in his eyes.

“Do you like Mexican food?” he asked.

“Oh yes. Chili is my favorite. I use amazing recipe my mom use to make. I can whip some up for you sometime.”

“Sure. I love chili.”

“Oh, before I forget,” Abby said. “What’s the dress code for dinner tomorrow?”

“It’s pretty upscale, but you can wear anything you’d like.”

“I’d like to blend in,” she added, giggling softly. “Otherwise I may show up in my standard go-to outfit.”

“And what’s that?”

“Scrubs.”

He laughed. “I’d be fine with that. I’m sure you rock the hospital staff attire.”

“Seriously, Andrew. Tell me. Business casual? A cocktail dress? I don’t go out much either, outside of school, the hospital, and clinicals. This will give me an excuse to go shopping.”

“Honestly. You can wear whatever you want. We own the place. They can’t force you to leave. Just be comfortable. But if you insist, you can wear semi-formal clothing.”

“Good. Semi-formal. Check.”

Their meal came soon afterward and they settled into a cozy silence while they ate. She had been famished. She ate the entire burger, for the first time ever. As it was late, Andrew called his driver to pick them up. They passed on desserts and hurriedly left. She was exhausted, and frankly, ready to hit the sack when he dropped her off in front of her place. He walked her to the door, and kissed her cheek.

“So I’ll see you tomorrow night?” she asked.

“Yes. I’ll be here by seven.”

“I’ll be ready. Good night, Andrew.”

“Have a nice sleep. See you soon.”

Andrew waited for her to lock up before he returned to the limo and left. Abby went directly to the bathroom, remover her makeup, and pulled out another pajama top for bed. She crawled in under the covers and smiled as she drifted off to a restful sleep.

ABBY grumbled and rolled over when a text message woke her up from such desperately needed sleep. She picked up the phone and looked at the screen. Andrew.
Oh shit!
  It was after ten in the morning. Thank goodness he texted her.

She opened the text and read his message.

Andrew: Hi. Had a good sleep?

Abby replied: Hi. Pretty good. Overslept. You?”

Andrew: Heading to my meeting now.

Abby: Good. Going to get ready for my run.

Andrew: Nice. Just hit the gym downstairs.

Abby: Looking forward to tonight.

Andrew: Me too. Ok. Will let you go. When will you be home this afternoon?

Abby: About 2pm.

Andrew: Okay. Have a good one.

Abby: Enjoy your day Andrew

Abby set the phone down and got dressed. When she was ready, she got the phone again and pulled up the music sequence she programmed in for running. She grabbed her earbuds and locked up. Abby’s apartment was fifteen blocks from the water. Whenever she went out on a run, she would head straight for the ocean view, run up the boardwalk, and make a loop to get back.

Her run would normally last about forty-five minutes. On beautiful mornings like this, she’s make it an hour. She wanted to do the same today. She needed it. But she had to give her ankle time. She started with a brisk walk to warm up. There was still some mild soreness, but she could work through it. When she was a few blocks from the water she transitioned into a slow jog. It felt good to be moving again.

As she turned south onto boardwalk, she felt the warmth of the sun hit the left side of her face. It was glorious—and hard to believe not even twenty four hours ago she had been snowed in at a Lake Tahoe cabin, with five feet of snow trapping them in. She soaked up the heat and took her jog up a notch. She was running now, letting her legs stretch so her stride could activate her quads and inner thighs. Her breathing had found its balance. Even her stomach was getting a workout. She allowed her arms to get in a neutral position. It began to feel automatic. Soon she was in her element, feeling the runner’s high kick in. She could keep going for a long time.

She ran the entire two miles of boardwalk and turned back to run it again. Going home was always easier. As she ran, she took a few sips of the water she had ready in her runner’s pack. She turned up the music and set her sights back the way she came. Her apartment was before her way too soon. She missed this alone time. She stretched her calves and quads at her front steps when she got back. The sweat was dripping off her chin now. She loved the feel of her drenched skin, sweat dripping down between her shoulder blades, her hair sticking to the sides of her face after a good run.

