The Family He Didn't Expect by Shirley Jump

Author:Shirley Jump
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2019-04-09T19:32:38+00:00

* * *

Abby took a long hot shower after she got home from fishing. She shaved her legs, curled her hair, spritzed on a little perfume and redid her makeup.

For a barbecue.

She changed her outfit twice, finally settling on a pair of skinny jeans and a navy blue loose flowy blouse. She straightened a house that didn’t need straightening, rummaged through her pantry for a boxed dessert that she could whip up, then made the hamburger patties.

When her phone rang at four thirty, Abby steeled herself, sure it was Dylan calling to cancel. Telling herself that would be best, because she was already starting to fall for him.

Instead of Dylan, her sister Melanie’s name lit up the phone. “Hey, Mel,” Abby said when she answered. “How are you?”

“Driving home from work in rush-hour traffic from hell. I thought leaving a little early would help me miss it, but no.” Melanie sighed. “I’ve got to go to a big meeting with an advertiser tonight. You know, fancy restaurant, the whole schmoozing thing.”

“I can’t remember the last time I was in a fancy restaurant,” Abby said. “So how’s Adam?”

A hesitation on Melanie’s end. “Everyone’s great. Just great. You know, the usual, working a lot, spending a lot, sleeping too little. I think we might take our winter vacation in Europe this year.”

“Europe, huh?” Abby had to admit she felt a pang of envy. That was the kind of vacation she’d never be able to afford for her kids. Melanie was free and loose, without kids to tie her down. “Glad everything is going well. You sound great.”

“Yeah, yeah. I am.”

There was something off in Melanie’s voice, though, something that nagged at Abby. Maybe her sister wasn’t as happy as she made herself out to be. Or maybe the traffic just had her off center. “You doing okay?” Abby asked. “I mean, you don’t call me that often and—”

“I’m just catching up, Abs.” Melanie let out an irritated sigh. “Why are you giving me the third degree?”

“Sorry.” Abby switched topics, and forced a brightness into her tone. “Your birthday is coming up. Why don’t I buy you a plane ticket, and you can come down here and visit me? I know the kids would love to see you. Oh, and do you remember Harris McCarthy from high school? He’s been back in town recently. He’s a builder or something and was working on a project nearby for some retired baseball player. I saw it in the paper the other day. Small world, isn’t it?”

Her sister seemed to hesitate. “Harris McCarthy? From high school? I... I hardly remember him.”

Abby laughed. “Right. You were head over heels for him in high school. I always thought you two would end up together. Guess you hit the jackpot elsewhere, though.”

“Yeah, well, happy endings don’t always come true.” Melanie let out a breath, then her voice brightened. “Anyway, I should go. I’ve got...traffic. Meeting. All that stuff. Bye, Ab!”

Her sister was gone. Abby worried about Melanie’s out-of-the-blue call for a second, then brushed it off.

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