What Might Have Been: Daniels Brother #4 (Daniels Brothers) (7 page)

Abby shook her head. She needed to stay strong.

“I disagree.” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I think us spending time together is an excellent idea.”

She grabbed on to the only thing she could think of at the moment—the only thing she thought might put some much needed distance between them. “What about Chris? I don’t want to cause problems between you and your brother.”

“Chris is happily married. Why would he care if we spent time together?” The tips of his fingers trailed along her neck. “We were friends once.”

Abby released a shuddering breath. “Trent.”

“It’s just lunch.” His voice was like a caress against her skin.

He made it sound so simple.

She opened her mouth, ready to give some excuse as to why she couldn’t go, but instead she heard herself say, “All right.”

Trent’s answering smile had Abby’s pulse racing. What was he doing? What was she doing?

He dropped his hand and went to open the passenger side door of his truck for her.

“Shall we?”

Abby nodded and climbed inside.

In the time it took him to walk around his vehicle and get behind the wheel, her sanity began to return. This wasn’t a good idea. The look in Trent’s eyes when he’d touched her wasn’t one of innocent friendship. It was full of heat and promise. She couldn’t go there with him.

But even as Abby was sitting there counting the reasons why going to lunch with him would be a bad idea, she made no move to get out of the truck. Maybe this was part of her punishment. Maybe Trent coming back into her life and turning his charm on her was the universe telling her she hadn’t suffered enough all those years ago.

She snuck a peek at Trent as he drove. He had been cute as a teenager, but as a man, he’d grown into his long limbs and broad shoulders. She had no doubt that Trent Daniels had to chase the females away.

“How long have you owned your own business?” That’s something an old friend would ask.

Trent glanced over at her before returning his attention to the road. “About eight years.”

He was only thirty-one. That would mean he had to have been twenty-two or twenty-three. “Not many people would open a business like that right out of college.”

“I did an internship with a landscape designer my senior year, and then I spent a year working as a landscaper. I wanted to get a feel for everything before I ventured out on my own. I knew I wanted to do more than just design the spaces and then subcontract everything out.” He talked like it wasn’t a big deal, but she knew it was.

“You seem to have done very well for yourself. Lillian Baxter doesn’t recommend just anyone.”

“Thanks. I’ve worked hard to get where I am. Ma and Dad always told us to go after what we wanted in life, so that’s what I did. It paid off.” He smiled at her and she felt her stomach flip-flop again. So much for keeping it friendly.

She looked out the window, trying to regain her equilibrium.

Trent cleared his throat as he pulled into the parking lot of a restaurant that had a big rooster on its sign. “Speaking of my parents . . . Ma wanted me to invite you to Sunday dinner.”

All notion of being hungry disappeared. “Come to dinner?”

He found a parking spot and maneuvered the truck into it. “They would love to see you.”

Abby twisted her hands in her lap, unsure of what to say. If she refused, it would most likely hurt Marilyn’s feelings. That was the last thing she wanted. Abby could never repay Mr. and Mrs. Daniels for all they’d done for her growing up.

But how could she say yes? How could she face them knowing what she’d done?

***

Trent walked behind Abby as they made their way inside the restaurant. They were shown to a table along the wall and he took a seat across from her. She hadn’t uttered a word since he’d extended the invitation to join his family for dinner. Given her comment about Chris earlier, Trent wondered if she was nervous about seeing him again. No one in the family really knew why the two had broken up.

“You gonna tell me what’s wrong?”

Before she could answer him, they were interrupted by their server. Once they’d placed their order, he waited for her to answer his question but she didn’t.

“Abby?”

She took a sip of her water and looked anywhere but at him. “I don’t know if it’s such a good idea for me to come to dinner with your family.”

“Why wouldn’t it be a good idea? My family loves you. They always have.” It was true. When she’d stopped writing him, it had stung. She might not have been born into their family, but she was still part of it. She always would be.

“I know.” Abby picked up her napkin and began folding over the corners. She still wouldn’t meet his gaze.

