Saved by Love (Willow Valley Book 3)(13)

Abby.

The look in her eyes made him feel sick. As if he was exactly what she was afraid of all along.

After a few more minutes he was able to safely tuck away the guilt into the space that he relegated it to, always with him but at a livable distance. He had to talk to Abby and make her understand that what she saw wasn't what she thought. The problem was, she had nothing to base that on. They had only just met. But he wasn't ready to let go of her just yet.

***

What an idiot! She should have known better, but in a matter of days she'd already let herself get too caught up in Ethan. She'd kept her distance since the night at the Old Gin, but he hadn't been far from her thoughts. And this was exactly what she should have expected.

As Abby brooded over a cup of coffee at a corner table in Cassie's bakery, she barely noticed the customers that came in and out of the shop. In fact, she was trying very hard not to pay attention, hoping that she wouldn't catch sight of Ethan and that woman outside. When she'd walked in, Cassie must have immediately known something was wrong, because even though she was swamped with customers, she’d pushed a cup of coffee and a donut into Abby's hands and commanded her to sit down and wait until the rush died off.

"Don't like donuts?"

Abby glanced up to see Cassie smiling down at her, two steaming mugs in her hand. She set one in front of Abby, then sat down with hers in the chair next to Abby. Looking around the bakery, she saw that a young girl had now taken over the front counter and Cassie had removed her frilly pink apron. From the looks of it, she was either done for the day or on a break.

Abby pushed her cold coffee to the side and lifted the new mug, getting a whiff of chocolatey goodness. "Hot chocolate?" She raised her eyebrows.

"There is a time and a place for a woman to have chocolate, and right now seems like that time. Coffee just isn't going to cut it." Cassie gave her a sympathetic look. "You want to talk about it?"

"Am I that obvious?"

Cassie smiled. "Not necessarily. But I happened to see what was going on outside right as you came in. And the look on your face made it pretty clear that you weren't happy about it."

Abby dropped her head hands. "Ugh. I really don't have time for something like this."

"I know we don't know each other that well, but I think time isn't what you're lacking in this situation." Cassie's voice was soft, and Abby looked up to study her closely. It was true, she didn't know her that well, and opening up to strangers wasn't really her cup of tea, but something about Cassie seemed so kind and caring that she found herself talking before she could think better of it.

"I just don't have it in me to deal with the drama of getting involved with a guy right now. Honestly, I don't know if I'll ever be ready for it." That was a depressing thought. She was only twenty-five. Had she already resigned herself to being an old spinster? "Especially with a guy like Ethan."

Cassie reached out and placed a hand gently on hers. "Do you really have him pegged already? He's not a bad guy, Abby."

"You said you saw the same thing I did. And, well, look at the guy. You can't tell me that someone that looks like him isn't a total heartbreaker."

Cassie shook her head, strands of her blonde hair falling out of her ponytail. "I won't deny that women are pretty regularly throwing themselves at him. And he does date around. But he's definitely not one of those guys that flies through women, leaving a trail of broken hearts in his wake. That girl you saw—Marissa is her name—she's his ex-girlfriend. The only serious one I think he's ever had."

"If you're trying to make a case for him, you're doing a pretty terrible job." Abby made a face and took a sip of her hot chocolate, then looked back at Cassie with wide eyes. "Oh my gosh, this is amazing. I thought it was kind of crazy to have hot chocolate when it's not even cold outside yet, but this is better than ice cream if you're looking to drown your sorrows."

Cassie laughed. "So you are upset about this."

Abby rolled her eyes. "It's crazy. Ridiculous. I don't even know the guy. I literally just met him two days ago. But I don't know, Cassie—and don't you tell Lissa—I just can't get him out of my head."

"That's what I thought," Cassie said, smiling over the rim of her mug. "Maybe I've turned into a hopeless romantic, but the way you guys were looking at each other the other night... It was swoon-worthy."

Burying her face in her hands again, Abby laughed, in spite of the way her insides were all twisted up. "Then how do you explain that—whatever it was—with Marissa?"

Cassie shrugged. "They broke up over a year ago. And nobody knows why. It's weird. You'd think Lissa or her mother would have sniffed it out by now, but nope. All I know is that they went on this trip up to the mountains together, and when they came back, that was it."

Abby was struck again with how much everybody in this town seemed to know everything about everyone else. Yet no one knew about this.

"Anyway, they pretty much avoid each other like the plague now. So whatever that was, I'm certain it wasn't what it looked like. If I'm not mistaken, she grabbed him when he was just walking by. If you're worried about getting your heart broken or something, I can't guarantee anything, but I do think he's a good guy." She shrugged, then gave Abby a grin. "And if you pass up on the chemistry I saw between you two, you're just crazy."