The Breakaway(92)

“Where’s Andy?” Lou asked Abby quietly.

“In the doghouse,” Ted boomed, not quietly. “You know he ran off with Morgan this morning.”

“Shh!” Sue hissed as Ezra’s head popped up.

“Andy’s taking a day off,” said Abby.

“And Morgan’s with her mom. I think they’re going shopping,” said Eileen. Abby gave her mother a grateful look.

“Andy’s with his mom, and Morgan’s with hers, and both of them are in trouble,” Ted said, oblivious to the other three’s attempt to shush him. Sebastian smiled at her. Abby ducked her head, but she couldn’t keep herself from smiling back. In spite of Eileen’s scrutiny and judgment, in spite of her fear, or maybe paranoia, that her mother and her boyfriend were both onto her, she felt happy. She had zero hopes of things with Sebastian going anywhere, the same way she’d had no expectations the night they’d hooked up in Brooklyn. At least, she was doing her best to keep from hoping for things that would never happen. And, just like she’d been on that night, she couldn’t wait to be with him, to be close enough to feel the warmth of his body, to bask in his attention, even if it was only for the length of a meal.



* * *



At home, in her apartment in Philadelphia, Abby had a closet full of clothes and a drawer full of lingerie; a vanity full of makeup, and a hairdresser around the corner. Here, in her hotel room, she had a tinted ChapStick and a travel-size bottle of lotion. Her only jewelry were the tiny studs in her ears. Her only footwear were a pair of slip-on sneakers and her cycling shoes, and her only grooming products were deodorant, and the hotel-provided shampoo and conditioner.

Abby shook her head, and started twisting her curls with her fingers, murmuring “My kingdom for a diffuser,” when she heard a knock on her door. She opened it to find Lou and Sue, standing in the hallway.

“We heard there was a fashion emergency,” said Sue.

“And we’ve come to the rescue,” said Lou. “Come with us!”

Abby found her shoes and let Lou and Sue lead her out of her room and out the door, across the puddle-dotted parking lot, and into the Spoke’n Four’s RV. Abby was amused to see an IF THE TRAILER’S ROCKIN’, DON’T COME KNOCKIN’ bumper sticker affixed to one of the windows.

“Lemonade?” asked Ted.

“Ooh, yes, please.”

Ted smiled and handed her a glass as Abby looked around. There was a small living room up front, with built-in couches on each side, a table between them, and a wide-screen TV on one wall that looked like it folded up into the ceiling. Beyond that was a tiny kitchen, with a sink, an oven, a microwave, and a two-burner stove. A closed door beyond that must have led to the bedroom. Bedrooms? Maybe there were bunk beds, Abby decided.

“Come!” said Lou. “Sit!” She ushered Abby to the couch. A folding light-up makeup mirror, already plugged in, was centered on the table, along with a hair dryer, a curling iron, a large acrylic box full of brushes and lipsticks and eye shadow palettes, and four pairs of earrings, and half a dozen bracelets and necklaces.

Abby shook her head, staring at the jewelry. “This is so nice!”

“Oh, please,” said Ted. “You’re doing them a favor. This is the most fun they’ve had all week.”

“We think you and Sebastian are lovely together,” said Sue.

Abby blinked. Lovely together? Did they know what had happened yesterday, in the rain? And if they knew, who else did?

Abby sat back on the couch as Lou handed her a pot of moisturizer, a brand that Abby recognized from her own mother’s vanity. “Dab,” Lou instructed. Her blue eyes were bright, her fingers warm as she took Abby’s chin in her hand, turning her face from one side to the other before she began opening drawers in the makeup kit, rummaging through an assortment of pots and sticks and palettes and brushes.

“Lou used to work at the Chanel counter at Bloomingdale’s,” Sue said.

“Many moons ago.” Lou’s hands were quick and gentle as she patted various creams onto Abby’s skin and used a pencil to darken her brows. Abby closed her eyes and figured this was as good a focus group as any.

“You guys like Sebastian?” she asked.

“Well,” said Sue, bustling out of the bedroom with more accessories. “He’s employed. He’s intelligent. You both love cycling.”

“And he’s very good-looking,” Lou said dreamily.

“Ouch,” said Ted, slapping his hand to his chest.

“And he likes you,” said Sue. “And you like him. You two fit together. And when you find someone like that, it is a rare and wonderful thing.”

Abby considered. You two fit together. Did that mean she didn’t fit with Mark? Or that they did fit, but less well? “Eyes closed, please,” Lou murmured. Abby complied. The warmth of the trailer, the way her muscles were loose and relaxed from the day’s ride, plus the excitement of her early morning were all making her drowsy, in spite of her anxiety, her worries about her mother, and what Eileen knew, and what, if anything, she was telling Mark.

“What about the TikTok thing?” she made herself ask, even though she was far from certain she wanted to hear the answer. “I’m not sure Sebastian’s cut out to be a boyfriend.”