Gabe's brows jerked up. "Why?"
“It turns out I need your help." She held her breath, willing him to say,"No problem, what do you need?"
He stepped back. "What kind of help?" Caution filled his voice.
"I need a fake boyfriend for a while." Paige ground out the words, hating having to make the admission.
Whistling came from the laundry closet.
Gabe motioned her toward the table farthest from the closet. He quickly grabbed heat packs and brought them to the table. "Why do you need a fake boyfriend?"
"Because Phillip, my jerk of an ex, showed up last night, trying to get me to take him back." Despite trying to keep her words quiet, the disdain in her voice made it raise.
"The guy who cheated on you?" Gabe whispered as he tucked a heat pack behind her back.
"Yes."
He studied her face for a long moment. "You really had no clue he was cheating on you?"
"No. It's scary how duplicitous some people can be."
"Tell me about it." The hardness in his voice made her look closely at him. The muscle in his jaw jumped, and his eyes narrowed as a steely determination filled his face.
"Why do I get the feeling you know what I'm talking about?"
"Because I do." He looked up at the ceiling for a long moment and mumbled something in Spanish.
Paige heard the wordlocowhich she recalled from her high school Spanish class as meaning crazy. Was he talking about her or himself?
Either way, he’s right. This is crazy.
When he looked at her again, his gaze was hard and penetrating. "You don't plan to ever go back to this guy?"
"Absolutely not." Paige spat out the words.
"And you're not seeing anyone else?"
"If I was, I wouldn't need your help." She jabbed a finger in his direction.
"Right." Skepticism lingered on his face.
"I meant it when I said I was done with men. I’m still recovering from my last relationship. Believe me, the last thing I want is to jump into another one—not a real one, anyway.” Fear that he might turn her down made her defensive. “I'm not an idiot."
"No, but I might be." He said the words under his breath, but Paige heard them.
"What do you mean by that?" Her brows pulled together.
"Nothing."
"Hey, Paige," Luke said as he walked out of the small closet, carrying a stack of small towels. "I thought I heard your voice."
Gabe locked gazes with Paige as he adjusted the heat pack against her hip. "Can we talk after I get off work today?"
She nodded.
The longer she spent at PT the more tense she became, but it had little to do with the exercises. Every time she caught Gabe looking at her with that pensive expression, her muscles bunched. It didn't help that a small crease furrowed his brow, and he frequently chewed on the side of his lip.
Each time they locked gazes, her heart rate spiked. She wasn't sure if it was the prospect of playing the role of his girlfriend or because she feared he might change his mind.
