Chapter 10
Gabe was horrified at first, then amused, then philosophical. Apparently, Misty wasn’t pining over him at all. It was nice to be mistaken for a stripper, he thought, until…Wait a minute.Misty hired a stripper? For what?
He almost turned around and marched back to her house, but he got ahold of himself. Shit. He had no right. He was trying to squash a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship, and acting like a caveman wouldn’t exactly accomplish that. He needed to talk to someone. Not one of his firefighter buddies. He’d never hear the end of it.
His real brothers might understand—or not. Luca was too young. It was Saturday night, so Noah and Dante were out playing wingman for each other. Jayce… Well, as much as he respected his older brother, he’d find it funny as hell.
Maybe Miguel. Crap. Miguel was so serious and had been married so long, he probably had less experience with this than Luca had. That left Ryan, who was in Ireland. Was it worth an international phone call?
Gabe kicked at the ice patches on the sidewalk and decided he’d figure out what to do by himself. He usually did.
Stopping at a busy coffee shop, he made his way inside and got in line. When his turn finally came, he ordered something a little more decadent than usual. A giant chocolate chip cookie and coffee with a double shot of espresso, instead of just the usual cup of joe.
When he’d paid for it and joined those loitering at the other end of the counter, waiting to pick up their orders, he was surprised to find a familiar face.
“Sandra?”
“Gabe! How are you doing?”
His sister-in-law was the last person he’d expect to see out in the world. Wasn’t she attached to his brother’s hip? He glanced around the store, then out the windows. “Where’s Miguel?”
She laughed. “We aren’t together every minute, you know. I’m taking a class.”
“A class?” he repeated.
She chuckled. “Yes. An art class.”
“I didn’t know you were into art.”
At that moment, Sandra’s name was called, and she picked up her frothy drink. He watched her put a packet of sugar substitute in and grab the top. When she came back, his name was called.
“Would you mind waiting a minute?” he asked.
“Sure. My class is over. I was just getting this for the ride home.”
Gabe nodded and went to grab his coffee and the bag that held his cookie. He added a generous amount of milk and sugar then returned.
“Do you want to get a table? Or take a walk?” he asked.
She looked around and saw all the tables were full. “We could take a walk or sit in my car. Whatever you feel like doing.”
“I’ll walk you to your car. How’s that?”
“It’s only down the street. And to be honest”—she tipped her head so she could glance up at him as he held the door open for her—“you look like you need to talk.”
He created a column of fog with his long exhale. “Is it that obvious?”
“You looked pretty preoccupied when you walked in.” She turned toward the city lights and wandered in that direction. He caught up and walked beside her.
“You always were the perceptive one.”
“So, what’s going on?” she asked.
“It’s Misty.”
“Oh dear. Girl trouble?”
“Huh? Oh, ah… We’re just friends. She’s not doing so well. Having trouble with balance, vision, walking, and forget dancing.”
