home.” Troy took her hand and linked their fingers. Every inch of him was strong, solid and all hers.
“Not a problem for me,” Julie said, loving the way his thumb caressed the inside of her palm. He sparked flames and made all her hot spots hotter.
“Um... I’m just going to run to the bathroom. Be back in a sec,” Abbey said. She disappeared before anyone got a word out.
Elena chuckled. “I hope she doesn’t hide in there through all of dinner.”
“Something I should know about?” Julie asked.
“Abbey and Blake have a little game of cat and mouse going. Abbey does not want to be caught.”
“She told you this?”
Elena nodded. “In a roundabout way.”
Julie lifted an eyebrow as something occurred to her for the first time. “Is Abbey gay?” she whispered.
Laughing, Elena shook head. “No, honey. She’s not gay. But there is definitely something she’s not telling us. Whatever it is, it’s something obviously very private and very personal. She knows we’re here for her if she wants to talk.”
A car engine shut down outside and Troy opened the front door for Blake. Julie had only met him briefly before she’d flown to Chicago for the film. He was as cute as they come, built solid with stunning blue eyes and handsome smile. Why would anyone run from him?
After a round of hellos and an introduction to Elena, Blake looked around expectantly. “I saw Abbey’s car out front. Is she here?”
Julie filled in the noticeable moment of silence. “She is. She just ran to the bathroom. She’ll be right out. Blake, I hope you’ll stay and join us for dinner.”
Blake glanced at Troy, obviously seeking silent permission, which he got by way of a nod. “Sure,” he said, with a quick smile. “Smells really good.”
“Good,” Elena said, moving toward the kitchen. “Give me a few minutes to set the table and we can eat.”
Julie gave Abbey another five minutes before she softly knocked on the bathroom door. “You okay in there?” she asked quietly.
The door cracked open and Abbey’s doe eyes looked back at her. “Is Blake still here?” she whispered.
“He’s staying for dinner.”
Abbey knocked her head against the door frame.
“Did he do something to you?” Julie asked. “Should I toss him out of my house?”
“No!” Abbey whispered fiercely, her head shooting up, her eyes wide. “He didn’t do anything. He’s really nice. I just...” She shook her head. “I can’t explain it.”
Can’t or didn’t want to? Julie sighed. “He seems adorable to me. Come on out and have some dinner. That’s an order.” She almost never used the boss card, but now seemed like a good time.
Abbey followed her into the kitchen where Blake’s cool glance at Abbey belied nothing. “Well, I don’t know about you all, but I’m starving,” Elena said. Matchmaker that she was, she put Abbey next to Blake at the circular table, and by the look on Abbey’s face, she was going to catch hell for it later tonight.
“Hi, Abbey,” Blake said quietly as they all sat down.
“Hello.” Abbey barely looked at the poor kid. What the hell was that about? Everyone noticed his not-so covert glances at Abbey except for Abbey. Unless she’d become a better actress than Julie thought.
During bites of the best lasagna she’d ever tasted, Julie answered questions about the movie and got the scoop on Abbey’s recent auditions and callbacks.
“Is there anything new with Carrie Ann and Drew?” Julie asked. She’d stopped referring to her as Cal a month ago, after she’d shot her four times. That day had changed her whole way of thinking about her best friend. She’d waited most of the night to ask because the subject still made her stomach cramp.
“Carrie Ann is finally out of the hospital,” Troy said as Abbey and Blake helped Elena clear the table. “Her infection cleared up and she was moved to jail until the trial.”
“She doesn’t need jail, she needs treatment. Mom, I want to make sure we cover the bills her insurance doesn’t, okay?”
Elena shook her head as she rinsed the dishes. “It’s not your job to pay her bills. I don’t care if she was your best friend—she tried to kill you.”
“I know, but I can’t just abandon her. Or Drew. They need help and I’m all they’ve got.”
“You won’t be able to do anything if they’re found guilty and go to jail,” Troy said.
“Maybe not, but if they end up in a mental facility I want to at least see to it that they can be together.