Robin spooned some hot chocolate mixture into the mug and poured hot water over it. Then she mixed it and handed it to Thomas. She grabbed her wine and took a sip. “Now, tell me,” she said to Abbey, “how is my brother? He’s out again on one of his business trips, I’m assuming.”
“He’s fine, I think.”
“Well, between conversations about what to do for my grandmother’s care, he sure had a ton to say about you, and he sounded more than fine.”
“What did he say about me?”
“He was almost giddy—well, as giddy as Nick can get. But I’ve never seen him like that. He said he can’t keep his mind on his work, and that worried him. You were distracting him,” she said with a smile.
“Yes, he’s told me that too.”
Robin smiled wider. “I can understand your pull on him. You have an honest face, and you’re a good listener. Your demeanor puts people at ease. I’ll bet you’re a great nurse.”
“Thank you. That’s very nice of you to say.” Abbey set her wine down on the counter and Robin refilled it without asking.
“I’ve only known you a few minutes and I feel like I could tell you anything.” Robin rolled her eyes. “Maybe that’s just me, though. Maybe I’m too chatty.”
“No, you’re fine. I’m enjoying myself.”
“I’m going to see Daddy and Max,” Thomas said.
Robin held up the train car that she’d kept in her pocket. “Want me to join you and we can play?”
“No, thank you. I can play with Max.”
“You sure?”
Thomas nodded, took the train car, and left the room. Robin tidied his spot, rinsing his mug and putting it in the dishwasher. Then she sat down on the tall bar chair, crossed her long, thin legs, and swiveled herself toward Abbey.
“Listening to Nick talk about you,” she said, the glass of wine dangling from her fingertips, the liquid tilting in the glass. “I took an instant liking to you—before I’d ever met you—because you were able to do something that none of us have ever been able to do: make Nick stop working. Anyone who can do that is someone special.”
“That’s what Caroline said too—no one can pull him from work. Can you tell me, Robin, why does he feel the need to keep his father’s company going? He’s tried to explain it and I just don’t understand.”
The question made Robin straighten up a little more, her eyes focused. “My father worked all the time on that business. He built it from nothing, and he made a ton of money. He risked everything for that company—even his family. We barely saw him. My mother was very upset about all his working—I heard their quiet arguments at night. She wanted him to spend more time with us. When Nick was very young, he would walk around in my father’s work shoes; he could knot a tie at four years old. Nick wanted to be with him every moment. So when my father passed, Nick took it the hardest of all. Nick feels that if he lets the business fail, then he’ll fail his father.”
“But he moved to Richmond for family. And Richmond wasn’t the best location for his business. That looks like a step in the right direction.”
“Ah, but he was trying to do both at full steam, and what he learned the hard way was that, while my mother put up with it from my father, other women will not. Sarah wasn’t having it at all. And I believe—just my opinion—that it was the reason she left.”
“Do you think he’s scared?” Abbey asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Do you think he’s scared to do something other than what his father had done? There could be lots of reasons he’d be scared,” Abbey said, the words coming out at the same time as she was processing them. “…Scared that he might not be as successful doing something else, scared that he’d let his family down, scared that he wouldn’t have a plan or know what to do.” She realized as she was listing those things that they were all the same reasons she had for not following her dreams. It silenced her as soon as she’d realized it.
“I’ve never thought of him as anything other than strong, but you know what? You could be right. So, how do we show him it’s okay to do something even if he’s scared?”
Robin was using the term “we” as if there were some reason Abbey would be involved in changing him. “I don’t think we are going to do anything, but you can if you’d like.”
“Why?” Robin asked and then trailed off, immediately clasping her perfectly manicured hand over her mouth. “Are his feelings one-sided?” she said through her fingers.