It Takes A Village
As always, thank you so much for your lovely reviews & comments. It definitely motivates me to keep writing!
This chapter is kind of the calm before the storm. Things have been going quite smoothly for a couple of chapters now, but the shit is about to hit the fan in the next chapter!
Hope you enjoy this one :)
Chapter 11: Home and Away
Abigail had received an email from Cassie with the takings from the flower shop that day, and she was quite impressed. Although it was nice to have a whole weekend free, she had kind of missed being in the shop today. Not that she hadn't had a nice day with Harry, meeting some of his friends and family. It was a beautiful town, but she didn't get the same vibe there that she got from Middleton. She felt like things were starting to get more serious between her and Harry than she could handle, but then she reminded herself that she had introduced him to some of her nearest and dearest from the get go. They had met on her cousin's school field trip, after all.
They dined in a quiet restaurant on the town's main street, and the food was pretty delicious. Her appetite wasn't great though, and Abigail realised she was homesick. She even thought about ringing Cassie but, if her plans worked out the way she hoped, she would be too preoccupied with Sam.
"You seem miles away Abigail, is everything alright?"
Abigail pulled herself back from her thoughts and smiled at him across the table, the candlelight making his eyes glow.
"Everything is perfect." She smiled, but inside she felt hollow because she had told a lie.
"I'm so glad you could come home with me this weekend. Everyone has been dying to meet you properly."
"Um, can you excuse me?" Dropping her napkin onto the tablecloth, Abigail slipped away to the ladies room.
Once she was bolted inside the stall, she took out her phone and found herself dialling Stephanie's number.
"Abigail, what's up?" Even though it sounded like the Bistro was busy, at least it did from the background noise anyway, Stephanie had picked up on the first ring.
"I don't know," She moaned. "I think I'm getting cold feet."
"About Harry?"
"No, I forgot to pack socks. Of course I mean Harry!" She hissed.
"Has something happened?"
"No, it's all been lovely. He showed me around his hometown, I met his friends and now we're supposed by having a fancy Italian dinner but it feels wrong Stephanie."
"You've only been dating a few months, maybe things are just moving a little too fast for you."
"How can I tell him that? He's so…" She tailed off as she heard someone else enter the restroom. "I have to go, I'll be home tomorrow night."
"Abigail…" But the line had been cut. Back in Middleton, Stephanie stared at her phone before sighing and getting back to work.
Linda's weekend away was not much more of a success than Abigail's. Her lunch was Jared had been pleasant and polite, but she could feel that he had pulled away from her. She supposed that was natural considering she had pulled the plug on the beginnings of their relationship to rush to her son's side, and then move back in with her ex-husband. Not many men would be particularly understanding about that last part.
She was still struggling with her decision about what her future held; was it back here in New York or was it in Middleton? She had missed so much of Nick's life, but would living in the same town be the best thing for their relationship. He had a community there who would support him, probably better than she could if she was being honest with herself. But he was still her son, and even if he would be a man soon, she still wanted to be there for him.
She had booked an overnight stay in a hotel off Broadway. After spending weeks and weeks living with Sam and Nick as if they were family again, it was strange to have all the quiet space of a hotel suite to herself. She spent the evening in the hotel, using her laptop to do some work until the idea depressed her too much. She wished she had bought a last minute ticket to one of the Broadway shows, or planned in advance so she could have met with friends or co-workers for drinks.
The truth of the matter was that she didn't feel like she belonged here anymore. But she also didn't feel like she belonged in Middleton either, even though the townspeople had made every effort to make her feel welcome and invite her to join in with the town's activities. Perhaps she should have taken them up on the offer once or twice. The closest she had really been to mixing with people in Middleton was when she had been in Bistro having coffee with Abigail or Lori, and both times it had been more trans-actional than social. She remembered that Abigail was considering spending a weekend in New York with her new boyfriend, and she wondered if that trip was going more successfully than her own.
She ordered a glass of red wine from the mini bar and took a notepad from her laptop bag. Sitting crossed legged on the king size bed, Linda set out to write a pro and con list: New York City vs Middleton.
Cassie and Sam did little but eat dinner, followed by dessert, together that evening. They did the washing up together, slotting into a typical relationship routine as if they did this all the time. Cassie could help but feel that the spell would be broken as soon as Linda came crashing back to Middleton. She was determined to make the best of the time they had together, though.
They kissed again in the kitchen, it seemed to becoming a regular make-out spot for them. Neither of them tried to take it any further, though both of them wanted more. Sam didn't just want the sex though; he wanted to fall asleep with her in his arms and wake up with her in the morning. That was how he knew that this wasn't just attraction or chemistry; it was the real deal.
A part of him had been in love with her from their first meeting, no matter how hard he had tried to deny it. Now, he knew that she was the one. He also knew it wasn't going to be easy for her. Sam had loved Linda once, but that was a long time ago. Cassie still loved Jake, and Sam knew she always would. He was Grace's father after all, and without his untimely death, Sam assumed that Cassie and Jake would still be together and happily married now. It was a complicated line to walk.
