Page 34 of Promises We Meant to Keep (Love in Massachusetts #1)

thirty-four

“She hasn’t said anything?” Abagail asked, sitting across from Elia at a high-top in their favorite coffee shop in town.

“Nothing,” Elia answered, sipping the tea she’d ordered in the oversized and pretty mug. She’d needed to feel better about herself, so she’d willingly spent extra money just for the thrill of being frivolous for once.

“Nothing at all.”

“No.” Elia groaned. “She hasn’t even officially accepted the resignation. I’m not even sure if I can tell the other teachers or start to prepare for my replacement when I leave.”

“It’s been days, Elia.”

“I know.” Elia had stayed as far away from the administration building as possible since she’d handed in her resignation. The devastation that she’d caused Kamryn wasn’t lost on her. And yet there had been radio silence since.

“You might need to confront her.”

Elia groaned and closed her eyes. That was the last thing that she wanted to do. She just wanted to pack up her life quietly and move on. She’d already started figuring out which things she was going to keep and which ones she was going to toss and collecting boxes to prepare for her move.

“I need an answer. I want to tell the students and prepare them as soon as I can. We have a meet this weekend, and I can’t imagine holding that in and not trying to prepare them for this transition.” Elia stared down into her tea, wishing the leaves would have more information than she did. But unfortunately, she wasn’t a witch, and she wasn’t going to be able to read the leaves at the bottom of the cup.

“She’s really said nothing?”

“Nothing,” Elia confirmed again. Abagail seemed more surprised than Elia was. It made sense to Elia why Kamryn would avoid it. She was probably still looking to see if there were any other viable solutions to this problem.

Elia knew there weren’t.

Hell, they both knew that.

It was just a matter of actually admitting it, and then making plans to move forward from there. So why wouldn’t Kamryn talk to her already? Because the silence was killing Elia slowly. She finally took a sip of her tea, bringing her gaze back up to Abagail.

“You’ve really got it bad,” Abagail said. “You weren’t even this tortured with Yara.”

“Yara and I broke up mutually. The relationship wasn’t going anywhere, and we stopped trying. Kam and I haven’t even had a chance to start.” Elia sighed. “We’ll never get a chance.” She had to keep trying to convince herself of that because she didn’t believe it yet.

“And you and Kam…”

“Didn’t break up,” Elia answered confidently. They’d have to have an official relationship to break up, right? Wasn’t that how these things worked? Whatever they were to each other had ended, though. Elia had made sure of that, and the silence from Kamryn was the confirmation she didn’t want but needed. “I’ll talk to her Thursday at practice, before we leave Friday morning for the Speech meet.”

“You really want to do that before you’re stuck on a bus with her?”

Elia shook her head. “I’d rather not wait until afterward.” She needed the closure. And the more this tension lingered in the air, the more she felt that was true. “But enough about me. What’s going on with you?”

Abagail groaned. “You won’t believe what I’m doing.”

“Tell me.” Elia needed someone else to focus on, someone who wasn’t herself. She was tired of the insular thinking that was dragging her down.

“I’m dealing with a new company that we were hired by.” Abagail frowned. “And there’s a lot of complications with this one. We weren’t prepared for it.” Abagail sipped her tea. “It’s been a nightmare, actually.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I’m tempted to drop them, but Ivy really wants me to keep them.”

“Ivy?” Elia had to work hard to remember exactly who they were talking about. She vaguely remembered the name, but the exact details weren’t coming forward in her brain.

“Ivy Villegas. I hired her at the end of the summer to be my second.” Abagail frowned at Elia. “Don’t you remember?”

“Right, now I do. You haven’t talked about her much.”

Abagail sighed. “Because I’ve had some regrets in that hire.”

“Oh really?” Elia was curious now. There were always certain regrets for Abagail, but she hadn’t heard too much about Ivy.

“I hired her on the cusp of a divorce. I didn’t know that, not that it would have necessarily affected my hiring of her, but I probably would have planned in more training time and transition time than I did. She’s had to go in and out of court so many times in the last few months. Apparently, the custody battle is getting nasty.” Abagail wrinkled her nose.

“That’s always so hard, especially on the kids.”

“And she’s got a slew of them. Three, I think.” Abagail frowned as if she was trying to remember exactly how many kids there were. “Yeah. Three. There’s also a whole nanny situation that’s driving me up a wall and I’m not even involved in it.”

“Oh.” Elia sipped her tea again. She had missed a lot it seemed. She really needed to not be so wrapped up in her own drama that she couldn’t also be there for her friend. Her only friend that she really had anymore. She couldn’t lose that relationship. “So Ivy wants to keep this new company?”

“It’s her friend’s company.” Abagail pursed her lips. “Normally I’m opposed to those kinds of business relationships, especially when it involves HR issues, but when I hired Ivy, they came with her, and Ivy agreed that she wouldn’t be the lead contact for them any longer.”

“So who is?” Elia asked, her brow furrowing.

“I am.” Abagail sighed heavily. “And let me tell you something, if I never hear the name Nathalie Coeur again, I’ll be one happy woman.”

“Is she your problem child?”

Abagail nodded. “And owner, who comes with its own complications.”

“Wonderful,” Elia muttered. The bell above the door to the coffee shop jingled as it opened.

“I have many regrets lately.” Abagail’s look faltered, and she didn’t lift her gaze up to meet Elia’s either.

Elia was just about to pry when out of the corner of her eye, she caught some movement as two women spun in a circle, trying to find a place to sit. A shiver ran down her spine. She knew one of those voices so well, and it’d been impossible to get it out of her head lately. So much for focusing on Abagail for a little bit, although she didn’t think that Abagail minded in this scenario.