“I don’t understand. Is it Chris? Are you worried about seeing him again?” He wasn’t sure how he would feel if her answer was yes. If she cared that much about Chris’ feelings then maybe she wasn’t completely over him.

“It’s complicated.”

“I’m listening.” He winked, hoping to put her at ease. His stomach was in knots waiting to see what she’d say, but he didn’t want her to know that.

She continued to play with her napkin for several minutes. He was beginning to think she wasn’t going to answer, but then she looked up at him through her lashes. “Chris and I . . . we sort of left things unfinished, I guess you could say. I don’t know how he’d feel about me showing up unannounced like that.”

“What do you mean by
unfinished?
”

“Trent I don’t—”

Their server walked up to the table with a plate of wings and placed it in front of them. “Can I get you anything else right now?”

“I think we’re good.” The last thing Trent wanted was for Abby to find some reason not to continue. He needed to know what this unfinished business was with his brother. Trent needed to know if he had any type of a chance with her.

Alone once more, Trent picked up a wing and motioned for her to do the same. She grabbed one and twirled it between her fingers before taking a bite.

“I’m sorry if I’m being pushy. I don’t mean to be.”

“It’s okay.” She looked sad and he didn’t want that.

He wiped the sauce from his fingers and reached across the table to place his hand over hers. “You’ve known me for a long time.”

She nodded, but the melancholy look didn’t leave her features. He needed to chase it away.

“You know when I want something, I tend to go after it. Even if it’s not the smartest thing to do.”

The side of Abby’s mouth tipped up a little. “Like that frog.”

Trent chuckled. It had been years since he’d thought about that. They’d been about ten. He’d caught sight of a huge frog and decided he had to catch it and bring it home. It had taken him over two hours and he’d ended up covered in mud up to his waist, but he’d done it. “Exactly like that.”

A full smile bloomed on her face. He loved seeing her happy. He always had.

“I need to tell you something.” It was time to put his cards on the table.

She swallowed. “Okay.”

“Back in high school, I had a huge crush on you.”

She glanced down, a blush staining her cheeks.

“I didn’t act on it back then because . . . well, because I was young and stupid. And then Chris made his move and you seemed happy with him, so I stepped aside.”

“Very noble of you,” she mumbled so low he almost didn’t hear her.

He ignored it and continued on. “If you tell me you still have feelings for my brother or someone else, I’ll back off, but I still feel that same pull toward you now that I did back then. The difference is that I’m not a confused kid anymore.”

There was no way she could mistake his meaning. He turned her hand over and began tracing circles on the inside of her wrist.

Abby stared back at him for what felt like forever. “I don’t still have feelings for Chris. I haven’t for a long time.”

A feeling of relief washed over Trent. “Good.”

She pulled her hand back. He could have forced the issue, but decided to let her go.

“Am I coming on too strong?” he asked.

Abby shook her head. “It’s not that.”

“Then why did you pull away? Do you not see me in that way? Am I still like a little brother in your eyes?”

“I never saw you like that,” she said. “Not really. You were my best friend in high school.”

He grinned and went back to eating his lunch. It was progress and he’d take it. While he still wanted to know what had happened between her and Chris, he was willing to let it go for now.

“I still don’t know if you and I getting involved is a good idea.”

He stopped mid bite. “Why?”

“What happens when I move back to New York?” she asked.

“Is that happening soon?” Given what he knew, Trent didn’t think it was.

Abby took a drink before answering. “No. I think we’re going to be here a while. Max isn’t going to want to leave as long as his family needs him.”

“So why are you worrying about something that could be in the distant future?”

She ate in silence for several minutes. “I’ve always been a planner. You know that. It’s just how I am.”

“Let’s make a deal, all right? No worrying about what the future may hold. No worrying about my brother or even my family. All I want is to spend time with you—get to know the woman you are today.”

Abby raised a single eyebrow.

“You doubt me?”

Trent made sure to inject enough astonished disbelief into his voice that Abby laughed.

