“At least you know the conversation will be stimulating.” He slid her a grin as his warm hand took hers, and something deep inside her flip-flopped at the size of it, the way his skin was pressed against hers, and the way he held it firmly, but gently.
Quickly, she snatched her hand back, making his smile a little wider. It was a nice grin, almost devilish, and she liked the way his eyes crinkled at the corners. It was the same grin he’d always given, but back in the day, she’d found it annoying, even menacing. Nothing could fire her up more. Only now that fire felt…
Her heart was racing as she reached for her wine, happy that it was chilled the way she liked it, and hopefully capable of taking her body temperature down a few notches.
In her periphery, she spotted her sister, and turned to see her weaving her way through the pub, a look of surprise on her face when she saw whom Gabby was sitting with.
“Doug Monroe,” Brooke said pleasantly. “How nice to see you again.” She glanced at Gabby and said, “I’m happy to find you two in one piece. She hasn’t been too hard on you, has she?”
“Quite the opposite,” Doug said pleasantly. His gaze traveled to Gabby and lingered there. “I think Gabby and I have discovered that we’re better off joining forces than pushing each other away.”
Now Brooke’s eyebrows shot up dramatically, but Doug’s gaze never left Gabby’s as he slid off his stool. “I’m off, ladies. Enjoy your night. And I’ll see you Saturday, Gabby.”
Gabby couldn’t even speak as she pulled in a breath, knowing that Brooke had to pinch her lips together from saying anything, and waited until Jackson had slid a glass of wine to her without having to be prompted. In typical fashion, Brooke took a slow sip of the drink, leading Gabby to think she might be off the hook long enough for her to think back on the strange turn of events, and to remember that grin, and the way it made her stomach roll over.
Brooke opened the menu, casually skimmed the first page, and then darted a glance over her shoulder.
“He’s gone. Now tell me exactly what is happening Saturday night.”
Gabby laughed. “Nothing. We’re both attending the same wedding.”
“From what I heard, I thought maybe you were going together.”
Gabby considered her words, thinking of the truth in them. “More like…hanging out together. It beats talking to strangers at the singles table.”
“But the singles table is where the eligible men are,” Brooke reminded her.
Gabby wrinkled her nose. “I think I’m finished pinning hopes that the guy I’m supposed to end up with will be someone I meet at my singles table. Besides, at least with Doug, there’s no chance of anything happening between us, so there’s no pressure.”
Brooke didn’t look convinced. “What is it then?”
“Just…someone to talk to,” Gabby said with a shrug. “There’s absolutely nothing more to it than that.”
Brooke didn’t look convinced as she went back to her menu. “If you say so. But if you ask me, you two look really cute together.”
“I thought we looked really cute together,” Jackson said, leaning over the bar and giving her a wink.
She swatted him away, and he happily took their menus after taking down their orders. Gabby sighed after him, thinking of Candy’s determination to see them set up. Adorable, yes. Trouble, yes. Exciting, yes. But he wasn’t looking to settle down.
And neither, she reminded herself, was Doug Monroe.
Doug stopped by his office instead of heading home. The empty apartment full of boxes was nearly as depressing as the small practice that wasn’t seeing enough business. He hadn’t expected things to grow quickly, but he also couldn’t shake his conversation with Gabby at the bakery last week either—not any more than he could shake the one they’d had tonight.
Gabby was right, about a lot of things, not that he’d be telling her so. No, it was much more fun to watch her pretty little mouth pinch and her eyes blaze. To have her full attention. It was thrilling, now as much as it had been years ago, but that’s where it stopped. Hanging out with Gabby was fun. It was stimulating. It made him feel alive again.
And contrary to what she believed, he didn’t mind being proved wrong. Only right now, when he looked at his schedule for the next day and saw that he had no appointments, he minded a lot.
Weddings were taking place every week. Divorces, not so much. The town was small, the population too, and the neighboring towns weren’t much bigger. Still, there might be some truth in the fact that people were happy here. That this community pulled people together rather than drove them apart.
His parents were shining examples, after all. Even during the tough times, their spirit hadn’t been tampered any more than their mutual affection. His mother still laughed at his father’s bad jokes, and his father still looked forward to the same casseroles that Doug’s mother had been making since before he was born.
If he was being honest with himself, he couldn’t remember Lisa laughing at any of his jokes, at least not in their last few months together. But then, they weren’t that kind of couple. Sure, they made time for trips and dinners, but their conversation revolved around their careers. As two attorneys, there was always a story to share, an idea to bounce, and their drive to succeed was mutual.
But if he was going to have any success now with his law practice, he had to put a lot into consideration. He wasn’t working toward partner anymore; it wasn’t about taking on the biggest clients or billing the most hours. He was here to serve the community, but he wasn’t so sure that they required his services, and that was a bittersweet thought.
He’d never been good
