Shepherd growled, and Gabe pressed his lips together to stop the grin that wanted to form on them.
Except wait! He wanted Evie for himself, didn’t he? He’d been biding his time, giving her a chance to find her feet and regain her equilibrium after Adrian left. He’d hummed and hawed about what a suitable amount of time was before he approached her, especially since she’d always viewed him as Adrian’s friend. Truth was, he’d always liked Evie better.
He was brought out of his musing by the three ladies turning on Asher. Now there was a surprise. Asher rarely made a misstep, but he’d done a doozy with Evie, which was perhaps the most surprising.
“And you!” Iris pointed a gnarled finger at Asher. “You, of all people, I really thought knew better. We all knew young Gabriel here was biding his time, and with good reason. but you…”
Wait! His gaze narrowed on Iris. How did they know that?
Bee glared at him and shook her head, silently telling him not to speak. Gabe kept his mouth shut. He wasn’t that stupid.
“You took her out for a date, then suspected the worst as soon as Shepherd opened his mouth.”
“You really think Evie would do something like that?”
“She devoted herself to Adrian despite everything. That gives you the measure of the woman. You really think she’s the type to string two men along?”
They were like a tag team, these three.
“Of course not…” Asher stuttered, looking somewhat shellshocked.
“Except you did, didn’t you?”
“Instead of trusting her, you immediately sided with Shepherd.”
“Even when she told you the truth, you questioned her integrity.”
"I - I didn't mean to…” he started to say, but Iris cut him off with a sharp wave of her hand.
"Intentions don't matter, young man. It's the consequences that count," Iris said, her green eyes flashing behind her glasses.
Marigold nodded in agreement, her perfectly coiffed hair barely moving. "That poor girl has been through enough without you three adding to her troubles."
Gabe's stomach churned with guilt. He remembered the light in Evie's eyes when she talked about her baking, how it seemed to make her whole face glow. The thought of her skulking around after dark, avoiding the place she loved most, made him feel physically ill.
Bee's usually gentle voice had a hard edge as she added, "You need to make this right."
The silence stretched out, heavy and uncomfortable. Gabe risked a glance at the others. Shepherd's jaw was clenched tight, his dark eyes stormy. Asher looked positively ill, his usual cheerful demeanor replaced by a pallor that made his features an odd starkness.
"Well?" Iris demanded, tapping her foot impatiently. "What are you going to do about it?"
Gabe cleared his throat. "We'll make it right," he said, surprising himself with how firm his voice sounded. "Won't we, gentlemen?"
Shepherd grunted an affirmative while Asher nodded vigorously.
"See that you do," Marigold said, her tone softening slightly. "That girl deserves nothing but happiness."
As the three women bustled away, muttering among themselves about the stupidity of men, Gabe let out a long breath. He felt wrung out, like he'd just survived an interrogation by enemies of the state, rather than a scolding from three elderly ladies.
"Well, that was thoroughly unpleasant," Asher said, running a hand through his sandy hair.
Shepherd snorted. "You can say that again."
Gabe straightened his tie, a nervous habit he'd fallen into whilst enduring similar dressing-downs from his father during his younger years, when the man attempted to mold Gabriel after himself; an obnoxious, rich asshole who ruthlessly cut away anything not immediately profitable… including the hotel Gabe now ran in pure defiance. The hotel his grandfather had loved, and which should always have remained a family legacy. That was a far too emotional response, according to Howard Thatcher. Fortunately, Gabe’s grandfather had left the Evergreen hotel to him and not his father - maybe the old man knew Howard wouldn’t appreciate its charm. Not that it stopped his father from trying his best to persuade Gabe differently. He shoved his hands in his pockets and his memories aside, cursing the habit he thought he’d overcome. Apparently, it only took three little old ladies to bring it roaring back. "They're right, though. We need to fix this."
Asher nodded, his usual cheerfulness returning slightly. "Agreed. But how? I doubt Evie wants to see any of us right now."
Gabe considered this. He pictured Evie's warm smile, now dimmed because of their actions. The thought made his chest ache. "We need to show her we're sorry, not just tell her. Actions speak louder than words, especially with Evie."
