Finding Abigail (29 page)

He smiled, his
bushy eyebrows creased. “You’re the author of the Harlow Hill's books, aren’t
you?” he asked.

Relief set in
with a wave. I had actually been mistaken for that author before. Besides
sharing the same color of hair, we both wrote children’s books. Her books were
made into a series of well known movies while only one of mine had been. “I’m
sorry, sir, but you have the wrong girl. My name is Anna.”

His face fell,
disappointment shining from his dark eyes. “Oh. I’m sorry to have bothered
you.” He slunk away just as Kathy returned with our meals. She glanced
curiously at the man and then slipped back into the booth.

“That was
fast,” I observed as she placed my plate in front of me, hoping she wouldn’t
ask about my visitor.

She didn’t.
“Well, when you work here, you get certain perks. Besides, I only have half an
hour so they rush mine.”

I took a bite
of the pie and was surprised. She was right, it was amazing. I could taste
carrots, peas, onions, and chicken, of course, all mixed in thick, flavorful
gravy. The crust was buttery and extremely flaky. “Mmm, this is really good.”

“I told you,”
she said with a wink. She took a bite of her pie and closed her eyes, savoring
the taste. “Now that I’ve got you here, tell me how things are going with you.
How do you like Shimmer Lake?” There was a big smile on her face, and a glint
in her eye, so I was guessing she wanted to know about Noah. I’d have to set
her straight about that.

“I love it
here. I’m from a big city so I’m surprised that it’s so quiet and relaxing and
no one seems to be in a rush.”

She nodded,
running her fork through her pie, leaving lines in the mixture. “Yeah, it is
pretty great here. You know, you’d think growing up in such a small town, I’d
want to get away to a bigger place like a lot of the kids I went to school
with, but I never did.”

I forced down a
gulp of my drink. She had brought me a Coke. I had forgotten to order a
beverage and I didn’t have the heart to tell her I didn’t really like soda. My
preferred drink was iced tea, or flavored water. “I was thinking of going to
Martin sometime. I wouldn’t mind a shopping day. You interested?” Although I
really did love it here, I missed the stores you found in a city.

She swallowed
her bite that she had scooped up, and took a sip of her Coke. “Okay, but just
so you know, in the future you never have to ask, just tell me when and where.”

A woman with
really long black hair pulled back, and dressed identically to Kathy, rushed
by, carrying a tray of food, the smell of ginger floating with her.

I smiled, happy
to have found a shopping companion. It wasn’t often I wanted to go, but when I
did, I liked company. “Great, I’ll let you know.”

“But the
question I asked you earlier wasn’t really about Shimmer Lake, but more about
Noah.”

The ice in my
drink jingled against the glass as I swirled it. “I know, but we’re just
friends, and that’s all it can ever be.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m
not interested in dating right now and probably won’t be for a long time.”

Her mouth was
wide open in shock as she stared at me. “Oh, come on, you never know. And you
and Noah are so great together.”

“We met a month
ago and we’re just starting to get along. How can you know that?”

She shrugged,
leaning back in the leather booth. “I just do, there’s an attraction between
you two. Even I can feel it.” She tucked a small lock of hair, the only piece
that was loose, behind her ear.

I tried to
ignore what she said, because I disagreed. I didn’t feel an attraction. Yes, he
was good looking, but that was as far as it went. Having said that, I had to
admit that there was a connection. I felt so comfortable around him; he was the
kind of guy that you could talk about anything with. “Seriously, Kathy, I’m not
interested, and I don’t think Noah is either. He told me about Becca. I’m
pretty sure he doesn’t want anything more than friendship.”

Her lips
pressed together, her face taking on a defiant expression. “You’re right, he
doesn’t, but you both need to be happy.”

“People can be
happy without a relationship. I for one am happier than I’ve been in over a
year. We’ve only just met and already I value Noah’s friendship, he’s a really
great guy. He’s fun to be with and he seems to really care about his friends.
He’s cocky and a bit pushy, but it’s all part of the package. I really like
him, and I wouldn’t want to ruin our friendship before it’s even begun.”

Her eyebrows
rose, and a grin spread across her pale pink lips. “You like him.”

I narrowed my
eyes at her. “As a friend. I had a good time yesterday with him, but that’s
it.”

“Whatever you
say,” she said, taking a bite of her meal.

I rolled my
eyes, and went back to my delicious chicken pie.

Over the next month, I threw myself into my
writing. Now that I was inspired, I didn’t want to stop. Kathy came over a few
times and we sat around drinking wine and talking about Chicago, which I didn’t
know much about. When she visited, she’d tell me about her and Sam. She loved
being married, but enjoyed having time away to herself. She said my place was
her escape hatch.

Noah was busy
with his order and only came up for air to cook me dinner on the weekends.

Each time I
went over, he thought of something spontaneous we could do. Of course it had to
be something I’d never done. One night when I told him I had never played a
drinking game, he insisted we do a shot every time the word car was mentioned
in a movie he made me watch.

I was hungover
the next day; it was surprising the amount of times the word was said. Of
course it didn’t matter to him if I was feeling sick; he asked me if I had ever
jumped off of a cliff into the water. I answered him honestly even though I
wanted to lie.

He took me
across the lake in his boat and talked me into jumping off of a very high rock.
Despite my queasy stomach, it felt amazing, like I was truly flying. I was
happy I did it—but I’d never do it again. Thankfully, the water had warmed up
some since the skinny-dipping incident.

