The Article - Jackie Zufall (a court of thorns and roses ebook free .txt) 📗

room.

Returning to the table, Paul was playfully accusing Jay of cheating. “Yeah, right”, Jay said back, “I’ll have you know I won fair and square, if anyone cheated it was you”. “Oh yeah, I cheated and made myself lose the game, funny you”. Paul replied back laughing.

“So where’s Ab’s at”? Paul asked as he sat down. “She is in the restroom”, replied Susie. “Trying to regain composure”, she continued on. “From what”? Asked Jay. “Oh nothing, just something we were talking bout”. “Not a big deal”. At that moment, Abby rejoined the table, giving Susie a quick frown. As she sat down, Jay turned to Susie, “How bout a dance little lady”? He said in his best cowboy mocking voice. With a southern accent added to her answer, she said. “Why I declare Mr. Thompson, I would love to dance”. They all giggled as the pair rose and went to the dance floor.

“So Abby, what did you need to regain composure from”? inquired Paul. Turning slightly scarlet, Abby turned to glare at Susie, who did not notice. “What do you mean Paul”? “I have no idea what you are talking about”. “Well”, responded Paul, “When we sat down after our game and inquired as to where you were, we were told you needed to regain some composure”. “So what’s up”? Taking a deep breath to help catch her breath and keep her voice from giving her away. “Oh you know Susie, she was teasing me about something like she always does”. “Sometimes she just does not know when to drop it, that is all, so I went to the bathroom to get her to stop”. He watched her as she said all this, then said, “uh-huh, if you say so”. “So what was she saying bout me, or bout you and me as the case may be”. Abby suddenly blushing all over herself, turned to him and said, a little to quickly. “What makes you think it was about you”? In answer to her question he asked one of his own. “If it was not about me then why all of a sudden are you beet red and defensive”? Smiling at her, he then said, “relax, if it makes you feel any better, I’ve been getting my share of talks too”. “Tell you what, let’s have a dance, and give them something to really talk about, since they insist, we both know they just act like a bunch of kids”. She was feeling rather nervous and anxious but did not want Paul to read into what was really going through her mind, so against her better judgment she agreed. Moments later, she regretted her decision as she began to feel a bit overheated and hurriedly ran for the door. Paul following her, asked with a worried look on his face, “are you ok”? Slightly embarrassed again at her actions, she made excuses of it being too hot in the bar and needing air. Jay and Susie were suddenly at their side. “What happened”? Susie asked. With a warning glare, Abby said, “I just needed some air”. Susie told the guys to go ahead and go back to the their drinks that she would sit with Abby, as some fresh air sounded good to her as well. After they had left, Abby turned on Susie. “This is all your fault”? “Mine”? asked Susie. “What’d I do”? “Well, let’s see”, began Abby. “Just for starters, you sat there accusing me of watching Paul, then when you make me angry enough to leave the table, you go and tell Paul I need to “regain composure”, signing quotation marks with her fingers. “So naturally, Paul then has to inquire as to what I needed composure from”. “Thanks Suz”. Some friend you are.” “Oh come off it Abby, are you mad at me for that, or are you mad at yourself cause you are having old feelings stirring up in you, and I hit a nerve when I was teasing you”? retorted Susie.

Abby said nothing more to Susie the rest of the time they were in the bar, finally she said, “Well, it is getting late, I think I’m gonna head home”. Paul jumped up and offered to give her a ride to the house. “Don’t be silly, it’s only a few blocks, I’ll be fine”. Turning on her heels, she walked out the door before anyone could protest.

“Well”, said Jay, “anyone care to explain what that was all about”? “Nothing”, Susie said. “I guess Abby just wanted to go on home”. “Yeah”, agreed Paul. “It’s been a long day for all of us”. “I imagine she is just tired”. “And speaking of tired, I do believe that I too shall call it a night”. “I’ll see you guys in the morning at church”. Paul also just got up and walked out just as quickly as Abby had. Jay and Susie turned and looked at each other, shrugged their shoulders, smiling. Jay pointed to the dance floor and asked, “Shall we”?
After stopping off to grab some cigarettes and a six-pack of beer, Paul pulled into his driveway and turned off the motor. He stepped from the car and as he did, behind him he heard his name being said softly. “Paul” came Abby’s voice. He turned and said “Ab’s, What are you doing here, where’s your car”? “I pulled it behind the house, Paul I ….”. Paul just said, “I know”, as he pulled her to him with his one free hand. Looking deep in her eyes, he saw the same desire that he had been trying to deny of himself the past few days. Leaning down, they came together for a quick kiss, then Paul turned and with his arm around her shoulders, guided her towards the house.