“Kam’s here,” Elia murmured.

“Oh, is she?” Abagail’s eyes lit up, and she looked around the room. She found Kam and Greer immediately. A smile slid over her lips, and it scared Elia. Just what exactly was she thinking? “Maybe now’s the perfect time to talk to her.”

“Abagail!” Elia hissed as Abagail stood up. But she was too late. Abagail was already walking away from her with an extra sway to her hips that held so much sass.

Elia was ready to crawl in a hole and bury herself alive. This wasn’t what she was ready for. She hadn’t worked out what exactly she was going to say to Kamryn either. Abagail put her hands on the smalls of both Kamryn’s and Greer’s backs, ushering them toward the table that she and Elia were sharing, the one conveniently with two extra seats in this very busy coffee shop.

“Elia—Kam and Greer are going to join us.”

Thanks so much for asking. Elia tried not to let that thought show on her face, because she had no doubt that it was going to worry Kamryn even more than this situation already was. Elia shifted in her seat slightly but said nothing as Greer immediately sat down.

“We didn’t really get much time to talk the other day,” Greer said, grinning from ear to ear.

And Elia had thought that Kamryn was all sunshine. She was nothing compared to Greer. Abagail sat next to Greer in the seat she’d occupied before, which left the one right next to Elia for Kamryn.

Fucking perfect.

Elia couldn’t glare any harder at Abagail. But she also had to turn on her nice brain as she focused on Greer. Because Greer didn’t deserve the wrath that Elia wanted to unleash on her best friend. Kamryn sat stiffly next to Elia, saying nothing.

“We didn’t.” Elia finally broke the silence and focused on Greer. “How was the wedding? Kam and I haven’t had much of a chance to catch up since then.”

That was an understatement, and Greer’s hesitant look told Elia that she was as aware of the silence between her and Kamryn as Abagail was. And probably just how tense and awkward it was.

“It was good,” Greer said. “Though the brunch thing the next morning was awkward.”

Elia nodded. “It seems to be a new trend, however.”

“It does.” Greer sighed and folded her hands together in front of her. “I don’t think I’ll do that when I get married though.”

“Is there someone in your life?” Abagail asked, wrapping her arm around the back of Greer’s chair.

Elia eyed her. This was a clear sign that Abagail thought Greer was cute and queer, but that didn’t necessarily mean the immediate attraction was reciprocated. Elia would make sure to watch that one. She really didn’t want Greer to get caught up in any drama related to Elia. That was the very last thing she needed. Kamryn would no doubt hate her then.

“No.” Greer grinned again. “But if there ever happens to be, I like to be prepared.”

Abagail nodded slowly and leaned in a little more. Kamryn must have noticed because she tensed next to Elia. The waitress showed up just in time.

“What can I get for you?”

Greer flashed another brilliant smile and ordered swiftly. Kamryn was a bit slower to respond, and she kept flicking her gaze to Abagail like she was the enemy now. Which honestly, Elia should probably be happy with, right?

When the waitress left, Kamryn stayed poised at the ready, as if she was going to jump in and defend Greer with everything she had in her. Elia hoped it didn’t come down to that. “Kam told me that you were laid off from your last job.”

“Yeah.” Greer’s lips twitched upward. “It was time. The boys are in school now, and there’s just not a whole lot for a nanny to do when the kids are gone most of the day.” Her cheeks were a beautiful rosy red, but it didn’t seem like embarrassment. “I stayed with Kam this week because of the wedding, but I’m going to be crashing with Lauren next week.”

Kamryn tensed again, jerking sharply in her chair. “You are?”

“Yeah, sorry I didn’t tell you before. I didn’t think you’d mind.”

“You can stay with me longer.” Kamryn was rushing into things.

Greer couldn’t stay at the school longer. The houseparent quarters weren’t built for that. Elia would offer her spare room if she wasn’t moving out. But perhaps Kamryn could move into her house and then there’d be room for Greer to move in with her until she found another job.

But this wasn’t Elia’s problem to try and solve either. And she really needed to stay out of everyone else’s business. That’s what had gotten her into trouble in the first place, hadn’t it? Getting too close to Kamryn?

“It’ll be fine,” Greer responded. “I won’t be there long.”

“Did you say you’re a nanny?”

“Uh…yeah.” Greer nodded. “I’ve been a nanny for fifteen years now. I was thinking about going back to school for my MBA, but I’m not sure that’s what I want to do.”

“You have to have a plan to use your degree before you get one.”

“Which is why I dropped out halfway through the program before.” Greer winked. “I was more interested in nannying anyway. I adore kids.”

Elia could understand the sentiment, though small children weren’t exactly the age range she preferred to teach. She much preferred teaching high-school–aged kids. “Seems you’re the odd one out, Abagail.”

“Seems I am.” Abagail leaned back in her chair, seemingly having given up on her interest in Greer. That was a good thing. Elia really didn’t need one more complication to add to what was already going on.

“If you’ll excuse me.” Elia left her drink on the table and stood up. She needed a breather. And it didn’t seem like Abagail was going to be ready to leave any time soon. But she really had to get her head on straight. Walking straight to the back of the small cafe, Elia stepped into the bathroom.

The air was much cooler in here. The scent of coffee wasn’t overwhelming. She closed her eyes as she let the differences sink in. She wanted a break from the intensity, and she’d certainly got it. Now if only this break could last. Or better yet, the conversation she knew she had to have with Kamryn didn’t go horribly in a direction neither of them wanted it to.

“Are you hiding from me?” Kamryn’s voice reverberated through the small bathroom.