Rose was very tempted to tell him to sack Abi. She did not trust that girl around her fiancé one bit. But she knew it would make her look bad. She frowned, closed her eyes and listened to his heartbeat. "I don't give up on ye, Andrew." How could she? Her entire reputation and livelihood was now dependent on him. "But please don't... drop me." Why did those words bring on new tears? She cried into his chest. Or maybe they were very old tears, for old hurt. She felt it as sharply as then. But she stepped back and wiped her tears and scolded herself mentally. If she was going to look cryish and oversensitive she might look like a bad future wife.

"I won't drop ye," he said. He sighed and said, "We can't just leave her out there, though. I suppose I'll have to make this proper like somehow so this misunderstanding doesn't happen again." He was being honest, a look of wariness in his eyes when he pulled away some to look down at her face. "I don't want to do anything ye ain't comfortable with, but how about ye stay while I talk to her?" He was willing to let Abi go for her, but he didn't feel good about it. He felt bad about the whole thing, especially when Rose was right that the arrangement was improper and it wouldn't do. Although he had not been thinking with his Johnson, he could understand how one could see it as that. In retrospect, he should never have offered the position to an unmarried woman if he had no plans to marry her.

He did not immediately let go of Rose, but rather, waited for her to be the one to pull away and let him know it was alright to let him fix this mess that he had made.

A jealous part of Rose wanted to leave Abi out there - and hoped she froze to death at that. And that jealous part was a large part of Rose right now. But she slowly stepped back and nodded. She still did not trust this entire situation. Rose folded her arms.

He went to the back door and opened it, "Come on in, lass, afore ye catch yer death," he said to Abi, then walked back into the shop to stand by Rose, hoping that if he stood by her she might calm down.

Abilene looked up from where she was still sitting on the cold ground when the door opened. She met Andrew's gaze with red eyes, clearing having been crying, and stood up, shaking. It was very chilly out this morning and she was grateful for the warmth of the shop, though not the situation. She stood across the room, fiddling with her hands and failing to meet either gaze. It was true, she was attracted to Andrew, and though she knew she shouldn't be, she just couldn't help it. Though she wouldn't say a word of that, no, that would be more than folly. Instead, she waited for the decision if she'd be staying or going.

Rose disliked the way Andrew spoke to Abi. So kindly. He shouldn't be that kind to her. And when Abi came in and Rose noticed she had been crying, she hated the girl even more. Andrew was a kind person. How dared this tramp appeal to that soft side by crying? She kept her arms folded and barely tried to hide the glare.

He looked between the women for a moment and squared his shoulders. "Tisn't proper that I asked ye to be my apprentice without considering a chaperone. I also should have consulted wit me fiance first... after all, she will be here too as she'll be me wife very soon. It's not fair to her for me to have done that." He didn't want to tell her she had to go, it wasn't fair to her. But it wasn't fair to Rose either.

Abilene knew what she had to do, from Rose's glaring and Andrew's continuous kindness. She met Rose's gaze and steeled herself. "I haven't anyone to chaperone me in Whitby," she said quietly, her tone stiff, but under it, she was trying desperately not to tremble, "I'm alone here." A beat. She held back tears. There went the best shot she'd had at her dream of being a baker. "I won't trouble you-" She nodded to Rose. "-either of you again." She took off her apron and, not daring to hand it to Andrew, hung it on its usual hook. She took one last glance around the bakery, which had become a sort of second home to her, and reached for her coat, unable to meet Andrew or Rose's gazes anymore. "You should consider this my official resignation."

Rose watched her, hating her even more now. Was she trying to get their pity? Those efforts were wasted on her. The world was harsh, and she wasn't going to let anyone get in between her and her newfound promise of happiness. She'd fight tooth and claw to push Abi out of this job. But keeping her mouth shut seemed to do the trick well enough, and so that was what she did.

Well shit, he thought. He felt like a real ass. Rose looked angry but she seemed to be biting her tongue, and his friend was hurt over this. He bowed his head and squared his shoulders, lamely replying, "As ye wish."