Page 7 of Austen, Edited

Chapter 4

Greyson and Abby had been working through the prototype for the app over the past hour, and each time she brought up a certain idea or creative suggestion, he couldn’t help but smile. She’d always had opinions, but it seemed she was more confident in them now. There was something about her that had changed even more than that, but he couldn’t come up with anything concrete. Maybe it was just the increase in confidence?

He’d hated the forced conversation between them, and the fact that she hadn’t run up to hug him when he’d walked in sent another stab of guilt to his heart. They’d always been as close as siblings, even closer than he was with Lance and Karly. There had to be a way to make it back to how they were before. But did he want that? It was hard not to compare everything she did to Hannah. They were so opposite that he couldn’t help but constantly compare the differences.

But for the first time, the blueish-green of her eyes and the few freckles spotting her nose pulled him in, an attraction settling in his chest.

Abby had always been more quiet but self-assured, not deviating from what she believed to be the truth. His mind flashed back to that last time they’d spoken in person and how she’d hinted at the fact that Hannah might not be happy settling down with a computer nerd. Well, she hadn’t said nerd, but it ended up being the truth.

And just a few weeks ago, when Greyson’s brother, Lance, came down with pneumonia, Hannah had jumped at the chance for Greyson to be named the next CEO of Campbell Food Services. He’d never had a desire to take over the entire company, and the fact that she could wish his brother dead so quickly still shocked him. It was the last thing that showed her true character to him, and he broke up with her a few days later.

And here sat Abby, a girl who knew him better than anyone else, who’d encouraged him to pursue his dreams, and who he’d hurt more than he’d thought. His apology wasn’t enough; he could tell it by the way she’d changed the subject back to the app so quickly. But how to ask forgiveness from the person he’d hurt more than anyone in his life?

“How’s it going in here?” A woman at the door broke him away from his thoughts, and he smiled in her direction. “Sorry, I got delayed with a frustrated client.”

“We’re just finishing up what we can today, Meg,” Abby said, tapping the papers on the desk to straighten them. “I think we’ve got a good start.”

The woman walked forward with her hand extended and said, “Hi, I’m Meg Austen. I don’t think I’ve met you before.”

Greyson stood and shook her hand. “I’m Greyson Campbell. Jorge had an emergency and asked me to fill in.”

“It’s good to have you. Okay, Abby, if you’ll fill me in on what you talked about, we’ll keep the ball rolling.” Meg smiled. “It was good to meet you, Greyson. Anything we can do to get this app done soon will be worth it.”

“Yeah, of course. I can imagine having an app will open up the possibilities of your business quite a bit.” He stuffed a hand into his pant pocket, glancing sideways as he saw Abby stiffen. What had he said to make her do that?

Meg chuckled. “That’s for sure. I feel like the app has been the constant worry over the past five months. It will be nice to have it finished. Let me know if you need anything.” She waved to them and disappeared through the door, leaving Greyson wondering what to say to Abby.

“We should do something this weekend. Catch up and stuff.” He dipped his head a bit, hoping she’d say yes.

She frowned, and Greyson’s heart sank. “This weekend I’ve got to pack up to move into the dorms.”

“Not all of your stuff. Besides, it’s a long weekend. I can come help you if you want.”

“You want to help me pack up for school? That sounds like a lame first weekend home.” She giggled and shook her head.

She hadn’t brought up Hannah at all, and from the look in her eyes, she wanted to. “I think it would be good, like old times even. Before a girl pulled us apart, anyway.”

Her eyes stared into his, only a flicker of emotion showing that he was right about her curiosity. “If you’re really that bored, why not?”

“Okay, I’ll call you tomorrow, if I don’t see you first.” He grinned, and she smiled back, her eyes nearly closing completely with the action.

With a quick goodbye, Greyson strolled out of the office and over to the T stop. The fact that she’d agreed to hang out filled him with more excitement than he’d felt since he left for Princeton. But that had to be because he hadn’t seen his best friend in so long, right?

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