27. A Lovers’ Quarrel Without Lovers

CHAPTER 27

A LOVERS’ QUARREL WITHOUT LOVERS

WESTON

Abbi is late for dinner.

She texted to say she was running late, so it’s all good. But I find myself bouncing in my chair at the pizza place, watching the door for her.

Sometimes a guy just gets hyper. And tonight's my night. There's a lot riding on these two games against Merrimack. They’re the only league team left that we haven’t played. We’ll play them back to back, two nights in a row. And if we were to lose both games, our playoffs spot is endangered.

So we can't let that happen.

Obviously.

Furthermore, my dad and my siblings finally drove up for a game. Not to mention Abbi’s appearance—her first game of the season. This is why I'm practically levitating in my chair, waiting for Abbi to walk through that door.

“Maybe she's with her real boyfriend.” Stevie snickers.

“Oh shut it,” I grumble. The idea of Abbi finding a real boyfriend irritates me so much. It shouldn’t. But it does.

I can't stop glancing at the door. Every time someone comes through it, I stare. “She's just running a few minutes late,” I insist, because it's true. “We’re supposed to go ahead and order. She'll eat anything, but she picks off mushrooms.”

“Noted,” Stevie says. And when he flags down a waiter, he orders three different pizzas.

“Three? For five people?” my sister argues. They bicker about it some more while I watch the door.

But it isn’t until the pizzas are actually being delivered to our table that Abbi finally appears. I haven’t seen her in a few days, but it feels like forever, so I drink her in. Her hair shines in the lamplight. She's wearing a dress and—fuck me—lipstick.

Which makes me focus on her mouth. And all the places on my body where I’d like to see it.

Now I might not survive this meal with my family. I'm thinking about sex instead of pizza or hockey, which is unfortunate because my near-term plans include only those last two things and not the first one.

Abbi spots me, probably because I’m shooting her a hungry gaze. Her eyes find mine. And then she walks bravely toward the family who made Christmas so very awkward.

“There you are, baby!” I pop out of my chair as she approaches. “Save me from these crazy people.”

She gives me a shy smile as I pull her in for a hug. She smells like cold air and sweet perfume. “I dig the dress, but you didn’t need to dress up for a hockey game.”

“Hey, look!” my father crows. “It's the new bag in action. You look very professional, Abbi. Makes a statement.”

“Thank you,” she says, her smile warming up. “And I'm sorry I'm late, but I didn’t wear this dress for you, Weston.”

“Oooh, burn!” Stevie chuckles.

“I was actually interviewing for a job.”

“No way!” I say. “Where?”

“Let the girl sit down,” Lauren complains. “What kind of a boyfriend are you?”

Stevie snickers again.

My sister is right, of course. But I give my brother a little punch in the arm anyway, and then I pull out Abbi's chair and plate up two slices for her. “What would you like to drink? ”

“Just the water,” Abbi says, pointing at the glass already awaiting her. “Thank you.”

“Now tell us about this potential job,” my dad says as I hand Abbi the plate. “How did the interview go?”

“Really well,” Abbi says. Then she gives me a nervous look that I don’t really understand. “I mean—any job offer is good news at this point. Today I got two, actually. When it rains, it pours.”

“ Yes! ” I'm so happy for her, because I know she's been stressed out about this. “Let’s celebrate. What are the jobs?”

She chews a bite of pizza before answering. “Well, one of them is in New York. I got an offer from a mortgage bank.”

“Mortgages are important,” my dad says. “Everyone needs a house to live in.”

“True,” Abbi says, but she looks hesitant.

“Hang on,” I hold up a hand. “Is that the place where the guy kept looking down your shirt?”

“Yeah,” she says quietly.

My sister groans. “That doesn’t sound like a great workplace. I’ve had managers like that. They never learn.”

“Which managers?” my dad asks. “Who do I have to maim?”

“Easy, killer,” Lauren says. “This was back in high school. The guy who owned that ice cream stand was kind of a creep.”

“Damn, Lauren. How come you didn’t say anything?”

She shrugs. “The tips were good, and I didn’t want you and Mom to make me quit. I stayed out of his way. But it only worked because the summer was short. If I were depending on that man to advance a career, it could have been ugly.” My sister turns to Abbi. “Do you know anyone else who works there? Like, a friend you could ask about the manager?”

Abbi chews her lip, then shakes her head. “That job is in New York, though. If I hated it, I’d be in a good location to look around for something better.”

“But you’d also have a pricey lease,” Dad points out. “You might not feel like you could quit.”

Abbi blows out a frustrated breath. “Yeah, I did think of that.”

“What if we don’t try to plan Abbi’s life before at least feeding her pizza?” I suggest, reaching for her hand. It’s surprisingly warm for someone who’s just been outside.

She interlaces her fingers with mine and squeezes.

“What’s the other job?” my sister asks, because nobody in this family knows when to shut up.

“That’s, uh, something that came up unexpectedly.” She slips her hand from mine and takes a big gulp from the water glass that’s on the table in front of her.