We went riding
every Sunday, and I was really getting the hang of it. Cindy only made one
appearance. We saw her getting out of her car, but once she spotted me she
high-tailed it into the house. Noah turned to me and said that he owed me big
time. I let him think that, but truthfully I needed him as much as he needed
me. He made me feel safe and protected. Somehow, Noah had brought me back to a
time before Nick. A time where I wasn’t scared, and I was determined to hold
onto that feeling as if it were a life raft. The time we spent together almost
made me forget my problems. He stayed true to his word, and never mentioned my
secret. Which made me enjoy his company even more.

Uncomfortable

I had a great
summer with Noah and Kathy. I stayed away from Sam as much as possible, but it
was hard, considering my friends were his best friend and wife.

Noah was just
as busy with his work as was I at finishing my book. But on the weekends we
would go over to Kathy’s or they would come to Noah’s. On those nights the boys
would go swimming, while we watched from the deck. Sometimes the men would join
them, talking us into the water, which usually ended up with one of us being
thrown off the dock. We weren’t sure why we fell for it every time.

Kathy was
becoming one of the best friends I had ever had. Almost as close as Debbie and
I. Actually I saw Kathy more than I did Debbie. We had been both busy and never
seemed to have much time for each other, but here in Shimmer Lake we had
nothing but time. One night as the sun set in the sky, Kathy and I sat on
Noah’s deck sipping wine. The men were in the water throwing the boys and laughing
hysterically.

“I love
summer,” Kathy said with a sigh, and then swatted a mosquito that had landed on
her bare leg. I laughed, and waved at one buzzing in front of my face. We had a
citronella candle set out, but it seemed to just attract the vampiric bugs. She
was right, though, living on the lake was beautiful in the summer. As the sun
dipped low, the sky turned orange and pink. The air was warm, with a soft
breeze blowing the scent of roses that were planted between both cottages. The
sound of splashing and laughter erupted from the beach. “I wish we had a place
by the lake. I’d sit out every night and then go swimming before bed. Have you
gone skinny-dipping yet?”

I almost choked
on my wine. “
What
? No.” My face turned beet red.

She set her
glass on the table and pointed at me. “Ha… yes you have. Come on, I want
details.”

One thing I had
learned about her since we met was that once she had something on her mind
there was no changing the subject. I sighed in defeat. “It was the Sunday after
the Memorial Day picnic. I mistakenly told Noah that I had never been, and he
bugged me until I agreed. It was dark, we didn’t look at each other, and when
we got in, the water was freezing. We didn’t stay long.”

She smiled
mischievously, twirling the ends of her shocking red hair. “Did you peek?”

“I didn’t have
to, he’s not shy. He stripped in front of me. I turned my head as he took off
his boxers.”

“Why?”

“Kathy, do you
have to ask?”

She rolled her
eyes. “I know,
you’re just friends
.” She took a sip of wine. “So boxers,
huh, I knew it.”

I laughed as
Noah and Sam approached.

“What’s so
funny?” Sam asked me, taking the chair next to his wife. His hair was wet from
his swim, water dripping down his face.

Kathy answered
for me. “Oh, just discussing Noah’s boxers.”

“What?” the men
asked at the same time, making Kathy and me laugh.

I let her
explain as I sat back and watched their banter. I once felt left out when they
joked around and bugged one another, but now I was one of them.

Later, while
Noah and Kathy were in the kitchen cleaning up the dinner dishes, I stood up to
join them. “Abby, could you stay here for a minute?” Sam asked just I was about
to step into the kitchen.

I had never
been alone with Sam before. It was something I avoided at all costs. It wasn’t
just that I was on the run, it was also his profession. Besides the fact that
Nick was a cop, I also hadn’t forgotten that I was ignored when I asked for
help. The people that were supposed to protect us had looked the other way. And
I couldn’t forget that. “Uh…sure.” I sat down next to him, with my hands
shaking, and my heart beating faster. I made my best effort to keep my voice
strong.

He was quiet,
staring at me. His face held a serious expression; his eyes were filled with
concern.

While I waited
for him to speak, I played back what he had said. My stomach dropped, and panic
settled in as I remembered what name he used. “Why did you call me that?” My
voice was a whisper.

He leaned
forward and lowered his voice. “We both know why.”

I was stunned.
“How long have you known?”

“Since a week
after I met you.” He glanced around, making sure we were still alone. The radio
was on in the house, and we could here Kathy teasing Noah about his underwear.
“I saw the missing person’s photo of you at work, but I want you to know, I
never told Kathy or Noah.”

“Why?”

“Well, when I
first saw it, I almost called the number, but stopped myself so I could get to
know you. The information said you were missing, not that you were a criminal.
I know you’re a good person so I’m guessing you have a reason you don’t want to
be found. I also know that you’ll tell us when you’re ready.” He took a sip of
his beer. “You don’t have to be nervous around me. I won’t tell anyone.”

I was so
relieved. “Thank you,” I said, standing up. Despite his reassurance, I was
still reluctant to be near him.

Screams from
the beach had him looking away. When he was satisfied that they were happy
screams, he turned back to me. “You are going to tell them eventually, aren’t
you?”

I sighed,
because really, I hadn’t planned on it. The more people that knew my true
identity, the more chances that I would be found. “When I’m ready.”

He stood up
holding his now empty beer bottle. “Good, because you mean a lot to both of
them.”

After this
conversation, and all I had learned about him since we met, the wall I had
built toward him started to crumble. “They and
you
mean a lot to me
too.”

After they left, Noah and I lingered
outside, gazing at the stars. “The water is warm now,” I heard Noah say.

“It sure is,” I
said dreamily, so relaxed I could have fallen asleep sprawled out on the lounge
chair.

“I said, the
water is warm.” This time his voice was louder, filled with meaning.

I sat up and
looked at him. His chest was bare and he was still wearing his red swim trunks.
“I heard you.”