“Wait. Emory just happened to show up at the same time and place that you were getting harassed?” Gabe asked.
“You make it sound like he’s some superhero or vigilante or something,” I scoffed. He did claim to be psychic.Did that mean he had a vision? Did he follow me?
“Hey,” Gabe said softly. He placed his hand beneath my chin and brushed his thumb over my lips. “I didn’t mean to spook you.”
“You didn’t,” I said, but I could tell he didn’t believe me. “More than I already am,” I amended. “I apologized to Emory, even though he didn’t make it easy.” Gabe frowned at that, so I explained about Emory saying he was allergic to the cookies, sort of like I said I didn’t drink. “I did come right out and ask him what he was doing here.”
“You did? What did he say?” Gabe questioned.
“He said he wished that he knew,” I replied. “I could see the confliction in his eyes. He had no clue why he moved to Blissville—or at least none that he was willing to share. That only made me even more curious, but I let it go instead of pressing the issue.”
“Strange,” Gabe said. I could tell he had his thinking cap on again. “I’m not saying that I believe in the whole psychic phenomenon, but it’s hard to argue with his success rate. He may not know the reasons why he’s here, but I’d like to know what he ‘saw’ to prompt him to move.” I thought Gabe’s little air quotes were adorable.
“That makes two of us,” I admitted. “Now, let’s get on to the exciting part of my day.”
“There’s more?” Gabe asked.
“Yessss!” I did a little shimmy. “I lead an exciting life.”
“Do tell,” he prompted.
“I got a call from the producer of Channel Eleven News today. She wants to meet with me and discuss the possibility of me joining them for a series about weddings. They’re featuring a boutique, a caterer, a wedding planner, a photographer, a florist, and a hairstylist and makeup artist. One of the executive producers of the show happens to be a client of mine.”
“Sunshine, that’s fucking amazing!” Gabe said happily. “Oh my God, we’ll have to record the series to keep. Oh! I hope they’ll have a link online because our parents will want to see it too.”
“Slow down there, babe,” I cautioned. “It’s not a done deal, so I’m not telling anyone about it until I know it’s a sure thing. I’m meeting with Cindy on Monday at noon to go over ideas and get specifics.”
“Is it an interview? Are there other candidates?” he wanted to know. His happiness for my success made me smile like a goon.
“I’m not sure about other candidates, but it does feel like an interview to see if we’re a good fit,” I replied.
Gabe pondered that for a second and asked, “So, you get the impression the decision is up to you?”
“Yeah, I do,” I admitted. “Babe, we better finish up in here before the water gets cold. My water heater is better than your old one, but it’s not endless.”
“True,” Gabe replied.
We made quick work of washing and rinsing then shut off the shower. My stomach growled, making its displeasure of being empty known. “Food,” I demanded.
I had thrown some ribs and barbecue sauce in the crockpot before I went to work that morning so Gabe’s offer to cook dinner was sweet, but not needed. The ribs would be tender and delicious and exactly what I needed. Gabe and I got dressed then headed into the kitchen to finish putting the rest of dinner together.
“Listen, I need what’s about to happen to stay between us, Gabe. Do you promise?” I asked seriously. He looked a little nervous but nodded his head anyway. I reached inside the refrigerator and pulled the pre-made mashed potatoes that I hid in the very back behind the milk and juice cartons. “There are times in life when you need to go with a quick fix.”
Gabe’s lips trembled from the restraint of holding back his laughter. “I’ll take your secret to the grave, Sunshine. No one will ever know you served me instant mashed potatoes.”
I slammed the package on the counter and squared myself in front of him with my hands on my hips. “I havenevermade instant potatoes in my life, Gabriel, and I sure as hell wouldn’t serve them to the love of my life.” I placed my hand over my heart to indicate how seriously his words wounded me. “These are made with real Idaho potatoes, milk, and butter.” I pointed to the words on the packaging.
“I stand corrected,” Gabe said, doing his best to look like he learned a serious lesson just then. “It’s good to know that I’m the love of your life.”
“Duh!” I rolled my eyes in frustration. “That’s what you took from all of that? You didn’t hear me say that these aren’t fake potato flakes? Gabriel,” I said in disappointment. “What am I going to do with you?”
“Oh, Sunshine,” he replied with an evil grin. “I’ll let you dowhateveryou want to me, but after you feed me.” So many wicked, naughty ideas crossed my mind, but I pushed them aside because it felt like my stomach was eating itself.
Gabe heated up the mashed potatoes while I tossed a salad and baked some crescent rolls from a can. He wisely kept his mouth shut about that shortcut because he could eat eight of them all by himself if I let him.
I inspected the table to make sure it was as clean as Gabe had guaranteed. I saw no assprints, handprints, or jizz anywhere and decided it was good enough to eat on once again. It was just the two of us, and no one would think anything of it if we ate on the couch and watched television, but eating together at the table was our thing—unless it was pizza night.
“What can you tell me about your day?” I asked once Gabe had a chance to sample everything and praise its deliciousness.
