Free Waiting for Love by Marie Force

with herself over the pity party, she wiped her face and went into the bathroom to splash cold water on her eyes. When she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, she grimaced at the red eyes and nose that looked back at her.
    A knock on her door had her drying her face and running her fingers through her hair. Whoever it was would be able to tell she’d been crying. She opened the door to her mother. Could this day get any better?
    “Oh Lord,” Constance said as she brushed by Abby on her way into the room. As always, every hair on her mother’s gray head was perfectly in place, and her outfit coordinated down to the pink espadrilles that matched the pink collar of the shirt that peeked out from under a designer sweater. 
    And as usual, Abby felt like a schlump next to her mother. She’d spent most of her life trying to measure up to her mother’s idea of perfection and had fallen short more often than not.
    “By all means, come in. Please.”
    “What happened?”
    “A lot of things. None of it I wish to talk about.”
    “You’ve been crying.”
    “Really? I didn’t know that.”
    “Save your sarcasm, Abigail.”
    “How did you hear I was home? How did you know what room I was in?”
    “It’s a small island. Word gets around. What’re you doing here when you could be with us?”
    Abby raised her brows and let the expression speak for itself.
    “Whether you believe me or not, I liked Cal. I wanted it to work out for you two. I was worried when you postponed the wedding—”
    “Because his mother had a stroke , Mom. What would you have me do? Drag him to the altar when he’d rather be with his mother?”
    “I never said that. I only wish you’d learned from the past and gotten married before you went after him.”
    “Clearly, I haven’t learned a thing, but thanks for pointing that out to me. I hadn’t been thinking that myself or anything.”
    “You’re in a mood.”
    “Do ya think?”
    “Maybe you two will work things out. Some time and space—”
    “We’re not going to work things out. It’s over.”
    Constance blew out a deep breath and sat on Abby’s bed. “What’s your plan?”
    “I don’t have much of a plan. I’m going to find an apartment and run the gift shop at the Surf this summer. After the summer, I’ll reevaluate.”
    “I so wish you hadn’t given up your business.”
    Abby wanted to scream, but she held her tongue. “Anything else you’d like to get off your chest?”
    “I’m not your enemy.”
    “I never said you were. But stating the obvious doesn’t help.”
    Constance stood and hooked her pink-patterned purse over her shoulder. “Your father and I would do anything for you. I hope you know that.”
    “I do,” Abby said, blinking back new tears. Her parents’ intentions were always good, even if their standards were a little too high for her liking. “Thank you.”
    Constance gave her a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek. “I’ve missed you. It’s good to have you home, even if the circumstances aren’t ideal.”
    “Thanks, Mom.”
    “Come see us.”
    “I will.”
    At the door, Constance paused and turned to Abby. “I’m sorry this has happened to you, but you’re a strong person and you’ll get through it.”
    Her mother left before Abby could form a reply to the unprecedented compliment. She’d always felt like a failure in the eyes of her exacting parents. Sure, she’d always known they loved her, but they had been disappointed when she moved to LA with Grant without the benefit of marriage and even more so when she went to Texas to be with Cal.
    “Enough of dwelling on the past,” she said to herself as she went into the bathroom and got out her makeup to repair the damage to her face. “This is my summer, and it’s time to start having some fun. Damn it.” Smiling at her reflection, she whispered, “Fuckin’ A,” and dissolved into giggles at the sound of a word she’d rarely used before today. 
    Rome wasn’t built in a