Page 70 of The Meeting
Kailynn sat in silence for a few moments before she looked up at Abi, who had been watching her.
“I’m glad this is all finally done with. The amount that I owed Drew was so meager that I didn’t even have to take out a loan. It was amazing.” Kailynn leaned forward and took Abi’s hand. “I don’t know if I ever said this, but thank you for introducing me to Chase. Without him, none of this would have happened.”
Abi smiled. “I’m proud of you for taking the steps to get Drew out of your life. You deserved better, but you needed to come to that conclusion yourself. As for Chase, I knew you two would hit it off. He’s a great guy.”
Kailynn smiled at that. Abi had always been the thoughtful one. She always tried to help people. She was completely selfless. It’s one reason Kailynn always kicked herself for losing touch with her for so many years.
The whole situation was silly, really. Kailynn had tossed away a lifelong friendship for popularity in high school. At the time, she didn’t think it would completely end her friendship with Abi, but she didn’t realize the impact the cruel jokes Jessica played would have on the people around her. She was too cowardice to walk away—something she regretted to that day.
Kailynn had gone to their ten-year reunion, hoping to see Abi again. She had missed her. If Abi hadn’t wanted to give her a second chance, which she wouldn’t have blamed her if she didn’t, she wasn’t sure what she would have done. Maybe groveled at her feet. She knew she needed to make things right between them, even if a friendship never came out of it in the end.
“You’re the best. You know that, right?” Kailynn asked.
“Aw shucks.” Abi pushed her hand out as if pushing the words away.
“You are. You are truly the best.”
Kailynn leaned over and pulled Abi into her arms.
“I don’t know how I survived all those years without you,” Kailynn whispered.
“I don’t know how you did either,” Abi whispered back.
Kailynn pulled away and laughed loudly, slapping Abi on the arm, who giggled in response.
* * *
Chase hunchedover a case involving a dispute between business partners, much like he had dealt with between Kailynn and Drew, when his phone rang.
The name Derek flashed across the screen, and a smile immediately came to Chase’s face. He hadn’t heard from his brother in a while. Since he had also been busy, he hadn’t attempted to contact Derek, either.
“Hey bro, how’s it going?”
“Great, man. I feel like we haven’t spoken in forever.”
It had been a long time, and Chase honestly couldn’t remember the last time they had talked.
“I know. I’ve been so busy with work.”
“Mom told me your business is doing well. California accepted the small town Montana boy?”
Chase laughed. “With open arms. It’s great here. You should come visit sometime.”
“Speaking of visiting, I was wondering if you’re going to Italy. Mom said you’re on the fence.”
Chase shook his head even though Derek couldn’t see him. Of course that’s something his mom would say despite Chase already telling her he couldn’t go. “I don’t think I’ll be able to make it. I’ve got too much going on with the business and after sinking money into the firm, I’m not sure it’s something I should try to afford.”
He could picture Derek nodding his head in response the way he did whenever he was taking in information. “I get that. I’m wondering about it myself.”
“How’s the ranch?”
Derek had opened his own ranch a few years back. He boarded horses and offered riding lessons. Chase had heard little about it as far as how well Derek was doing, but since they had both grown up on a farm, he knew the money probably wasn’t the greatest. But that wasn’t something Derek strived for anyway. He just enjoyed the work itself. It was never about making money.
“Doing well. My stalls are almost completely full.”
“That’s incredible. Congrats, man!”
“Thanks. You should come home. I’m sure you miss it.” Derek gave a small laugh after his comment. He knew Chase wouldn’t miss it. He wasn’t cut out for the ranch life. Once he had left their small farming community for a bigger town with his now ex-wife, it was hard for him to go back to the small town life. That led him to California. He didn’t choose the town for any particular reason. If he were being honest with himself, he really just closed his eyes and placed his finger on the map. Modesto, California was the lucky winner.
