Eileen wasn’t letting her off the hook. “Would Mark be willing to move to New York?” she asked.
“We haven’t discussed it,” said Abby.
“Who’s Mark?” asked Sebastian.
This time, it was Abby and her mother who spoke at the same time. Abby said, “My boyfriend,” while Eileen said, “Her boyfriend.”
Ah, Sebastian thought, and felt a twinge of disappointment.
“They’ve been together for two years,” Eileen said.
Hmm, thought Sebastian, doing the math. Did that mean that Abby had been with Mark when she’d hooked up with him?
“Mark is a physician,” Eileen said, her voice a little smug.
“Podiatrist,” Abby said quietly.
Eileen ignored her daughter. “He’s Abby’s summer-camp sweetheart. They met when Abby was thirteen.”
“Wow.” Sebastian turned to Abby. “Have you been together all that time?”
“No.”
“Oh, it’s a lovely story,” Eileen said, hurrying to fill the silence that even she had to notice wasn’t quite comfortable. “Mark moved to Philadelphia to do his internship. They ran into each other when Abby was working as a camp counselor and Mark was volunteering. And they picked up right where they left off!” She lifted her eyebrows, looking toward her daughter. “Right, Abby?”
“That’s right.” Abby’s voice was flat, and Sebastian was relieved to see the waitress approach.
Sebastian ordered his dinner. “And the cheese plate for the table.” He smiled at Abby. “You’ll have some, right?”
Abby bit her lip and didn’t answer.
“And for you, ma’am?” the waitress asked Eileen.
Eileen asked for the lentil soup, then spent several moments negotiating the preparation of her Caesar salad—“dressing on the side, with grilled chicken, and if you can ask them to hold the croutons and go light on the cheese, that would be great.” Abby’s voice was barely audible as she asked for the salmon. Sebastian wondered if Abby was remembering the pasta he’d made for her. He tried, and failed, to catch her eye. Eileen’s lips had thinned as she looked at her daughter. Abby had raised her chin, and her shoulders were hunched up around her ears. Neither woman spoke, but the tension hung over the table like a fog.
“So!” Sebastian began, determined to lighten the mood. “Eileen, have you done a lot of cycling?” He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his reporter’s notebook. “This trip’s actually business and pleasure. I’m writing a story about the Empire State Trail for Scoop.com.”
“Oh, is this on the record?” Eileen said, looking flattered.
“If you don’t mind.”
“Well, it’s actually my first trip.” Eileen spread her napkin in her lap. “But I’m very happy to be doing it with Abby. I did a lot of indoor cycling during the pandemic, and it’s a pleasure to be back in the world, with people.”
“Abby, how about you?” Sebastian asked, writing down Eileen’s quote. “Have you ridden the trail before?”
“No.”
Sebastian chided himself for asking a question that could be answered with a single negative or affirmative. Rookie mistake. “What’s your favorite part about trips like these?”
“The quiet,” said Abby, giving him a hard look, before turning to Lincoln. “How’d you two find out about Breakaway?”
“We’re doing a package about local getaways. I read about the Empire State Trail when it opened, and I was researching the different companies that lead trips along the trail.”
Sebastian listened to them chat. He ate his pasta, politely offering some to Eileen, who declined, and to Abby, who looked a little regretful as she shook her head. By the time Sebastian set the fork down, Abby was talking to Lincoln, leaving Sebastian to stare at her profile. He watched as she gathered her curls and deftly twisted them into a bun at the base of her neck while saying something that made Lincoln laugh.
Okay, then. He turned back to Eileen. “So you’re from Philadelphia?”
“The suburbs. But Abby lives in Center City. She and Mark like being right in the thick of things.” She patted her lips a little smugly.
“Do they live near the Liberty Bell?” Sebastian riffled through his memories of a long-ago field trip for Philadelphia landmarks. “Or the Rocky statue?”
Eileen gave him a thin-lipped smile. “Mark lives in Rittenhouse Square, which is one of the nicest neighborhoods in the city. Abby’s got an apartment in South Philadelphia, but I think they’re planning on moving in together.”