The Trouble with Crushes: A Romance (Bank Street Stories Book 2) Read online

  Mrs. King must have been surprised by the response because she let out an uncomfortable chuckle and patted me on the shoulder.

  "Abby came to eat lunch with us."

  "Oh, okay," Laney said nodding a little.

  She wasn't being rude enough for her mom to say anything, but she also wasn't acting right. It had been a while since I had seen her, and if I remembered right, that wasn't the most pleasant exchange either. My heart fell at her apparent disapproval, but Nancy acted like she didn't notice it.

  "I've got to get back to the kitchen," Nancy said, smiling. "I left your aunt in charge, and I'm not sure if that was such a good idea."

  Laney had her hands full, and she had turned to deal with the things she was carrying. A few of them were wrapped presents, and she left them on a bench in the entryway while still holding her other things. Mrs. King had walked off, and Laney was turned the other way, ignoring me, hoping I would walk off with her mom.

  "Hey, Laney," I said. I knew I shouldn't have talked to her, but I avoided conflict whenever possible and I simply hated it when someone was mad at me.

  "Hey," she said. She turned and started to head into the other room.

  "Hey, is something the matter?" I asked, reaching out to touch her arm. She looked at me with a stone-cold expression and pulled her arm away from me.

  "Gosh, Laney."

  "Gosh, Abby," she said, mocking me, staring at me.

  "What's your problem?" I asked.

  "You. I don't know why you can't just leave my brother alone."

  I flinched. I felt like her words made a physical impact on me. I blinked at her, trying to hold back the instant angry tears that rose to my eyes, stinging. "Thanks a lot," I said, being sarcastic, having nothing else.

  "Really, Abby. I can see what's going on here. He spends his whole life waiting for you, and the second he gives up and finds somebody else, you come back to toy with him again. I'm sorry, Abby, I like you as a person. But he's my brother and I love him. I'm protective of him and I'm gonna say something before I sit here and watch him get hurt by you again and again."

  I was shocked. I was speechless. I opened my mouth and then closed it again. I was already so torn up about my past choices with Daniel that her words cut me to the core.

  "Y-you really knew what you were going to say to me," I said, stunned. "You really just let it fly, just now, didn't you?"

  "Well, yeah, Abby. I'm not surprised you're here. I should have known you had something to do with him breaking up with Kelly. He came home from Thanksgiving at Billy's, talking about you being there."

  "But, your mom just had me in here thanking me for a letter I wrote him."

  I was sorry the instant it came out of my mouth. It was a desperate attempt at some sort of redemption, and Laney wasn't buying it, she just kept scowling at me.

  "Of course she did," she said. "My mom is clueless about my brother. God love her, but she's got her head in the sand when it comes to Daniel and all the crap he's had to go through. She just, her mind can't accept it when any of us goes through something hard. She doesn't even comprehend that he went over there and almost got killed about a hundred different times. She just blocks it out."

  My heart felt broken. I didn't know what to say.

  Just then, there was a knock on the door. "Knock, knock!" a lady called, opening the door right after she banged on it.

  "Hey, Aunt Lisa!" Laney said, acting like a different person. Her face had gone from a disgusted expression to one of bright holiday cheer. "Merry Christmas, y'all!" she said, welcoming them.

  A whole family, mom, dad, and three kids under the age of ten came trampling through the door. They were making so much noise and ruckus that I stepped out of the way to let them through.

  "Hello," the lady said to me as they came in.

  "Hello," I said, trying to smile at her even though I felt like I might explode into a million pieces.

  I bowed out of the entryway, headed toward the kitchen. There was a small hallway near the kitchen that led to a door on the side of the house. I hadn't been planning on going out of it. I had been headed to the kitchen where Daniel would come looking for me. But the sight of the great outdoors was too good to pass up.

