"Is he trying to be more than your friend?"
I had not expected the blunt question, and I pulled back in surprise as I looked at him. "No, he's not," I said, lying to his face. I hated doing that, butit was an awkward question, and I couldn’t bring myself to answer him honestly.
He grinned and shook his head a little. He didn't laugh, but he made a snickering sound that caused me to glance at him. "If a man's doing all the things you told me this guy's doing… if someone's making out-of-state trips and going along with silly names and stuff like that, he's not just trying to be your friend, Savannah. He wants something from you other than friendship."
"He is my friend. He doesn't want anything from me."
He shrugged. "Listen, sweetie, even if he's acting like he doesn't, he wants something from you. No man does all that because he wants to be friends."
"What about you? Do you want something from me, Gabe?"
"No, I don't. Other than to help you. But I'm also a man, and I know a lot of other men. There aren't many like me. I love you like a daughter, Savannah, and that's all. God put you in my life at a time when I was losing my dad, and I didn't have any kids of my own. You needed someone to help you get free of a control freak. I like you, and I wanted to help you, and that's all. But that's not what most men would do. Nine out of ten men, Savannah, are going to be just like Christian. And honestly, when it comes down to it, it's a compliment to you. It's because you're so amazing that men want to control you."
"Gabe, stop."
"No, I'm being serious. There's something to it, and you should be aware of it. I looked into it, Savannah, and this guy's a big-time player in Chicago. Look at who his dad is and realize that he must have been raised with that frat boy mentality. That's the last thing you need to mix with your past. And look, sweetie, I can see by your face that you don't agree with what I'm saying, but it's the truth. You have a dynamic about you, Savannah. It's something that draws people to you, like magnetism. You're beautiful, and you're sweet, and you've got this positivity that sort of radiates off you. It's the reason why you can run a successful salon, it's why your employees and clients love you. It's also why men want to have you to themselves and control you. I help you and support you, and you have your independence. But when you start giving more and more of yourself to a man, he'll start having more and more demands of you. I just want you to look at it that way and see that from the outside. The way I see it, you have to be really careful with your magnetism and tendency to attract controlling men. That's what happened before, and now you're finally doing so well. I just hate to see you start getting attracted to a pushy, brute-athlete type. Even if you are going to try to date someone and settle down, it seems like one of the worst options."
"Well, thank you for being concerned," I said, smiling at him. "But we're friends. He lives in Chicago."
"That's another thing. Your home and salon are in Pittsburgh."
"Yeah, I'm not asking to…" I trailed off because I didn't know what we were even saying. I just knew it was awkward. "Yeah, I know EJ lives in Chicago and everything. I have no plans to go there or even pursue the relationship. We're friends. I just had something to tell him."
I felt sick to my stomach. I did not want to deceive Gabe, but I also felt like I had to reassure him of that or risk having him bug me about it.
"Ultimately, it's your life, baby girl. You can make your own decisions. I just wanted to warn you of what I could see from the—uh, good Biblical counsel is wisdom, Van. It's wise of you to take a step back and realize that you've worked so hard for independence."
"Yeah," I said, agreeing with him and seeming happy even though I was annoyed. "Thanks, Gabe."
"Wha...oh, you're cutting me off?"
"No, of course not. I’m actually saying thank you. Thank you for caring enough to be worried about me, that I might get into another bad situation like before."
"Yes, that's all I was worried about."
"I know. And I get what you're saying. My independence is important to me."
He laughed. "Yeah, I don't know many people with crushed up tile stored in bins wall-to-wall in their dining room."
I laughed and agreed with him that what I really needed was my independence.
The irony was that the whole conversation with him didn't make me feel very independent at all.
***
I had scheduled a call with Bree the following day. It was the afternoon in Italy and the morning in Pittsburgh. We were using an app so we could talk for free, and I could check in and see how the salon was doing in my absence.
"Hey, how's it going?" I asked when she answered.
"It's good. It seems quiet in here with your chair empty, but we're busy otherwise, so it's good. Business as usual, other than missing you. How's Genoa?"
"Beautiful. Wonderful. I’m awe-inspired."
"Speaking of awe-inspiring, EJ Paul, whatever his name is, EJ left a message for you."
"When?" I said, making a face that she couldn't see.
"This morning before I got here."
