“It’s Alexis and Jacob planning their wedding,” she said in a rush. “Cap and Raye getting engaged. Jess and Eric, Harlow and Javi all loved up. You being so into Gabe, and him being that with you. Wedding scrapbooks floating all over the Oasis. I’m happy for you all. I really am. But it sucks being the one who doesn’t have her one.”
“Oh, Shanti,” I whispered.
“I’ll be all right. Honestly, I don’t need a man to be happy. I just…you know what I mean, right?”
“I know what you mean.”
“Now, go to your guy, and I’ll see you tomorrow night.”
“Okay. But maybe we can have a besties date sometime soon?”
“You know I’m always down for that, but you don’t have to look after me, Will. I got this.”
“I still want a besties date,” I stated.
“Okay, sis, we’ll plan that.”
“And if you want him, you’ll find him,” I assured. “And he’ll be perfect for you.”
“Right.”
She didn’t sound committed to that, but she also didn’t sound like she wanted to talk anymore, so I let her go.
I got out of my car, let myself in and found Gabe was waiting up for me.
It was just coming on ten thirty, so it wasn’t like he wouldn’t be awake.
But I knew he was waiting for me.
And that made me smile at him.
My Gabe smiled back.
TWENTY-SIX
PAYBACK
I was at the bar of my kitchen, sitting on one of my thrifted, mismatched barstools, my laptop in front of me, my baby shower delivery made, when Gabe left college football on the TV to get another beer.
I was into what I was doing, namely alternating between updates on my website (deleting the delivery option, changing the address, you know, awesome shit like that), along with making a list of desserts to talk to Lucia about adding to the menu, and crafting a business plan to submit to Tex and Tito about running Willow’s Good Stuff out of SC.
There was a lot of addition and multiplication going on, not my strong suit, but I needed to figure out what kind of offer to make Tex and Tito that didn’t take too hefty of a bite out of Willow’s Good Stuff but did them right in letting me run the business out of their kitchen.
I was factoring up the savings of bulk flour purchasing when Gabe’s handsome hand came into view and he tapped the counter by my laptop.
I looked up to see him resting on a forearm across the bar from me.
Now, how did I miss my man getting into that attractive position?
“I thought you were going to rest this afternoon before the big show,” Gabe noted.
“I just want to get a start on this,” and a finish, I didn’t say. “So tomorrow can be all about sleeping, and eating, and lazing, and sex.”
His eyes heated but his mouth said, “You can carve out some time tomorrow to finish it up.”
“Gabe—”
“Cupcake, do what you gotta do. I’m just sayin’, you need to be game ready. The brain is not a muscle, but it gets fatigued just like one, and you need to hit tonight fresh, not with your mind exhausted from dealing with your day job.”
