“There were way too many flowers,” she said, blushing guiltily. “I had to do something with them.”
“Well, the men certainly appreciated them. Did you know that kid has three girlfriends?” He shook his head in disbelief, and she grinned in spite of herself.
“He’s going to get caught at some point and it won’t be pretty.” She laughed, sounding so much like her old self that his heart constricted with longing. She caught herself and the laughter faded in her throat. “So what can I do for you?”
“My car needs a tune-up,” he lied, and her eyes flew to the Lamborghini. She had been itching to get her hands on—or rather inside—it for months now. He could see that she was torn. He had never used her shop in the year that it had been in business and even before that, when she had been tinkering with cars just for fun, he had never allowed her to lay a finger on any of his vehicles.
“And it’s making this weird knocking noise every time I change gears.” Another lie. The car handled like a dream, but he was willing to let her take it apart from top to bottom if it would make her happy and score him more brownie points with her.
“Is it like a hollow clunking sound?” she asked with a thoughtful frown.
“Yeah?”
“Hmm, it could be worn gear linkage, but that seems like an unlikely problem for a car under a year old,” she speculated. “And it’s not like you’ve ever tested her capabilities much on the road, so it can’t be from wear and tear.”
“So you’ll take a look?” he asked, trying not to sound too eager. Her eyes were watchful but she nodded.
“I’ll get Craig to have a look,” she told him.
“But I’d rather you did,” he said, because he knew how much she was itching to.
“I have other things to take care of,” she maintained, her eyes filled with longing as they tracked back to the car. But it was clear that she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of accepting this latest gift—because that’s what it was. He was giving her something that she had dying to have for months and . . . she was throwing it back in his face.
“What if I told you that I trusted only you to take care of my car?” he asked softly.
“I’d tell you that it’s too late . . . you should have placed your trust in me long before now.”
“Why are you being this way?” he asked in frustration. “What the hell did I do to you that was so damned awful? Okay so I wanted to keep our relationship a secret at first, I handled the situation badly, but punishing me for having human failings is petty as hell!”
“Do you really think I’m being petty? When you were ashamed to admit that you found me attractive and that I was your lover?”
“Let’s just be completely honest here, Bobbi! You’re punishing me because I’m not in love with you. I have the audacity to want you without craving all that romantic and sentimental bullshit as a side dish to the incredibly hot sex. I respect you and I care about you, but that’s not enough for you. I don’t love you the way you want me to so to hell with me, right?”
“You’re right. You’re absolutely right. I expected too much from you. But, what do you want from me, Gabe?” she asked gently. “Why have you been sending me flowers and poems and presents?”
“I wanted to . . . romance you, I guess,” he admitted.
“To what end?” she asked logically, and he watched her mutely. He wasn’t sure how to answer that question. “To get me back into bed? To get me to forgive you for hurting me? To apologize for what you said at the football match?”
“All of that.”
“And let’s say you succeeded in romancing me, what would the next step be? We go to the ball together, right? And then start a relationship that we both know would be doomed from the start.”
“Stop this,” he suddenly hissed. “Stop talking to me like I’m a preschooler. Yes, I wanted to romance you, I wanted to apologize, and I wanted to have a proper relationship with you. One that involves spending time together, enjoying each other’s company, and sex. Because I believe that we can be good together. And if it doesn’t last, it’s because that’s the way relationships go sometimes. Grow up, Bobbi. Sometimes all a couple has going for them is the sex, which can grow into mutual fondness, which can then become that damned Grand Passion that all women seem to aspire to. We’re lucky, we used to have a pretty good friendship to build a solid foundation on, in addition to better sex than most people have in a lifetime. Everything else will either fall into place or it won’t. But you want that happily ever after right now. And if you don’t get it, like a petulant child, you’re hell-bent on spoiling the chance we have to explore something that could actually be quite good between us.”
