snorted. “Someone hallucinated,” I said, reaching to fill up a cup of coffee for him.
“I think not,” he drawled, looking edible in his suit. Stop it, Maddie, I told myself firmly. Just because you’ve got pink hair now, doesn’t mean you can drool over any men.
Especially not tall, gorgeous, Southern men with beautiful green eyes and adorable little girls. No, no, no, no, no.
“Are you around later tonight?” he asked.
“Around?” I repeated, confused.
“Let me rephrase that,” he smiled charmingly, his dimple making me want to fan myself. Where all these extraneous hormones were showing up from I didn’t know. “I wanted to know if you wanted to go out to dinner with me tonight,” he said.
Oh, no. I couldn’t. There was no way I was going to go out with him. So what that every time he touched me there were electric shocks? So what that just the thought of seeing him with a few buttons open on his shirt made me feel the urge to stick my head in the freezer to calm down?
I was an emotional train wreck, to put it mildly. I was being brave, and trying my best to let myself grieve and move on. But going out to dinner with Gabriel Mendez? I couldn’t.
“I’m really sorry,” I stammered. “But I can’t.”
“You have a boyfriend?” he asked casually.
I shook my head no. “I just am not really in a place to have any sort of romantic relationship,” I admitted. “But if I was…” my voice trailed off.
Gabe leaned over the counter, watching my face intently. “I get it. Honestly, I don’t know if I’m really in a place for any romantic relationship either.”
I looked at him, confused. Then why ask?
“Can we try platonic?” he asked.
Platonic?
I looked up at him, a six-foot tall cliché of tall, dark and handsome. If I let myself think about it, I would leap over the counter and rip his shirt off. I didn’t think I was able to do platonic.
“We can try,” I said, still a little doubtful. “I don’t know how that’s going to work, and I don’t know how long I’m going to even be here.” I looked up at his brilliant green eyes. “But we can try.”
“Then we should arrange this whole dinner thing tonight, probably,” he said, smiling at me. God, those dimples.
No, I told myself. Those are friendly dimples. That’s it. Those are not dimples you can lick.
Where was I getting these kind of ideas, anyway?
Damn hormones.
“Uh, okay,” I answered, still wary about the whole platonic friend thing.
“Well, I’m going to be back from work around five-thirty tonight,” he mused out loud. “Noie is in bed by seven… we can do something in the apartment tonight. She sleeps through anything.”
I looked at him doubtfully.
“Me and you? In an apartment alone?” I asked.
“If you wanted to go out, Noie can sleep at my parent’s house tonight. She loves sleepovers.”
I thought of little Noie, and the terror on her face when pretty much anyone came too close. She was okay at Gabe’s parents, but… I don’t know. What if something happened, and he wasn’t there? I would never forgive myself for that. I wasn’t going to risk that possibility just because I was a little nervous to be alone with Gabe.
“If you just want to do a me and you thing, platonically,” I emphasized, “Your place would be fine. I’m just not okay with the off chance of waking up Noie.”
“You sure?” he asked.
I nodded. I remembered what it was like, having a cranky two-year-old. Not something anyone should have to deal with. Including the two-year-old.
“In that case, do you want to stop by before she goes to sleep?” he asked.
“Sure.”
His smile nearly blinded me. “Awesome,” he said, sounding a lot younger than I had ever heard him sound. “I’ll see you later.”
What was I getting myself into here?
Chapter · Nine
I looked down at my outfit from that day. The usual. A silk T-shirt, leftover from the days my mother didn’t trust me to do my own
“I think not,” he drawled, looking edible in his suit. Stop it, Maddie, I told myself firmly. Just because you’ve got pink hair now, doesn’t mean you can drool over any men.
Especially not tall, gorgeous, Southern men with beautiful green eyes and adorable little girls. No, no, no, no, no.
“Are you around later tonight?” he asked.
“Around?” I repeated, confused.
“Let me rephrase that,” he smiled charmingly, his dimple making me want to fan myself. Where all these extraneous hormones were showing up from I didn’t know. “I wanted to know if you wanted to go out to dinner with me tonight,” he said.
Oh, no. I couldn’t. There was no way I was going to go out with him. So what that every time he touched me there were electric shocks? So what that just the thought of seeing him with a few buttons open on his shirt made me feel the urge to stick my head in the freezer to calm down?
I was an emotional train wreck, to put it mildly. I was being brave, and trying my best to let myself grieve and move on. But going out to dinner with Gabriel Mendez? I couldn’t.
“I’m really sorry,” I stammered. “But I can’t.”
“You have a boyfriend?” he asked casually.
I shook my head no. “I just am not really in a place to have any sort of romantic relationship,” I admitted. “But if I was…” my voice trailed off.
Gabe leaned over the counter, watching my face intently. “I get it. Honestly, I don’t know if I’m really in a place for any romantic relationship either.”
I looked at him, confused. Then why ask?
“Can we try platonic?” he asked.
Platonic?
I looked up at him, a six-foot tall cliché of tall, dark and handsome. If I let myself think about it, I would leap over the counter and rip his shirt off. I didn’t think I was able to do platonic.
“We can try,” I said, still a little doubtful. “I don’t know how that’s going to work, and I don’t know how long I’m going to even be here.” I looked up at his brilliant green eyes. “But we can try.”
“Then we should arrange this whole dinner thing tonight, probably,” he said, smiling at me. God, those dimples.
No, I told myself. Those are friendly dimples. That’s it. Those are not dimples you can lick.
Where was I getting these kind of ideas, anyway?
Damn hormones.
“Uh, okay,” I answered, still wary about the whole platonic friend thing.
“Well, I’m going to be back from work around five-thirty tonight,” he mused out loud. “Noie is in bed by seven… we can do something in the apartment tonight. She sleeps through anything.”
I looked at him doubtfully.
“Me and you? In an apartment alone?” I asked.
“If you wanted to go out, Noie can sleep at my parent’s house tonight. She loves sleepovers.”
I thought of little Noie, and the terror on her face when pretty much anyone came too close. She was okay at Gabe’s parents, but… I don’t know. What if something happened, and he wasn’t there? I would never forgive myself for that. I wasn’t going to risk that possibility just because I was a little nervous to be alone with Gabe.
“If you just want to do a me and you thing, platonically,” I emphasized, “Your place would be fine. I’m just not okay with the off chance of waking up Noie.”
“You sure?” he asked.
I nodded. I remembered what it was like, having a cranky two-year-old. Not something anyone should have to deal with. Including the two-year-old.
“In that case, do you want to stop by before she goes to sleep?” he asked.
“Sure.”
His smile nearly blinded me. “Awesome,” he said, sounding a lot younger than I had ever heard him sound. “I’ll see you later.”
What was I getting myself into here?
Chapter · Nine
I looked down at my outfit from that day. The usual. A silk T-shirt, leftover from the days my mother didn’t trust me to do my own
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