Page 42 of Under Pink Skies

“Welcome to our humble abode,” I said, and she gave me a soft smile.

“Thanks for inviting us,” Abbie said. “We brought cookies. And some sparkling grape juice.”

Her cheeks flushed as she quickly added, “I don’t drink these days. Haven’t for a while.”

This beautiful, strong, brave woman.

“Me neither,” I said, feeling the comforting and familiar weight of my sobriety coin in my pocket. Abbie cocked her head slightly to the side, as if she’d just peeled back another layer of my unspoken history. Kameron stepped up behind us, and Abbie immediately turned to give him her full attention, extending a hand to greet him.

“It’s wonderful to meet you, Kameron. I feel like we’ve heard so much about each other indirectly, but it’s nice to formally put a face to the name.”

Kameron chuckled as he shook her outstretched hand.

“Likewise, Abbie. I’m honored to be here working with you. Please, sit. I’ll grab some glasses.”

Kameron retreated into the kitchen while Abbie and Imogen exchanged pleasantries with Lucas, who waved them through the entry portico into the living room. High, vaulted ceilings towered above us, with recess lighting and two massive skylights offering us a view of the night sky settling overhead.

“Did I hear correctly—that you were part of the renovation team for the campsite?” Kameron asked, handing Abbie a glass as we all took seats around the sectional. I grabbed my glass of water, decided not to test my luck, and sat at the end of the couch to keep a respectful distance away from Abbie. Her dress barely covered her knees when she sat, and my jaw twitched.

Perhaps tonight would prove to be more difficult than I’d expected.

“I was,” Abbie said, that flush still riding high on her cheeks. “Noah approached me and said he was better with exterior design and renovations rather than interior design. He wanted me to help with redesigning the interiors and giving them a modern facelift. Have you enjoyed your stay? Only a few folks have stayed at the campsite since we finished the renovations.”

Kameron nodded, taking a sip of his water. “It’s been wonderful. Thanks for asking. I’m glad we’re able to stay here until the festival. It’s a welcomed break from the day-to-day operations of the farm, I’ve gotta say.”

“I can imagine,” Imogen said earnestly. “Abbie told me about some of the work you do, and it’s amazing. Did all of you meet while on active duty?”

I tensed, though no one else seemed to notice. I doubt Kam or Lucas would’ve laid that information out, so I suspected Abbie had dropped that bomb during their baking earlier in the day.

“Kameron and I were in the same unit for most of our careers,” I said. “Lucas and Kameron hit the fleet together before being separated. Lucas and I were never in the same unit, but he came to work for Kameron at Winding Road a few weeks after I did.”

Imogen nodded. Abbie focused on her glass.

“Where were you stationed?” Imogen asked, still trying to make small talk despite the awkwardness creeping into the space.

“We were at Pendleton mostly, though we frequently flew across the country to Camp Lejeune for training.”

Imogen let out a long breath. She took a sip of her water as a silence fell over the room. I winced internally. I didn’t know the full reason for Imogen’s return to Watford, but I knew her marriage to someone stationed at Camp Pendleton had ended.

Kameron shot me ado something, you fool!glare from across the sectional, but I was locked up, staring at Abbie’s crestfallen expression. I wanted to tell her more about my time in the military, but I wasn’t sure it’d do any good at this point. My military career had been a turning point in my life, for better and for worse, in some ways, but that chapter of my life meant the ultimate betrayal in Abbie’s eyes.

“Alright, not that I don’t enjoy talking to you guys, but I’m cranking up some music,” Lucas said.

“Are we not discussing the festival?” I asked, raising an eyebrow in Lucas’s direction as he strode for the kitchen island, connecting his phone to the gray Bluetooth speaker.

“You can discuss whatever you want, but we’re listening to Tyler Childers in the background while it happens.”

Imogen’s face lit up and Abbie smiled in her direction.

“Careful, Lucas, Imogen’s going to get attached,” Abbie joked, as Imogen began humming under her breath when “Shake the Frost” came rumbling over the speakers.

Kameron launched into a conversation with Abbie about the vendor festival, while Lucas returned to his seat next to Imogen. The two of them started talking about the state of modern country music, and as soon as I heard Imogen say she was sick of wannabe country boys making crappy pop-country, I rolled my eyes. I knew little about Lucas, but one thing I knew for certain was that he loved his country music, and it seemed he’d finally met someone who could hold an in-depth conversation about it with him.

I took my cue to head to the kitchen and pour myself another glass of water. I was grateful Imogen and Abbie hadn’t brought alcohol over. Sobriety was a strange beast. I could go weeks without feeling the urge to drink, but social situations like this were one of my triggers. I used to panic in social situations without a drink in my hand until it became a part of my personality. I was ‘party Harvey’ in the barracks. Everyone knew they could invite me to their room, and I’d crank the fun-level up to a hundred, even if I woke up the next morning feeling like my life was falling apart. I found myself in my fair share of bad situations with drinking at parties.

I didn’t know how much of that history I would share with Abbie yet. This truth-sharing quest between us was still new and fragile. The last thing I wanted to do was rush into things and scare her off. My past was heavy. I was aware of that now more than ever. And Abbie? Abbie had taken on so much these last few years. The only thing I wanted to do now was to help her carry some of that weight.

I leaned back against the counter, cradling my glass of water to my chest as I watched my friends, old and new, talking and laughing with one another. Whatever strange energy had threatened to disrupt our night earlier had vanished.

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