Chapter Ten

The next morning, Paul woke and looked around, “Damn”, he thought to himself the kiss in that dream seemed so real. Getting up, he pulled on his jeans and headed to the kitchen to make coffee. As he opened the sewing room door, he caught an unmistakable whiff of fresh brewing coffee. “What the…”. He walked to the kitchen door and there, wearing nothing but his t-shirt, was Abby, making breakfast. Rubbing his head, he thought, “So it wasn’t a dream”. Walking up behind Abby, he put his arms around her waist and said, “morning beautiful”. Turning to face him with a smile on her face, Abby replied. “Well just for that compliment, I guess I forgive you”. Taken aback, Paul asked. “Forgive me for what”? “What exactly do you remember from last night Paul”? “Well …”, “ I remember you were standing outside, we kissed, we came in and went to the sewing room, we were kissing and undressing one another and….” Suddenly, he was blank. “Yeah, that’s what I thought, well Paul, you must have had a lot more to drink then you realized, because no sooner than we laid down, and out you went”. “But …”, he started, looking her up and down and the way she was dressed. “No”, she answered. “No what”? he asked. “No, nothing happened”. “And it is just as well that it did not”, “I don’t even know what possessed me to come out here”. “I guess I too had too much to drink”. “At least that’s my story and I’m sticking too it, and now, I am headed home to change before all our good buddies get here”.

But it was too late, they heard a car pulling in, feeling panicky, she said, “quick, where’s something I can put on to make it look like I just got here.” Smiling with an ornery look upon his face, he told her to try looking in his mothers’ room for something.

Moments later, she came from around the back of the house to the front where Paul stood with Jay, Susie, Allen and Michelle. Rather with a surprised look upon her face Susie said, “Abby where did you come from”? “ I was looking at the back yard where Mrs. Zimmerman used to have her flower garden”. Everyone just kind of looked back and forth from Abby to Paul, but said nothing. Then Michelle said, “Where’s your car”? “Oh”, replied Abby, I pulled it out back to make more room up here today, since I figured the guys would be working on the front of the house today”. “Well, I guess that makes sense”, responded Michelle, as she and Susie exchanged knowing glances, for they both noticed that, though Abby was dressed like she had just got here to work, her hair was mussed up and she was missing one dangling earring, plus, in her hurry to dress, she had grabbed two different tennis shoes from Paul’s mothers closet without noticing. Of course, the guys being guys, did not notice these things, so the girls said nothing, for the time being anyway. As at that moment the rest of the gang began arriving.

“Hey Paul”, hollered Justin, “We brought more help”. “Great”, Paul replied. Justin and Josh walked up with two women that Paul did not know. He knew that the two had met their wives at college, so was not surprised by their appearance. “Paul”, said Josh, “This is my wife, Sandy, and this is Justin’s wife Jan”, “Nice to meet you both”, he said as he shook both their hands.

As everyone got sorted out and began working, Michelle and Susie kept waiting for the opportune moment to be alone with Abby, so they could point out her rather odd appearance. Of course, Nicole not being one to miss much, ended up being the one to say something. “So, Abby, did you dress in the dark this morning or what”? Michelle and Susie both turned towards Abby and Nicole with big smiles on their faces. “What do you mean”, Abby asked. “Well”, Nicole continued. It is one thing to forget to brush your hair, but to wear one earring, and two different tennis shoes, well it does make one wonder”. Abby looking down for the first time, saw to her horror, she had put on one black tennis shoe, and one white tennis shoe. “Oh how could I have been so stupid”? she thought to herself. Looking up, she realized at once that Michelle and Susie had known all along. “Why didn’t you say anything”? she demanded a split second later. “What, and spoil our fun, we planned to bring it up here shortly, but Nicole beat us to it”, replied Michelle. “So, anyway”, piped up Susie, “Just what exactly was going on here when we pulled up”. “Nothing”, Abby said rather too quickly. “Uh-huh”, responded Susie. “Last I saw you, you were walking home from the bar. And then you were not in church this morning, nor was Paul, then we get here and you come from behind the house looking like a teenager caught by her parents”. “So come on, details please”, she said. “I said nothing happened and you can believe that or not, now I am going to get busy and I don’t want to hear about it again”. She tried hard to sound offended as she stormed off, when in reality, she was extremely embarrassed to have been caught in this situation of the different shoes, but also frustrated in the knowledge that nothing happened between her and Paul, and knowing that the girls would never in this lifetime ever believe her. Just what she needed she thought, something else for them to give her a hard time over.


Around three a car with a sign on top for the local pizza place pulled into the driveway, Paul started towards the deliverer and helped him with the four pizzas and boxes of breadsticks, taking half of it and leading the way into the house where his wallet