Chapter 29
Gabriel
I hand her the cocktail the bartender and I came up with. “Well, you’ve certainly made a friend there.”
“I have?” She sips her pink drink. When I asked the barman for a pink cocktail, he came up with the classic Pink Squirrel.
“You have. And she’s not a bad friend to have.”
“Why? Because she’s nice. Genuine?” She sips again.
Well, damn. Lexie has no idea who Pamela McGovern is. Interesting. “Yes. Because she’s nice and genuine.” Truthfully, Pamela is both of those things and more. She is loyal and devoted to her friends and family. She’s also the wealthiest woman in Chicago, maybe the Midwest, and she’s a pit viper if you ever cross her. I can’t imagine Lexie doing anything like that, so there’s no need to warn her.
“I’m glad she’s here. I feel like I have a friend here tonight.” She sips again. “What is this drink? It’s delicious.”
“It’s called a Pink Squirrel.” I blink at Lexie and say defensively, “I’m your friend.”
“You’re my boss and fake boyfriend. I think 'friend' is taking it a tad too far.”
I lean down and whisper in her ear, “Oh, I don’t know. I think we were pretty friendly in my office today. And let’s not forget about the car tonight.”
I pull back so I can see the reaction on her face. Her cheeks are bright pink, and her eyes are alive. “Gabriel,” she whisper-hisses. “Stop that.” She slaps my arm. Sipping again, I see she’s already downed her drink.
“Do you want another?”
“Yes, please. That was yummy.”
I take the glass from her hand and make my way back to the same bartender. It takes several minutes to earn my spot at the front of the line. After achieving my goal, I turn to make my way back to her when I see him. A man. A man, probably an inch or two taller than me. He’s also bulkier than me. By the looks of him, he works out all day, every day. I suppose he’s a good-looking guy if you like guys like that. What I don’t like is the fact that he’s leaning close, too close, as he talks to my girlfriend.
Wait? What?She’s not my girlfriend. What the hell is wrong with me? I move my head side-to-side to loosen up. Muttering to myself, “Shake it off, Gabe. She can talk to whomever she wants. She’s just doing you a favor.”Jesus, she’s got me talking to myself.
As I step up to the pair, I hold out the drink for Lexie. “Here you go, sweetheart.”
“Oh, thanks, Gabriel.” She looks up at the intruder. “This little drink is called a Pink Squirrel. You should try one of them, Brodie.”
I look at Lexie, then at our guest. Holding out my hand, I introduce myself. “Brodie? I’m Gabriel Parker.”
“Brodie James. Linebacker for the Bears.”
Oh, now I get it. That’s why he’s the size of a house. He’s a professional athlete. “Oh, how’s your season going?”
He shrugs but doesn’t say another word to me. He turns back to Lexie. “Well, beautiful, if you get tired of this guy, call me.” He hands her a business card and walks away. Her face is back to that bright pink color from earlier.
“Wow, that was cool, wasn’t it?” she says brightly.
“Yeah. Cool.” I take a sip of my cocktail and fume. Not cool. It’s so not cool to poach. I wonder if he’s the flower-sending kind of poacher. “Have you met him before?”
“No.” she giggles. “How could I have met him before? He’s handsome, isn’t he?” she says almost wistfully.
I shrug, “If you like that kind of thing.”
“Oh, I do. I definitely do.” She says staring at the retreating Brodie-the-asshole.
“Well, you’re here with me. Don’t embarrass me by drooling over another guest.”
Her head whips back to me so fast she spills some of her drink onto my shoe. “Embarrass you? Did I embarrass you just now?”
Okay, I can tell the drinks have hit her pretty hard. “No. I said, ‘Don’t embarrass me’ tonight.”
Throwing back the last of her cocktail, Lexie smiles. “Oh, well, that’s completely different.” She hands me her empty glass. “I think I’ll go powder my nose and visit Pamela and the girls. I’ll be back later.”
“Uh, okay.” She’s ditching me? What the fuck?