“Unexpectedly?” Now my interest is piqued.

“I had this internship last semester,” she says.

“At the flannel place,” my dad offers. “Great slippers, by the way.”

She flashes him a tiny smile. “That’s the place. They asked me if I’d interview with the whole family today, for a permanent job. And we talked for two hours, which is why I’m so exhausted.” She takes another gulp of water. “But it was a really good meeting, and they gave me an offer letter and everything. There’s even a signing bonus.”

“ Nice ,” I say, because I don’t want Abbi to work for a sexual harasser.

“No way! ” my sister yelps. “That’s amazing. You wouldn’t have to move to New York.”

“Right,” she says, giving me a quick sideways glance. “But I still have a couple of resumes in various places. I haven’t made up my mind yet. It’s a tiny company, so it feels risky to me in other ways.”

I take a big bite of pizza and chew. It’s really good. But I feel unsettled all of a sudden.

Abbi might stay in Burlington . That idea is just starting to sink in when my sister pipes up again.

“Omigod! If you’re still in Vermont, you can come to my wedding! This is great!”

Uh-oh . Fuck. I never even told Abbi the date of Lauren’s wedding. And now I can feel her eyes on me. Her gaze is giving me a sunburn all of a sudden.

“She should come to the wedding either way,” Dad says. “Nobody goes to the office Memorial Day weekend. Why isn’t Abbi on the guest list, Weston?”

“We uh…” I swallow a bite and try to figure out what to say .

But Abbi finishes my sentence. “We thought I might be moving.” She licks her lips nervously. “Like, frantically unpacking my new apartment before my job starts the following week.”

“But not if you’re staying in Burlington,” Lauren points out. “Tell us about this job.”

Abbi’s face is suddenly flushed. “Well, the daughter of the founders wants to create a whole new business line for younger shoppers. But it’s a big deal for them, so it would happen slowly. I’d spend the first year learning about their supply chain and working on logistics.”

“That’s fun,” Stevie says.

“It does sound like fun,” I grunt. So why haven’t I heard about this? Not even a single word?

Abbi puts down her slice of pizza and wipes her fingers on her napkin. “Excuse me a second.” She gets up from the table and heads toward the back of the place, where the bathrooms are off a dark little corridor.

And even as my family watches me with curious eyes, I stand abruptly and follow her. “Abbi, wait,” I say as I practically chase her across the big room and toward the bathrooms beyond.

She halts in the corridor and turns around. Even in the dim light, I can see her eyes are troubled. “What, Weston?”

“What the hell is going on here? You didn’t tell me about that interview. And now it’s already a job offer? But it’s a big secret? You haven’t been answering my texts.”

“My week was crazy. The job was kind of sudden,” she says. “And honestly? I thought you’d be weird about it. Kind of like you’re being right now.”

My head jerks back at this verbal slap. “I’m not being weird. I’m just asking you how your week was.”

She licks her lips nervously. “You and I are supposed to be fun , right?”

“Right,” I agree, but I feel like I’ve lost the thread.

“My life isn’t always fun. Looking for a job has not been any fun. And you made it clear that we weren’t part of each other’s futures. It’s the same reason I was never invited to your sister’s wedding, I suppose? ”

Oof . “It’s true what you said. I never thought you would be in Vermont over Memorial Day weekend.”

“Well, I might be. Sorry if that’s an inconvenience.”

“Abbi—”

“You should have seen your face when your sister brought up the wedding. And that I’d be in Burlington. It wasn’t joyous, Weston.”

“I was surprised .”

“Me too,” she says with a sigh. “But it shouldn’t matter, right?” She waves a hand between the two of us. “This, whatever it is, can still reach its natural end point. Tell Lauren we broke up. You don’t have to fake it anymore. Or do I have that wrong?”

“No,” I say, but I feel so confused.

“Then why did you invite me tonight, anyway? If I’m past my expiration date?”

“I just wanted to see you. But, uh, I didn’t think it through.”

Her face falls. “Well, I did think it through. And I’m tired of faking it with your family. It was funny until I got to know them a little. It isn’t funny anymore.”

“Okay,” I grunt, feeling like an asshole. But I don’t even know what I’m agreeing to right now. “Sorry.”

“Now go eat your pizza. I’ll be out in a second.” She disappears into the ladies’ room.

I go back to the table feeling deeply conflicted. This is why I don’t do relationships—I don’t want to fight with anyone. And I’m terrible at it. Abbi made a lot of good points.

It’s true what she said—I’ve been jerking her around. I didn’t mean to. But somehow it happened.

When I slide back into my chair, everyone eyes me warily. “Did you fuck up?” Stevie asks gleefully.

“Possibly.”

He shakes his head. “I used to think you guys weren’t a real couple. But obviously you are. Can’t have a lovers’ quarrel without lovers.”

I take a big bite of pizza and try to tell myself that I didn’t just fuck everything up.

It doesn’t work.