Chasing Abby(42)

“What did you say to her?” Claire asks when Jimi is gone.
Chris continues to cut his waffle, unimpressed with Jimi’s emotional exit. “I told her that I locked her cell phone in the safe. She’s not bringing it to the beach house.”
Caleb and I glance at each other, unsure what to say. I don’t know if I should acknowledge that I’m the reason Jimi is in a bad mood. Maybe I should just offer to leave. I open my mouth to speak, but Chris puts up his hand.
“Don’t let her get to you. This has nothing to do with you being here.”
“I’m not sure that’s true,” I reply. “I really don’t want to ruin her summer.”
Claire stares at the plate of waffles in the center of the table and Chris grabs her hand before he looks me in the eye. “I’ll admit that I’ve spoiled Jimi. After losing you, it was hard not to channel all the love we felt for you into her. We doted on her and treated her like a princess. But we also raised her to be loving and helpful. She knows that we’ve been looking forward to meeting you for a very long time. She may be sixteen, but she’s a bright girl. She knows this behavior is not welcoming. So she’ll just have to deal with the consequences of her actions until she decides she’s ready to approach this situation from a place of maturity.”
I nod when he’s done speaking. For some reason, I feel a bit chastised, like I’m not allowed to stick up for Jimi. Then I realize, this is what it feels like to have siblings. You fight and your parents try to keep the peace. But, inevitably, someone ends up in trouble. Then a bit of time passes and everyone loves each other again.
I don’t like being a source of anguish for Jimi, but maybe this tension will change us for the better.
“You want to ride with us to the beach house?” Caleb asks Junior, and I’m grateful to put an end to the heavy silence.
“Really? Can I drive?”
Chris and Caleb laugh. “No, but I’ll put the top down and you can sit in the back.”
“I’ll take that.”
I glance at Claire and she’s smiling at Junior. Then she reaches across the table and squeezes Chris’s hand. “Go talk to her.”
Chris nods and turns to Caleb as he stands from the table. “Are you sure you don’t mind taking him with you?”
“Not at all. I like his style,” Caleb replies and Junior grins.
Chris looks a little leery of Caleb’s friendliness, as if he suspects Caleb of trying to get on his good side. I smile as I realize I have two fathers who want to protect me from Caleb. How lucky am I?



Chapter 18 - Chris


“MAKE IT QUICK,” Claire says, grabbing my wallet off the dresser and handing it to me. “I want to make it to the beach house before eight. And… I have a surprise for you.”
“A surprise?” I say, tucking my wallet into the back pocket of my jeans. “Does it involve nudity?” I grab her hips and pull her toward me so her breasts are pressed against my chest.
She lets out a nervous giggle as I brush my lips over the length of her slender neck. “Maybe. Just hurry up, okay?”
I take her face in my hands and look her in the eye. “In that case, I’ll be back in a flash. Do I need to pick up anything on the way home? Massage oil? Whipped cream? Batteries?”
She shakes her head and pushes me away. “Just go have your drink and come back soon.”
I slap her ass as I walk out of the bedroom and she yelps. “See you later, babe.”
I rush out of the house and slide into the driver’s seat of my Jaguar. One of my many regrets I have as a father is that I taught my children to appreciate the feeling of being behind the wheel of a fast car. I used to set Jimi and Junior in my lap when they were much smaller and let them steer while I drove around empty parking lots. I regret it because now they refuse to drive the safer self-driving cars. They want to grab that steering wheel and command the road.