10
Abigail
“Aw, hey, Abby Cadabby. You came back.” Mitch walks through Nix’s front door, through the living room, and around to the back of the couch I sit on. He grabs my cheeks and pulls me back so I look at him upside down, then presses a noisy kiss on my forehead and doesn’t stop until I laugh. “I missed your face.”
“I saw you two days ago.” I bat his hands away, but let out a contented sigh when he drops down beside me and pulls me close. “I would have seen you this morning, but you’re the one who likes to work more than he eats.”
He rolls his eyes. “I gotta work, kiddo. Tell me about the wedding. How’d it go?”
Heat pools low in my belly, because when he says ‘wedding,’ I don’t think of Jess and Kane Bishop, like I should. I think about a certain run-in with a certain someone in the bathroom. And then another run-in. Another bathroom.
“Um, it went great. Everything looked amazing, the bouquet didn’t fall apart when Jess tossed it,” –I assume– “and the table pieces looked fantastic.”
“You got paid, right?”
“Of course I got paid! Sheesh.” I lift my feet to the couch and turn into him a little as Nixon stands and heads to the kitchen. “They paid a month ago, in fact. And tipped a heap more yesterday morning when I delivered the flowers to the reception. You’re mean when you judge them without knowing them.”
“I’m not judging them,” he scoffs. “I’m judging you.” He looks at me with the most magnificent shade of green eyes. “You’re a sucker for romance, and you’d rather let them have all your work for free in exchange for a front row seat to the ceremony. Anything to see the kissy faces.”
“That’s not true.” I turn away and scowl. “I was invited to the ceremony. It was beautiful, by the way. Super romantic, considering he kept touching her belly and whispering how much he loved her.”
“Abigail…”
“I’m allowed to be a romantic, Mitchell! But I also collected my pay and deposited it in my bank. You don’t need to micromanage my life anymore.”
“I’m just making sure your power stays on, kid. Good deeds, and hearts in people’s eyes won’t pay the bills. If your shop closes because you forgot to charge people, you won’t get invited to weddings anymore, which would be the real tragedy, wouldn’t it?”
“No, the real tragedy is that I have five brothers and absolutelyzerosisters-in-law or nieces and nephews to spoil. How about that?”
Chuckling, he accepts a beer when Nix comes back, and tips it back for a sip. I accept a soda, and turn to the television to stare and pretend I’m watching.
“You’re worse than Mom, I swear.” Mitch knocks my knee with his arm. “You need to focus on your own shit and stop worrying about me and my love life.”
“And you need to stop swearing just because you’re not creative enough to come up with a better descriptor word.”
“Burn,” Nix teases. “Abby has all the sass lately. Did you notice?”
“I really did.” Mitch lifts a brow that used to mean a beatdown back when we were kids. “I don’t know where she’s picking it up, but I don’t like it at all.”
“It might be her new crowd.” Nix leans forward and tries to catch my eye. “Who is your crowd now, Abigail? Are they peer pressuring you and making you smoke?”
“Ew, no.” I scowl for real this time, and ignore the way my brothers stare at me from both sides. “Smoking is disgusting. You guys suck. And I’m really trying to watch this movie.”
“She said we suck!” Nix hoots. “Cheese and rice, somebody is in a bad mood today.”
They would be too, if they were living my life right now. I’m me, Abigail the Protected and Safe, but now I’m supremely confused about feelings I’m having for a man that does things to my body no man ever has before.
He admits he doesn’t do feelings, and challenges me to accept something fun.
“I don’t do fun!”
My face drains when I realize I spoke out loud, but all I get is a scoff from Mitch, and a thoughtful nod of Nix’s head.
“No shit. I don’t remember the last time you had fun, kiddo. You’re always working at the shop, always sitting on that cold floor and playing with your flowers. You send Nadia out to talk to the customers as often as you can, and speak only to the brides when they want to talk lovey-dovey shit. It’s not like I want you to go out and start clubbing or anything, but you live so far to the opposite extreme, you make me worry.”
I turn to him and smart off, “Ya know what, Nix? Let’s double date. You bring a nice girl to dinner, and I’ll ask a guy to be my date.”
“Hey now.” Mitch glowers. “Nobody said anything about you dating. He said have fun, get coffee on a Saturday morning with a friend.”