Page 34 of On the Ropes

“I can attest to that,” Abbey’s mother concurred.

“I know you can, Mom. How many fights have you had to break up over the years?”

“Too many,” her mother called out.

“To me, the problem was that Cassie was just so bossy.”

Cassie nodded at her and smiled.

After the guests stopped laughing, Abbey continued. “That made for a rather strained relationship, to say the least. We essentially tolerated each other for a long time. That was until I got a little older and realized that Cassie wasn’t necessarily trying to be bossy, she was trying to guide me and support me.

“You see, I’ve always been a bit of a nerd. My head was always in books when I was younger, then when I got older, plastered to a computer screen. I’m not going to apologize, either. Being a nerd is in right now. Thank you Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg. My nerdiness has turned into a pretty great career for me.”

“Can you take a look at my laptop?” a guest asked.

Abbey laughed along with many of the guests. “Cassie’s bossiness came from her concern that I was inside my head too much. That I wasn’t allowing myself enough time to just relax and give my brain a rest. To enjoy life, have fun, unwind. I hate to admit it, but she was right. Once I understood that she was looking out for me, not trying to be the boss of me, we went from tolerating each to being close. For that, I’ll always be grateful.”

“I’m again taking her great advice or counsel, as lawyer Jake would say, and allowing myself a personal reboot weekend, giving my brain a rest and enjoying the weekend for whatever it brings. I’m sorry, but that means I can’t provide any computer support.”

“I’ll call you next week then!”

The guests all laughed, including Abbey. “Jake, I want you to understand that if Cassie seem bossy to you, she’s just looking out for you. I’d also like to offer Cassie’s advice back to you both. Like Luke said, after today, your lives are going to change. I want you both to remember to get out of your heads occasionally and enjoy the journey of your lives together, now as man and wife.”

Abbey handed the microphone back to Luke and picked up her champagne glass. As the guests applauded, Luke let go of her hand. She chided herself for missing his touch. He picked up his own glass and raised it.

“To Jake and Cassie, may you have many happy years together!” Luke clinked his glass with Abbey and they both drank to Cassie and Jake. The champagne was crisp and delicious, tickling her nose. Guests tapped their glasses again as she and Luke returned to their seats and she smiled when Jake kissed his new bride again.

“Dinner service will begin shortly. Enjoy the wonderful food here at Cucina Antonetti’s.” The DJ started what Abbey assumed was a mixed CD of appropriate dinner music. The volume was just right so it didn’t prevent guests from hearing each other speak.

Just as Abbey was making herself comfortable in her seat, she heard her cell phone ring from underneath their table. Her stomach clenched. Now what? She reached down and retrieved her evening bag and pulled out her ringing phone. Tim Webber? Her former manager? Why was he calling?

Anger flowed hot in Abbey’s veins. How dare her call her, especially now. Did he forget he told me my skill set wasn’t needed anymore? Abbey let the call go to voicemail.

Abbey felt Luke looking at her. She turned and saw the worried expression on his face. “Princess, is everything all right? Who was that?”

Abbey just shook her head. She was too angry to respond. She heard the chime of a new voicemail. She knew she shouldn’t bother. She didn’t work at OSG any longer, but she played the voicemail anyway. She couldn’t help it.

“Abbey this is Tim Webber. There’s a problem with your system. It’s down. No one can log in. It keeps giving an authentication error. Call me after you get this message.” That was it. He didn’t even bother apologizing for disturbing her on her sister’s wedding day or even acknowledging that he was asking her for a huge favor since she no longer worked for him. What an asshole. In a way, she was glad she no longer worked for OSG because she couldn’t stand Tim Webber. There was no way she was calling him back. Fuck you, pal, and your system, not mine.

Abbey deleted the voicemail and the fourteen unread text messages from Tom Murphy. She felt relieved and happily turned off her phone. She needed to get back to her reboot weekend. “I need another drink.” Yes, that would make her feel better.

Luke took her phone and put it back in her purse. “When was the last time you ate?”

Abbey had to think. “I guess it was earlier at the Fairchild Hotel before the ceremony. We had some pastries and Mimosas.” Her stomach growled. It had been hours since she’d eaten.

“How about this? You still have some champagne in your glass. Why not finish that and have some dinner before getting another drink? I know they’re making them pretty strong tonight. What do you think?” Luke looked deep into her eyes, like he could see into her soul.

Her soul that had belonged to him since the day they met so many years ago.

“Then you can get back to your reboot weekend. I’m having one myself in a way. Maybe we could reboot together?” When Luke smiled at her the way he did, she couldn’t resist. Secrets. Jake said Luke has secrets.

“Secrets,” Abbey whispered.

Luke frowned, taking a moment before responding. “I know Jake said that. But it’s not what you think. You know I barely have any privacy anymore. For me, some things have to be announced. The damn press, you know? That’s why I hired an extensive security detail for today.”

In her head, Abbey understood. The last thing any of them wanted was for Jake and Cassie’s wedding day to become a spectacle because of Luke’s celebrity. So far that hadn’t happened, other than Luke’s little display in front of Mrs. Antonetti and Carlo.

She supposed it didn’t matter. By the end of the weekend, Luke would be off to the next city for another game or whatever else he had scheduled. Abbey would go back to her life too.

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