Page 40 of Picture Perfect Love

Abby

Saturday night—I stopped with my hand on the door to the ballroom. Of course my first day back to work just had to be a catering event at the same ballroom where Joshua and I met. The stupid Heartstring ball. I was in no mood to be back in that room or surrounded by gorgeous women in their jewels and gowns with handsome men on their arms. But what choice did I have? Life had to go on at some point.

I sucked in a deep breath, turned and pulled. Somehow, the grand entryway seemed to have lost the glimmer I had seen before. I marched through to the kitchen and started putting on my apron. The whole kitchen cheered for me when I entered, announcing that they were happy to have me back.

Everyone except Cassie, of course.

I ignored her icy stares and went over to Val for a hug, who knew just how hard it was for me to show my face again with everything that I was feeling.

“It’s not the same without you,” she smiled. “Good to have you back.”

“Don’t get too used to it,” I told her. “One day I will finish school and walk out of this gig for good.”

“And when our boss gets sued for padding the bill, we’ll see you again in court,” she winked.

The busy flow of the evening kicked off right away. I didn’t have much time to be sentimental or sad. An hour into my shift, my feet were already pounding, out of shape after my few days off. There were trays to be delivered and dishes to bus. Orders to be put in, bottles to be uncorked. I didn’t have a moment to use the bathroom, much less get lost in my own thoughts. It was a welcome release.

I was in the middle of another round through the room with a tray of shrimp cocktail when I noticed a strange look on Valerie’s face. I didn’t think any of it at first until she nudged me and nodded toward the door.

I turned slowly and almost dropped the whole tray when I saw Christopher marching in… straight for me.

“A guest of the party, you think?” I mumbled to Val.

“A soiree for the city’s classic car convention? I’m guessing not.”

“Then how the hell did he get in?”

But he was standing right in front of me before she could guess at an answer.

“Christopher,” I gawked, thinking he did look awfully good in his tux. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to see you,” he said. “Abby, I’ve been thinking a lot since we ran into each other at the restaurant. I know we didn’t have much time to get to know each other, but I did really like you. Now that I’m single again, and you are too…”

“How did you know I was…”

“I wanted to come here tonight and ask you out,” he cut me off.

“Oh…” my brow furrowed. “Oh, I… I…”

I was trying to wrap my head around my feelings, and then an answer, but then I caught sight of something even more jarring over his shoulder. The ballroom doors opened, and Joshua appeared. He stopped and scanned the room, but it didn’t take him long to spot us standing in the middle of everything.

“Christopher,” he nodded.

“Joshua,” Christopher turned up his nose. “When you said we’d both take a stab at getting Abby back, I didn’t know you meant on the same night.”

“I didn’t know either, but here we are,” he grumbled.

“Oh boy,” Val croaked by my side.

“So that’s why you’re both here?” I laughed in disbelief. “To try and win me back?”

Joshua pushed past everyone and took the loaded tray from my arms. He could have handed it to Valerie, which would have made more sense. But instead he shoved it into Christopher’s hands, not giving him a chance to object before pulling me a few feet away.

“Abby, I’m sorry it took me so long,” he said, looking intently into my eyes. The crackling energy between us picked up again instantly, making my chest seize up. “I should have chased after you that day. I shouldn’t have given up. I didn’t know what you wanted… I didn’t know what to do. But I’m here now. And I’m letting you know that I’m going to do whatever I can to convince you that I can be the man you thought I could before I screwed everything up. I love you, Abby.”

“Hey, that’s not fair,” Christopher huffed from behind him, listening in on everything. “I might love her by now… if you hadn’t come in between us.”

Hearing Joshua say he loved me took my breath away. But then, there was Christopher. Who maybe wasn’t looking his best right now in his desperation with his arms full of shrimp cocktail, which he held so awkwardly. But he was like a shiny, fresh, clean start. He never had a chance to screw things up, and maybe he never would if I gave him another chance. The chance we never got. The one I didn’t even think I wanted until it was taken away from me.

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