Eve smiled faintly. “As someone who has been sick around Nicholas, I can assure you he won’t nag you to death. To annoyance, perhaps.”
Livvy made a growling noise. “How do you stand him when he gets like this?”
“I... don’t?” she ventured. “I’m really good at hiding from him.”
“Well, I’m not hiding.” She sighed. “But I am kind of tired, so I’ll go rest. Give Gabe a hug for me. I’ll see you two in a couple of days, hopefully.”
Eve would definitely not be giving Gabe a hug, but she only murmured her goodbye and hung up.
She waffled for a couple minutes, but then pushed to her feet, grabbing her purse on the way out the door. She slowed as she approached the breakfast room, remembered mortification tingling through her as she recalled Gabe’s words.
Go to bed, Eve.
But then another voice edged that aside, and she came to a slow stop outside the wood-paneled doors.I’m not hiding.
Of course Livvy didn’t hide from anything. She was tough. Smart. Capable.
Normal.
Eve’s hands curled into fists. She didn’t have to hide in her shell right now. She could set a tone for the whole week and walk in there right now.
What’s the worst that could happen?
Well, he could be mean to her. But that wouldn’t kill her. She’d survived mean men before in her lifetime.
She straightened her shoulders. Adjusted her hair. Adjusted it again. Tugged on her shirt. Finally, she pushed the door open. Gabe glanced up, and she nearly retreated, but instead, she forced herself to enter. “Good morning,” she said, her gaze directed slightly over his shoulder. It was a trick she’d learned when she was a kid when her father would demand her attention.
A Chandler doesn’t stare shyly at the ground. You’re not a scared mouse. You look at a person when they’re talking to you.
Thankfully, he hadn’t talked to her much.
Gabe came to his feet in a surprising show of manners. “Eve. I wondered if you were awake yet.”
She suppressed the gallop of her heart. He’d wondered if she was awake yet. That didn’t mean he was thinking of her, per se. Just if she was awake. “Oh yes. I, um, was going to—” There went her bravery. She cursed herself, hating how flustered she sounded, and she momentarily forgot her trick and looked at him.
He wore snug jeans and one of his endless supply of plaid shirts, this one a faded and comfortable blue-gray. She bet it was soft. She bet it would feel good against her cheek if she curled up in his lap and snuggled close.
“Do you want some breakfast? They asked if I wanted the buffet, but I thought that would be a little too much for the two of us. There’s a bell right over there, though, so if you want something, I can call...”
Eve cocked her head. Gabe’s body language was strange, the way he avoided her gaze, the rushed words, his hands tucked into the backs of his pockets.
She forgot her own embarrassment and dismay. Hell, she almost forgot his butt. She was too awash in realization.
He was embarrassed and ill-at-ease.
Amazed relief swamped her. She wasn’t the only one who felt weird. And somehow, knowing she wasn’t alone in this situation allowed her to take a step closer to the table. “Would you like to come with me? To the village?”
He stopped rambling. “What?”
“My groomsperson dress was delivered. There was a mix-up, and, long story short, I need a new dress for the wedding, so... would you like to come to town with me?” She almost added,Unless you’re too busyorBut you don’t need to I’m fine on my own, in case he needed a way out, but then she stopped herself. He could figure his own way out, if he needed it.
“Yes,” he said slowly. “I don’t have anything else to do.”
In that case, sir, please do me.
Without a doubt, a very unseemly thought for a lady to have. She clutched her purse. “Follow me, then.”
Chapter 8
