“Sorry,” I say, turning away from Gabi and all thoughts of her lips and her boobs. “So what’s new with you two?”
Both of them simultaneously raised eyebrows. “Small talk, Maddox? You’re better than that.”
I shrug at Kitty’s words. “It was worth a try.”
“Let’s try again,” Phyllis says. “Be real with us. Is this a physical thing? No judgment if it is. We just need to know what direction you want to take this so we can make sure to push her the right way.”
God I love these women. I’m going to need to find out when their birthdays are. I have a feeling they’d love it if some of the Fury players dropped by for their parties.
“It was. But it’s not now,” I admit. “It’s just… she…”
I’ve never been one to stutter over my words. Every team I’ve ever been on has loved me because of how easy I am with the media—giving the right answer while also not giving away too much. But in this moment, I can’t articulate out loud what Gabi is to me.
Sure, I’m very attracted to her physically. That’s obvious to anyone with eyes. But it’s more than that. It’s her smile. Her laugh. The way she interacts with customers. The way she can be so vulnerable at times, but I also know she’s also the woman who randomly jumped on stage to dance to a song with a complete stranger. The way her voice and stage presence captivated an audience. She’s the woman who I want to get to know better, whatever way she’ll let me.
“We get it,” Kitty says, gently patting my arm. “And so you know, she’s happy when you’re here.”
I turn to where Gabi’s standing at the glass case, grabbing the bear claw I didn't ask for yet. “You think?”
“Oh yes,” Phyllis says. “Every time someone walks in, her face is a little hopeful when she turns to see who it is, and it’s always a little sad when it’s not you.”
“But today? Today it was a smile that she tried to hide. But we saw it,” Kitty adds. “Because we see everything.”
“Well I appreciate the kind words,” I say, needing to not let my brain, or my heart, get excited over a smile. “But unfortunately, we’re just friends.”
“Horse shit,” Kitty grumbles. “You can't be friends with someone you've seen naked. It's not right.”
“I bet that’s why she smiles,” Phyllis adds. “If I saw this guy naked I’d be smiling every day.”
Yes, I can handle these two better than I could day one, but then they go and say shit like this and I feel my cheeks flush in point-two seconds.
“I’ve also seen her ex,” Phyllis says. “And I’m not one to judge a person’s taste—different strokes for different folks and all that—but he’s not you. Definitely doesn’t have your ass.”
If I had water, I’d be choking on it right now. “Phyllis!”
“What! It’s true. He’s a scrawny little man. I bet he has a little?—”
“Okay that’s enough,” I say, needing this conversation to stop because I don’t know where it’s going, and though I love knocking the fuckhead, I feel like it’s a train about to go off track.
Kitty leans over and puts her hands on my elbow. “What my uncouth friend is trying to say is that our girl has been through it. We’re pretty good at overhearing things, and we overhead a lot during the divorce. That ex? He’s a real piece of work. He screwed her up good.”
“She’s told me a little,” I say. “For the record, I’m not a fan of him either.”
“Oh you could take him,” Phyllis says with a wink. “Please be good to her. That's all we ask for. That and to see a few more butts in these seats. But we’ll take you making her smile.”
“And that’s all I want to do,” I say. “I want to make her smile every day.”
“Well shit,” Kitty says. “That’s so sweet I’m going to cry.”
“Oh no, there’s no crying around baked goods,” I say, trying to change the mood. “Unless they’re that good.”
“Is that my new slogan?” Gabi asks as she sets down my bear claw and a bottle of water. “What are you three yapping about?”
“Oh nothing,” Phyllis says as she scoots back her chair. “Thank you again Gabi for a lovely afternoon. We need to get going to make it back in time for bingo.”
“We don’t have bingo today,” Kitty says. “It's Friday. We don't do bingo on?—”
Phyllis slaps Kitty's arm. “Yes Kathleen, we do. Don’t you remember they moved it?”
