I didn’t even realize I was still backing up until I hit the front door.
Jax slid her fingers into her panties and started to pull them down until I practically screamed, “Stop!”
She froze.
“I’m not fucking you, Jax. I’m not doing that.”
With a carefree shrug, she replied, “Then make love to me. I don’t care.” She reached behind her back and undid her bra, letting it fall down her arms.
“Damn it,” I swore as I grabbed for a blanket on the arm of a chair and covered her up. “Jax, I can’t do this. I don’t want to do this.”
She smiled and took a few steps back. Reaching down, she picked up her bra and sweater. “You don’t want to do this, Bishop, because you’re still in love with her. The two of you need to talk.”
I pushed my hand into my hair and sighed.
“It’s okay to be angry with her,” Jax said. “But you’ll never truly be able to move on until you let go of the past. She clearly wants to talk, so talk it out. Let her say what she wants to say, and if things don’t work out, you know where to find me.”
I dropped my head back and let out a low groan. “Shit, Jax…I’m so sorry.”
“You don’t have anything to be sorry about. Let me go change, and we can have that dinner. Then you need to go home and do some serious thinking.”
Abby
Arabella opened the door to her little cottage and smiled. She was dressed in jeans and a light blue sweater. Her blonde hair was pulled up into a sloppy bun on top of her head and her blue eyes sparkled.
She tilted her head. “You’re up and about early.”
I smiled. “I was hoping you were still an early riser. Do you have some time this morning to chat? I have something to run by you.”
She motioned for me to come in. “You want some coffee?” she asked as she walked toward her kitchen. The little cottage was decorated almost exactly the same way it was two years ago.
“Sure, no cream or sugar.”
She gasped. “What? No sugar? When did you give that up?”
I walked over to the cabinet that I remembered held her coffee cups. “Cups still in here?”
With a nod, she replied, “Yep.”
“I gave up sugar pretty much after I filed for divorce from Bishop. Truth be told, I almost gave up eating entirely. I was in pretty bad shape for a while. Then I met Carol. She won’t admit it, but she really pulled me out of the hole I had fallen into.”
Arabella gave me a warm smile. “I’m glad you met someone in Boston who was there for you.”
I leaned against the counter and chewed on my lip as I looked down at the cupcakes sitting on the table before I glanced back up. “I’m really sorry I haven’t been in touch with you. It was pretty crappy of me to just leave like that.”
Arabella shrugged. “You already said you were sorry at least a dozen times. You’re forgiven, Abby. You did what you thought you needed to do at the time. Who am I to judge? I did pretty much the same thing, except I ran to this little cottage and hid out here.”
I pressed my lips tightly together and thought about whether I wanted to broach the subject of Hunter. “Do you, um, ever see Hunter?”
Arabella’s back was to me as she spoke. “Every now and then. It’s hard, though, ya know?”
I nodded. “Believe me, I know. After seeing Bishop the other day and having him pretty much kick me out of our…I mean…his house, well, it sucked ass. Not to mention he made it pretty clear…” She handed me the cup of coffee. “Thanks. Anyway, he made it clear he was dating someone.”
Scrunching up her face, Arabella blew on her coffee. “I can’t imagine that felt good. At least when you were in Boston, you didn’t know what he was doing.” She glanced down at her coffee, and I could see the sadness move over her face. “Living here in Boggy Creek and seeing Hunter dating…it’s been so hard. There have been so many times I’ve wanted to just stand on top of a mountain and scream. Somehow, I always thought if I did that, he would hear it and magically understand. It’s hard, hearing about him being with other women. Though I don’t blame him one bit.”
“Doesn’t make it hurt any less, I’m sure.” I took a sip of coffee, then set it down. “You know, you should stand on top of a mountain and scream. We both should.”
Arabella laughed sadly. “I’ve been running from my past for so long, Abs. I don’t think I know what normal life feels like anymore. I mean, this last year I’ve felt a bit normal. I’ve gotten out more, gone to lunches with Greer and Willa. It helped—and don’t you dare say you’re sorry again, Abby!”
I reached for her hand, and she gave it to me. “Do you still have nightmares?”
She nodded. “Yes. All the time. I still look over my shoulder when I’m in town. I sometimes feel like I’ll never be able to get away from it.”
Arabella closed her eyes.
“You know what?” I said. “We need to do it.”
She gave me a sweet smile. “Do what?”
“Climb the mountain and scream!”
Chuckling, she said, “I was kidding.”
“I’m not, Arabella. Let’s do it. Kyle can take us. You know how much he loves to hike up in the White Mountains. We’ll be safe with him.”
She chewed on her lip. “It’s tempting. But it’s been snowing a lot already, and I’m sure the mountains have gotten even more.”
I reached for my phone in my back pocket and pulled up Kyle’s number. “Then let’s have Kyle decide. I’m making the arrangements before you say no!”
The phone rang while Arabella simply shook her head.
“Hey, Abby. It’s weird seeing your name pop up on my phone,” Kyle said with a soft chuckle.
The sound of a dog whining filtered through the line. “Is there a dog there?”
Kyle laughed. “Yeah. It’s my new partner.”
“Wait, your new partner is a dog, or they’re just making dog sounds?”
Another laugh. God, it felt so good to talk and be around my friends.
“It’s a puppy. Her name is Cat. She’s going to be coming home with me in a few days to start training as a K9.”
“Wait, you named your dog…Cat?”
“Yes, I did.”
“Um, why?”
“It’s short for a name.”
I opened my mouth, then shut it. “What’s it short for?”
“Don’t ask that.”
My mind raced to figure out why a man like Kyle would name his K9…Cat. And then it hit me.
“Oh my God! I know why! I know why!” I shouted as I smiled. Turning to Arabella, I said, “Kyle is getting a puppy, but she’s going to be his partner. And her name is Cat!”
“I thought police dogs were male?” Arabella said. “You’re with Arabella?” Kyle asked.
“Yep, don’t change the subject, Kyle Larson. You named that dog after—”
“Abby Harris, I swear to God. Shut up now, and I’ll do anything you want me to.”
I covered my mouth with my hand while Arabella stared at me with a confused look. “Anything?”