“Oh, okay,” Abby said, but her voice shook a little. “I guessthat’s not what I was envisioning, I’m not used to this kind of life.”
“It’s going to be okay,” he said, opening the door. “You’ll see we’re just regular people who happen to be lucky enough to live in a great house with a woman who just wants us to become functioning adults. I bet you five bucks it won’t be long before your name is up on the chore list.”
Abby smiled up at him and let him lead her into the house and down the hallway to the kitchen, then gently pushed her through the door. “We’re here, everyone,” he called over the chatter. “Come get the introductions over with so I can get Abby settled in her room. It’s been a long night.”
Silence fell over the room, and every eye turned to them. He felt Abby stiffen next to him and put his arm around her, pulling her closer. “You must be hungry,” Hattie called, breaking the ice. “Come sit at the table, and I’ll bring you something to eat. You’ll feel better.”
“You don’t have to, I can take you right upstairs,” he whispered. “I don’t want to overwhelm you.”
“I’m fine, I want to meet everyone,” she said. “And I am a little hungry.”
He smiled down at her and then guided her over to the table. It took a few minutes for the boys to introduce themselves, but they all disappeared to their rooms when they were finished. The relief on Abby’s face was obvious when silence finally fell over the room, and she accepted the plate of spaghetti. Hattie sat in front of her with a quiet thank you.
“Eat it all, you’re too skinny,” Hattie said, putting a plate down in front of him. “Now, if you two will excuse me, it’s way past my bedtime. You two clean up after yourselves, and I’ll see you in the morning.”
By the time they were finished eating, Abby was practically asleep in her chair, “I think we’d better get you to bed,”he said, getting up from the table. “I’ll come back down and take care of the dishes later.”
“No, I should help,” Abby protested. “I don’t want to make any extra work for anyone.”
“Tell you what, tonight you’re a guest,” he said, pulling her up from the table, concerned when she swayed just a bit. “You’re exhausted, you need to sleep, and that’s the end of the discussion.”
***Abby***
Abby barely managed to put on her pajamas before she fell asleep in the snug bed tucked up under the rafters in the attic. She hadn’t known what to expect, and hadn’t really cared where she was staying at that point, but it was a pleasant surprise to discover the little apartment on the house's third floor. Complete with a tiny little kitchen and a full bathroom, it was a charming space that would offer her all the privacy that she needed.
After sleeping soundly all night, she found herself awake just as the sun started to rise, and no matter what she did, the events of the day before kept rushing back, making it impossible to go back to sleep. With a groan of annoyance, she finally got out of bed, made a quick trip to the bathroom, then walked over to the little kitchen. After rummaging around in the cabinets, she found what she needed to make coffee in the miniature pot on the counter, and soon the apartment was filled with the delicious aroma of fresh brewed coffee.
Filling the largest cup she could find with the steaming brew, she added sugar and cream, deciding she deserved a treat, then walked over to the window to watch the sunrise. She’d only taken a couple of sips when she noticed that the window didn’t have a screen. Setting her coffee down on thetable, she flipped the lock and tugged the window. It slipped up without making a sound, and she leaned out of the window, took a deep breath of the crisp morning air, then let it out slowly.
Ducking back inside, she pulled the blanket off the back of the overstuffed chair, wrapped it around her shoulders, grabbed her coffee, and carefully crawled through the window. She settled onto the widest part of the roof, facing the sunrise, and sipped her coffee, hoping the time would help clear her mind. Her entire life was in shambles, and she had no idea how she was going to get out of the mess she’d made.
Her car was gone, her backpack destroyed, and she was hiding out in a fraternity house—it was almost more than her brain could handle. She’d worked and struggled to get where she was, but she’d never faced anything like the crisis her life had suddenly become, and she wished she could go back to when her attraction to Jackson was her biggest problem.
As if thinking about him had called him to her, he appeared on the roof a few feet from her, dressed only in a pair of pajama pants, a cup of coffee in his hand. He jumped a little when he saw her, spilling his coffee, then froze as if he couldn’t believe that she was there. It took her a second to get over the sight of his bare chest, but she finally managed to pat the spot on the roof next to her.
“I thought you’d still be asleep,” he said, sinking down next to her. “I hope I didn’t scare you.”
She shook her head. “I’ve just been sitting here thinking about everything that’s happened. Part of me doesn’t really believe it,” she said, then sighed. “I don’t really know where to begin sorting it all out.”
“We’ll just work on one mess at a time. The most important thing is to keep you safe,” he said. “Your car can be fixed,books can be replaced, notes can be borrowed, None of that is a big deal, but the thought of you getting hurt…well…that’s what woke me up this morning.”
“I’m sorry, Jackson, I didn’t mean to drag you into all of this,” she said, looking over at him. “You don’t have to do this, you know, I have other options, I could…”
“You’re not going anywhere,” he said, reaching out and taking her hand. “Like it or not, you’re stuck with me. I’ll be here to protect you until this is over, and then I’ll do whatever I can to help you put your life back together.”
“Why?” she asked, unable to help herself. “Not that I’m not grateful, but we don’t even like each other… or at least we didn’t used to…I guess that’s changed.”
“I never disliked you, Abby,” he said with a shrug of his shoulders. “The truth is you scared me.”
It took her a second to absorb that. “I scare you? How can I scare you?” she finally asked. “I’m not very threatening, I couldn’t hurt you if I wanted to.”
“Ah, but that’s where you’re wrong, sweetheart,” he said, looking over at her. “You could break my heart in a second. I’m already half in love with you.”
She gasped, her entire body filling with warmth when she looked into his eyes. “But we’re so different, I came from nothing,” she stammered. “You come from…”
“Abby, let’s get something straight right now. I’m not rich, I don’t have wealthy parents, and I don’t have connections in high places,” he said. “I’m just a farm boy from Iowa who got lucky enough to land himself a really good scholarship. I spent last summer driving a tractor, slopping the pigs, and milking cows.”
She could only stare at him, her mouth hanging open. “But you…I thought…the fraternity and everything…” she stammered. “You never corrected me, you just let me go on and on…”
