My shoulders sagged. “When will she be back?”
“Why should I tell you?”
“Because I need to talk to her.”
“Why?” Her expression could melt steel. I realized I was going to have to work for this.
“I need to talk to her,” I repeated.
“Yeah, you said that already. And I said she’s not home. We could do this dance all day.” Abby tilted her head, studying me like I was a particularly interesting specimen of pond scum. “But let’s say she was home. Let’s say I went and got her right now. What would you say to her?”
“That I love her. That I was an idiot. That I want to fix this.”
“Wow. Groundbreaking. I’m sure that will fix everything.” Abby’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “You know how many times I’ve heard that exact speech from guys who screwed up? At least a dozen. And you know what happened to those guys?”
“What?”
“Absolutely nothing. Because words are cheap, Kavanagh. Actions are what matter.”
I ran a hand through my hair, frustration building. “What do you want from me?”
“I want you to prove you’re not just another asshole who’s going to break my friend’s heart.” She stepped out into the hallway and closed the door behind her. “Ina came to New York looking for love. Real, magical, fairytale love. And you made her believe she found it. Then you ripped it away.”
“I know. That’s why I’m here.”
“To do what? Sweet-talk your way back into her bed?” Abby moved closer, poking me in the chest with her finger. “Let me tell you something about Ina. She’s the kindest, most genuine person I’ve ever met. She sees the best in people even when they don’t deserve it. She believed in you when everyone else said you were a cold, heartless robot.”
I winced because that was accurate.
“And you know what you did?” Another poke to my chest. “You proved everyone right. You treated her like she was just another transaction.”
“I didn’t mean to.”
“I don’t care what you meant. I care what you did.” She crossed her arms again. “So here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to stand here and convince me, not Ina, that you actually love her. That this isn’t just about your ego being bruised because someone finally said no to the great Dane Kavanagh.”
I stared at her. “You’re serious.”
“Dead serious. You want to get past me? Prove you’re worth a damn.”
I took a breath, trying to figure out where to start. This was not how I envisioned this going. “What do you want me to say?”
“I want you to tell me why you love her. And it better be more than ‘she’s beautiful’ or ‘the sex was great’ or I will kick you in the balls so hard little Dane won’t be coming out to play anytime soon.”
I involuntarily reached down to cover my junk.
She grinned. “I’m waiting.”
I stared at Abby and wondered if I’d accidentally wandered into some alternate universe. Was this what normal people did?
“You’re actually serious about this,” I said.
“As a heart attack.” She laughed at me. “Did you really show up here without knowing what you’re going to say? Because all you’ve done is ask me what to do, and I’m not here to be your matchmaker.”
I tried to remember the last time I’d been this uncomfortable. Maybe never. Standing in a dingy hallway being threatened with testicular violence by a woman who barely came up to my shoulder? That was a new experience.
“I love Ina because she makes me want to be better,” I started, then immediately cringed at how generic that sounded.
Abby’s expression confirmed my assessment. “If that’s it, I’m going back inside.”
