Page 32 of Austen, Edited

“I hear you’re an Eagle, huh?” Jeff asked, a lopsided grin on his face. He seemed much closer to Abby than he should have been, and she could smell a faint minty scent on his breath. “I always thought you’d go to college somewhere else, not stay around here and go to a local school.”

She frowned, not sure she was ready to have a conversation, especially since he’d already inquired about her. Why would he have thought about her since the last time she’d seen him was before he moved away nearly a decade ago?

“Yes. How did you find that out?” She stuck a piece of pineapple in her mouth, chewing on it to avoid saying anything else.

“I’ve already made several friends since I moved back. It’s just a matter of asking about how people are.” He passed her the tray of meats, holding it out for her while she speared a sausage.

“I’m not sure I’m worth the trouble, to be honest. What brings you back to Boston? Working for your father’s company?” She didn’t let her gaze linger on his face for too long, knowing that any extra attention was going to make it hard to shoo him away. He’d been somewhat of a lovesick leech when they were younger, and she didn’t want to encourage anything now that they were older.

He smiled, his eyes telling her she’d need to try harder than self-deprecation to keep him away. “Yep, just started a couple days ago. It’s been mostly meetings so far. SP Shoes is coming out with some new sneakers that are pretty amazing. I’ll have to get you a pair to try out.”

Abby’s lungs constricted, and she focused on handing the tray over to her uncle, who sat at the end of the table. When she turned to stare at her plate, she could still feel Jeff’s eyes on her.

“I’m good. I barely work out anymore anyway, so I doubt I’d need new shoes.” She closed her eyes for an extra half-second, hoping to steel herself against any extra conversation that would surely come from him.

“But, really. It’s no—”

“Thank you all for coming here today,” her uncle said, cutting Jeff off. “It’s a pleasure to have the Summers family in our home. It’s been quite a while since we’ve been able to do this, right, Dan?”

Carl looked to the other end of the table where Dan Summers sat. The man smiled, the strands of gray in his hair shining with the light from the window behind. “Yes, but we’re grateful to be here, right, honey?” He reached over and took the hand of his wife, who pasted on a smile as she fluttered her eyelashes a million beats a minute. She looked like she was about the same age as Jeff.

Jeff tensed next to Abby, the muscle in his jaw popping out as he flexed his hand under the table. She wasn’t sure what to say to help him relax, and it was odd that she finally felt sorry for the guy. She’d never had the most stable relationship with her own parents, but it seemed like the dynamic of his father and stepmother put him on edge.

“I take it you’re not a fan of your stepmother,” Abby said through the side of her mouth.

He didn’t turn to her, only raised his eyes to the woman holding his father’s hand and shook his head. He didn’t say anything more, and Abby felt bad she’d judged him so harshly when he’d first come in.

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled, glancing over the others sitting around the table.

He shrugged, looking more defeated than she’d expected. But when the conversation turned to politics and work, he straightened, a mask replacing his frustration. His confidence returned like the blowing up of a balloon, and she knew she could feel sorry for him, but trusting him was another matter.

They finished the brunch much later than Abby had expected, and she was just glad to be done with it. When she walked out to her car, she was surprised to hear Jeff’s voice behind her.

“Thanks for your words in there.” He stood next to her car, his tie loosened and his eyes cast down.

“Um, yeah, no problem. I don’t come from the best family situation, as my aunt told the world in there, so I can understand a little.”

He nodded, giving her a small smile. “Yeah, it’s not the easiest to see him with a woman who’s two years younger than me and tries to act like my mother. I already have one of those.” He pursed his lips and wiggled his jaw back and forth, his eyes never leaving her face.

“I wish you good luck with that.” She found the key for the ignition to the car and jingled the keyring a minute. “I’ve got to get going.”

With a quick smile, she was about to sit down in the driver’s seat when he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in for a hug. The moment was more awkward than any she’d ever had before, and she tried to break free.

He finally released her, and she jumped into her car, doing her best not to let the tires squeal as she turned down the street and over to the main road that would take her back to campus. Tiffany had let her borrow the car on such short notice, and she didn’t want to get into an accident of any kind because of it.

As she drove, she tried to figure out what had just happened. She’d always been irritated by Jeff, but seeing how miserable he was because of his father and stepmom softened a portion of her heart toward him. But the fact that he’d moved in for a hug—that was the weirdest thing yet.

Greyson popped into her mind, and she couldn’t wait to tell him all about the conversation. He’d always been leery of Jeff, but it would be nice to get his opinion about the whole encounter.

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