But it was also Ariana.
However, for the now, I just said, “Totally Binkley’s.”
“Sometime next week,” he decreed. “Give me a night when you don’t have too much on, and I’ll make a reservation.”
There was no other way to respond to that, except what I did.
I threw my arms around him and kissed him with all I had.
And it was one hundred percent wet.
He wound his arms around me and returned it.
He finished it by touching his lips to the mark he’d planted on my neck before letting me go.
“Catch ya later, cupcake,” he bid as I got in my car.
I shot him a sunny smile that I hoped hid that inside I was seething (along with rejoicing because…Binkley’s!).
Then I started up my car and headed to work.
TWENTY-ONE
WARP SPEED
It was safe to say I still wasn’t over Ariana being such a bad girlfriend by the time I showed (late) at work.
Okay, so maybe I was still reeling from all he’d shared, about Denise as well as Ariana.
But yeah, I was stuck on the fact that Gabe had been going about his business at work, unsuspecting his world would be rocked that way, and he’d walked up to his dead girlfriend by a river, and Ariana was such a bitch, she was next in line in his life, and she wasn’t there for him about it.
Sure, no one wanted to rehash exes. That was never any fun.
But it was crucial to a relationship, FFS.
Especially if something like that happened.
She was long gone, Gabe was with me, so I should just shake it off.
Even if I knew that, I still wasn’t over it after I filled the case and the customers started coming in, therefore, I flounced irately through serving (though, not too irately that it would affect my tips).
So it was no surprise Raye and Luna gave me a wide berth and waited until the second shift joined us for the always-busy lunch sesh, they huddled without me, and Shanti was elected to make the approach.
She did, and being Shanti, she didn’t sugarcoat it.
“What’s up your ass, sis?” she asked.
Her eyes dropped to the bite mark Gabe left on my neck (hot) and back to mine.
“Gabe’s a biter,” I snapped.
The other girls were edging closer.
“You don’t like that?” Shanti queried.
“No, I love it. You were right, with all that’s him, he wrecks a woman in bed. Also against a bathroom sink.”
Her eyes lit with happy.