She got inside and hit the shower. It was time to catch up on the two days she missed, check emails, and get back into the routine of her studies.

***

ABBY made her way to campus first thing after her shower. She had hoped there wouldn’t be too much to catch up on. There was one missed seminar and a meeting with her independent project supervisor. While she was on campus, she got the seminar notes from one of her classmates, and rescheduled the meeting with her supervisor. Completely by chance, she bumped into Professor Sansbury, who nodded at her politely as he slipped by.  She considered making conversation, and mentioning she got to know Andrew; but decided against it.

After reviewing some graduate student announcements on her laptop, she packed up and left. She had what she needed, and could catch up with the readings at home. Before returning to her apartment, she stopped at her usual grocery store. She needed food in the house. With her shopping cart strolling ahead, she perused the aisles to stock up on perishables, meat, fruits and vegetables. She couldn’t wait to settle back into her place after having been away for over two weeks. Now that she was likely to have company more often than not, she looked forward to preparing some of her favorite dishes again.

For some unknown reason, she noticed a man shopping down one of the aisles. Strange. It was Rob.

“Rob?”

“Hey Abbs,” he said when he looked around. “How’s it going?”

“I’m good. You shop all the way over here?”

“Yeah. This is the only place I do my groceries since I’ve been in Frisco. Is this where you shop too?”

“Yes. I can’t believe I’ve never bumped into you here before.”

“True. That’s kinda weird. It’s the only place that sells produce and dairy from Sparks. Gotta love it home-grown, right?” He smiled and held up a wrapped chunk of Tahoe cheese.

“So you’re all okay now?”

“Uh huh. Everything’s awesome.”

“And did you fill Becky in about our blizzard adventure?”

“Yeah!” he said excitedly. “Mom told her while we were still down at the cottage. She was pretty worried for a while. When I talked to her this morning, she blamed
me
for the whole thing.”

“Really? Why?”

“She said I should have known better. That I was always on top of the weather and should have seen the storm coming. Ahhh, what does she know anyway. Sisters. She’d blame me for the weather too, if she could,” he said with a smile. “Oh, by the way, she said to tell you hi.”

“That’s nice of her.”

“She’ll try to phone you over the weekend. Mom told her about your ankle.”

“Cool. I’ll look out for her call.” Abby smiled, but doubted Becky would make good on that phone call. Becky had a tendency to get wrapped up in her studies, and her new east coast friends since she moved out to D.C. She wondered whether Becky still thought of her as her best friend anymore. Maybe it was the physical distance, and their mutually busy schedules during the last year of their studies that diminished their closeness over time.

After Becky left San Francisco, the place didn’t feel the same anymore. Abby was outgoing enough, and had made quite a few friends in her nursing program—people she knew would take very similar life-long career paths as Abby over the years. None of those friendships grew past the odd study session; hellos in the hospital hallways or watercooler talk when they had the same placements; or drinks after exams. Last semester was pretty lonely. Abby had begun to get used to it. She delved into her studies and placements, and went home to Sparks for all the school breaks. Now that Andrew was in the picture, she couldn’t help thinking whether she had new options outside of San Francisco.

As her thoughts drifted to Andrew, she considered mentioning Andrew’s surprise visit, but Rob beat her to it.

“So, um, I hope you don’t mind. I gave Andrew your address.”

“No, it’s alright.”

“Did he call you?”

“Yes. He’s in town.”

“Really? That’s cool. I thought he wanted to send you flowers or something.”

“Yes, that too,” she said, hoping he wouldn’t notice her blush.

“So, you think you two might like to do something with Ruth and me while he’s here? I feel like we owe the guy, you know? Maybe I can swing for dinner near my place or we can take him out for drinks or something.”

Abby thought about it. It didn’t sound like a bad idea. “I think he’d like that. Sure, I’m in. You’ve got his contact info, right? I can mention it, but it might be nice if you invite him.”

“Yeah. I’ll give him a call.”

“Great. And good for you and Ruth!”

“Oh, well, yeah. She’s nice.”

“I couldn’t say much when you gave us the big announcement in the car yesterday.”

“We’ll see how it goes.”