He had a valid point, Bobbi realized. So he wasn’t in love with her, but he did love her and that really was more than most couples had going for them. He looked hurt and disgusted with her and she could understand how he felt, but all the concerns that she had voiced that night in her room were still there. There was the fear that he would expect her to change too much in order to conform to his idea of the feminine ideal. The fear of more heartbreak—but she acknowledged that the chance of heartbreak was a risk in every relationship—it was part of life. But while most other relationships had a chance of ending well, this one was almost doomed to failure, despite Gabe’s grand talk about it possibly growing into something more. But balancing out the fear was the hope that even when it didn’t work out, the relationship would die a natural and relatively painless death and leave them both still with a mutual respect and love for each other. Gabe wanted to try and despite all her misgivings—Bobbi now knew that she wanted to try as well.
“I have been punishing you,” she admitted, and his eyes jerked up to hers. “You mean the world to me, Gabe, and I hated that I didn’t mean the same to you. I just . . .” She choked up and bit her lip as she tried to get herself under control again. “Let’s go to the ball together and see where that takes us, but I’m not promising anything beyond that.” He nodded, his face remarkably grim for a man who had just received what he wanted.
“The other thing I can’t promise you is some major change in appearance,” she warned. “If we’re going to do this, you’re going to have to accept me the way I am.”
“Bobbi, you’re beautiful the way you are,” he assured her. “You always have been. I apologize if I ever made you feel less than that. But I hope you’ll deign to wear a bra at the very least—there will be a lot of stodgy old men in attendance, and we wouldn’t want any coronary incidents.”
That startled a laugh out of her and he looked pleased. Which sparked an epiphany in her: all these years of trying to make Gabe laugh or smile and she only now realized that he had put an equal amount of effort into surprising laughter and smiles out of her as well. And, she acknowledged to herself, he enjoyed doing so.
“So do you really want your car checked? Or was that just an excuse to come here?” She asked, and he smiled. One of those full-on, genuine smiles that she loved so much.
“Well, I wanted to see how you liked the tool bouquet and the car was my foot in the door. Besides, I know you’ve been itching to get your hands on it.”
“So you don’t want her checked?” She couldn’t quite hide her disappointment and Gabe’s smile gentled.
“Of course I do. I hear you have quite the reputation for restoring and fixing vintage and exotic cars,” he teased, and she felt a surge of pleasure at his words.
“Did you see her?” she asked him.
“If you’re referring to that former clunker of Jase’s, then yes, I saw it. You did an amazing job. Congratulations.” She could see the unmistakable gleam of pride in his eyes and it warmed her from top to toes.
“That man who was in my office earlier?” She had to share the news with someone and she was suddenly excited to tell Gabe. “He has a 1969 Mustang convertible. She’s in decent condition but he wants me to service her, and even better? He belongs to an owner’s club! If I treat his baby well, he�
��ll recommend the shop to some of the other owners in the area. Isn’t that wonderful?”
“That is bloody brilliant, sweetheart.” He grinned, taking a step toward her and unexpectedly capturing her chin between his thumb and forefinger. He kissed her then, in full view of her employees and anybody else who might walk into the shop. It was a gentle kiss but filled with a longing and desire that matched hers—just his lips on hers and the tip of his tongue tracing along the parted seam of her mouth. He lifted his head with a soft sigh and dragged his eyes open.
“I needed that,” he said, and she smiled at him.
“I did too. Thank you.”
“You, Roberta Richmond, are so very welcome.” He spontaneously wrapped his arms around her and gathered her up in a tight hug. She returned the hug fiercely, so happy to have him back in her arms and in her life. They still had a list of problems a mile long, but she refused to worry about them right now. She just wanted to enjoy the perfection of this moment.
“Have dinner with me tonight?” he asked, and she lifted her head from his chest to meet his hopeful eyes.
“Okay.” He smiled, looking relieved, and dropped another sweet kiss on her lips.
“I’ll pick you up at five thirty,” he informed before reluctantly releasing her. He turned to leave and Bobbi studied his broad back dreamily for a moment before remembering something.
“Wait!”
His wide shoulders tensed, and he slowly turned back to face her. His expression was filled with anxiety, and she wondered if he expected her to change her mind. “You need a replacement car.”
