“You could stay, you know.”
“Stay?” she asks, taking a drink of water.
“Yeah, I have more than enough space. There’s no rush for you to leave.”
“Right.” She laughs. “It’s been what, a hot minute since I moved in? You’ll be ready to kick my ass to the curb in no time. How are you going to last the next few weeks without your harem?” she asks innocently, but I can see through her façade.
“No harem, Gabs. Just you.” No truer words have been spoken. I was sad for my buddy when he and Gwen got divorced, and I hated that for them. We all knew they were meant for each other. Beyond that, I was sad for myself. Gwen not hanging around, not being in his life meant Gabby was no longer in mine. They got their second chance, and now I’m taking mine.
“Come on, Chase. Be real.”
“You want real?” I ask her. I turn on my stool and twist her so she’s facing me. I cup her face in my hands. “Real is the way my heart races when you walk into a room. Real is the way I can’t seem to stop thinking about you. Real is the worry I felt when I thought you were going to be living in that shithole. Real is this. Me right here, in front of you. Real is how much I want you.”
“I-I told you. I’m not just another—” I place my finger over her lips to stop her.
“You will never be,” I assure her. “It’s more than that.”
“We’re friends,” she whispers. “You promised me.”
“That doesn’t have to change. We can be more than that. If you’d just give us a chance.”
“I can’t.”
“Why?” My eyes bore into hers. “Tell me why, Gabby, do you hate me that much?”
She shakes her head. “We don’t fit. All we do is argue.”
“Sexual tension. We have it in spades, babe.”
“You’re my boss.”
“Technically, Harrison is your boss. I’m just a coworker.” Sure, I’m a manager, but she’s Gabby, and it doesn’t count. Not with matters of the heart. Something I’m just starting to realize is that my heart’s in it.
“Sure, we sleep together, you get your taste, and then this all goes away. I move out. It’s not over then. We’re godparents to Sophia. Your best friend is married to my sister. We’ll have to see each other, and it will be awkward and tense.”
“It could be,” I admit. “Or it could be amazing. We could go the distance.”
“We could crash and burn. Look, I’m flattered, really, I am. But this”—she points between the two of us—“can’t happen. There is too much at stake, including my heart. I wouldn’t be able to come back from you,” she confesses.
“Then don’t.” I lean in close, our lips just mere inches apart. “I want you, Gabrielle.”
She swallows hard. “Your dinner’s getting cold.” She turns to face the counter, and I lean back into my space, letting her.
Before I can reply, my phone rings. Reaching across the counter, I see it’s a private number, and I slide to answer the call immediately. “Hello.”
“Chase,” my brother, Colton, says over the static of the line.
“Colton,” I say with relief. “How the hell are you, man?”
“Good. Just checking in. I tried to call Mom and Dad, but no answer. Everything okay?”
“Yeah, they’re on a cruise. They have about a week and a half left.”
“Shit,” he murmurs. “I forgot about that.”
“How are you?”
“All good,” he says evasively, just like he always does when deployed. We have no idea where he is, and he’s not allowed to tell us.
“You’re safe?” I ask him. For my peace of mind and my mother’s. I know she’s going to ask me that exact question once she finds out that I talked to him.
“Yeah, all good. It’s… hot as hell,” he says again, hiding any real details about his location.
“When you coming home?”
“Don’t know. I doubt I’ll be home for Mom’s birthday next month. Can you help me out there?” he asks.
“I’ve got you.”
“Thanks. So, I don’t have much time. Tell me what’s going on in your world?”
“Well, Gabby is living with me now.”
“Chase!” she gasps from beside me and hits my arm.
“Gabby? Gwen’s sister?”
“That’s the one.”
“She’s living with you?” he asks. I can tell he’s confused.
“Yep.” I don’t bother to tell him the reason; I like toying with him. It’ll give him something to occupy his mind.
“Don’t listen to him, Colton!” Gabby yells so he can hear her.
“Is that her?”
“Yeah, I just made us some dinner.”
“You cooked for her?” he asks, astonished. “We don’t cook for women unless we love them or we’re trying to get laid,” he says matter-of-factly.
My brother knows me too well. “And?”
“So which is it?”
“Let me.” Gabby grabs the phone from my hands. She’s only met Colt a couple of times. “Hey, Colton.” I can’t hear what he says to her. “Yeah, it’s temporary. My place is being torn down, and I was in a pinch. Chase is helping me out. My options were a drug house, or here. I took my chances.” She laughs. She listens to whatever it is he’s saying and nods. “Definitely. Hey, stay safe over there. I’ll give you back to Chase. I’m sure your time is limited.” She laughs again and hands me the phone.