“That doesn’t sound like the Rob I know. Change of heart already?”

“No. Not at all. I like her. She’s nice. It’s just—things are different in the real world. That time in Lake Tahoe…well, the place felt like we were wrapped up in a little bubble. Who knows how she’ll feel as we get to know each other.”

“And what about how you feel?”

He ran a hand through his hair with his free hand. “I can’t say, really. I’m a dude. All I know is when this year’s out, I’m staying here in the city. Everything else is up in the air.”

“That’s months away. How about you try to take it day by day with Ruth? Can’t hurt to just enjoy the now, right?”

True, true. Good advice, Abbs.”

“Good. Okay I’ve got to get away from all of this dairy,” she joked, pointing up and down the aisle where they stood. “I’ll talk to you soon. Let me know what he says.”

“Alright. See ya, Abbs.”

She finished shopping and left the grocery soon afterward. It was early afternoon, and she was already drained.
All that time napping and lazing around at the cottage has made you soft, Abbs,
she scolded herself as she drove home.

Abby parked her car and carried her groceries up the walkway to her main floor apartment.  She was confused. At first, she looked to make sure she didn’t take the wrong way from the parking lot. She had not. But there they were—a man in a black suit, and a woman in a pretty navy skirt suit; waiting for her at her front door.

The both wore store name tags. The woman’s tag said Marie, and Dirk was on his. When she got closer, it hit her where they were from.

“May I help you?”

“Hello Miss. Are you Miss Abby Wittfield?

“Yes.”

“We have a delivery for you.”

Abby looked at their arms. All the lady had in her hand was a tablet.

“A delivery? What is it?”

“A few things, Ma’am.”

“I don’t think I ordered anything from Carrington’s. Can you tell me who the delivery is from?”

“Ma’am, it’s from Mr. Andrew Carrington. Can you sign this?”

She held out her tablet and passed me a silver stylus that was attached to the top.

“Sure,” she answered. “So what is the delivery, exactly?”

“We’ll bring the items inside for you. Is that alright, ma’am?”

“Yes, of course.”

Abby opened the front door, and the two walked back to the black van parked in one of the visitor spots. It didn’t dawn on her they were going to bring back seven or eight rolling racks, with what she guessed was probably a couple hundred pieces of clothing. And she thought that was it, but was wrong. The man went back to the van and returned with two large leather trunks.

“Is all of this for me?”

“Yes, Ma’am,” Marie answered. “Mr. Carrington wasn’t sure of your size, so we have a few more racks of the same items in the van. If you have an hour or two, we can do most of the fittings here at your place.”

“Sure. So what are in those?” Abby asked as Dirk wheeled another two chests inside.

“Shoes and accessories to go with the clothes, ma’am.”

By the time they brought everything into the living room, there was barely any space to move around. Marie offered to help her with the fitting, while Dirk prepared the pieces with their shoe and accessory options. They used her bedroom as a fitting room, and Dirk cleared off a rack so it could hold each change of clothes outside her bedroom door. The two had no problem making themselves comfortable around her apartment, and had even moved the sofa off to one side to make room for everything. Abby took the hint, and sat at the dining table to stay out of their way as they prepared.

“Where do you want me to start?”

“Come with me.” Maria held an arm out to point to the bedroom door. Two outfits were laid out on her bed, with several shoe and jewelry options beside each. There were also three bundles hanging on the freed up rack outside her door—the staging area of sorts, with more outfits to try.

Maria must have done this hundreds of times before. She made Abby strip down to her bra and panties, and off they went. Two and a half hours later, Abby had tried on and picked out about one-third of the pieces. Marie held on to seven or eight dresses that needed to be altered, and Dirk looked to be in his element all the way through.

As her closet didn’t have much closet space to begin with, they left a few racks behind. They also left a completely stocked leather chest, neatly packed with about twenty four pairs of shoes and boots, as well as scarves, fashion jewelry, and belts. Abby flopped down on her bed when they were gone, smiling as she looked as her new, upgraded get-ups. She was certain she would never need to shop for clothes ever again, given everything that was hanging on those racks for her. From Andrew.