Page 13 of Long Hard Fall

It’s all going to be all right.

It hadn’t been since then.

She glanced at the time. She had an hour before she had to meet Cash. Flutters tickled her belly.

Looking forward to seeing him again? No, just relieved to be able to talk about her brother and that was it. Had to be. She couldn’t sniff around Cash for anything more. Hey, Mom and Dad, not only did I meet this guy as a random hookup, but he’s Perry’s friend. You know, one of the ones that ignored us after he died?

Perry hadn’t been close to many men he was deployed with, complained it was hard to meet a woman when he chose a male-dominated field like infantry. But he’d gushed about the Walkers.

Abbi groaned and flopped back. Another memory of chatting with Perry tugged at her.

“Reno’s awesome, Abbi, the exact opposite of Ellis. You need to find a guy somewhere in between. Not Reno, not Ellis, but a normal guy who’ll treat you right, one that’s Perry-approved.”

She’d been warned off Cash before she’d even known him. Then she’d been warned off him again when she’d gotten to town. And who had landed in her bed? And who made her insides molten when she thought of having lunch with him?

She groaned and rolled over. Her first instinct was to hit her makeup and do her hair, but she talked herself down. She wasn’t as worried about presentation as Ellis, no longer had to be the poster child for his growing financial advisor business.

But she had some pride. She pushed herself up and went to the bathroom. Throwing her hair up into a ponytail, she evaluated her outfit. Black athletic leggings and a running sweater with neon piping. Ironically, she’d thrown it on after her run earlier this morning.

This little vacation was earning its worth just being able to hang out in comfortable clothing all day. Her business-casual attire from work didn’t suit her—itchy slacks and tops that she had to race to remove from the dryer or she’d have to drag out the dreaded iron. On vacation, she didn’t have to worry about taking a flat iron to her hair, or stiff clothes, or even makeup.

No oatmeal for breakfast, either. Typical Abbi, she was usually running late so Ellis always made them breakfast. She didn’t have anything against oatmeal, but after the hundredth morning in a row, a girl got desperate. Not desperate enough to wake up earlier, though, so she’d shovel in her oats while praying someone brought goodies to work.

What would Cash serve for lunch?

She’d be early if she left now, but sitting in her room and reminiscing was killing her.

Her phone pinged.

I’ll call after work. Don’t play games.

Games. That’s all Ellis thought this was. That she’d run home and shrink under the pressure of finding her own place and she’d default to their relationship. When he didn’t get his way with her, he made it her fault. She’d capitulated so often that she barely noticed how she constantly took the easy route to avoid conflict.

When she’d left town, she’d finally stood her ground.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea, Abigail. You go through your brother’s things and decide you have to find his friends. Ones your parents were deeply hurt by. Now you’re packed and leaving for Minnesota. Don’t be impulsive. You aren’t that girl anymore.”

“This isn’t about you, Ellis.”

“What about us? You’ve come up with this weird conspiracy that your brother’s death was so much different than other soldiers who died over there. It’s war.”

“Mom and Dad thought information was withheld from them, too. It’s not just me. Perry’s been gone almost three years. It’s not impulsive.”

“I won’t stand by while you run off digging up skeletons.”

“Look, I have to go. Are you coming or not?”

Then he’d played the trump card. “No, I’m not. If you go, you’re going to throw us away.”

Wild child Abbi had reared her head, announced they were done, and walked off.

The conversation still upset her, a perfect example of how he had controlled her, and how she’d allowed it. Abbi grabbed her tote bag and went to her car. She wasn’t going to head to Cash’s right away. A responsible guest would bring a food item to contribute for lunch.

Chapter 5

Cash stared at the food lining the counter. He’d grilled burgers. Then doubt had assailed him and he’d wondered if Abbi was fucking vegetarian or something. So he’d grilled kabobs with mushrooms, bell peppers, and onions.

Then he’d wondered if dessert was expected at a lunch date, so he’d grilled pineapple.

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