  I felt compelled to make an emergency exit. I felt like if I didn’t get some fresh air I might pass out. Suddenly, the air inside was hard to breathe. My heart was racing and my nerves were getting the better of me. I was overwhelmed and doing my best to keep from bawling.

  My eyes watered, but I did not let myself cry. I walked down the small set of steps leading to the sidewalk, and I paced the few feet of grass between the path and the house. I walked three strides one way before turning around and walking the other way. No one was around, so I just walked in circles to get my nervous energy out. I took deep, calming breaths.

  I kept having flashes of things Laney said to me. She said her mom's head was in the sand. I saw a visual in my mind of Nancy King bending over with her head down in the sand like an ostrich.

  I imagined Daniel hurting.

  I thought of Laney knowing I was the one who hurt him.

  Daniel almost getting killed.

  Laney being mad at me.

  Me ignoring Daniel.

  Laney knowing that I ignored him.

  Thoughts and memories of the different things she said came to me in rapid succession. I felt sick to my stomach at how mad she had been.

  I knew and liked Laney. She was a nice girl, and I never would have dreamed she would act that way to someone—especially to me. To say I felt terrible would be putting it mildly. I wanted to crawl under a rock. I, at least, wanted to leave this house.

  Yes.

  Leave.

  I should and would leave this residence.

  I should do it posthaste.

  It was my only option.

  I patted my pockets, but my keys were in my purse, which was in the house. I had to get them. I took a deep breath as I headed back inside.

  Chapter 13

  Daniel

  Daniel had felt a lot of emotions in the last five years. He had packed a lot of living into that span of time. He had been places and seen and done things that most people never experienced in their entire lifetimes. He had lived through tragic loss and soaring victories. Out of necessity, he had learned how to control and ultimately suppress his emotions. He was normally practical and level-headed, not emotional at all.

  But then there was Abigail.

  She made him feel things that he couldn't suppress—things he didn't want to. She was there to spend Christmas with him and his family, and he was giddy and nervous as a result of it. He left Abby downstairs with his family while he went to his old room to shower and change clothes. He went fast, and it only took him fifteen minutes or so.

  He put on jeans and a striped sweater that he had worn before and he knew looked good on him. He smiled as he put it on, knowing she would say something about it.

  On his way out, he dug in his luggage and came up with a long, slender jewelry box. It contained a necklace he had bought for her when he was overseas. It was a beautifully cut rectangular emerald hanging from a delicate gold chain. He had bought it for Abby the week before she told him not to write anymore, and he hung onto it since then.

  Even during the time when he thought he wouldn't have her, he wasn't planning on giving the necklace to anyone else. He had bought it for Abby, and it was hers.

  He felt child-like excitement that he had it for her for Christmas. He considered taking it downstairs right then, but it was still early, and he had the rest of the day to surprise her with it. He stashed it in his suitcase and headed downstairs to meet her.

  More people had arrived at his house since he went upstairs. "Hey, Aunt Lisa," he said, coming into the kitchen.

  "Heyyy, you look so handsome, Danny-boy."

  "Thank you," he said, giving his aunt a hug. Laney was standing right there, and she reached out and hugged Daniel after Lisa let him go. He patt
ed her on the back and they exchanged Merry Christmases.

  "Where's Abby?" he asked, crossing the room, looking toward the living room for her.

  His mom was standing at the sink and she gestured behind him. "I think I saw her go out the side door," she said.

  Daniel turned and crossed to the hallway that led to the side entrance. He saw Abby through the window, and he smiled at her as he opened the door. She glanced up to look at him the second she heard the door. She smiled, but it was not the same smile she had been wearing earlier. This one was fake.

  His heart fell. "What happened?" he said.

  "Nothing. I was just coming inside. To get my purse."

  There was a small set of steps, and she stood at the bottom of it, looking up at him. Daniel stepped outside, letting the door close behind him. "Come here," he said, gently.

  "I thought we weren't doing that in front of your family," she replied, cutting her eyes toward the house as if someone was watching them.