“You don’t give up, do you?”

“Nope. So you should just give in now and agree.” He flashed her a smile that in the past had served him well when it came to the opposite sex.

“I’m not sure what I’m agreeing to.”

“To spending time with me, of course.”

He waggled his eyebrows back and forth, making her giggle.

“Fine. We can spend some time together.”

“Outside of work,” he clarified.

Abby rolled her eyes. “Okay. We can spend time outside of work, if that will make you happy.”

“It will. It does.”

With that settled, they went back to eating their lunch. It was comfortable and he enjoyed the simplicity of it.

It wasn’t until their server had cleared their plates that Trent brought up dinner at his parents’ again. “What about Sunday dinner? Will you come with me?”

“Come with you, or
with you
?”

He shrugged as if the distinction didn’t matter. As far as he was concerned, it didn’t. He just wanted her there.

She leveled a pointed stare in his direction. “That doesn’t answer the question.”

Trent slid out of the booth and offered her his hand. She took it but he didn’t miss the look she gave him either.

Taking Abby home as his date would be a clear message to his family, including Chris, that he was serious about her. Then again, it would also get his parents’ hopes up. At one point in time, they were sure Abby would be an official member of the family. “Why don’t we play it by ear? I mean we haven’t even gone on a first date yet.”

“A date?” She looked nervous again.

Trent placed a hand on her lower back as they walked out into the parking lot. “Did you miss that whole conversation we had back at the restaurant? I want us to spend time together.”

“Yes, but I didn’t realize you meant you wanted us to go out on a date.”

He opened the passenger door and waited for her to get inside. “What did you think I meant?”

“I don’t know.” She looked a bit lost.

Trent reached for her hand again and brought it up to his lips. He waited until she met his gaze. She seemed so unsure of herself, which wasn’t like the Abby he used to know. “Go out with me on Friday night. Let me show you a good time?”

“What if it doesn’t go well?” she asked.

“Are you questioning my ability to show you a good time?”

She grinned. “No.”

“So is that a yes?” he asked as he rubbed his thumb along the inside of her wrist. Trent knew he was playing dirty, but he’d waited so long for his chance with her.

Abby closed her eyes and nodded.

His day might not have started under the best of circumstances, but his week was definitely looking up.

Chapter 6

Abby had no idea what she’d been thinking, agreeing to go on a date with Trent. The two of them getting close again wasn’t a good idea. Yet she hadn’t been able to say no. That, apparently, hadn’t changed either. Even as kids, he’d been able to talk her into doing things she wouldn’t normally do.

She’d picked up her phone at least a dozen times since he’d dropped her off at her car on Monday, ready to tell him she’d changed her mind. But every time she started to dial the number, something would stop her. She had to be a glutton for punishment.

So instead of calling him like she knew she should, Abby did her best to ignore the pending date on her calendar. She went about her day, taking care of things for Max and trying to get through the boxes of paperwork that never seemed to end.

Her efforts at avoidance were going well until Thursday morning rolled around. She pulled up to the office, parked her car, and began walking toward the building. A man was shoveling mulch into a wheelbarrow not far from the walkway. She didn’t think much of it until he turned to the side and she got a glimpse of his face. It was Trent. 

Abby thought maybe she’d be able to sneak by without him seeing her, but luck wasn’t on her side. He looked up right as she passed. Their gazes met and she seemed unable to move. His hair was in complete disarray from the work he was doing and his shirt was already clinging to his body from the heat of the day. It was one of the sexiest sights she’d ever seen.

A slow smile lit up his face. He knew she was checking him out.

Before she could do something to embarrass herself, Abby forced herself to look away and raced inside. Her face heated as she hurried toward the elevators. She could only imagine what was going through his head after she’d stood there ogling him.

It was useless to try and deny that she was attracted to him. On some level, she’d always been. When they were younger, they’d had a special connection. If she was honest with herself, Abby knew that if Trent had asked her out back when they were teenagers, she would have said yes.