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Abigail shut the door in her father’s face, her stomach clenching with the mix of emotions coursing through her body – anger, resentment, despair.“What’s going on? Who was at the door?” Cassie’s voice broke into her thoughts.Abigail pulled herself out of her thoughts long enough to say, “I’m going to bed,” heading up the stairs and into her room. She was vaguely aware of Cassie and Sam talking as she went but did but ignored them, not willing to talk about it.She went through her nightly routine in an almost zombie-like state, all but completely unaware of what she was doing as the implications of the night washed over her. It was only when she was lying in bed that she picked up her phone and dialled the number of the one person she did want to talk to at that moment.“Abigail?” Came Stephanie’s groggy voice over the line. “What’s wrong?”Abigail looked at the clock and winced when she saw how late it had gotten. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you, I,” she let out a shaky breath. “I just needed to hear your voice.”“What’s going on? Do you want me to come over?” Worry coloured Stephanie’s voice.“No, no. Just,” Abigail took another deep breath, “tell me about your day?” She needed the distraction from her own thoughts and wanted nothing more than to listen to Stephanie’s soothing voice.There was a pause. Abigail began to wonder if Stephanie was going to push before she started speaking again. “So, there was this couple that came to the Bistro for breakfast, right …”For the first time since she had opened the door that evening, Abigail smiled softly as she listened to Stephanie ramble on, eventually falling asleep to the sound of her voice. When Martha entered the Bistro the next day the first thing she noticed was that Stephanie seemed distracted. It took her three tries to get her attention and even then Martha did not seem to have her full attention.“You seem distracted, dear, is everything okay?”Stephanie paused what she was doing with a sigh before leaning across the counter towards Martha so no one could hear. “I’m worried about Abigail.”“Is everything alright between you two?” Concern flashed across Martha’s face.“Oh, no no, everything’s fine.” Stephanie shrugged. “In that respect at least.”“Then what’s going on?”Another sigh. “Abigail called me in the middle of the night, she was clearly upset about something, but she wouldn’t tell me what. I don’t know what to do.”“You know Abigail, she’s the most guarded person we know.” Martha’s face softened. “You just have to give her time, you know she’ll come to you.”“Yeah, you’re right. I just hate feeling helpless.” Stephanie straightened up, going back to server mode. “Now, what can I get you?”The two were chatting about that afternoon’s meeting when a man Stephanie had not seen before came up to them. “Excuse me, what’s happening at city hall?”“Oh, it’s the quarterly meeting of our Women’s Small Business Owner’s Association,” Martha responded“The mayor’s in charge of all that,” Stephanie chimed in. “I just show up with the pastries.”“Now, you also run a very successful small business of your own.”Stephanie made an appreciative sound as the man spoke up again. “May I show you my own small business owner?”“Oh, of course,” Martha said with her usual enthusiasm. Stephanie, however, was beginning to wonder.The man pulled out a photo. “This is one of Middleton’s own, right when she was starting out.”Martha smiled, “well isn’t she adorable.”He continued, “she begged to have her own lemonade stand and made fourteen dollars without any help from me or her mother, she just completely did it on her own.” He turned the photo so Stephanie could see it and her wonder turned to dread.“That looks like Abigail.” Who was this man?“Yeah, she was about nine years old.” He paused before seeming to remember that he had not introduced himself. “Oh, I’m sorry. Arthur Pershing.”Martha gasped and Stephanie drew on every drama class she had taken in high school to say cheerfully, “you’re Abigail’s father.”“She said you were dead,” Martha stated bluntly. Stephanie did not react despite having known that that was not true.“Well, news of my death has been greatly exaggerated.” They chatted for a moment about Arthur and about Cassie before Martha excused herself, leaving Stephanie alone with Arthur. “So, what does my daughter like to order when she comes here?”The question caught Stephanie slightly off guard. “Well, um,” thankfully she knew Abigail’s favourites by heart, “she loves those pecan cinnamon rolls.”“Then I’ll take one of those.”“Coming right up,” Stephanie said with what she hoped sounded like a real giggle.She had figured out what Abigail had been so upset about. Abigail was still quiet as the meeting began but as much as it pained her, Stephanie knew there was nothing much she could do at the moment so she simply put a hand on Abigail’s knee and gave it a slight squeeze, reminding her that she was there if she needed her.Martha brought the meeting to order, starting with the new project she had come up with that morning in order to inspire the girls of Middleton.