Page 85

“Pay for it,” Abagail answered without hesitation. “You know I would, just like I know you wouldn’t ask for it.”

“Did Nicola ask?”

Abagail was about to say yes, but she stopped herself. Nicola hadn’t ever asked. She’d never actually asked for a cent. In fact, she’d consistently talked about making sure that she was earning her keep. She’d always tried to find a job. She was expecting to pay the bills, not to have them relieved.

“No,” Abagail said simply, looking at Elia directly in the eye.

“So she is different.”

“Yes.” Abagail sighed. She still wasn’t sure what exactly made Nicola so different from anyone else, but she couldn’t deny it any longer.

“Here’s the thing that I know about you, from being your friend for life.” Elia smiled at her and then paused.

The dramatics were beyond Abagail, and she hated them, but she was willing to put up with them if Elia was going to give her some insight into what was going on. Abagail picked her drink back up again and stared at the books on the shelves. Did they hold the answers she was looking for?

“You have a soft spot for people in a pickle.”

“I do not,” Abagail countered vehemently.

“Oh, you do.” Elia laughed, her eyes crinkling at the corners. “I don’t even know how you can deny that. Let’s just talk recently and ignore the whole Nicola situation. Ivy? You found out she needed a new job after being forced to give up her business because her ex-wife was making her life a living hell, and you chose to take her into your company even though you didn’t exactly need anyone to help out.”

“Sure I did. Now I can take vacations on a whim.” Abagail pressed her lips together hard. That had come in useful, and now that most of Ivy’s dramatics were over, she was another good employee.

“And Greer? How do you explain her?”

Abagail glanced out the door to the library as if Greer was still staying at the house with her. She couldn’t write that one off as easily as she did Ivy.

“You got her a job with Ivy, Nathalie, and Lachlan even though you didn’t need to.”

“A consistent nanny helped my employee be a better employee.”

“Right.” Elia scrunched her face up and gave Abagail a hard stare. “That was youronlymotive.”

“It was.”

“I thought we were being honest,” Elia countered. “But if you’re not, I can just as easily head home tonight.”

“No, no, don’t do that.” Abagail stared down at her hands. Elia didn’t even know about Greer staying at the house or the fact that they’d met up several times since Greer had started working for Ivy to discuss the problems of the world and Greer’s life. Greer had been there when Nicola had come to bring the ring back. The ring that still felt like it was Nicola’s.

“Are you going to be honest?”

“Yes,” Abagail answered. “I do have asoftspot, as you called it.” She refused to say any more than that, though.

“So why is Nicola a soft spot for you?”

“I don’t know.”

“Do you care for her?”

“No.” Well, that wasn’t entirely true either. Abagail shook her head. “That’s not right. I docarefor her. I’mfondof her.”

“Do you love her?” Elia asked.

“No.” Abagail paused, double checking that she wasn’t lying to either one of them, but the answer settled well in her chest. “No, I don’t love her.”

“Does she love you?”

“I… don’t know.” Abagail frowned into her drink. It hadn’t even occurred to her to ask. “I think she just wants money, honestly. Not that she’s going to ask me for it, or that she’s going to try to take it, she wants to earn it. But I don’t think she wants anything else from me.”