Page 24 of Freak
“Oh! Hey, Mel.”
“Brittany. How ya doin’?”
“Good, good.” She turned to her daughter. “Ready?”
“Oh, Mel!” Abigail said, stepping onto the porch behind Brittany. “You’re here!”
With Zelda already being a brat, and possibly onto him, he tried to keep any feelings off his face, but he failed. He couldn’t hold back the smile that always happened when he saw Abigail.
“Hey, Abs. Was hopin’ to talk.”
She blinked, she cocked her head, he saw a flash of doubt in her eyes, but she smiled and said, “Well, sure. Just a tick.” Then she returned her attention to Brittany.
“You come see me if you’ve got any more doubts or questions, y’hear?”
“You know I will, Miss Abigail. You know I will. Thank you! Come on, Zellie.” She held her hand out as if she meant to help her daughter out of that complicated chair.
Zelda ignored her and clambered out of the chair herself, setting the hen on the pad.
“Hey, Abigail,” she said before she took a step. “Can you and I talk sometime soon? I’ve got some ideas that could help you with your business stuff.”
Abigail’s expression closed slightly. Probably too subtly for most to notice any change, but Mel saw it: she didn’t want to have that conversation; likely she’d been fending off such conversations for years.
But she was a deeply kind person, so she found a smile for Zelda and told her, “I’m always happy to sit and chat, hon, and I’ll listen to any ideas you’ve got. I like to learn about new things. But I don’t got much appetite for modern ways in my own life, so don’t take it ill if I don’t change much up.”
“Sounds fair to me,” Zelda said.
As Brittany and Zelda walked to their van, Mel stepped up alongside Abigail and watched them leave. Their fingers brushed, and he caught hers. She made a quiet little sigh, and her fingers curled around his.
It was stupid how good that touch felt.
When Brittany started up the van and, after a quick wave, headed to the gate, Mel turned to Abigail, tugging her hand lightly to urge her to turn to him.
She did, and looked up at him with wide, sky-blue eyes.
That wild charge kicked in Mel’s chest again. Without bothering to question the impulse, he bent and set his lips on hers. And there he lingered, drawing in her taste, breathing in her scent, soaking in her sweetness and light. He didn’t try to do more than simply touch his lips to hers. When she breathed out a lilting, contented sigh, he drew back and smiled.
“Hey, Abs,” he said softly.
Her smile matched his as she lifted her free hand and set it on his chest. “Hey, hon. I guess we ought to talk.”
