this whole idea
of getting me to work at the bank right when there's going to be a battle with
the O'Briens that was bound to bring Abby back to town."
"You mean that possible foreclosure at the inn?" she asked
innocently. "Do you think that's why Abby's here?"
"Don't you?"
"I suppose that makes sense," she conceded. "Abby's always been
smart about business, and she's always been the first one Jess turns to."
"And none of that crossed your mind when you heard about the bank
foreclosing on Jess's property? Or when you heard that Dad was dragging me back
here?"
"Believe it or not, I don't spend a lot of my spare time coming up with
conspiracies with Dad. And if it had been up to me, you'd still be in New York,
and I'd be in that big corner office at the bank dealing with Jess."
"Okay, then," Trace said, deciding he might as well take her at her
word. He was probably imagining a conspiracy where none existed. After all,
Abby was here and he was just about one hundred percent certain to see her. How
that inevitable confrontation had been set into motion hardly mattered. He just
had to brace himself for it, so he didn't make a complete fool of himself when
they crossed paths. Throwing her across his desk and kissing her was probably a
bad idea. And actually he hoped he wouldn't want to.
*
* *
Gram fixed a Sunday dinner that could have fed an army and
insisted that all of them sit down at the table together, including Caitlyn and
Carrie, whose table manners left a lot to be desired. Still, Abby thought they
provided an excellent buffer between her sister and her father. Jess was
shooting distrustful glances at Mick, to which he seemed to be oblivious. He
kept asking questions about the inn that were supposedly innocent. Under the
circumstances, though, they were as highly charged as an entire crate of
explosives.
"No business at the table," Gram finally said when Jess looked as if
she was about to throw down her napkin and bolt. "I'm sure we can think of
other things to talk about. After all, when was the last time we had a chance
to be together under this roof? Let's make this meal as special as the occasion
calls for."
"How are Uncle Jeff and Uncle Tom?" Abby asked, seizing on the first
thing that came to mind.
"How would I know?" Mick responded bitterly. The implication in his
tone was that he didn't much care, either. Obviously neither time nor Gram had
mellowed his mood when it came to his brothers.
The breakup of the business partnership had taken a personal toll. It had
exposed all of the philosophical and environmental differences of the brothers.
Since like all O'Briens, none of them were willing to back down from a stance,
working together had been a really bad idea from the beginning. That they'd
actually completed Chesapeake Shores at all had been a miracle.
Gram scowled at Mick, then turned to Abby. "They're fine. Tom's working on
legislation to protect the bay and trying to get funding to clean up the waters
of both the bay and its tributaries. Jeff's running the management company that
handles the leases on the shops downtown. His daughter, Susie, is working for
him."
"Gosh, I haven't seen Susie in ages," Abby said. "She was still
a kid when I left for New York."
"She graduated from college last year," Jess said. "Magna cum
laude, right, Gram?"
Gram ignored the hint of sarcasm in Jess's voice and said evenly, "I
believe that's right. Jeff was real proud of her."
"How's your mother, Abby?" Mick suddenly blurted. "You see her,
don't you?"
Abby saw the deep hurt in his eyes and felt the same pity she always did when
her mother plied her with questions about the rest of the family. "We get
together for lunch every couple of weeks and she spends time with the girls on
Saturdays when she can. She's doing well. She loves living in the city."
"I'm sure she does," Mick said with undisguised bitterness, clamping
his mouth shut when Abby pointedly nodded toward the girls to remind him that
they didn't need to
of getting me to work at the bank right when there's going to be a battle with
the O'Briens that was bound to bring Abby back to town."
"You mean that possible foreclosure at the inn?" she asked
innocently. "Do you think that's why Abby's here?"
"Don't you?"
"I suppose that makes sense," she conceded. "Abby's always been
smart about business, and she's always been the first one Jess turns to."
"And none of that crossed your mind when you heard about the bank
foreclosing on Jess's property? Or when you heard that Dad was dragging me back
here?"
"Believe it or not, I don't spend a lot of my spare time coming up with
conspiracies with Dad. And if it had been up to me, you'd still be in New York,
and I'd be in that big corner office at the bank dealing with Jess."
"Okay, then," Trace said, deciding he might as well take her at her
word. He was probably imagining a conspiracy where none existed. After all,
Abby was here and he was just about one hundred percent certain to see her. How
that inevitable confrontation had been set into motion hardly mattered. He just
had to brace himself for it, so he didn't make a complete fool of himself when
they crossed paths. Throwing her across his desk and kissing her was probably a
bad idea. And actually he hoped he wouldn't want to.
*
* *
Gram fixed a Sunday dinner that could have fed an army and
insisted that all of them sit down at the table together, including Caitlyn and
Carrie, whose table manners left a lot to be desired. Still, Abby thought they
provided an excellent buffer between her sister and her father. Jess was
shooting distrustful glances at Mick, to which he seemed to be oblivious. He
kept asking questions about the inn that were supposedly innocent. Under the
circumstances, though, they were as highly charged as an entire crate of
explosives.
"No business at the table," Gram finally said when Jess looked as if
she was about to throw down her napkin and bolt. "I'm sure we can think of
other things to talk about. After all, when was the last time we had a chance
to be together under this roof? Let's make this meal as special as the occasion
calls for."
"How are Uncle Jeff and Uncle Tom?" Abby asked, seizing on the first
thing that came to mind.
"How would I know?" Mick responded bitterly. The implication in his
tone was that he didn't much care, either. Obviously neither time nor Gram had
mellowed his mood when it came to his brothers.
The breakup of the business partnership had taken a personal toll. It had
exposed all of the philosophical and environmental differences of the brothers.
Since like all O'Briens, none of them were willing to back down from a stance,
working together had been a really bad idea from the beginning. That they'd
actually completed Chesapeake Shores at all had been a miracle.
Gram scowled at Mick, then turned to Abby. "They're fine. Tom's working on
legislation to protect the bay and trying to get funding to clean up the waters
of both the bay and its tributaries. Jeff's running the management company that
handles the leases on the shops downtown. His daughter, Susie, is working for
him."
"Gosh, I haven't seen Susie in ages," Abby said. "She was still
a kid when I left for New York."
"She graduated from college last year," Jess said. "Magna cum
laude, right, Gram?"
Gram ignored the hint of sarcasm in Jess's voice and said evenly, "I
believe that's right. Jeff was real proud of her."
"How's your mother, Abby?" Mick suddenly blurted. "You see her,
don't you?"
Abby saw the deep hurt in his eyes and felt the same pity she always did when
her mother plied her with questions about the rest of the family. "We get
together for lunch every couple of weeks and she spends time with the girls on
Saturdays when she can. She's doing well. She loves living in the city."
"I'm sure she does," Mick said with undisguised bitterness, clamping
his mouth shut when Abby pointedly nodded toward the girls to remind him that
they didn't need to
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