Page 9 of Unsaid Things

Chapter Five

Dinner was full of laughter and conversation—even Jon cracked his impassive facade, telling embarrassing stories of Lance and his sisters, much to Abby’s delight. Peter got a kick out of it, too, though it was clear he’d already heard the stories about Marissa. And no wonder. He was practically part of the family already, comfortable and sure of his welcome in this tight-knit clan. Maybe someday Abby would feel the same way, but the barrier of two thousand miles seemed difficult to conquer. She’d never be able to spend the time with Lance’s family that Peter did.

What would it be like if they were to move here after she graduated in a year and a half? Nice as it was to fantasize about weekly or even monthly dinners with Lance’s family and the excitement of living in a major metropolitan area, reality soon came crashing back.

Leaving her mom for a week had been hard enough. Moving away from her would be impossible. And there were too many hurdles to moving her mom with them—like what it would mean for her mom’s Social Security payments—not the least of which would be convincing her mom. No, there would be no comfortable and happy family dinners in Abby’s future. Not like this, anyway.

The next day Lance took her around town to show her where he grew up, driving by the high school and stopping by his dad’s shop. Jon came out to greet them as they got out of the car, wiping his hands on a greasy rag.

“Well, I wasn’t sure you’d ever grace this place with your presence again.”

Lance closed Abby’s door for her, a smirk on his face. “I know, I know. But I wanted to show Abby what I’m giving up to be with her.”

Jon waved them in through an open bay door. Peter looked out at them from under the hood of a car, holding up a hand in greeting before going back to work. Lance ushered Abby into the office area. Marissa sat behind a counter talking on the phone, scheduling someone to come in for service. The waiting area was furnished with comfortable vinyl armchairs, a low coffee table covered with magazines, and a television tuned to some daytime soap opera in the corner. A soda machine and candy machine stood side by side, a water cooler next to them, and a small table with carafes of coffee and hot water for tea and hot chocolate.

As soon as her call ended, Marissa came out from behind the counter, surprising Abby by giving her a hug. “I didn’t expect to see you until after work.” She pulled back, tucking her hair behind her ear. “Okay, so the plan is that I’ll text Gabby when I’m ready for you guys, probably around six, and she’ll drive you two over in her car. Is that okay?”

“Yeah. That sounds great.”

“Good. We’ll get pizza. Do you have any preference for toppings?”

Abby shook her head. “Not really. Get whatever you want. I can pick off anything I don’t like.”

Marissa opened her mouth to respond, but the phone rang. She turned her head to look at the desk, then glanced back at Abby. “Hold that thought.” Reaching over the desk, she picked up the phone. “Kane Automotive, can you hold one moment please?” She pushed a few buttons and set the phone down, turning to face Lance. “Mom texted me a half an hour ago. She said to tell you that if you came by that you should stop torturing Abby by giving her the most boring tour of Denton imaginable and let her take her shopping. Now, I have to get back to work.” She gave Abby a wink. “I’ll see you later.”

Lance laughed, and Jon clapped him on the back. “Call your mom and tell her to come pick up your girlfriend. You can help Peter and me get through these cars faster.”

“Putting me to work, Dad? You gonna pay me my usual rate?”

Jon laughed. “Consider it your Christmas present to me and the people who’ll get their cars back.”

Lance shook his head, but said, “Okay, fine. Let me just call Mom. I’ll meet you out there once I’m done.” Jon waved and went through the door back into the garage. Turning to Abby, Lance bent and dropped a kiss on her lips before pulling out his phone. “You okay with going shopping with my mom while I get put to work?”

Abby shrugged, a half smile on her lips. “I guess so. It doesn’t sound like either of us has much choice in the matter.”

Lance wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close, letting his forehead rest against hers. “We could tell them both no and do whatever we want. But I think my mom would really like to get to know you without me around. And she wants me to spend time with my dad. Things haven’t been the same between us since I left to come back to you, so it might clear the air if I do this. But if you’re not comfortable, say the word, and I’ll whisk you away to spend the afternoon with me. You’ve already been coerced into spending the evening with my sisters. I don’t want you to feel overwhelmed.”

Abby gave him the best smile she could muster. “I’ll be fine. If you think working with your dad will help the both of you, then you should do it. I’d like to get to know your mom, anyway.”

He seemed to buy it, since he kissed her once more and pulled back, tapping the face of his phone to call his mom. When he finished talking to her, he pulled the car keys out of his pocket and held them out to Abby. “She said you should drive back to the house, and she’ll take you out for lunch.”

“What about you? Aren’t you getting hungry?”

He shrugged one shoulder. “I’ll be fine. I can order something to eat here. Or steal Marissa’s lunch.”

“Hey!” Marissa yelled. “I heard that!”

Lance grimaced. “Nah. I probably won’t do that. It’s probably some girly salad or something. Or a dry sandwich and low-fat yogurt. I’ll have to figure something else out.”

Abby took the keys from his hand, feeling weird driving Lance’s mom’s car, even if it was just a few miles. “Um, okay. If you’re sure.”

“I’m sure, sweetheart. Go have fun with my mom. I’ll see you before you go hang with my sisters, okay?”

She nodded, giving him a smile. “Okay. Sounds good.”

He programmed his parents’ address into the GPS app on her phone before walking her out to the car, kissing her thoroughly against the car and saying goodbye. Peter catcalled from the open garage door, bringing a blush to Abby’s cheeks. Lance smiled widely, smacked her ass, and opened the car door. “See you later.”

“Bye.”

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