“It could be inspiring to see what each of us overcame to become who we are today,” Cassie chimed in her agreement with Martha’s plan.“Isn’t it wonderful? And it all came from something Abigail’s father showed me, a picture of her with her very first business.” Stephanie suppressed a groan, this was not the time nor the place to bring him up. Then again, Martha was never known for her tact.“You met my father?” Incredulity filled both Abigail’s voice and her face.“Yes, he came into the Bistro,” Martha spoke as though it was obvious.“He seemed very proud, bragging to Martha and me about your lemonade stand.” Stephanie spoke gently, not wanting to upset Abigail but also wanting her to know what had happened.“I’m shocked he even remembered that.” Stephanie heard the anger in her voice and squeezed her knee once more.Thankfully, Martha sensed a need for a change in topic. “So, I need a framed high school portrait from each of you.”Stephanie let out a good-natured groan. “I suppose I can dig that out of wherever that is.”“Me too,” Cassie agreed.Abigail, however, had stiffened. “What if we don’t have one?”“Don’t be silly, everyone has a yearbook photo at least,” was Martha’s response.Abigail bit her lip, shaking her head. “All I wanted to do when I turned 18 was move out of my foster parents’ house.”Stephanie felt a pang, moving her hand from Abigail’s knee to clasp her hand on top of the table. “I didn’t realize it was so bad for you.”“It was okay, I was just ready to get started with life so all I took with me was a suitcase full of clothes. I don’t have anything from when I was a teenager.” Abigail picked up her mug with a smirk, “other than the memory of all the boys’ hearts I broke.” Stephanie rolled her eyes affectionately, nudging Abigail gently, glad to see a small but genuine smile flit across her face.“Now you have some good memories in Middleton to look back on,” Cassie said, watching the two women.Abigail looked from Cassie to Stephanie. “Yeah, I guess so.”“I still want a current photo of you so don’t let those frown lines set in permanently before we set you up with the photographer. And sit up straight!” Martha brought the meeting back to order with a hit of her gabble. “A sloping shoulder makes ladies look older.” “I can’t believe someone actually sent all this to you.” Stephanie smiled, flipping through a few of Abigail’s old grade school art projects.“Yeah, neither do I.” Abigail picked up a bike tassel with a soft smile. “I’m glad they did though.”“So am I.” Stephanie put the papers down and turned to Abigail. “Now, let’s see that senior photo of yours.” Abigail groaned. “Oh, come on, you’ve seen my disaster of a senior photo, let’s see yours.”“Fine,” Abigail sighed dramatically but obliged, pulling a yearbook out of the box and flipping open to the requested photo.Stephanie gaped at it. “Seriously? You look amazing in that. Meanwhile you can clearly tell I was crying in mine.”“Come on, you looked beautiful.” Abigail gave Stephanie a bright smile, the one that made her melt every time.“One of these days I’m going to tell everyone just how much of a sap you actually are.”“I will deny any and all claims of sappiness.”Stephanie rolled her eyes, giving Abigail an exasperated look. “Of course, you will.” Something sitting next to the box caught her eye. “You never told me you were a dancer.” She picked up the pair of ballet slippers.Abigail sighed. “I wasn’t. My dad sent me those from Paris, he’d always send me something from his trips,” her voice hardened as she spoke.“Oh,” Stephanie put them down, studying Abigail. “Do you want to talk about it?”“I – I just don’t know what to think,” Abigail finally admitted after a long pause. “He showed up so suddenly and dropped such a bombshell on me.”Stephanie’s brow furrowed as she moved closer to Abigail, pulling her into her arms. “What exactly did he say to you when he arrived here?”Abigail told the story of her father’s appearance at Grey House and their dinner the next night, Stephanie’s eyes widening as learned about why he had left and what had kept him away.“Wow, that’s a lot.” Abigail made a noncommittal noise. “What are you going to do?”“Honestly? I don’t know.” Abigail let out another sigh. “But enough about that for now, I’d rather talk about something else.”Stephanie raised an eyebrow. “Oh, and what would you like to talk about?” She could hardly finish her sentence before Abigail was on top of her, kissing her deeply, hands reaching for the zipper on Stephanie’s skirt, effectively silencing her. A couple of days later saw the reveal of Martha’s inspiration project at city hall at a small reception for the Women’s Small Business Owner’s Association.“Do you think we all would have been friends in high school?” Stephanie asked Abigail and Cassie as they looked at her own board.“Probably,” Cassie responded. “What were you into?”“Mostly music theatre and boys.” Stephanie supressed a groan at the memory. “But I got stuck playing Aunt Eller in Oklahoma while all the boys pined after Dream Laurey.” Abigail smirked. “Oh hush,” Stephanie said to her, playfully.Cassie smiled at their antics. “Well it seems like you were happy there.”