As she answered it, Sheryl Harris asked over the other end, “Are you free tonight? Bring Tommy over if you can-I miss him.”
“Okay,” Abigail replied.
“Also…” Sheryl paused for a while before adding, “Bring Diarmuid too. I’ll try to cook more for him.”
The mention of Diarmuid left Abigail hanging her head. “He’s abroad for work…”
“Don’t lie to me!” Sheryl snapped-she was once married too, and could tell immediately that there was something wrong with Abigail’s tone!
Abigail quickly ran through what she just said.
She did not say anything wrong, did she?
“How am I lying, Mom?”
“Did you have a fight with Diarmuid?” Sheryl asked sharply.
Abigail quickly mustered herself and said, “No, we’re doing fine, Mom… or maybe you don’t want me to be fine?”
“Of course I do, but I’m worried
“You’re being paranoid. Things are perfectly fine between us,” Abigail said, beating her to it.
“Really?” Sheryl still sounded a little worried.
“Yeah. Why would I lie? We are doing very well, so don’t worry over nothing.”
Sheryl thought about it, and decided that she might be paranoid.
“Okay,” she said, though she sounded a little disappointed just then. “I was hoping to see you both since it’s been a while.”
Abigail said, “It’s the same if I just bring Tommy along.”
“No, it’s not–you and Diarmuid are married, and that makes him my son–in–law. That basically makes him my son too.”
Abigail, however, became gloomy as she remembered how things were between her and Diarmuid, but tried her best to sound normal. “I still have work to do, Mom. Anyway, I’ll bring Tommy over once I leave work, and do cook more anyway–your grandson and I have to eat too.”
“Okay,” Sheryl said tenderly.
Abigail hung up then, and returned to reading Stephen’s notes.
After work, she brought Tommy to Bernstein Mansion as promised.
Sheryl had certainly cooked a lot, covering the table with scrumptious food. Abigail could tell that it took. considerable time and effort, and could not help feeling grateful.
“Oh, Tommy,” Sheryl exclaimed as she studied the baby from head to toe. “Getting rounder, taller and fairer, aren’t we? You look just like Daddy now!”
Abigail glanced at Tommy too, and the boy did indeed resemble Diarmuid.
“Oh, and did you remember when you asked me to decide when you two should get married? The weather is cooling these days, so it would be good to do it soon. You and Diarmuid should get ready now.”
Abigail’s heart skipped a beat.
Diarmuid must have forgotten about that, had he not?
Even if he did not, this was definitely a bad time.
As such, Abigail changed the subject, “Speaking of weddings, I have to attend one. What do you think I should wear, Mom?”
“Whose wedding?” Sheryl asked.
“Zachary Slate’s,” Abigail replied.
“What?!” Someone exclaimed from the doorway, and Abigail turned to find Ricky Bernstein standing there! Stumped for a while, she eventually asked, “When did you come back?”
“Just now,” Ricky replied as he hurried inside and grasped her arm. “Are you serious? Zachary Slate is getting married?”
Abigail nodded, “Yeah, but don’t tell Lulu.”
“Hah!” Ricky laughed. “Why not? He’s made his bed and should lie in it.”
“No, I’m the one telling you not to do it, not him,” Abigail explained. “He just broke up with Lulu, and she probably would be overwhelmed if she finds out…”
“Exactly! She would only give up if she finds out, and she needs the pain to make her forget! Why hide?” Ricky countered.
Abigail was left silenced–Ricky actually spoke reason.
“I’ll call her right now, so that she’ll give up and not hold any delusions,” he said, whipping out his phone right then.
Abigail wanted to stop him, but Sheryl caught her wrist and shook her head. “Let him do it.”
“What?” She was actually puzzled by Sheryl’s stance, even as her mother leaned in to whisper into her ear
“Lulu was staying with us a while ago, wasn’t she? I sensed that Ricky became infatuated with Lulu after that.”
Sheryl was quite experienced herself, and had seen through Ricky’s thoughts for a while now.
And after what she said, Abigail started to look at Ricky differently, while the boy did not sense the women’s looks as he called Lulu.
Soon, his call was answered.
“Lulu? It’s me.”
On the other end, Lulu smiled as she asked, “Hey. Have you reached home already?”
“Yeah, I had something to ask,” Ricky said, but paused for a moment. “Wait, hold that thought.”
Covering the receiver, he turned toward Abigail and asked, “When’s Zachary Slate getting married?”
“In two days,” Abigail said.
With that, Ricky returned to the call, “In two days, please come over first thing in the morning.”
Lulu said, “I’m busy.”
“Actually, this is something important and I need your help. Just this once, and I won’t bother you anymore. Pretty please?”
Lulu was still reluctant. “I’m really busy…”
Nonetheless, Ricky persisted, even humbling himself to do so. “Come on, Lulu, just say yes. Show some pity since I just went over to visit you myself?”
Unable to say no, Lulu said, “Fine, but you have to promise me that you won’t act on a whim, and do something like coming over at the drop of a hat.”
“Okay,” Ricky agreed to it chipperly, and hung up.
Abigail then asked, “Why would you want her to come over?”
“Just telling her won’t have much impact. She must see it herself, that Zachary is at the altar with another woman–it’s the only way to get her to give up on him.” Ricky said, and his idea certainly covered all fronts.
Still, Abigail stared at him for a while, and asked the obvious, “You really care about Lulu, don’t you? Are you that into her?”
“Doesn’t matter even if I am. Neither of us are married or in a relationship.”
Ricky did not hide the fact that he was interested in Lulu and wanted to woo her.
“She’s older than you, y’know,” Abigail told him.
“Older ladies are all the craze with young boys these days,” Ricky countered–age clearly was no issue for him.
With that, Abigail stopped going on about it. She should not meddle in their affairs, not to mention that her own relationship was a mess.
“Wash your hands before you eat,” she told Ricky.
Ricky was in a good mood and did so, and when he saw that the dining table was covered with food, he
asked, “What day is it? That’s a lot of food.”
“Then eat more,” Abigail told him..
Ricky smiled, and played with Tommy a little. “Tommy, can you say ‘uncle‘?”
Sheryl countered, “Not before ‘grandma‘.”
“We won’t know for sure. Maybe he loves his uncle more, right?” he said, and held out his hands. “Let me carry him for a bit.”
Abigail did so, and Tommy was not actually scared and allowed Ricky to hold him.-
“He’s just in a good mood today,” Abigail said. “He’d be bawling if he wasn’t–he couldn’t stop crying just days ago.”
“We’re men. We’d shed blood before we shed tears,” Ricky said, and gave Tommy a peck on the cheek.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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