  Daniel studied her, knowing something was wrong. "Abby, what's the matter? What happened?"

  She took a deep breath, staring up at him from the bottom of the steps. She tried to smile, but it faded quickly.

  "Come here," she said quietly, crooking her finger at him.

  Daniel instantly took the two steps downward, meeting her where she stood on the path. He tried to take her into his arms, but she stepped back.

  "They could be watching," she said. "And I don't want to make a scene or anything, but I think I need to leave. Would it be possible for you to help me get my purse out of the—"

  "Make a scene?" he asked, cutting her off. "What are you talking about?"

  "I said I don't want to make a scene," she said, as if that clarified anything. She gestured to the house. "I was wondering if it could be possible for you to run into the house and get my purse. It's in the kitchen on that little desk by the lamp."

  Daniel positioned his face right in front of hers, forcing her to look at him. "What is happening here?" he asked, staring at her, begging her to get back to how she was.

  She blinked, staring into his eyes for a few seconds before she took another deep, hopeless breath.

  "Listen, Daniel. I just want to leave quietly. It's Christmas, and I don't want to go back in there and give any more attention to this. Your family's here, and I'd really rather just go quietly. Please. Help me do that."

  His expression reflected his emotion—confused. "If you're talking about me trying to touch you in front of them, then just… we've talked about that already. I wasn't planning on doing that. I thought we had a plan."

  She let out a breath since he didn't at all understand what was going on. Daniel reached out and touched her arm. He tried to pull her into his arms, but she leaned back, gazing up at him.

  "Your sister," she said. She cleared her throat. "And she's right, that's why it's so embarrassing. I don't know what I was thinking. I should have known your family would know. I should have known they'd hate me. I feel so stupid."

  Daniel continued to stare patiently at her. "Abby, can you start at the beginning? And say it like a hundred times slower than you said it just now. What did my sister say to you?"

  Daniel was a no-nonsense, matter-of-fact guy, and he didn't plan on walking back inside until he had a reasonable conversation with her.

  She stared at him. Her brown eyes were everything to him. He had taken pleasure in getting lost in them since the first time he looked at her.

  She regarded him with a regretful expression. "Your sister is agitated with me, and I can't blame her," she said.

  "What did she say to you?" Daniel asked, looking defensive.

  "No, no, no, it's not her fault. She was just looking out for you."

  "What did she say?" Daniel asked. He took a deep breath. He was shaking with anger, thinking Laney had said something about Kelly. He tried not to let it show.

  "She knew you liked me," Abigail said. "She said I should have liked you back all those years, and she was right, Daniel."

  "That's all she said?" Daniel asked, looking confused again.

  "It's not just that she said it," Abigail said. "She was really mad at me. She doesn’t like me. I'm not saying that we need to stop things between us, Daniel, but I—"

  "I should hope not."

  "But I don't want to go back in there today," Abigail said. "You should just go have a nice Christmas with your family."

  He shook his head, wearing a serious expression. "You were trying to leave your sister's house last month when I saw you," he said.

  "Yeah," she agreed, not seeing his point.

  "Doesn’t that seem like a problem to you?"

  "What about it?" she asked.

  "That you just take off when you get uncomfortable."

  "What else would you do?" she asked.

  Daniel smiled at her because she actually didn't know. He reached a hand around her waist and pulled her to him. She didn't resist. She stared up at him, waiting to hear what he would say.

  "You need to stay and fight sometimes, Abigail."

  "I don't want to fight with your sister," she said. "Especially on Christmas."

  "You don't have to literally fight. You don't have to get mad and leave, and you don't have to fight with my sister if you stay. There are all sorts of things that can happen in the middle of those things."

  He held onto her. He wanted to keep a hand on her forever, never let her out of his grasp. There was just no way he was letting her leave this house being all flustered like she was—not over something so insignificant.

  "Listen, we'll go inside together. I'll tell Laney I need to see her upstairs about a Christmas present. No one will question it. We'll go up and talk for a minute."

