Love Me: The Complete Series (21 page)

“Oh my God. Becky, are you okay?” Abby wanted to melt into the carpet. This woman wasn’t dying or hurt, if her eyes served her right. In fact, just the opposite.

“Abby, is that you? What the heck are you doing here this late? It’s nearly dark outside. Did Jackson come too? Or Carter? Is he home now? He said he was coming home.” The woman pulled a robe from the end of the bed, drew it around her, and dropped her tiny feet to the carpet.

“I’m so sorry. The pharmacy called and said—interactions—someone needed—I came to check on you. Um, I’ll go in the other room.” Her feet came unglued from the floor and she rushed out.

In the kitchen, Abby shook her head and clamped a hand over her mouth. Well, if Becky’s blood pressure was elevated, Abby was fairly certain it had little to do with the prescriptions. She stifled a giggle. Did Carter have any idea his mother had a boyfriend? Did she? Did women have flings at that age? She frowned at her stupidity. Why not, there was nothing wrong with—

“Well, I guess you came at a very awkward time, didn’t you?” Becky’s voice was strong. She walked into the room without the walker she’d used on the prior visit. Her shoulders were straight and her back stiff, though her hair could use a comb.

Abby straightened. “I didn’t mean to scare you. It’s just the pharmacy called and said they made a mistake on your prescriptions and there might be some drug interactions. When they started naming everything off, I panicked.”

Becky raised a brow and shuffled to the counter. She flicked on a light and ran some water into a pot. “You could have just sent Jackson, or had him call. You didn’t need to run all the way out here, honey. You want some tea? I’ll heat the pot up.”

“You’re fine.” Abby stated the obvious.

Becky clutched the robe tight and nodded. “Of course I’m fine.”

Abby shook her head and tilted her head toward Becky’s bare feet. “No, I mean you’re better than fine. You’re walking around.”

The older lady’s face went six shades of pink before she sighed and set the pot on the stove. “Okay, you caught me. I’m not really sick. Haven’t been for over a year. I get around fine. I take the walker outside for safety, but that’s all.”

Abby laughed. It was hilarious if she thought it through. This old woman, who had them all thinking she was under the weather and needed constant supervision and visits, had played them all. Her story was the biggest ruse
ever
, far surpassing anything Abby had done.

“Why the big farce then? You have everyone worried sick.”

The teapot hissed. Becky poured two cups then added the bags. She carried them to her dining table and set one down before moving to another spot and settling herself. “I know. I know. It was awful. Sit and get comfortable. I shouldn’t have kept it going like I did. It’s just that after Carter’s sister left us, he barely spoke. We never heard a peep. It broke my heart how little he’d seen his father before we lost him too. Then it was just me, here all day, talking to myself. Sometimes a neighbor came by. The doc stopped in once in a while, being a good friend of the family, but other than that, it was—miserable.”

Abby sipped the hot liquid. Her eyes watered a bit and she wasn’t sure whether it was from the heat or knowing this woman was so—alone.

“When I got sick and they called Carter, it was like a new start for me. Us. He kept coming by and we talked. A lot. The doctor came out and checked on me too, so I didn’t really need Carter to be here, but I wanted him. I knew if he didn’t believe me ill, he probably wouldn’t take the time. What with his work and all. Not to mention he still can’t seem to cope with what happened.”

What exactly had happened? Abby lifted her cup and blew on the steam before taking a sip. She slid her gaze out the window. Fireflies hovered over the darkness of a barely visible manicured lawn. Someone was taking great care of it. Was that someone Carter or the man in the back? Or Becky?

“Ahem.” A somewhat throaty voice surprised Abby and she turned. The man had the good nature to appear embarrassed as he waved. “Hi.”

“Abby, this is Gavin Bernard. Doctor Bernard.”

Abby made sure not to give away any surprise.
Oh.
So the doctor wasn’t just being nice. He had a vested interest in Carter’s mom. Eeeuw. She glanced at his ring finger, not caring that he noticed.

“My wife died eight years ago. We were great friends, the four of us. We had to be, it was a horrible thing to lose your child before she even had a chance to live. It was the only way we could get through it.”

