Page 57 of Not As Advertised

“I’m so sorry about tonight. It was supposed to be about making contacts for work, and it’s turned into another episode of the Caroline Maartan show.” Abbie’s eyes looked weary and sad.

Checking behind me to make sure no one was nearby, I put my hands on her bare arms, gently rubbing them up and down.

“Hey, hey. Nothing about tonight is your fault. You don’t need to be sorry. I hate that we’re stuck at the table with them. Not for me—for you. I want to tell her to fuck off so badly, but Jack would murder me. And there’s the small problem of her being the mother of the woman I’m seeing. What kind of first impression would that be? ‘Fuck off’ is absolutely a post-third date with her daughter kind of thing.” I went for humor, grasping for something to bring her back to me from wherever the protective place she had gone to in her mind.

The absurdity of my statement had the desired effect of returning some of the light in her eyes that Caroline had dampened.

“Definitely post-third date.” The tiniest curve appeared on the corner of her lips.

“Do you want to leave? I don’t feel right about subjecting you to more of this fiasco of a table. I’ll make some excuse to Jack.”

“No. We can’t.” Abbie shook her head. “It would look terrible. Plus, I’m used to it. It’s been this way my whole life. If I just keep my head down and stay quiet, she’ll get so caught up in talking to the other guests she’ll forget about me. I’ll be fine. I’m just embarrassed.”

I didn’t believe for one second she was fine. I knew there was a lot more hurt she was trying to hide from me so that we could get through the evening.

“You have nothing to be embarrassed about. Whatever she’s doing in there”—I gestured back into the ballroom—“has nothing to do with you. You’re just an innocent bystander here. That woman is operating in an entirely different reality to ours. I hope you can see that.”

“Yep.” She looked down; her tone wasn’t convincing. We’d have to work on the trust between us. I wanted her to be able to tell me the truth.

“I’m going to head back in before they miss me. You take as much time as you need. We’ll go as soon as we can.”

I wished I could walk her back in there myself to show her mother that Abbie was far from needing anything from her. But as far as everyone knew, I was just her boss, and that was definitely not my place.

Abbie returned to the table, plastic smile in place, remaining quiet. I participated in the table discussions and networked as Jack had sent me to do. By the time we were about to make our escape, I had more than a few business cards in my pocket.

On the drive home, I worried about her as she withdrew further into herself. The silence in the car was deafening. I tried to talk to her a couple of times, but she had shut her eyes, claiming she was tired.

When we returned to Amado, I dropped her off at her place. Without speaking, both of us knew this night was not the right moment to move our relationship forward. Since she wouldn’t talk to me, I wanted to give her space to work through whatever she was going through.

I put my hand on her thigh, smoothing the fabric of her dress. I hoped to both soothe and reassure her that tonight had not changed anything for me. I still wanted all of her.

“Hey. I know it’s easier said than done, but nothing that was said tonight was about you, okay? Text or call me if you want to talk. Anytime. I’m here for you. Please, baby.” I’d resorted to pleading with her.

“Thank you. I know you are,” she whispered, blinking rapidly against her tear-filled eyes. “It’ll be okay. I just need some time.”

This wasn’t the answer I wanted as she got out of the car, not waiting for me to get out and open her door. I understood that she likely wanted to put this evening behind her as fast as possible, but I was still disappointed that we seemed to have moved backward in our connection.

I’d give her tomorrow to decompress. On Monday, I would try again to get her to open up to me.

Despite my best intentions, the start of the week meant I had to hit the ground running, and I was so wrapped up in my never-ending workload that I didn’t realize Abbie had taken a sick day until I was ready to leave. It was supposed to be her first day with Ethan’s team. It was completely out of character for Abbie to shirk her responsibilities like this.

I texted her on my way home, hoping that she might let me stop by. I’d started to worry that something was really wrong.

Aiden

Hi. I heard you took a sick day. You feeling OK? Can I bring you anything you need?

Her reply didn’t come until after I was at home, eating a rewarmed dinner that my housekeeper left for me at the beginning of every workweek.

Abbie

Hi. Sorry for the wait. I am just not feeling well. Just trying to rest. I don’t need anything but thank you for asking.

I wished she would lean on me. Not sure if she had really caught a bug and was just resting up, I didn’t feel right insisting on seeing her when she had every right to take a sick day if she needed it. I’d see for myself the next day at work.

My tune changed midday Tuesday when Ethan requested a meeting over the slim thirty minutes I tried to eke out for my lunch hour. I’d immediately said yes, ready to forgo eating because I knew Ethan was coming to talk about Abbie.

Just after twelve, a knock on my door signaled Ethan’s arrival. I wanted to believe Ethan was coming to me out of concern because I was going to have a hard time reining in my temper if Ethan was here to complain about Abbie’s work quality. Especially since she’d been transitioning to her temporary role while still shouldering the bulk of my admin duties and bringing Miles up to speed.

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