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“Someone who does the shopping more than anything but not much else unless West is entertaining. He used her more when he was here alone. But I laid the law down,” Abby said. “I don’t like feeling as if I’m being waited on.”
“I’ve never been waited on before. I’m used to fending for myself.”
“Me too,” Abby said. “My father raised my sister and me and we helped out around the house. Liz is older than me and a stand-in mother too. She’s getting married in less than two months to her old high school sweetheart. I’m so happy for her.”
It was something the two of them had in common. “I don’t talk to my mother at all. No relationship there. Quinn is my older sister. She’s ten years older and she has been like a mother to me too.”
“Sometimes I think that is better,” Abby said. “Now we are adults and have the sister bond, but I know Liz struggles to turn off the Mom part of it. How about Quinn?”
She laughed and started to prepare a salad while Abby got the rest of their dinner out. Looked as if they were going to have stuffed pork chops and mashed potatoes.
This was a meal that Quinn would make and she felt more at home rather than if a fancy dish was on the menu.
She didn’t know if this was planned or not and wouldn’t question it.
“Quinn still has Mommy mode with me. But she’s got two teenagers and two younger ones. So she can’t break out of it. She struggled with me moving here, but she’s been good too.”
“Have you told your family about Braylon?” Abby asked.
“Not yet. I think there is part of me that worries this is too good to be true and why tell them?”
“I felt the same way,” Abby said. “Do you know how West and I met?”
“In Aruba, right?”
“Yes,” Abby said. “Let me explain it all to you.”
When Abby was done she started to laugh. “So West kind of saved you the same way?”
“He did. Maybe it’s a Carlisle thing. They were all raised well and taught to respect women. Wait until you meet their mother. Aileen is wonderful. She is the mother I always wished I had. These tough guys, it’s funny to see them not so tough around her.”
“I doubt I’ll meet their mother,” she said.
“Please,” Abby said. “That’s the next step. The minute Aileen finds out about you, and it will be pretty soon, you’ll be flying to North Carolina or Aileen will be coming here.”
“Seriously?” she asked. This might be moving too fast for her.
“Yep,” Abby said. “I know, I get it. I see the panic on your face. I’m just saying, let it fall into place. If anyone can understand what you’re feeling, it’s me. I want you to reach out to me whenever you want. I’m here.”
Lilian felt her eyes start to fill with tears. “Thank you for that.”
“Don’t thank me,” Abby said. “Maybe I’m just as happy to know you exist as you are that I do. This family is a big name and carries a lot of clout, but when it comes down to it, they have hearts of gold. I had to understand that and stand my ground at the same time.”
“Stand your ground?” she asked.
“Well, they are used to calling the shots in their professional lives. I don’t know any of them well enough to know if they do it in their personal ones or not, other than West.”
“Braylon is awesome,” she said. “So sweet. He’s let me set our pace and always asks what we want to do. He never pushes me for anything either.”
“Then consider yourself even luckier,” Abby said. “Maybe he learned from his older brother’s mistakes or maybe West can learn from Braylon.”
“I’m starting to feel pretty lucky.”
14
PUTTING ON A SHOW
“Ifeel foolish going in together,” Lilian said on Tuesday morning.
