They were back at the house. They had walked the Magnificent Mile in both directions but had very little to show for it in the way of merchandise. That was okay with both of them. They weren’t really looking for goods. They held hands up and down Michigan Avenue. Abby didn’t mind doing it ‘for the cause’, but she wished Nick would stop tickling her palm with his finger. It made it difficult to concentrate on speech.
They broke in the middle of the trek for a late lunch and when they returned to the fray, the crowds grew bigger and bigger. Nick got stopped three more times for autographs and pictures. He tried to pull Abby into each shot, but it was difficult because the fan in question wanted to be in the picture. After the third time, they gave up and retreated to the car.
Back at the house, they discovered that Abby’s parents had left the premises. They were putting in an appearance and giving a large cheque to the Opera Food Drive. Abby and Nick decided to change out of their jeans and get ready for dinner. Then they would be prepared for whatever Sharon and John decided to throw at them.
“My stories? How do you know there is more than one?”
“Rita told me. She said you had three written and two more ‘in the freezer’.” Nick made finger quotation marks around the words and snickered.
“Okay, fine, Mr. Song Writer, I stole the phrase from you. But it’s such a perfect phrase.”
“So three finished stories and two in the freezer. Give over, girl.”
Abby looked him straight in the eyes. She didn’t know if she was ready for this. “This is a new…hobby,” she said, not sure if that was the right word, but not having any real substitute for it. “I’m not sure about it yet.”
“Please,” he said sincerely.
Abby motioned him into the room. She handed over Princess Penelope Makes a Mistake. Nick sat down on the settee and started to read. Abby didn’t know what to do with herself. She didn’t want to hover over him, but she wasn’t sure she should leave the room. She straightened things at her desk and watched him out of the corner of her eye. The first snicker made her twitch, half from excitement and half from fear. The second one allowed her to start breathing again.
“It’s great,” said Nick, when he folded the last page over. “Really. It’s so funny. Give me another one.”
Abby handed over Princess Penelope Learns a Lesson.
“Oh, God, this is so you,” said Nick, when he finished the second story.
“What do you mean?” asked Abby.
“She’s the way you used to see yourself,” said Nick. “She’s awkward and gangly and can’t seem to do anything right.” Then he grinned at her and her heart stopped. “But she triumphs in the end, doesn’t she?”
The closing of the downstairs door made them turn toward the sound. The parents were back.
“Got any more? Open up that freezer,” said Nick.
Abby handed over Lady Vera Pays a Visit. “I’m not happy with this one yet. I have to tone Lady Vera down a little.”
Nick started to read. “Whoa,” he said at one point and his eyes got big.
“Yes, I know,” said Abby. “She needs softening.”
“She’s a bit of a bitch, isn’t she?” laughed Nick.
“You should see her in real life!!” countered Abby. “She’s my high school nemesis…recently reappeared in my life.”
“Nemesis?” asked Nick, not sure what the word meant.
“She tortured me all through high school. Called me Ducky behind my back, and laughed at me with her smarmy, beautiful friends.”
Nick nodded. He’d met people like that. He hadn’t always been the big superstar. “So now you get your revenge!” he said with a sparkle in his eye.
“I guess,” said Abby. “But she’ll never read it, so it’s pretty harmless.” Abby laughed, as she continued, “And even if she did, she wouldn’t recognize herself. Ro…”
“Abigail!” Her mother’s voice raced up the stairs. Her body stayed carefully at the bottom.
“Yes, Mother.”
“We’re just back from the Opera…the food drive…are you ready for dinner? It’s after seven.”
“Yes, Mother, we’ll be right down.”
Abby turned to Nick and took the story from his hands. “The other one’s barely started,” she said. “And by the way, my parents don’t know I’m doing this.”
“Okay,” said Nick, and wondered why that was.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~“You two seem to get along well for people with nothing in common.”
Sharon began her attack the moment they sat down at the table. They were having leftovers, she said apologetically as she served out the most delicious turkey pot pie Nick had ever tasted. His comment that Mrs. Smith was going to be responsible for many hours of torture at the hands of the Terminator led Sharon to compare Abby and Nick in every way, starting with the physical.
Abby flipped open her mental black list and started checking off her mother’s more notable cruelties.
Sharon had thought about the couple all day. She didn’t understand the relationship. The two young people seemed to get along well, but they never touched each other. They were too polite, too formal, not just with her and John, but with each other. There wasn’t any passion there. That was okay, she guessed, if they were just friends, but that’s not how they were presenting themselves. Nick had called her his ‘girlfriend’ in an interview. Sharon knew all about that. She had John checking things like that out. It all seemed phony to her and Sharon was determined not to believe in the two of them as a couple until she saw some sparks. And if anyone knew how to make sparks, it was Sharon Fremont.
Abigail has never had a weight problem. Of course, she eats properly and has good habits.
(Translation: whereas you are a fat slob with no self-control.)
On the subject of publicity, fans and crowds: I guess you get used to it. (A genteel shudder.) That’s something Abigail’s never had to deal with. (Translation: what with her being ugly and unpopular.)
Tennis is Abigail’s passion. It’s a good way to keep in shape. Oh, you don’t play? Pity. (Translation: It would help with the weight thing.)
You must meet so many famous and talented people. I’m sure the ladies just swarm over you. (Translation: So what the hell are you doing in Chicago with my homely daughter?)
Nick handled all the comments carefully, refusing to take offense, but it was wearing on him. He was certainly going to suggest another walk after dinner, even though they had spent most of the day doing just that.
“It was so nice of you to come to Chicago,” said Sharon. “One would have thought you’d want to be with your own family.” There was a questioning note in her voice.
Abby opened her mouth to scream at her mother that this whole thing had been her idea in the first place but Nick got there first.
“My parents are in the middle of a divorce,” he said bluntly. “And it’s not a very happy place to be. I didn’t want to have to choose between them so I came here instead.” He shook his head. He thought he had made it sound like this was his third choice. He looked across the table at Abby. “I mean…”
Abby smiled. “It’s okay, Nick. I know what you mean. And besides, it gave us some time together. We don’t get much of that.” She gave him a wink and what she hoped was a sexy look. Let her mother feast on that with her turkey pot pie!
Nick caught the wink and responded with a lazy, sexy grin that started at the corner of his mouth and took a long time to spread across his face. It made Abby clamp her lips together to stifle the whimper coming up from her toes. “Yeah,” he said softly. Then he ran his tongue along his lips. “Yeah,” he repeated.
“Mmmm…” Abby made a tiny noise and pulled her bottom lip between her teeth.
John Fremont cleared his throat. The shower of sparks crossing the table looked like it might set the room on fire. “Mrs. Smith has done it again,” he said, staring down the table at his wife. “Mmm, mmm, this was good.” John wondered why his wife was smiling. “What’s for dessert?”
“There’s still some pie left,” said Sharon.
“I’ll get it,” said Abby, rising to her feet and picking up her dishes and her father’s.
“I’ll help,” said Nick, adding Sharon’s plate to his own.
In the kitchen, the two young people set the dishes down and turned to each other. They started to laugh and tried to smother it.
“We’re bad,” said Nick, snickering.
“She deserved it,” said Abby with a grin.
“Maybe we should go out there and have sex right on the table,” suggested Nick, laughing.
Yes. Abby caught the word before it escaped her lips. She changed it to “you nut” and reached for the pie.