Before Sam went home, they kissed goodbye again. There was some kind of finality to it, but this time they both hoped it wouldn't be long before they were back in each other's arms again.
Sam walked back home, preparing to break up Nick's gathering. If Linda was still permanently back in New York, he would have let the girls stay over but he also knew that Cassie was right, as always. When he went into the living room, only Grace and Nick were there. The TV was on, but it was paused at the beginning of an episode.
"Where's Courtney?" Sam asked, but as soon as he'd said it he realised it was the wrong question.
"I should go," Grace got up and pulled on her hoodie. "Text me if you need to talk, Nick, okay?"
Nick nodded solemnly, his hands in his hair. "Bye Grace."
Sam walked her out and then came back to sit next to his son.
"Do you want to talk about it."
Nick sighed, dropping his hands into lap.
"She broke up with me,"
"Ah Nick, I'm sorry."
"It's not that…I kind of knew it wasn't working and I know she felt guilty about my accident even though it wasn't her fault," He looked away from his father. "She's been seeing someone else."
A curse popped out of Sam's mouth before he could stop it, but at least it made Nick give him the ghost of a smile. He put his arm around his son's shoulders, and they sat in silence for a moment. Sam knew Cassie would know exactly the right words to say right now, but really all Nick needed right now was knowing his Dad was there for him.
Cassie had a visit from the younger Radford in her kitchen on Sunday. She had been clearing up after doing some baking, and paused in unloading the dishwasher to put the kettle on.
"Nick, what a nice surprise. You are walking so much better than when I last saw you."
Of course, both of them knew that they hadn't seen much of each other recently because Linda being in town and living in Sam's house made things more complicated than they needed to be.
"Thanks, I'm finally going back to school next Monday. Don't tell Grace, but I'm actually looking forward to it."
Cassie smiled. "I'm sure it will be good to get back to normal again, and you must have been missing your friends."
She watched as the brightness faded from his eyes.
"I don't know if Grace would have told you, but me and Courtney broke up." He sighed. "Well, she broke up with me."
"Oh Nick, I'm so sorry." She put her hand on his shoulder and gave it a friendly squeeze. "That must be really hard for you, especially now."
She made them tea and helped Nick with his cane, the one that Linda had bought for him from the Bell, Book and Candle, so he could take a seat at the kitchen table. She put a cup of tea and a chocolate muffin in front of him, and then sat down in the chair opposite.
"Right at the beginning, when I was still in hospital, I told her that she didn't have to feel guilty and what happened to me wasn't her fault. Then when I got home and we found that the recovery was going to take ages, I said she didn't have to wait around for me. But Cassie, she said that she loved me."
Moved, Cassie put her hand over Nick's on the table.
"How could she say that she loved me and then cheat on me?"
"I'm sorry, Nick."
"I shouldn't be dumping all this on you, not when you and Dad aren't even together anymore."
"Hey, just because your Dad and I aren't in a relationship anymore, it doesn't mean that I've stopped caring about either of you. You know you're always welcome here Nick, and I hope that you'll start spending more time at Grey House now you can get up and around."
"I feel bad," Nick continued, struggling with the words. "I know that what happened to me on the ski trip was just an accident, but I still feel like if it hadn't happened then you and Dad would still be together and my Mom would still be in New York."
Cassie suspected that what Nick was saying was true. If Linda hadn't swept back into Middleton on the first weekend she and Sam had been able to spend as a real couple, would anything have changed? If Nick, Grace and Courtney had all made it back from the ski trip in one piece, what would her relationship with Sam look like? But she also knew that it wasn't Nick's fault and she wouldn't have placed the blamed at his door for anything. If her relationship with Sam hadn't survived the return of his ex-wife, then it surely would have fallen at another hurdle? If they managed a second chance at their romance, then things would be different; stronger this time around because the past weeks had taught them some valuable lessons.
"None of this is your fault," She told him honestly. "Things were still so new with your Dad, and he obviously wanted to put you first which is exactly what I would have done if Grace had been in your position. Please don't feel bad."
Nick looked relieved. Until his own heart had been bruised, he hadn't fully considered how Cassie must be feeling. He knew that his Dad was keeping his emotions in check for his sake and because his Mom was back living with them, but he also knew that Sam hadn't been finding things easy either.
"Once I'm back at school all day, I'm sure Mom will get bored of Middleton and she'll be on the first flight back to New York."
"Nick," It was partly a reprimand but she smiled too. "You shouldn't want to get rid of your Mom so soon."
"You haven't had to live with her and Dad for the last month," He shuddered and then caught himself. "Sorry."
"It can't have been easy," Cassie agreed.
"He misses you, you know," Nick focused his attention on unwrapping the muffin rather than having to make eye contact.
"He knows where I live,"
Nick looked up with a smile, and then his attention returned to his muffin. He was glad he had decided to come and visit Cassie. He missed her, and he missed how easy it was to talk to her. He could confide in her about so many things that he would have struggled to tell his own mother. He was already dreading telling her about his break up with Courtney, because he knew that Linda hadn't approved of her as a girlfriend. While Cassie had given him support and empathy, he knew that his Mom's first reaction would probably be relief.