Obviously, there was a lot more to
that
story and Abby cringed at the thought of hearing it. It was too late at night and she’d already caused enough trouble for one day. Hell, for one year. Still, her curiosity about the length of the relationship was piqued. How long had they been involved? Had Carter known?

“You were—” She looked from one wrinkled face to the other.

Becky throttled her head from side to side. “No! Of course not. I loved Carter’s dad and Gavin loved Maggie too. It wasn’t like that. In fact, we spoke very little until my husband went into the hospital with cancer. Gavin came to check on me a lot after I brought him home; we kept up. All of us. We’d been through a lot over the years and … ”

Dr. Bernard joined her at the table and placed a hand on her shoulder. Abby was unsure what to do. She hardly knew these people and certainly wasn’t on the best footing with Carter, yet they’d just divulged something not even he knew. Too much information, actually.

“You don’t need to explain to me. It’s none of my business.” Abby stood, set the half-empty cup by the sink and turned. “I’d better get going. I guess I don’t need to tell you what the pharmacist said, do I?”

Becky glanced at Dr. Bernard and laughed with hesitation. “No, but it’s comforting to know you cared enough to come out. It’s also just past sunset and way too late to make a drive back to the city. You’ll stay in Carter’s room.”

Huh? What?
No way.
After several attempts at refusal, Dr. Bernard managed to wrestle her purse and keys away. Before she knew what hit her, Abby was wrapped up in navy sheets with basketballs on them and smelling something that drove her crazy.
Him
. Odd because he’d been overseas for a month. What did he do—plaster his DNA into the fabric along with the accompanying detergent scent?

The light of day always seemed to bring clarity to the worst of problems. Abby had not only created the biggest farce of a personality by continuing to communicate with Carter after she knew who he thought her to be, but also by deceiving his mother. And now the doctor too. Today she’d come clean. To everyone: Becky, the doctor, and even Carter if she could track him down and get him to answer her. She’d start with his mom.

Abby was disappointed when she walked into their kitchen. Her hope to have a good talk with the couple was dashed. The room smelled of cinnamon and toast, yet it was empty. A note sat on the counter by a coffee cup.

Good morning! We forgot to tell you we were leaving early this morning to attend a craft fair in Fort Bend County. Make yourself comfortable. There should be plenty of things to eat in the fridge and there’s coffee in the pot. We’ll be back this afternoon—hope you can stay long enough to visit then.

—B

So much for that talk. Abby picked up the note and ran through it again as if it might change in the re-read. Hmmm. She wasn’t about to snoop through Becky’s fridge but the coffee smelled good. She poured a cup then padded barefoot to the bathroom. A quick wash up and she’d head home. She looked in the mirror and grimaced at the reflection staring back. Frazzled hair, smudged eyes, and wrinkled clothes. Ugh. Why had she decided to drive like a bat out of hell to see a woman she barely knew who parented a guy that now hated her?

She pulled open a drawer and rummaged for a toothbrush and toothpaste. Thankfully there was a new set waiting there and she took advantage of it.

“You want to tell me why you’re in my bathroom using a toothbrush—in my mother’s house?”

Abby jolted around and screamed. Carter leaned against the doorjamb, hand on his hip, staring at her.

The toothbrush in her mouth fell to the floor.
Clank.
Toothpaste oozed onto her chin. She couldn’t answer.

“Well?”

“Um, you told the pharmacy to call me to check on her.”

He grabbed a towel from the rod and tossed it at her. “No. I told them to call Jackson. Are you telling me he sent
you
?”

Wow, that was harsh. Abby wiped the toothpaste from her chin, leaned over, and slurped water then swirled and spit. She needed a few seconds. What should she say
this
time? The truth was getting more and more complicated. Would he believe it? Did it even matter? As much as she enjoyed their time together, this was more convoluted than her life needed to be at the moment. It wasn’t worth the strain. Fortunately, she didn’t have to go into details because his mother swooped in behind and grinned.

“Carter? I’m so glad you’re here! And you’re still here too, Abby. That’s great. We made it into town and decided to come back and see if you wanted to go with us. I mean, you probably have to get back and all but still, it would be nice.”

Carter’s eyes darted between his mother, Abby, and the red-faced Doctor Bernard standing in the hallway. “Mom, you’re walking?”

