Choosing the Right Man (NICE GIRL TO LOVE Book Three) (10 page)

Jay, stand-up guy that he was, sat there without striking back. “Your father insisted.”

“What the hell was he hoping to find?”

“Nothing, frankly. He was just fishing.”

“You could have said no.”

“Dammit, Connor. You know I couldn’t have. The request didn’t just come from your father. It came from everyone. With his ass on the line, the whole firm looks bad. Plus, far be it for me to actually compliment the rabid she-cat but Victoria is in top form with this case. You’d think she had something personal against the guy. I mean on any given day she has ice running in her veins but damn, even I’m afraid to cross her in the street after going through what she has planned next.”

He released his hold on Jay’s throat and took hold of the file again. “Did you find anything?”

“Everything I found that was relevant to the case, I gave to your father. Which was nothing. I kept everything in this file for your eyes only because I can only imagine how your father would hurt that sweet girl with this information.”

A look of sympathy passed over his features. “Read the second page.”

Connor flipped to the next document in the file and felt his stomach drop, his heart clench in pain. This information explained so much.

“I’m sorry, man,” said Jay quietly. “She’s a really nice girl. I met her at the party. I know it means jack shit at this point but tell her I’m sorry for this whole invading her privacy thing.”

Connor closed the file and looked up at his friend. One of the few people he’d still classify as a friend after a stunt like this.

“As always, you’re an asshole.” Connor clenched the folder in his hands. “But thank you. I owe you one.”

Clicking off all the lights in his living room, Connor was just about to head up to bed when he saw a familiar set of uneven headlights coming up his driveway. He quickly went over to the front door to let Abby in.

She looked stricken, scattered.

“Honey, what’s the matter?”

He quickly led her into the house and sat her down. But instead of replying, she silently wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face against his chest.

“Abby, you’re scaring me here. Is everything okay?”

For another few long moments, she just held him. He felt her shoulders sag in defeat shortly before she looked up at him and said in a too-quiet voice, “I didn’t get the position at ASU.”

Sympathy hit him first and foremost. She’d worked so hard and had really been hoping to become a professor here. “How is that possible? You were perfect for the position.”

She shook her head. “It was no contest. A full professor from another school is moving here in the fall. She’s way overqualified for the position but she’s willing to take a substantial pay decrease to work here. They would’ve been crazy to pick me over her.”

“I’m so sorry, Abby. We were really rooting for you.” He stroked her hair gently. “But hey, look on the bright side. You still have those other schools to choose from.”

She pulled out three envelopes. “I heard back from the others, too. I didn’t get the east coast position but I got offers from both of the California universities almost immediately after I got home from my interviews. My department head thinks it’s because they knew the other was also considering me.”

“That’s amazing, sweetheart. Two positions to choose from. Aren’t you excited? I know it’s not your alma mater but you’ve told me yourself, these are great schools. Plus, it’s California. You love it there, and you’ll be closer to your parents—”

“And an entire state away from you and Brian.” Her hands clenched into his shirt. “
And Skylar
.”

The reality of it slammed into him. “I know, sweetheart. But, it won’t be so bad. We’ll all call you, I’m sure, and Skylar will probably have you permanently linked to her online chat. We can take turns visiting. It’ll be fun.”

Abby shook her head. “We both know it won’t be the same. And what if…” Her voice trailed off, pain and worry streaking across her face.

“If Skylar ends up having Juvenile Huntington’s?” asked Connor gently.

She nodded, tears running down her cheeks. “I’d never be able to live with myself if I weren’t here for her. I know I’d applied for the California positions as my Plan B but in my mind, there’d never been any other choice. How arrogant was I to believe I’d get this position my first year out of school?” Frustrated, she ground her palms into her eyes. “I’ve asked my department head if there were any instructor or other full-time positions but evidently, there aren’t any right now due to the budget cuts. And because I’m an idiot, I didn’t apply for any other type of positions at ASU.”

“Stop it, you’re not an idiot.”

“I am. I should’ve planned for other ways to stay here. I’ve checked at the community colleges as well but none of them have anything over a part-time lecturer. So I’m thinking maybe I could do that for a while and pick up a few other side jobs as well.”

He loved her so much it hurt sometimes.

“Abby, look at me.” He cupped her face in his hands. “You just finished your PhD and you have two universities who want to hire you as a professor. You can’t turn down those opportunities just so you can stay close to us.”

She looked up at him, confused. “You
want
me to go to California?”

No. A thousand times over, no. “It’s what’s best for your career, sweetie.”

“I don’t care. I’ve helped raise Skylar since the day she was born. I can’t abandon them. Not now. Not ever. We’ve always been a team.”

Connor held her close, smoothed his hand over her hair and let her vent, let her tears of frustration run with no end. “We’ll get through this, sweetheart. We’ll figure something out.”

Honestly though, he wasn’t sure they would.

Hours later, with a wrung-out Abby sound asleep in his arms on the couch, he was woken up by a sound in the dining room. Startled, he adjusted his eyes to the darkness.

He wasn’t prepared to see Brian standing there in his home.

...Looking as if his soul had been torn out of his body.

“Sorry to wake you,” mumbled Brian woodenly. “Mom left behind a bunch of the paperwork you’d laid out for her the other day and she needed to finish them before tomorrow. She’s been calling your phone all night.”

Damn. He’d been ignoring his phone for the past few hours while he’d been tending to Abby.

“Anyway, you know how she is driving at night so I offered to come here and pick it up for her.”

Robotically, he turned to leave.

