CHAPTER THREE
ABIGAIL
I was already in my office Monday morning when Kirby got there. She stopped in and set a Starbucks mocha down on my desk – made just the way I liked it. Kirby took good care of me.
“Jesus, Abby,” she said. “Did you sleep here this weekend?”
I smiled. “No, it just looks that way.”
Sitting down across from me, she looked like she was ready to burst. She was suppressing a wide grin and I could see she was dying to spill the beans about something. Turning away from the database of donors I'd been poring over, I looked at her and raised an eyebrow.
“Well someone looks happy for a Monday,” I teased. “Guessing the weekend went well?”
“It was amazing,” Kirby gushed. “Brian is seriously like the best guy I've ever met.”
“Yeah?” I asked and smiled.
I felt a twinge of jealousy, but not enough that I couldn't push it away and be happy for my friend. “Go on, tell me the details,” I said. “I can tell you're ready to burst.”
“Well, we went to dinner at The Cellar, like I mentioned – and the food there is worth it. Oh. My. God. Abigail, you have no idea what you're missing,” she said. “But after dinner, we went back to his place...”
Her voice trailed off, obviously insinuating that they'd hooked up. Not that it was a new thing, but they were still in the stages of the relationship where spending the night together wasn't a given, so it was still fresh and exciting.
“And?” I prompted her.
“And I spent the whole weekend with him,” she said. “The next morning, he made me breakfast in bed, then we went out and saw a movie and had some lunch – and it just went on from there. I didn't want to leave Sunday night, but I didn't have my work clothes and knew I shouldn't push my luck.”
Her long, blonde hair was flowing loosely around her, and while she wasn't wearing any makeup , her obvious happiness made her glow. She was radiant and I was thrilled for her.
“Happiness suits you, Kirby,” I said with a grin. “You deserve this. You really do, sweetie. After that last asshat you dated, you deserve a good guy.”
“I could say the same thing about you,” she said, taking a sip from her drink. “Maybe it's time I set you up with Brian's friend. He's a computer engineer and –”
“No,” I said, shaking my head and holding up my hands to stop her. “I don't have time to date anyone. Right now, I'm content just doing me.”
“I bet you are ‘doing you’,” she said with a chuckle.
I laughed and threw a file folder at her. “Very funny. But seriously, I’m just not interested right now.”
She shrugged. “It would get your parents off your back about Chad at least.”
I cringed remembering the conversation on Friday, and the big fat lie I’d told my mom.
“Yeah, about that,” I said, grimacing. “My mom called me on Friday and I might have lied to her about having a boyfriend already to get them to lay off. Not that my mom believes me, but it should keep her off my case for a little while at least.”
“Seriously, is it worth it?” Kirby asked me.
“Is what worth it?”
“To keep up this charade,” she said. “Why not just tell them you're not ready to date again?”
“Trust me, I've tried. A hundred times. A thousand,” I said with a sigh. “My mom just keeps telling me that it's been two years and I should get over it already.”
“Well –” Kirby bit her lip as she stared at me, and I knew where her train of thought was going, which happened to be in the same direction as my mother's. “Maybe she has a point?”
“I knew you were going to say that,” I muttered. “Not that it matters. I don't have time to date, I run a non-profit and that's my life now. There's always so much to do with securing funding and all – I really don't have the time to indulge some needy, clingy guy who doesn't understand what I do or the time commitment it takes.”
“But if you really wanted it, you could make time to date,” Kirby said, drawing a scowl from me. “Well, it's true. You could hire another person or two to help you. I could handle all the fundraising and donation requests, leaving you to focus on the more CEO-type things – and oh yeah, having a life.”
“I have a life,” I said.
Kirby sighed. “Listen, I didn't want to argue, but we both know your mom isn't going to let up until you have a boyfriend,” she said. “So, unless you want to bring home a fake one –”
“Do you know anyone who'd be willing?” I asked, only half teasing.
“I might,” she said, shrugging. “One of Brian's friends might do it for a free meal.”
A few seconds ago, I was only entertaining the idea of faking my parents out with a phony boyfriend. But now that Kirby mentioned it, that could be a good way to go. It was at least a viable option. Show up with the fake boyfriend, have dinner, get them off my back. It sounded like a solid plan to me.
