Humbled by Patricia Haley

Author:Patricia Haley [Haley, Patricia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Urban Books
Published: 2014-01-29T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 28

Joel was a gnat constantly biting at Abigail’s heels. The pesky critter wasn’t visible, but the subtle pricks were a reminder of its presence. Joel wouldn’t go away. Pretending not to care about him didn’t make her feel better, but it did help her survive the breakup. Actually, breakup wasn’t the right word for it. In order to break up, they had to be in a relationship. According to Joel, that wasn’t the label he’d put on their union. Abigail recalled the relationship differently. She fondly remembered the countless hours they’d worked together. For a year, they’d eaten most dinners in the office as they diligently built his career and the clientele at DMI. Joel sacrificed his personal life during those early days for the good of the company and for what he had deemed was the leading of God. She had never questioned his motivation and had given one hundred percent, working tirelessly by his side in the trenches to fulfill his goals and Dave’s vision for the company.

At Joel’s request, she had even managed the construction of his new house, the one she thought he was building for them to share. Every inch of every room had been approved by her. She smirked again and snatched her pen off the desk to doodle on the pad of paper lying before her. She’d put her best effort into completing that project on time, under budget, and with as much dedication and love as her heart could muster. The thanks she got was a news flash one night on the local TV network, which showed Joel and his bride arriving from India after their secret wedding. She was devastated and was in denial for months. She set the pen down and stopped doodling. The shroud of pining over a man who didn’t reciprocate her affection had lifted once she acknowledged that Joel, her perceived soul mate, was too self-absorbed to care about anyone other than himself.

In their recent past, reflecting on the old days might have caused her to shed a tear. But now she simply smirked, having grown in wisdom. She wanted to weep only for the naive young woman who stood passionately by her man with unwavering faith. She had refused to accept the shortcomings of the relationship, despite seeing the obvious, hearing the rumors, and being told the truth directly.

Her reminiscing was cut short when Don knocked on the door. “Can I come in?” he asked.

“Sure,” she said, ripping the doodled sheet of paper from the pad, balling it up, and tossing it in the trash can underneath her desk. “Come right on in and have a seat, Mr. Mitchell.”

“Mister, huh? Why so formal, Ms. Gerard?”

She giggled. “Ah, just messing with you.”

Don took the seat she offered. “What has you acting silly?”

Suddenly the past disappeared in her rearview mirror, at least for today. “You don’t want to know,” she said, glancing away from Don.

“Uh-huh. I know what that look means.” She was certain he did, and they didn’t have to go any further with the conversation.

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