Page 72 of Anything For This Love

Erin shakes her head gently. “She’s not right for you. She’ll never acclimate to your lifestyle.”

“Then I’ll acclimate to hers.” I rush past her, ensuring I leave enough space to prevent us from touching and go straight to my boss.

Leaving the firm and relocating to be with Abby has been weighing heavily on my mind, and this little mishap with Erin just solidified my decision. I know there are other places I can find work, places much closer to Abby and her family. Maybe city life isn't for me anymore. Maybe it’s time to look at those fifty acres for sale that I’ve been scoping out online.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Abby

“This house is too damn small,”I mutter under my breath as I stomp away from the bathroom. My mother is hogging the shower and I need to get ready for work. It’s not that I need to get all dolled up to go outside and sweat, but I would like to at least brush my teeth. I sigh and pour another cup of coffee, sipping on it as I finger comb my hair and braid it over one shoulder. Finally hearing the water shut off, I wait for the sound of my mother exiting the bathroom and rush in there.

Since she moved back home, Chloe has been staying in my room while my mother has taken over her room. I wedged the toddler bed next to mine where her crib used to be, and we brought Ethan’s old twin bed out of storage for Mom to sleep on. Resentment bubbles to the surface, but I shove it down. Now is not the time. I have enough emotional baggage to work through without letting all the bitterness I feel toward her overwhelm me.

Ever since Caleb grabbed me that day and dragged me into the woods, I’ve been seeing a counselor twice a week. She’s helping me work through everything that happened, and although the original focus was on the trauma from being attacked by Caleb – not once, but twice – our conversations have shifted. Most of our time the last couple sessions has been focused on my mother and our strained relationship. Eventually she wants to bring her in to do family counseling, but we’re not there yet. One thing at a time.

I’m antsy waiting to call Jacob after work. I didn’t get to talk to him long last night. He was at his parents’ house and everyone was so excited to see Chloe on our video call that Jacob and I barely saw each other’s faces. He picks up on the second ring.

“Hey, beautiful.” My lips curve into a smile at his greeting. The warmth in his voice settles over me, a comforting blanket of affection.

“Hey. How was your day?”

“Good. Logan and I have been playing basketball most of the day. A bunch of other guys joined in and we played for nearly two hours before news vans pulled up. I guess we were starting to draw a crowd,” he chuckles.

“I can’t imagine why,” I joke.

“How was work?”

“Busy. I had two separate youth groups come through and had to give a presentation on rock formations to a geology club.”

“Sounds riveting.”

I let out a soft laugh, his teasing easing the tension from my muscles.

“I’m sure all the students were captivated by you, especially the guys,” he adds.

“Oh, for sure. I got asked out at least three times,” I return the jest. Silence meets me on the other end of the line. I glance down at my phone to see if we’ve been disconnected but the call is still active. “Jacob? Are you there?”

He clears his throat before replying. “Uh, yeah, I’m still here.”

“Are you alright?” He suddenly sounds off, and I wonder if it was something I said.

“Yeah, it’s just, um…” He hesitates and unease settles in my belly.What’s going on with him?“I need to tell you something, but you have to promise not to get mad.”

What? No, I’m not promising anything.“Judging by your nervous tone, I’m not sure that’s something I can guarantee.”

He sighs and I can picture him pinching the back of his neck. “Erin came on to me at work yesterday.”

“What?!” I screech.

He lets out a defeated sigh before continuing, “She came into my office to get a proposal I’d signed off on and asked me to dinner. I told her no. She tried to persuade me, and I made it exceptionally clear I wasn’t interested.”

“What do you mean, she ‘tried to persuade’ you?”I swear, if she kissed him or touched him, I’m gonna…What? What exactly would I do? Drive to Arlington and challenge her to a fist fight? In this moment, I want to rip every red-gold hair from her head, but what good would that do? It would just make me look bad and cause problems for Jacob. I have no desire to draw any more attention to us.

“It doesn’t matter. I turned her down and got out of there as fast as I could.”

“Of course it matters! I want to knowexactlywhat she did and what she said.” I trust Jacob, but he’s holding back. There’s something he’s not telling me, most likely to avoid hurting my feelings.

“Abby, don’t.”

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