Page 43 of Austen, Edited

Chapter 25

“What do you want, Hannah?” The anger roared in his voice, and he took a breath, knowing that yelling wasn’t going to solve much.

“What do you mean? I’ve been trying to get you to pick up the phone by yourself for weeks and the call you picked up the other day doesn’t count because your mother asked you to. Your one-word text messages are not helping. What is going on?” Her demanding tone increased his irritation somewhat, but he pushed it to the side, knowing he had to make sure this was over, even though he’d already told her they were finished before he came back to Boston.

He leaned his back against the wall several doors down from Abby’s door. He didn’t want her to overhear or misunderstand anything in the conversation.

“What I mean is that we’re over, Hannah, so I think you should stop calling me.”

She let out a cry. “We are not over. You left saying you needed time. It’s been weeks since you went home, and I want to see you. I’ll even drive up tonight if you want.”

Greyson closed his eyes and shook his head against the wall. “No, I said I needed space and that I didn’t think we were a good match. We are done. I don’t want to date you anymore. We just don’t work like we used to.”

He could hear the sobs through the line, softening his anger just a hair. “Please, Greyson. I love you.”

“I’m not sure you know what those words mean. Please, let’s just remember the good times and move on. You deserve someone who wants the kind of life you want, and I just need a fresh start.”

Silence lasted several long moments before she finally spoke. “Why? Why are you giving up on us?”

He sucked in a breath. “Because we’re so different, Hannah. You want the socialite life, and I’d rather be hanging out at home with a movie and some popcorn.” He thought of the relaxed evening he’d just spent with Abby, and although he was still irritated she’d gone on a date with Jeff, he didn’t know the whole story yet, something he wanted to figure out. But it was the time he’d spent with her that he wanted.

She didn’t expect him to get dressed up every time they went out, hoping to be seen on the arm of one of Boston’s future billionaires. And she didn’t think his work in IT was worthless, that he should be striving for the head of the company when he was loving what he did to help his family’s business without taking on all the stress that came with the day-to-day operations.

“We had fun,” he said when she hadn’t responded, “but you need someone who wants to do some of the things you like to do.”

“I’m not giving you another chance, Greyson. If we’re done, we’re done. Forever.”

He nodded and smiled. “I get that. I wish you luck, Hannah.” He pulled the phone away and pressed the red button to hang up.

Striding back down the hallway, he punched in the code to the room and found Abby asleep on the couch. He walked over and tugged the blanket out from under her, covering her shoulders.

He stood there for several seconds, watching her relaxed face. Trailing his fingers over her cheek, he smiled. There was a lot he’d do for this girl, and if he had to meet her mother without physical violence for all the crap she’d put Abby through, he’d do it. But he’d make sure she knew what kind of a girl her daughter was and why she’d missed out on a lot.

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