Chapter 44

44

Abby was working the desk when Marin rushed in, Lucy with her. It was definitely not time for Lucy now.

The front doors of the inn opened and there Dusty and Ben were. Then the rest of the Talleys just sort of appeared out of nowhere. Abby checked the clock. It was only like seven o’clock. What was going on?

“Abby, we need you to stay,” Marin said. It wasn’t a question. “Through the audits. We’ll pay double overtime. It’s an emergency.”

Abby wasn’t stupid enough to protest. She just wasn’t. She’d done the shift for extra money before. She just nodded. “What’s going on?”

The doors opened again. Dusty’s parents were there. Her mother was practically freaking. Her dad looked really angry.

“What’s wrong? Dusty texted us to get here as fast as we could,” the woman said. “She said it was an emergency.”

“What exactly is going on?” Darcey asked, coming out of the dining room entrance, all irritated again and everything. “What’s happened now?”

It was a Friday night. The busiest time of the week. Darcey was always in the dining room then. Or the lobby. Being Queen of the Manor. Being Queen Bitch, in Abby’s opinion. Talk about constant PMS.

“Martin just called us,” Ben said. “Dylan collapsed a few minutes ago. Fletcher and Kaece are driving her to the ER now.”

Dahlia, that little loser twin, started crying. “Is she?—”

Her twin wrapped an arm around her and the teenager who was friends with Caitlyn now. “What’s wrong with her?”

Besides being a stupid man-stealing bitch? Abby chastised herself for her unkind thought. What if Dylan died or something? Not exactly very nice of her to think that, was it?

Then Martin and one of those twin Tyler guys were there. Everyone sort of just mobbed them.

Darcey even wrapped her hand around Martin’s arm and kind of yanked him around. Hard to do, he was a big strong guy, and everything. “What’s wrong with Dylan?”

“Kaece took her and Fletcher to the ER,” the twin guy said. “We’re here to give everyone rides to the hospital if they are needed. We have Martin’s truck and Fletcher’s.”

“I have room for three,” Ben said, pulling Dusty close and everything.

“What in hell happened?” Dylan’s father almost yelled.

“It just came on suddenly. She was fine, dancing around with Reese, joking, teasing Fletcher,” Martin said in an almost choked voice. “We were outside, came back in a few hours later, and she just collapsed right into my arms.”

He held his arms out like he was remembering or something. Abby’s stomach twisted at his expression. Dylan’s father kind of took charge as his twin brother came in with his bitchy old wife.

They all seemed to really care about Dylan. Abby and Will weren’t like that and they had grown up together every day.

Then again, maybe that was it. Abby didn’t like Will one bit at all.

She’d have to call him, tell him he’d have to come get her late. He’d bitch, but what was she supposed to do?

Then the Talleys and the Tylers were all gone, all of them rushing to the hospital for Dylan and it was just her and Lucy.

“Well, that sucks.”

“Yes, it does. I hope Dylan is okay. She’s been through a lot lately.” Lucy’s worry was in her eyes.

But Abby? She really didn’t care about Dylan at all.

What did that say about the kind of person she was?