Page 28 of Sunny Skies Ahead
Something in my body flashed hot, and I shook my head, even though Abbie couldn’t see me.
“Technically, yes. I didn’t realize how much these guys hated checking their email. The Winding Road inbox is seriously neglected.”
“And. . . you’re okay? Outside of work, I mean.”
I pressed my lips together. Abbie didn’t mean anything negative by it. I knew she was asking out of genuine concern for my wellbeing. It also made me feel icky, to know she was on her honeymoon and still worried about me. Like I was back in the mental state I was years ago, unable to be alone with my thoughts and memories.
“I’m doing great,” I said earnestly. Even if I hadn’t been fine, there’s a good chance I would have lied to Abbie. At the very least, I would have tried. The last thing I wanted was for her to be thinking about me while she was supposed to be enjoying newlywed bliss with the love of her life. “Did you know about the tiny house Kameron built at the farm? It’s stunning.”
Another pause stretched between us.
“Well, honestly, Kameron didn’t make plans to have the house put in until after you accepted the job.”
That brought me up short. “What?”
“He always had plans to put a tiny house or two on the property, thinking he could eventually rent them out if we ever needed extra cash, but that project was put on the back-burner after the festival,” Connor explained, his voice louder than Abbie’s, like he was calling out from another room. “After you took the job, Kameron went back to the builders and gave them the green light to build the first one. They just installed it in the last few days.”
My heart squeezed in my chest. My mind spiraled into thoughts of why Kameron would do that. They all came back to one answer I couldn’t wrap my mind around.
He wanted me to have a place. A place that wasn’t the farmhouse. Where I could be alone without the presence of other people bothering me.
I quickly shoved that thought of my head. Not only was it egotistical and completely ridiculous to insinuate that Kameron had literally built me a house, but it also didn’t help my tendency to overthink things when it came to my friends.
Connor coughed to clear his throat, and I remembered it was my turn to talk.
“That’s nice,” I said weakly.
“Go away,” Abbie said. “I need to talk to my best friend for a minute. Alone.”
Connor made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a whine, followed seconds later by the closing of a door. I smiledto myself. The three of us liked to poke fun at Abbie and Connor for being lovesick idiots, but I didn’t blame them. They’d spent years apart, and had a lot of time to make up for.
“How are the Netherlands?”
“Gorgeous,” Abbie said. “We’re visiting one of the tulip farms later today, and I am buzzing with excitement. Thank you for organizing this trip, Imogen. It’s been so nice to be able to actually enjoy my honeymoon without overthinking everything. I would have been stressed the whole time if I had planned this.”
I smiled, slouching back on the couch, and picking up the remote to scroll through my various streaming apps to find something to watch.
“I’m so glad everything’s gone smoothly. I tried to pick a mix of activities that I thought you and Connor would both enjoy.”
“You’ve done a great job,” Abbie said.
There was a pause while Abbie considered her next words and I continued my scroll to find something interesting to watch tonight.
“How is Lucas?”
“Weird,” I sighed. “The divorce proceedings are stalled yet again. He’s going back to Seattle at the end of this month for another meeting. I don’t know. It’s complicated and I don’t really understand it.”
Abbie let out a low whistle. “She has to be running out of things to do to stall it. Based on what I know, all evidence points to her being the instigator here.”
I shrugged, ironically landing on a docuseries about crazy exes and murder. I hesitated briefly, wondering if it might be too triggering for me, before I hit play. Screw it.
“Yeah. She doesn’t seem like a very nice person.”
“And Kameron?”
“He’s fine,” I said, far too quickly. “He’s done surprisingly well with Connor’s absence. The two of them are like peas in a pod.”
Abbie let out a loving chuckle. “Yeah they are. I’m glad things are going well. We miss you guys and are looking forward to being home.”