“Does it?” Stephanie looked at the photo, perplexed. “All I remember about that day is that I flunked a project in art class and I just stopped crying long enough for them to snap this picture.” She cringed. “I was trying to make a vase, but it turned out more like a kidney.”Abigail looked at Stephanie with her signature flirtatious grin. “So, I shouldn’t hire you to be a supplier for my store? Got it.” Stephanie groaned, reaching over and smacking Abigail lightly on the arm.Cassie laughed before turning to Abigail. “You know, I have some old vases I was going to put in storage. I’ve wrapped them all up but if you wanted to stop by my store and take them to yours.”Abigail grinned, “I never say no to free merchandise.”“Yoo hoo!” Came Martha’s voice. “I have some wonderful news that can only be shared really via the visual so voila!” She revealed a photo of her presenting a bike. “And I wanted to Abigail to be among the first to see it since the announcement is partly due to her.” She passed the photo Abigail’s way.“Abigail took it, confused. “What did I do?”“Your father did this. He’s donating ten bikes just like that to Middleton girls in need. All in the name of, Abigail Pershing,” Martha explained.“Well isn’t that nice of him,” Abigail deadpanned, tossing the photo on the table.Martha frowned. “Oh, you say that as if it’s not nice at all.”“He’s just trying to buy his way into people liking him, which is what he always used to do with me.” Anger seeped into Abigail’s voice. Stephanie took her hand in an attempt to calm her.“Oh, well, he’s here now and we have the ten-speeds to prove it.” The discomfort in Martha’s voice indicating that she had no clue how to react at the moment.“Yeah, I mean it couldn’t have been easy for him to come back the way he did.” Stephanie met Abigail’s eye apprehensively, not wanting to discredit Abigail’s feelings but also wanting her to give more thought to the whole situation.“You know what would have been easier? If he never left,” Abigail retorted angrily.“He did seem regretful about that,” Cassie said softly.“I haven’t seen much of that,” melancholy replaced anger as Abigail took a sip of her wine.Martha spoke up again. “I would hope that if I ever had a rift with either of my children that they would be open to letting me try to make up for it.”“Yeah,” Cassie agreed. “Perhaps then you could have a future you never even imagined.” Abigail did not respond, only stared blankly across the room.Eventually the room went back to mingling and once the attention was off Abigail, Stephanie took the chance to check in with her. “You okay?” She whispered. Abigail simply shrugged. “You don’t have to stay you know. I can just say I need to get back to the Bistro and you can leave with me.” Abigail nodded. “Okay.” Stephanie moved towards the table, putting her glass down and turning her attention to Martha and Cassie who had been chatting. “Well this has been a lovely afternoon, but I really do need to get back to the Bistro. I’ll see you ladies later.”“I’ll come with you,” Abigail chimed, also putting her glass down. “Martha. Cassie, I’ll see you at home,” she acknowledged the others before turning to leave with Stephanie, the others chiming their goodbyes. Abigail steadfastly ignored the concerned looks she could feel Cassie and Martha giving her as she left, not speaking again until she and Stephanie were safely outside. “Want me to drop you at the Bistro?”Stephanie looked at her curiously. “I don’t actually need to go back, we can do whatever you want.”“Yeah, but I need to check in on my own store so.”Stephanie nodded slowly, recognizing Abigail’s need to be alone. “In that case, a ride sounds great. And Abigail?” Abigail hummed. “For what it’s worth, I think you should give your father a chance.”Abigail paused, seemingly struggling with something. “I’ll think about it,” she finally agreed after a long moment of silence. “But no promises.”Meanwhile inside, Martha had turned to Cassie as the couple had left. “Is she going to be alright?”Cassie sighed. “This has taken a toll on her but Abigail’s tough, she’ll be okay,” she said confidently. “Besides, she’s got Stephanie to help her.” Abigail’s head was spinning.When her father had come into her shop she had heard Stephanie’s voice in her head and decided to give him a chance. And it had actually been a pleasant night.Too bad it had all gone south with that damn phone call.Abigail got into her car and leaned her head on the steering wheel, gripping it tightly as she fought to get her breathing under control, the words she had thrown at her father swimming in her head.
“Stop trying to buy your way into my life. And stop pretending to be my dad, you gave up being a father when you walked out the door and never came back.”
“I thought I was doing the right thing, so you would turn out better than someone like me.”
“You know what the right thing would have been? If you had actually tried to be a father. This guy doesn’t even think he’s ready to be a dad, but he’s already put in more effort before his kid is even born than you did my entire life.”
“I know. And you’re right, but I’m here now and I’m trying the best that I can.”