She grinned sheepishly. “Uh, yeah, I am. Quite well in fact. You remember Gavin Bernard, don’t you?”

Carter raised a brow and stepped from the bathroom, nodding. He didn’t speak but offered a hand.

“He’s been kind of helping me get around and well, I’m doing great. See?” Becky held out her hands and displayed her newfound balance. “So, you two want to go with us to the craft fair? Did Jackson come too?” She glanced around.

“I don’t know, Mom.” Carter smirked at Abby. “Did he?”

Becky slapped his arm lightly. “Well, he didn’t come with her. I know that much. She rolled in last night and scared the bejeezus out of us.” She clamped a hand over her mouth. “I mean me.”

Carter was dumbfounded. “Last night? Exactly why are you here, Abs?”

Becky grabbed him in a big hug. “She was checking in on me. Isn’t that sweet? Who cares? Let her clean up and join us. Then we’ll head into town. I’m so glad you came. What time did your flight get in?”

Carter responded as he was pushed through the doorway and away from Abby. Good. She needed to collect her thoughts and speak calmly as she unraveled the multitudes of mistaken conversations and identities. Something she had no intention of doing with his mother and her boyfriend present. It was embarrassing enough.

Abby was hoodwinked into a craft fair along with Carter. Fortunately for him, Dr. Bernard chose to make a beeline for the concession stand after thirty minutes. Abby stifled a smile when Carter said he’d better accompany him in case he needed anything. Yeah, right. She only wished she’d thought of it first. Her feet started to ache after an hour of following Becky around. What was she thinking when she assumed the woman was feeble? There was nothing weak about this lady if she could handle a crowded fairground.

After admiring more quilts than she could stand, she excused herself for a drink of water and to sit. She managed to scope out a quiet and dark corner under a tree and sighed with relief as she rubbed the arch of her left foot.

“Need some help with that? Or does Jackson take care of it for you? Or maybe some other dumb guy.”

She squinted at Carter standing over her. “I imagine you’d rather cut it off right now.”

“You got that right. There’s a dart board in the game room at home—don’t plan on standing too close to it.”

“Nice. Look, this whole thing is just a big mix-up. I made a mistake.” She lifted a hand and pulled on his arm. “Sit down. My neck can’t crane that far up and the sun is blinding me.”

“So, my mom is dating the doctor apparently. And
your
boyfriend sent you here instead of coming himself. Does your boyfriend know about me, about us?”

• • •

Her phone buzzed on the surface between them and he knew he shouldn’t have checked but he glanced to see the display. Unfortunately it was facing down
.
She ignored it.

“Speak of the devil. You’re not going to answer that?”

She shrugged. “I don’t want to talk to him at the moment.”

Jesus, she played a lot of games. Here with him while Jackson called looking for her? How many others were being strung along? The phone rang again and he reached out and snatched it, hitting the button to answer before he got it to his ear.

“Stop.” She bolted both hands to grab it, but he turned away and listened for a familiar male voice.

“Hey, Jackson.” He narrowed his eyes on her face as she shook her head.

The
unfamiliar
voice on the other side startled him. “Uh, hi—Who is this?”

Oops. Not who he thought—he lifted the handset away and looked at the name—her—dad? “Um, I’m Carter—a friend.”

“Of Abigail’s? I didn’t know she was seeing anyone. How long has
that
been going on?” Wow, that was pretty condemning.

“We’re not—” The phone was yanked from his hand before he finished. He mouthed the words
your dad?
Panic mixed with anger as she nodded.

“What do you want, Dad?” She strode away with the phone, spoke a few words, then put her phone away.

Carter dragged a foot across the ground and shoved his hands into pockets. “Sorry—I thought it was—”

She darted her eyes skyward. “I know who you thought it was. You know, you should try trusting me. Maybe I’m not really as bad as you think.”

“Trust isn’t something I do very well.”

“Yeah, I gathered that.”

“You could have talked more. I wouldn’t have minded.”

“Well, I mind. My dad is a pain in the ass right now, right behind my mom. Every time I call, there’s always
something
I haven’t done or at least haven’t done right. I keep telling myself they have good intentions, but right now, I need a lot more than that. I need—”

“Some confidence?”

She shrugged. “From them? That’s asking more than they know. Not happening.”