  "No, see? That's too much. It's too confrontational."

  Daniel smiled patiently as he reached up and touched the side of her face. "If we don't talk to her, it'll never get settled, and if it never gets settled, you'll be uncomfortable all day."

  "Yes. That's why I was just going to go."

  His grin broadened slowly. "Still trying to run away?"

  "No," she said. "You're right. I'm sorry. Let's talk to her if you think it'll help."

  "It has to help," he said, pulling her inside. "There's no other acceptable option."

  Five minutes later, the three of them were in Daniel's old room. Abigail stood on one side, and Laney stood on the other, arms crossed. Daniel closed the door and then came to stand between them.

  "Did she tattle on me?" Laney asked.

  "Okay, Laney, I don't know what's the matter with you, but we're going to work this out right now," Daniel said. "Actually, it's not anything we need to work out," he corrected. "It's just something we need to establish. Laney, I need you to listen and hear me out." Daniel was unapologetic and direct, staring right at his sister.

  She nodded at him.

  He took a deep breath and glanced from one to the other—at two of the women he loved most in all the world. He focused on his sister.

  "I'm going to try to put this as plain and in as few words as possible, Laney, and if you don't understand where I'm coming from after that, we can talk more about it, okay?"

  She nodded.

  "I need you to understand something. The most hurtful, painful thing you could do to me would be to try to keep me and Abby apart. I know you love me and you think you're taking up for me, but listen closely. I. Love. Her."

  She let out a scoff.

  "Don't," he said resolutely. "Think about what you're doing, Laney, and know that if you hurt Abigail, you hurt me. If you really want to see that I'm the happiest I can be, you'll love her and welcome her, and you'll go down there and eat food and sing carols and whatever else you would normally do. She's one of us, Laney, and if you can't act like it, you'll be hurting me and not helping me."

  "Can I just say something?" Abigail asked.

  They both looked at her, and she shrank back just a little. She was looking directly at Laney. "
I just want to tell you that you're right. With the way I was in the past, you would be smart to try to get me to stay away from your brother. But I've changed, Laney. I promise I have."

  She was sincere and vulnerable, and Daniel went to stand next to her. He pulled her next to him, wrapping his arm protectively around her. Abigail glanced at him with a small, thankful smile before looking at Laney again.

  "Even if she didn't change, I don't care. I wanted her then and I want her now. Just listen to me and hear my voice. I'm telling you if you want me to be happy, you'll do whatever you can to keep Abby coming around."

  "Forgive me," Abby added, speaking sincerely to Laney. "Please forgive me and let me start over with your brother. I know I didn't deserve him or his loyalty back then, and I might not even now, but I'm… my heart is… I will be good to him."

  Laney looked them over, taking in their proximity. "Are you guys supposed to be together or something? Are you going steady with each other now?"

  "Yes," Daniel said.

  And at the same time Abigail said, "No."

  Laney and Daniel both looked at Abigail.

  "I was saying that for y'all," she insisted with her hands raised. "So it didn't seem like too much." She looked at Daniel. "You and I talked about not saying anything to your family."

  Daniel had one arm on her, but he pulled her closer, demonstrating just how steady they were going.

  "Yeah, I know we said that, but now that we're already in this situation, I think Laney can see that we're together. I think she probably already gets the idea."

  "Yes, then," Abby said, looking at Laney. "We're together. We're definitely together."

  Sheer excitement flooded Daniel's body when he heard her say those words out loud. Or maybe it was that she was standing there letting him hold onto her in front of Laney. Either way, he was all stirred-up inside.

  "We're definitely together," he agreed.

  Chapter 14

  Abigail

  "My brother is just never going to get over you," Laney said, staring straight at me. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and shook her head, looking at me as if she was trying to understand. But her stony countenance had changed. She was being lighthearted, and the sight of it caused me to experience a flood of relief.