“Brian, it’s not what it looks like. I know it’s not my week anymore but she came over because she had a rough night.”

“I’m glad she had you to turn to,” Brian replied, a resigned hurt throbbing in his voice. “Sorry for barging in on you two.”

“Brian, stop. She just needed someone to talk to. She didn’t get the position at ASU and she really needed a shoulder to cry on. That’s it. It’s not like she’s made her decision or anything yet.”

Eyes gazing lovingly at Abby, Brian whispered brokenly, “Yes, she has. She just won’t admit it to herself yet.”

With that, he left the house without another word.

T
HIS WAS KILLING HIM
.

Brian sat and listened to the poor kid playing the tuba next to Skylar attempt to find his place in the big concert finale number after missing what sounded like a few full beats in the song, much to the wincing sympathy of all his band mates. And the audience.

Okay, so two things were killing him.

What should have been a pleasant, albeit slightly off-tune evening enjoying Skylar’s first middle school band concert had turned into two torturous hours seeing—and doing his damndest to ignore—the obvious chemistry between Abby and Connor.

Abby had done the diplomatic thing and went to sit with a few of the English Department teachers she worked with, leaving him and Connor to sit together two rows behind her.

And somehow, Brian still felt like the third wheel.

“Hey man, you okay?” Connor nudged him in the shoulder, studying his face in concern.

Brian forced a half smile. “I just feel bad for that poor guy.” He nodded over at the dejected-looking tuba player who was packing up his instrument now. All his friends were patting him on the back and trying to make him feel better but it didn’t look like it was helping much.

He knew exactly how the kid felt. “It’s like he blinked and lost his place for a split second and couldn’t ever get back. After a while, he never even had a chance, really.”

Connor’s frown deepened. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but then stopped.

Brian added quietly, “It wasn’t anyone’s fault. These things just happen. Still. It sucks for him, is all.”

They both knew he wasn’t talking about the tuba player at all.

“Brian—”

“Dad! Dad
!”

He instantly pinned a smile on his face and swiveled around, dropping everything so he could catch his daughter in the flying hug she hurtled at him. “Hey, sweetie, you were amazing up there.” He gave her a genuine grin then when she beamed at him. “I can’t believe that clarinet is the same one that sounded like a dying animal just a few months ago.”

“I know, right?” She giggled and threw her arms around Connor as well. “Thanks for coming, Uncle Connor!” Turning around, she scanned the crowd. “Hey, where’s Abby?”

“Right here, kiddo.” Abby came up behind them and Skylar lit up, flinging the biggest hug of all over at Abby. “Did you hear? I didn’t make a single mistake! Thank you so much for practicing with me all month.” She blew out an adrenaline-rich breath. “I totally thought I was going to screw up.”

“I didn’t. I knew you were going to rock it.” Abby hooked her arm through Skylar’s and they gabbed in parallel speeds as they walked to the parking lot, both of them all but forgetting he and Connor were even trailing behind them. “Did you know you were grinning like a hyena at the end of the first song? You totally nailed that one really difficult part. It was perfect.”

Skylar hopped up and down, clapping excitedly.

“And I saw you give your tuba friend a hug at the end. That was really nice of you,” added Abby in that motherly voice of hers that always sounded like second nature.

Brian looked over and saw Connor staring after the pair as well.

Connor shook his head in amazement. “Has she always been like this with Skylar?”

Brian nodded. “Every day of Skylar’s life. From day one, Abby was a natural born mother.”

A dark, troubled cloud settled over Connor’s expression and this time, it was Brian’s turn to be worried. “What’s the matter?”

“Nothing.”

That was a lie. Brian’s bullshit radar was pinging like crazy but before he could press further, he saw that he wasn’t the only one who’d noticed something was wrong. Abby glanced back and snagged Connor’s gaze. “
Are you okay?
” she mouthed silently over to him, her concern for him radiating in waves.

Brian could barely breathe for the pain stabbing him in the heart.

He was losing her.

Where once, Brian had thought that Abby was the other half of his soul, when he saw her with Connor, all he saw were two souls that clearly belonged together, complemented each other.

It was nothing overt. Connor and Abby seemed to be doing everything in their power not to be within ten feet of each other. But even a blind man could see the almost tangible connection between them. It occurred to Brian that he’d never actually seen the two together after they’d had their month fling. If he had, there was a good chance he wouldn’t have pursued Abby at all.

Because not only was it obvious that Connor was in love with Abby, but Abby was in love with Connor too.

And Brian had never even stood a chance, really.

As nightfall came, with Skylar over at Becky’s for a sleepover and Abby and Connor gone, Brian pulled another bottle of beer from the case he’d brought out to the backyard and slowly walked around the orchid shade house gazebo he’d made for Abby.

That she hadn’t yet seen.

The modifications he’d made to turn it from just a shade house into a cozy little gazebo as well were simple, but Skylar loved it. Treated it like her castle. More often than not lately, he’d find her out there a lot of days and even some nights, draped across the bench just talking on her phone or reading. Seeing that always made him imagine Abby having done the same thing when she was young. And inevitably, he’d imagine a few other adorable little children growing up doing the very same thing, following in the footsteps of their big sister and mother.

Tonight, for the first time, it really did seem like it was all a big fantasy.

He sat on the bench and looked over at the thick tree trunk he’d built the gazebo around. Like the shade house in Abby’s childhood home, he’d built this one right up against the lone tree in their yard so he could transplant some of the wild orchids into the bark of the trunk. They were doing well, already starting to take root.