Page 19 of Austen, Edited

Chapter 10

Greyson made the short drive back to the Harringtons, parking in Abby’s usual spot. He thought about giving the keys to someone in the house, but he could imagine they’d hide them for entertainment, so he put them on top of his dresser and spent the rest of the evening in the theater room bingeing movies. He hadn’t had much time to watch anything while at school, and Hannah had never wanted to watch anything but chick flicks.

And yet watching one with Abby had felt different, comfortable.

It didn’t matter how amazing it would be to imagine himself as one of the characters of the shows he watched, he still felt unsettled by something. He pulled out his phone, hesitating as he opened a text to Abby.

All unpacked?

Her response came a minute later, allowing a burst of adrenaline to pump through him.

Just about. That’s the benefit of not having a whole lot.

He grinned, his thumbs punching out his response.That’s true. I think your cousins beat you in that regard.

yes, they usually hire someone to pack up their things for school.

It probably wasn’t too far off, as the two Harrington girls were over the top when it came to clothes and accessories. He was just glad they’d never had any interest in him. Trying to avoid them next door would have been rough after they’d been rejected. The two girls got everything they wanted, and it showed.

Let’s do something tomorrow.He waited before pressing send, trying to decide if she would be up for that. He’d just have to make sure they went outside the house so they didn’t have another encounter with his mother. He loved his mom, but she tended to make things difficult when Abby was around.

He finally pressed send, hoping she wouldn’t freak out about it. What could they do that would be like old times?

I wish I could, but Tiffany needs my help with some things. Raincheck for next week?

He was bummed, but at least he’d have time to come up with something fun to do.

The next morning, he woke up early to go for a run, hoping that would settle him since he’d been unable to sleep well the night before. He wasn’t sure how to interpret his nightmares of Hannah as a zombie and Abby rejecting him completely because of a sudden wart on his face.

Running in front of him was a familiar runner, and Greyson turned around, hoping to avoid another chat with Jeff Summers.

Greyson hit a large rock as he turned, sending it skittering down the road. He didn’t look back, not wanting to acknowledge Jeff.

“Hey, Greyson!” Too late.

Slowing to a walk, Greyson turned, trying to calm both his breathing and his irritation. “Hey, Jeff. Out for a Labor Day run, huh?”

Jeff slapped his stomach and grinned. “I have to stay in shape or else I wouldn’t be where I am.”

The words confused Greyson, and he shrugged, wanting to get back to a silent run with only his thoughts as company.

“I met some people this weekend, and they’re having a big barbecue down by Cohasset tonight. I thought I’d invite you along, if you don’t have any other plans.”

Hard pass. “I think I’ll just hang out here. I start at my father’s company tomorrow, and I still have to work on an app for my friend.”

Jeff’s smile dropped, his eyes narrowing. “That’s too bad. I’ll have to see if there’s anyone else in the neighborhood I should invite.” He rubbed his pointer finger and thumb over his jaw as he thought. “What about Abby? She could be fun to hang out with.”

Greyson bristled, not wanting to talk about Abby with this guy. “She’s back at school right now.”

With a quick nod, Jeff said, “Man, what is it with you people? It’s like you don’t want to have fun. It makes me miss Maryland.”

Not knowing what to say to that, Greyson shrugged. “I’m going to run, but I’ll catch up with you later.”

He took off down the road and away from Jeff, hoping to put plenty of distance between them and fast so the guy wouldn’t be tempted to follow him.

As he plodded along, he thought about Jeff’s words in regards to Abby. His expression had said much more than his words, with his eyebrows raised and his upper lip curled back in a mischievous grin.

Greyson hadn’t been a fan, but he wasn’t the person to keep Abby from dating. Maybe she’d want to date the scumbag? They hadn’t talked about her dating life since he’d returned, but he figured it wasn’t too different from before. Abby was picky about the men in her life, probably because her biological father had never been around and her uncle tried to control her more than even his daughters.

A flash of jealousy ran through him as he pictured Abby snuggling up to Jeff. Bile rose in his throat, and he spit it out next to him, not wanting to dwell on the fact that Abby in a relationship would bug him. If the guy were less of a sleazebag, would he be so annoyed?

He made it back home, showered, and got to work on the app, hoping to get the bulk of it finished before he began work with his father in the morning. He wanted to be able to show Abby what he’d learned while he was away. Maybe that would help sway her back to the old best friend he’d had. Or possibly something more.

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