Page 45 of Austen, Edited

Chapter 27

“Where have you been all morning?” Grayson’s mother asked as he walked into the kitchen.

Glancing at the clock, he saw it was past nine in the morning. It would have been nice to get a workout in earlier, but he’d been exhausted from the night before. Everything that had happened, from Abby learning about her mother’s parole to the phone call with Hannah, had gone through his mind at least fifty times throughout the night, making it hard to sleep.

“Just needed to sleep in,” he said, sneaking one of the strawberries she’d just cut when she turned her back.

“If you’re working too hard, just make sure to tell your father you need some time. You don’t want to be on your way to a heart attack.” She patted his cheek with the palm of her hand.

Greyson shook his head, irritation spreading like a web across his chest. “Mom, I’ll be fine. I’m not going to have a heart attack. That’s why I work out so much. As far as telling them I need to slow down, I’d like to see you try to win that argument.”

The door opened and closed, and Greyson peeked around the corner to see who it was. “Karly, what are you doing here?”

His little sister had her earbuds in, and it took a moment for her to notice him. She pulled one of the ear buds out and said, “Huh?”

“Karly, I’m so glad you’re home.” Their mother walked over and enveloped Karly in a hug.

“Uh, thanks, Mom. I just had to grab a few things and figured I’d do it today. What are you all up to?” She tucked her phone into a pocket on her workout pants, looking between Greyson and their mother for an answer.

“Just getting up,” Greyson said, taking another strawberry slice and popping it into his mouth. His mother smacked his bicep with the back of her hand.

“Those are for our special guest who should be here in the next hour. Greyson, you should probably shower and put on something better than a t-shirt and basketball shorts.” A glimmer of mischief shone in her eyes, and since she was directing the comments only to him, suspicion rose within him.

Shaking his head, he said, “What have you done, Mom?”

“Well, if you aren’t going to go for Hannah—”

“Please tell me you did not invite her here today.” It was the angriest he’d ever been at his mother, his chest tight and heat rushing up his neck. He took a few breaths, not wanting to blow up at her completely.

Maria Campbell smiled and batted her lashes a few times. “I might have made a call or two.”

With his hand pointed at her, he gritted his teeth, trying to figure out the best way to get through to her. “Hannah and I broke up. Finito. We are done dating. The fact that you would call her behind my back to try and arrange this, well, that’s something I can’t believe you’d stoop to. Mom, please just leave me alone when it comes to relationships. I’ll figure it out.”

Tears formed in her eyes, and for the first time, Greyson didn’t care. He turned and ran up the stairs, finding his tennis shoes and slipping them on.

Instead of going for a run, he grabbed his keys. Allowing the tires to squeal as he left the driveway, he drove, trying to get a handle on his thoughts.

How was it that even the people closest to him didn’t take him seriously when he said something? He’d always tried to be agreeable to a certain extent, standing up for what he believed when it was necessary, but it was getting to the point where he needed to be firm and then move on.

He drove for a few hours along some of the backroads and through various neighborhoods, trying to calm down in the process.

His brain was so occupied that he didn’t realize where he’d ended up, almost on autopilot. He maneuvered the car next to the curb down the hill from Abby’s dorm as there weren’t any other parking spots closer. He’d been lucky to find this one, to be honest, with most of the cars lined up outside St. Ignatius Church.

Trudging up the steep incline, he saw something that made him pause. Abby waited as Jeff opened the door to his sports car and then slid into the passenger seat. Her chestnut hair was down, waves flowing over her shoulders, and she looked as though she wore makeup, something he wasn’t used to seeing on her, except for the dinner cruise anyway.

He ducked behind the trunk of a tree, trying not to let them see him but in a spot where he could at least hear part of their conversation.

“Are you ready?” Jeff asked, plastering on his slimy smile.

Greyson turned to see Abby’s expression, surprised at the smile she gave him. It wasn’t all-out, but it was cordial, something he couldn’t understand. She’d always had a radar for fake people, so what caused her to hang out with one of the fakest people Greyson had ever met?

Abby nodded. “Yep. Let’s go.” She paused a moment and asked, “Where are we going, exactly?”

“It’s a surprise.”

That was the last thing Greyson heard as the car started up and Jeff maneuvered it out into the traffic buzzing by.

Greyson’s heart beat nearly out of his chest, his neck tightening with the mixture of jealousy and anger roaming through him. He wasn’t sure he’d ever understand what had just happened. The night before, he’d been comforting Abby about her mother. And here she was, going out with another guy.

For some reason, he could hear a voice he couldn’t pinpoint saying he’d never actually made a move, never declared his feelings for her. He tried to believe it, but each time he thought about Abby and Jeff together, he cringed. If she was into a guy like Jeff these days, there was no way he’d have a chance with her.

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