with my boyfriend. I shouldn’t have stretch marks. I shouldn’t—” Abbie bit her lip as tears rolled down her face. I stretched my arm around her shoulders and she leaned into me. “I shouldn’t complain, I know. Owen’s awesome. I’m crazy about him. I just . . .”
“I know,” I said.
She righted herself, still sniffling. “Sorry I ruined things for you.”
“You didn’t ruin anything. He still asked me out. And this way, when people ask how we met, we have a cute story.”
“So you like him?”
“We had a lot of fun.”
She wiped her nose with the back of her hand. “You like him more than Connor?”
I hesitated. “I can’t compare them. Connor . . .”
There were so many ways to finish that sentence. Connor was my first love. He’d taken care of me when I’d been an afterthought to everyone else. His family had practically adopted me. That couldn’t be erased by one date.
“Connor’s special,” Abbie finished for me.
I frowned. I didn’t want it phrased that way. “Connor hurt me. Justin hasn’t.”
“Give it time.”
I snorted. “So cynical.”
“Not cynical, just honest.” Abbie shrugged. “Even the best guy’s going to screw up every once in a while. You’re in love with Connor. He’s in love with you. I think you should put this whole Jodi mess behind you and make up.”
I drew in a ragged breath. I hated talking about this. “I told Connor she was after him. He didn’t listen.”
“He regrets that now.”
“But what—” I stopped and looked at her. “Do you two talk about me?”
Abbie shrugged.
“Well, don’t. Or at least when you do, pretend to be on my side.”
“Oh, I do.” Abbie grinned. “Believe me, I let him have it. But truthfully, I think it’s time to let it go and get on with it. Forgive him.”
I sighed and looked across the street at Justin’s inviting house.
Abbie followed my gaze. “Oh, come on. You just met the guy.”
“Exactly.” I leaned back on the bench. “It’s nice. Having a clean slate.”
I felt her looking at me. “Connor doesn’t care about your past, Skylar. He’s proven that by now.”
“Doesn’t it ever feel weird with you and Chris? He’s lived this perfect, saintly life and—”
“And I have a baby? It’s not that I don’t get what you’re feeling, because I do. But wouldn’t it be stupid of me to throw away my relationship with Chris just because he’s such a good guy?” Before I could answer, Abbie continued. “Stop making excuses. You’re being a huge chicken, and you know it.”
I forced a laugh. “How am I being a chicken?”
“I know you’re thinking about staying in Hawaii longer than the summer. That’s being a chicken.”
“That’s really none of your—”
“Business? Well, last winter when you told me I was being a chicken for planning to move to Hawaii, it wasn’t any of your business either.”
I swallowed. “That’s different. You’d have been leaving school. But I’m supposed to be going away to college anyway—” “And if you had a college you wanted to go to, that’d be one thing. You don’t. You want to get away from Connor. You’re running away.”
I clamped my mouth shut. She made too much sense for me to argue.
“Just leave me alone, Abbie,” I said as tears squeezed from the corners of my eyes.
And miraculously, she did.
“Skylar.” A male voice. Vaguely familiar. Again: “Skylar.” Something poked my side. “Skylar, wake up.”
I cracked open my eyes to find Justin squatted next to me. Where on earth . . . ?
I winced as I sat and took in my surroundings—the front porch. From the ache of my muscles, I’d spent the night here on the bench. I vaguely recalled lying down.
“What time is it?” I asked.
“A little after five. I was getting in my truck to go to work and saw what turned out to be your cell phone blinking. And then I noticed you. Everything okay?”
I still had on my makeup and date clothes. I’d come home from our
“I know,” I said.
She righted herself, still sniffling. “Sorry I ruined things for you.”
“You didn’t ruin anything. He still asked me out. And this way, when people ask how we met, we have a cute story.”
“So you like him?”
“We had a lot of fun.”
She wiped her nose with the back of her hand. “You like him more than Connor?”
I hesitated. “I can’t compare them. Connor . . .”
There were so many ways to finish that sentence. Connor was my first love. He’d taken care of me when I’d been an afterthought to everyone else. His family had practically adopted me. That couldn’t be erased by one date.
“Connor’s special,” Abbie finished for me.
I frowned. I didn’t want it phrased that way. “Connor hurt me. Justin hasn’t.”
“Give it time.”
I snorted. “So cynical.”
“Not cynical, just honest.” Abbie shrugged. “Even the best guy’s going to screw up every once in a while. You’re in love with Connor. He’s in love with you. I think you should put this whole Jodi mess behind you and make up.”
I drew in a ragged breath. I hated talking about this. “I told Connor she was after him. He didn’t listen.”
“He regrets that now.”
“But what—” I stopped and looked at her. “Do you two talk about me?”
Abbie shrugged.
“Well, don’t. Or at least when you do, pretend to be on my side.”
“Oh, I do.” Abbie grinned. “Believe me, I let him have it. But truthfully, I think it’s time to let it go and get on with it. Forgive him.”
I sighed and looked across the street at Justin’s inviting house.
Abbie followed my gaze. “Oh, come on. You just met the guy.”
“Exactly.” I leaned back on the bench. “It’s nice. Having a clean slate.”
I felt her looking at me. “Connor doesn’t care about your past, Skylar. He’s proven that by now.”
“Doesn’t it ever feel weird with you and Chris? He’s lived this perfect, saintly life and—”
“And I have a baby? It’s not that I don’t get what you’re feeling, because I do. But wouldn’t it be stupid of me to throw away my relationship with Chris just because he’s such a good guy?” Before I could answer, Abbie continued. “Stop making excuses. You’re being a huge chicken, and you know it.”
I forced a laugh. “How am I being a chicken?”
“I know you’re thinking about staying in Hawaii longer than the summer. That’s being a chicken.”
“That’s really none of your—”
“Business? Well, last winter when you told me I was being a chicken for planning to move to Hawaii, it wasn’t any of your business either.”
I swallowed. “That’s different. You’d have been leaving school. But I’m supposed to be going away to college anyway—” “And if you had a college you wanted to go to, that’d be one thing. You don’t. You want to get away from Connor. You’re running away.”
I clamped my mouth shut. She made too much sense for me to argue.
“Just leave me alone, Abbie,” I said as tears squeezed from the corners of my eyes.
And miraculously, she did.
“Skylar.” A male voice. Vaguely familiar. Again: “Skylar.” Something poked my side. “Skylar, wake up.”
I cracked open my eyes to find Justin squatted next to me. Where on earth . . . ?
I winced as I sat and took in my surroundings—the front porch. From the ache of my muscles, I’d spent the night here on the bench. I vaguely recalled lying down.
“What time is it?” I asked.
“A little after five. I was getting in my truck to go to work and saw what turned out to be your cell phone blinking. And then I noticed you. Everything okay?”
I still had on my makeup and date clothes. I’d come home from our
Similar Books