“Well it’s too late. I thought I needed you, but I turned out just fine on my own. I started businesses and I used every bad thing that ever happened to me to my advantage. And when I think about the person that I am today, maybe you were right. I was better off without you.”
She took a deep breath and composed herself as much as she could. She sent a quick text to Cassie, letting her know where she would be so she wouldn’t worry before turning the car on and driving to Stephanie’s.She pulled into the driveway, cutting the engine and heading up the steps, letting herself in with her key. Stephanie, who had been lying on the couch, looked up from the book in her hands. “Abigail?” She took in the look on Abigail’s face and immediately sat up. “What’s wrong?”Abigail opened her mouth to speak but all that came out was a sob. She collapsed into Stephanie’s waiting arms, sobbing into her shoulder. Stephanie rocked her gently, whispering soothing words into her ear as Abigail cried herself out. “How could I have been so stupid?” Abigail said once she had calmed down, voice hoarse.Stephanie lifted Abigail’s chin so she was looking at her. “You were not stupid. You took a chance, that’s not stupidity it’s bravery.” She tucked a lock of hair behind Abigail’s ear. “Want to tell me what happened?”Abigail relayed the events of that evening, getting choked up a few more times in the process. “I just can’t believe that I thought he would be different this time. Guess some things never change.”Stephanie took a moment to process Abigail’s words. “Tell me, is it really the trying to put your name on the loan that has you angry? Or is it the fact that he’s trying to live in the past that so clearly pains you?”Abigail snorted. “You’ve been spending too much time with Cassie.”“That’s not an answer,” Stephanie pointed out gently.A few stray tears slipped down Abigail’s cheeks. “I just hate that he’s acting as though nothing ever happened. He just walked out and never came back and now he’s going to go live in that same house as if he never did.”“Have you asked him why he’s doing so?”“Why does that matter?” Abigail scoffed.“Because it will help you to understand, maybe give you some closure.” Stephanie ran her fingers through Abigail’s hair. “Because all you’ll do is wonder why if you don’t find out. At least if you know, you can move on.” She smiled softly. “Who knows, maybe you’ll like the answer.”“Yeah, I guess I could do that.” Abigail sighed. “You’re right, I’d regret not knowing.”“Good. Besides, if you don’t like the answer you know I’m always here for you.” Stephanie kissed Abigail’s forehead tenderly. “I love you.”Abigail smiled her first genuine smile since walking in the door. “I love you too.” Abigail stared at her father, taking in what he just said. He wanted to remember the good, what Abigail had said at Grey House was right.It really had not been what she had expected him to say.But it was that that prompted her to ask, “When are you moving in?”Arthur paused, having been making his way out of the store. “I don’t know, a couple of months.”“Maybe I’ll come see you sometime.” Arthur stared at her in disbelief. “I’m not saying I’m not still mad at you. I’m saying that people get older, they grow up and they change, and I’m not sure I want to get any older without having a father in my life. You’re the only one I’ve got.” Abigail felt herself getting choked up as she spoke and it came out in her voice.Arthur took a step back towards her. “You really are a better person that I could have raised.”Abigail smiled. “Well, you had something to do with it. And honestly I don’t think I would have been able to get to this point if it weren’t for what Stephanie said to me last night.”“Stephanie? You mean the woman from the Bistro?”Abigail nodded. “Yeah, she’s…” Abigail paused, looking for the right word. “Special.”Arthur nodded, choosing not to push the matter at that moment. “Maybe someday you can properly introduce me. And if you ever want to come back to the house, let me know. I’ll make sure your room is exactly how you want it.”“Thanks, Dad,” Abigail replied softly.“It was good seeing you, Abigail.”Abigail said the one thing that cemented her acceptance of his return. “You can call me Abby.” Abigail rode up to Stephanie’s house that evening, storing her bike in the backyard before entering the house. “Hey,” she greeted Stephanie, taking her helmet off.Stephanie raised an eyebrow. “What’s with the helmet? And what’s with all the bread crumbs in your hair?” She tutted, moving to brush the crumbs away.“Minor incident making dinner. And I rode my new bike here.” Abigail giggled as Stephanie fussed over her hair, dipping down to kiss her cheek.“You got a bike?”Abigail grinned. “Yeah, it was a gift from my dad, he finally got me that ten-speed.”Abigail’s grin was infectious, and Stephanie found herself smiling as well. “So I take it things worked out then?”“Yeah. You know, things may not be perfect yet, I still have a few things to work through, but I’m really glad I listened.” She gave Stephanie her favourite soft loving smile.Stephanie wrapped her arms around Abigail’s neck, pulling her down and kissing her gently. “I’m glad you did too.”