“Not at the same time. It’s a good way to fall on your face.”
He laughed. “I guess you have a point. I’m not dissatisfied or unfulfilled, Felicity. I just have a lot of ideas and like to stay busy.”
“Do you want to take time to have a relationship, start a family—make a home for yourself?”
“Sure.”
“When that becomes a goal, world, watch out.”
“I do tend to laser-focus on any goal I set.”
“Like telling me I don’t belong in finance.”
“I was right.”
She smacked him playfully on the knee. “It’s not about being right. It never was.” She sighed, leaning back on her elbows, watching him. “But you were right. Sometimes I wish I had stayed and had it out with you—that I’d fought harder to maintain our friendship.”
“Fight harder? You didn’t fight at all, Felicity. Neither did I.”
“Maybe our parting of ways was meant to be. I don’t know that I’d have taken that first event management job with you breathing down my neck. I might have tried again as a financial analyst just to prove to you I could do it.”
“Not a good motivation,” Gabe said.
She shook her head. “No, definitely not. I also didn’t want to admit failure to you. I didn’t want you to criticize my new career as a backward step. I thought you’d want it both ways. I face my failure as a financial analyst and come out on the other end in a stable, high-paying job.”
“You thought I’d look down on you for taking a job in event management?” He could hear the surprise in his voice. “Felicity, that’s not who I am.”
“I know that. I projected a lot onto you then. Turns out I like the work, and I’m good at it. I paid down my debt, reined in my spending and bought a house. Not bad, huh?”
He smiled. “Not bad at all.”
She looked up at the starlit night sky. “I’ve never seen stars as bright as out here.”
“It’s a great night for stargazing.”
An owl hooted in the woods. Gabe could hear the flow of the river. He noticed shadows in the darkness and the bright flames, slowly dying down. He shifted away from the fire’s heat. It was by no means a cool night, but he liked having a fire, its atmosphere—its connection with his past. He absorbed the moment, being out here, now, with Felicity, talking with her about their lives—work, family, friends, plans. This was the Felicity MacGregor he’d known forever but also a new Felicity, more at ease in her own skin, less impulsive, not as hard on herself. He’d told her about his life, but there didn’t seem much to tell. He worked. He traveled. He had friends all over the world. He had family in his small hometown that he didn’t see often enough. He didn’t have a community, not like Felicity did, now that she’d moved back to Knights Bridge.
She couldn’t stop yawning next to him on the blanket. The mosquitoes weren’t bad tonight, if only because of the bug repellant. The last flame flickered and started to go out, as if cueing them to head inside, call it a night. “I’m no good at sleeping in even after a late night,” Felicity said, stirring next to him. “Do you want to stay out here for a while longer?”
Gabe considered how to respond. They were friends again. If she had any desire for something more, she had it tamped down deep. More likely it was nonexistent, despite their kiss yesterday. Nerves, probably. The moment. The past catching up with them. He could think of a dozen ways she’d dismiss what had happened, but he’d be lying to himself if he tried to pretend he didn’t want something more. It wasn’t nonexistent for him, and it wasn’t even tamped down that deep. He just wasn’t going to act on it. Not tonight, anyway.
Finally he nodded. “I’ll wait for the fire to die down.” He leaned toward her, kissed her on the forehead. “It’s been good talking to you, Felicity. Really good.”
“What time do you leave tomorrow?”
“Sometime in the morning. I don’t have to rush back.”
“Will you go straight to Boston?”
“For now. I’m having some work done on my place.”
“It’s never felt like home, has it?”
“I’ve never felt the need to have a real home before. I’m feeling it now.” He smiled at her. “It’s probably the Knights Bridge effect.” He glanced around at this favorite spot, appreciated Mark’s skill as an architect, his own input with the house. He shifted back to Felicity. “I’m glad you’re happy here.”
“I didn’t buy this place to get under your skin. I had no idea you’d owned it with Mark and had input into the design. I knew you’d loved it here growing up, but more as a place to be while you plotted your exit from Knights Bridge.”
“That’s not inaccurate.” Gabe patted her thigh. “Go on. Get some sleep. You’ve had a long day, but it’s been good talking. I have no regrets about keeping you up.”
She hesitated, as if she couldn’t decide what to do. “See you in the morning,” she said finally, jumping lightly to her feet with more energy than Gabe would have expected.
He didn’t let her energy put ideas in his head...for about two seconds.
She hadn’t reached the deck before he envisioned taking her to bed with him. But they’d just become friends again, and he didn’t want to do anything to risk or complicate that—at least not yet. He could exercise control tonight. As he stared at the dying flames, he knew somehow, someway, he’d have another opportunity.
Fourteen
Even with his late night, Felicity heard Gabe’s bedroom door open and shut early in the morning. Back to life in the country, she thought, amused. She gave up on sleep herself, pulled on shorts, a T-shirt and sandals and headed to the kitchen.
No sign of Gabe.
She noticed the door to the deck was cracked, but he wasn’t there, either. She figured he must have slipped outside and gone
