“I’m sorry to ambush you, but I wasn’t sure you’d want to see me if I reached out. The show wanted everything to look natural.” Abby had a tendency to talk in a baby voice, and at the moment it was like nails on a chalkboard. Grating and annoying.
His jaw nearly dropped to the floor. “The show?”
“Yes,” she said solemnly. “Twin Shot at Love.” She shot him a beatific smile. “Have you seen it? I’m one of the stars, along with Gillian.”
Did she seriously think he was watching her new realityshow where she and her twin were looking for love? This had to be a joke. One look at her face dispelled that notion. She was dead serious.
“No, I haven’t checked it out, but I’ll put a reminder on my phone,” he responded, biting the inside of his cheek to stop himself from going off on her. She couldn’t hurt him anymore, so he didn’t need to lash out.
“Who isthis?” Abby asked, blinking like an owl. He had the feeling she was trying to bring on the waterworks for sympathy.
Sophia!In all the mayhem he had totally forgotten that Sophia was standing beside him. He turned to look at her. Sophia stood with her arms wrapped around her middle. She was tapping her foot on the wood flooring. He was a bit surprised there wasn’t steam coming out of her ears.
“Oh, don’t mind me,” Sophia muttered. She wasn’t even making eye contact with him. Was she blaming him for Abby turning up at Northern Exposure? This was the last thing he would ever want in a million years.
Caleb wished he could focus on Sophia, but he needed to deal with Abby before he did so. There would be ample time later to make things right with Sophia.
Caleb fought against a rising sense of frustration. Abby was dodging his questions and trying to deflect. “Abby, it’s actually none of your business who she is. Let’s focus on the gigantic elephant in the room. Why are you here?”
“You really don’t know?” Abby asked. “I’m here for you, Caleb. I want you back.”
Sophia let out a loud groan. “Oh my god! Gimme a break. How long has it been? Two years?”
He appreciated Sophia having his back, but he didn’t want her to even engage with Abby. Abby clearly had an agenda, which he still hadn’t quite figured out. What if she got Sophia tangled up in her mess?
“Sophia, I’ve got this,” he said, trying not to sound too curt. Her eyes widened, and her mouth settled in a hard line.
“Can we have a few minutes alone?” Abby asked, glaring at Sophia.
Caleb felt like a deer caught in the headlights. He opened his mouth, then shut it. What could he even say to Abby at this point? When it had truly mattered, she had turned her back on him and thrown him under the bus. Thanks to her betrayal, his name and reputation had been trashed. All because she’d wanted to extend her fifteen minutes of fame.
How many nights had he gone to bed wishing that Abby would take him back and say how wrong she’d been? Back then he would have jumped for joy over her tracking him down and expressing her feelings like this. But that was then, and this was now. He had Sophia. She was honest and solid, the very opposite of Abby, who’d done nothing but lie to him throughout their relationship.
“I’d rather not, Abby,” he said. And he meant it. There was nothing Abby could say to him in private that could sway him in any way. Without even realizing it, he’d completely moved on. He was miles and miles away emotionally from the days when he’d been in love with her.
“I want you to be on the show with me,” she said, a pleading tone in her voice. “Imagine how much the viewers would eat it up if we got back together. The ratings would be through the roof.”
And there it was. Abby and her film crew were here to lure him back to California to be on her reality show. She didn’t love him. He was fairly certain she never had. The only thing honest about her was what she’d just said about wanting him on her show. For ratings. For more fame. It was sickening and utterly despicable.
“Abby, I don’t have time for this nonsense. I’m sorryyou’ve wasted time traveling all this way to Alaska, but I actually have a life here in Moose Falls that I really love. Something tells me you know I’m the spokesman for Yukon Cider’s new campaign.” He locked eyes with her. “Isn’t that part of the reason I’m suddenly on your radar?”
She didn’t even need to respond. He could see the truth emanating from her eyes. This time around he wasn’t hurt. She no longer had the power to bring him to his knees. And that gave him such a rush that he thought he might explode from happiness.
“I feel sorry for you, Abby. Chasing reality show fame isn’t ever going to bring joy into your life.” He shook his head at her.
Her face fell, then seconds later her expression hardened.
“So now you’re full of yourself because you’ve got a little buzz as a cover model?” She let out a brittle laugh. “Who are you to look down on me? It wasn’t so long ago that you wanted to be reality show famous.”
She was right. Back then he’d believed that being a contestant on the show would catapult him into fame and fortune. For a while that’s all that had mattered to him. He’d had blinders on, fueled by a desire to make it in the entertainment world.
“The thing is, I’ve grown up since then. Maybe it’s time you do as well,” Caleb said.
Suddenly, True stepped toward Abby so that they were practically nose to nose.
True’s expression was fierce. “Caleb is too nice to tell you to go, but you need to vacate the premises. Leave. Scram. Kick rocks.”
Abby appeared flustered. “Who are you to tell me to leave?” Abby asked.