“Think you could ask Brian for me?” I asked. “Pretty please?”
“I'll ask Brian to talk to his friend,” Kirby said, rolling her eyes. “Seriously, Abigail, it would just be easier to go on a date now and then. Or maybe even meet Chad, he can't be that bad.”
I rolled my eyes and sighed, shaking my head. But before I could open my mouth to speak, Kirby raised her hands in surrender and cut me off.
“But I'll ask,” she said. “For you.”
“Thanks, Kirbs,” I said.
I knew how ridiculous the idea of introducing them to a fake boyfriend sounded. I really did. But it would be a good way to get my parents to get off my back about it. Yes, it had been two years, but it wasn't that easy to move on; not after everything that happened and everything I went through.
If only they truly understood, but I couldn’t make myself tell them..
Kirby stood and left my office, letting me return my focus to the one thing that could always distract me from my thoughts – work.
Doing good in the world, helping the less fortunate, that was an endeavor worth devoting my time to and allowing myself to get lost in. I might not have time to date, but I helped poor children get education, and honestly, why would anyone complain about me throwing my all into that? It seemed so much more important than my love life.
ooo000ooo
“John said he'd do it,” Kirby said, poking her head in my office.
“John? Do what?”
I was going blind from staring at the mountain of reports on my desk and my brain was officially fried. I looked up at Kirby, having no idea what she was talking about.
“Brian’s friend? He said he'd pretend to be your fake boyfriend, silly,” she said. “Seriously, you really need to get out of this office more. I'm afraid you're going to start growing roots if you don't.”
Rubbing my eyes, I looked back at her.
“You look frazzled, Abigail,” she said. “I'm worried about you. Seriously.”
“Nothing to be worried about,” I muttered. “Once we get past this event, I can relax a bit more.”
“Until you start planning the next one, and then the next. I know how you work, Abigail,” Kirby said. “And it hasn't slipped my notice that since you've been in charge, we've doubled the amount of fundraising events we plan; all of them coordinated by you.”
“Which is why I was promoted in the first place,” I countered. “Most people would consider being ambitious and trying to grow a business a good thing. Especially since it enables us to help so many more people.”
“It is a good thing. I'm not debating that,” Kirby said, her voice softening. “I just worry about you.”
Everyone was worried about me, and I was tired of it. I was a big girl and I could take care of myself. If I didn't want to date anybody right now, I shouldn't be forced or cajoled into it. My idea to introduce my folks to a fake boyfriend was outlandish, I wasn't going to deny that. But at least this little plan might finally get my family off my back for a while and let me breathe. I had to try it.
“So, is he someone I'd want to introduce to my parents?” I asked. “Have you met him before?”
“I have, and he's amazing,” Kirby said. “Tall, dark, handsome. Very well spoken and intelligent. He will absolutely knock your parent's socks off. I guarantee it. And you don't have to worry about him wanting anything more with you. He's gay, so you're not exactly his type anyway. Not that you can tell, he totally had me fooled when we first met.”
He sounded perfect, so I stopped her and took a second to collect my thoughts. I needed a plan of action, to come up with the best way to introduce him to my folks.
“Can you tell your friend to meet me at The Cellar at six-thirty Wednesday night?” I asked. “I'll meet him at the bar and brief him on my life, et cetera, beforehand to make it a little easier. We really need to sell this, so the more we know about each other, the better.”
“Sure thing,” Kirby said, her voice sounding sad – probably pitying me again.
“Oh, and tell him dinner and drinks are on me,” I called out to her as she walked out of the office and down the hall. “He's doing me a huge favor, so it's the least I can do.”
Honestly, I had no idea what to expect. This was all new and strange ground for me. I'd never gone out on a fake date with a fake boyfriend before. How was I supposed to act like half of a happy couple when I didn't even know the guy?
I shook my head. I'd figure it out. One thing at a time. We'd get to know each other and form our plan of action then. At least he wasn't into women though, so there would be no pressure. It would probably be the first date in a long time that I actually could be myself – which would be something of a nice change of pace.
As long as my parents bought what we were selling.