Page 8 of Don't You Dare Marry Me

Yesterday.

four

“Oh hell,” Abagail mumbled, sitting straight up. Her head was turned toward the door of the bar, her eyes locked on none other than Nicola.What the hell is she doing here?Abagail cringed, her heart pounding. She’d been having a nice conversation with Greer, her best friend’s girlfriend’s best friend. Say that ten times fast. And she really hadn’t wanted it to end, or be disrupted. Something about Greer had put her at ease in a way she hadn’t felt since she and Elia had—well, since she’d fucked up that friendship.

“What?” Greer spun around to face the direction that Abagail was facing. “Who’s the hottie?”

“She’s not a hottie,” Abagail muttered under her breath, but she didn’t move to do anything. She just lay in wait. Because maybe Nicola wouldn’t see her. Maybe this little moment that she was sharing with Greer wouldn’t end right away, and maybe she wouldn’t have to deal with the shitstorm that was her family for just a smidge longer.

“Are you hiding from her?” Now Greer seemed far more intrigued than she should be.

“Nope.” Abagail wasn’t going to give Greer any more information. Greer didn’t need to be involved in the family drama any more than Abagail wanted to be.

Greer locked her gaze on the strange woman, who looked at them curiously, then shifted her glance and caught sight of Abagail. Turning back toward Abagail, Greer smiled. “Well, time’s up. If you want my help to get rid of her, you’re going to have to give me more.”

Abagail groaned. “She’s my former soon-to-be niece-in-law.”

“Aunt Abagail?” Nicola sounded nervous. Abagail could sniff out that anxiety anywhere. She’d sensed it at the house when they’d met last, and it was right back here as well.

“Nicola.” Abagail sighed her name in frustration.

“I uh… I was told to return this to you.” Nicola stood in between Abagail and Greer, as she slid a small box onto the table in front of Abagail.

The ring.

“To me?” Abagail raised an eyebrow in curiosity. She flipped open the box and stared at it before flipping it around so Greer could see. She wanted Greer’s reaction to the size of the rock in there, because it was obnoxiously huge. Abagail had never wanted to wear it—ever, which was why she’d given it to her brother instead of keeping it to herself. “Your engagement ring.”

“Warren said that it was a family ring… so I had to give it back.” That nervous tick was back in Nicola’s face, the corner of her eye twitching so slightly that it’d be almost imperceptible if Abagail wasn’t watching her so closely.

Abagail took the box and snapped the lid closed loudly, leaving it on the table. This was Warren’s stupid game of making her do his dirty work because he was too selfish to take care of his own problems like an adult. “Greer and I are having a private conversation.”

“Jesus, Abagail, the woman clearly just broke up with her fiancé. There’s no reason to be a jerk about it.” Greer hopped out of her seat and offered it to Nicola. She waved the waitress over and then sat down in the third chair at the small table.

“She’s not my niece.” Abagail pointed at Nicola, but she was looking at Greer. “I don’t have to be nice to her.”

“What if the breakup wasn’t her fault?”

Abagail knew it wasn’t. This had Warren’s entitled little ass written all over it. But he did boot Nicola from the family, which meant that Nicola wasn’t Abagail’s problem either. Though she was curious what led to the actual breakup. She’d predicted it would happen well before now.

“Um… tequila shots, please. And some water,” Greer said, swooping in and playing the role she was born for. The caregiver. “Right, so um… did you get dumped?”

The silence was deafening, even in the loud bar with music playing. Abagail actually wanted the answer to that question. She was curious what idiocy her nephew had created now, but she hadn’t been willing to ask.

“Okay, so since both of you are chatty.” Greer rolled her eyes and sat back in her seat. The waitress couldn’t get here fast enough. “I’m Greer.”

“Nicola,” she said, nodding in Greer’s direction. “How do you know Aunt Abagail?”

“Uh… we’re friends?” Greer answered it like a question. “It’s a long story.”

Abagail would be happy to call Greer her friend, or at least someone she was very slowly letting in. If anything the last few months, she realized she needed more than just Elia to rely on. That circle had to expand—unfortunately. And Greer had been available and not ridiculous. She’d been a good connection to have so far.

Nicola nodded, her eyes lighting on Greer. “Are you her new…fling?”

“Watch it, Nicola,” Abagail ground out, her entire body tensing. She had no idea what Greer had been told of her proclivities, but she certainly didn’t need it getting around in the bar that she owned that she preferred short term relationships that only lasted a few weeks max with a woman who could keep up with her. She didn’t need the entire world to know anything more than what she’d told them.

“I don’t mean anything by that, Aunt Abagail?—”

“I’m not your aunt, so you can cut that. And since you’re clearly not marrying my nephew anymore, you can really cut it. Makes me feel old,” the last bit Abagail mumbled under her breath. That wasn’t really the problem. The issue was that Nicola had always been attractive and flirtatious whenever Abagail had been around. Warren had seemed oblivious to it, but Abagail was damn sure that the salutation was just to get under her skin anyway.

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