WHO Abigail Knight OT Rachel Knight WHAT Breaking the news of a broken engagement WHERE Knight Estate WHEN Friday, July 8, 2016 around 8 AM (backdated) WARNINGS TBD
Abigail's morning hadn't been such a bad one, although once she'd left Jake's company on the roof of The View, she wasn't sure if it was a relief or just one more thing she should feel guilty about. It hadn't even been twenty-four hours since she'd broken her engagement, but spending time with Jake that morning had at least given her the reassurance that she'd made the right call. It wouldn't have been fair to dive into wedding planning with Gabe when there was a part of her that wanted so badly to discover where things with Jake might lead.
He'd been the first one she'd really told, but that didn't mean he was the only one Abbie needed to talk to ASAP. She'd called her mother as she was getting dressed in Hadley's bathroom and asked her if they could meet at home to talk before going into the office. She knew it wasn't convenient, but she also knew that this wasn't the type of conversation either of them would want to have at work.
It hadn't taken her very long to drive home, but Abbie spent the entire time rehearsing just how to break the news to her mother. Rachel had always loved Gabe. He was perfect son-in-law material; Abbie couldn't argue with that. She also couldn't say that she and Gabe didn't work together. They did. They complemented each other perfectly. They were a matching set, both well-groomed for success and all of the perks and problems that came with it. She couldn't even say she didn't love him.
All that she could say was that, despite her feelings for Gabe, her feelings for Jake and her curiosity about what they might mean were just as strong a pull. They'd been strong even before she'd met Gabe, a long time ago, but she hadn't had the courage to follow through then.
Somehow, she didn't think that would convince her mother that this was a good idea.
Parking her car out front, Abbie let herself into the house in the same clothes she'd worn to work yesterday. The shadows beneath her eyes were evident due to lack of sleep, but she hoped that the swelling from crying all night had dissipated. What she really wanted was a shower and her bed, but giving in to those urges would be weak...and keeping Rachel Knight waiting was never a good idea.
She knocked twice on the door to her mother's office before opening it and stepping inside. It was funny, the way Abbie could feel so confident one moment — or, if not confident, at least certain in her own life decisions — and yet, the moment she crossed the threshold into her mother's domain, there was a feeling that came over her that instantly transported her to a place in time when she'd looked up to her mother and had believed it was her duty to do everything in her power to make her proud. She was Rachel Knight's daughter. Perfection was never a question.
It was a feeling she'd been fighting against for so long, and Abbie had to remind herself of that as she approached her mother's desk. There was still no one in the world she looked up to as much as she did Rachel Knight. There was still a part of her that ached at the thought of disappointing her in any way. But this was her life, and she had to make the choices that best suited her, not her mother.
"Good morning," she greeted as she sat down in one of the empty chairs in the office. "I need to talk to you about the wedding."