“Oh, of course.” The naked relief on his face was telling and Bobbi felt a pang in her chest at his uncertainty. They were each going to feel unsure around the other for a while yet. She hoped it was something they could overcome soon.
“You can drive mine until yours is ready to be picked up. Sean can drop me off at home tonight.” She tugged the keys from her baggy overall pockets and tossed them at him. He caught them with a grimace of distaste. “Oh come on, she’s not that bad.”
“Bobbi, you’ve had that thing since you were eighteen,” he protested.
“And she still runs like a dream,” Bobbi lifted a challenging eyebrow and Gabe sighed. “I’ve kept her in perfect condition.”
“Fine.”
“Stop being such a snob.” She grinned. “She may not be as pretty as your Lamborghini but she’s got quirk and character.”
“I admit to finding quirk and character a lot more interesting that mere good looks these days,” he said with a warmth that left no doubt as to his sincerity.
Gabe’s heart melted when Bobbi’s entire face lit up like a beacon in response to his last comment. He hadn’t meant the words to be a metaphor for his changing attitude toward superficial good looks but that was certainly how she had taken it, and he found himself thinking of ways to keep that radiant smile on her face forever if he could.
After Gabe rang the doorbell at the Richmond house later that evening, he nervously smoothed down his hair, adjusted his tie, and did a breath check while waiting for someone to open the door. It wasn’t long before the door was yanked open by Billy. Gabe tried not to look too dismayed to see his friend; he hadn’t expected Billy to be visiting his family. He usually only visited Constantia on weekends. For him to be there on a Thursday night was unusual.
Billy stared at Gabe for an arrested moment before stepping aside to let him in. Gabe hadn’t seen him since that football night nearly a month ago, and he soon discovered why. Billy slammed the door shut and turned to face Gabe with a furious expression on his handsome face.
“I don’t exactly know what the hell went on between you and Bobbi that night, Gabe,” he hissed without any preliminaries. “But you hurt her and it was only because Chase asked me to back off and give you both space that I haven’t pushed the issue or kicked your arse before now! I’m warning you . . . hurt her again and, years of friendship aside, I will rearrange your face in the most painful way possible.” Billy had always had such a colorful way with words.
“I know I hurt her . . . It was never my intention to do so. You know how much she means to me,” Gabe murmured. “But I’m trying to figure this out, we both are, and I’d like to ask you to give us the opportunity to do so without any interference from you.”
“Figure what out? What exactly is going on between you?” Billy asked, and Gabe inhaled unsteadily, acknowledging that this was it—the point of no return.
“Bobbi and I are . . . um.” He coughed. “We’re dating.” Billy’s jaw dropped and he shook his head as if to clear it before gaping at Gabe in disbelief.
“You’re what?”
“Dating.”
“What the . . . Gabe, she’s like a sister to you, man!” Billy looked horrified, repulsed, and frankly disbelieving.
“No, she’s not,” Gabe responded succinctly. “She’s not like a sister to me. At all. I don’t feel anything remotely brotherly toward her, and you’d better resign yourself to that fact before she comes down those stairs. I won’t have you making her feel uncomfortable about our relationship.”
“But I am uncomfortable with it,” Billy admitted. “It’s weird as hell. Where did this come from?”
“Damned if I know,” Gabe confessed. “But that’s how it is, so get over it and don’t even think about showing that appalled face to Bobbi.”
“Does my dad know about this?”
“Not yet.”
“How do you think he’ll feel about it?” Billy asked pointedly, and Gabe fixed a grim look on him.
“I don’t really give a damn how he feels about it or how you feel about it. This is between Bobbi and me.”
“I don’t like it,” Billy growled.
“I don’t care,” Gabe responded. “But Bobbi does . . . so try not to put unfair pressure on her, will you?”
“I’ll keep my own counsel, for Bobbi’s sake,” Billy said after a pause. “But what I said before? About rearranging your face? Forget that. You break my sister’s heart and I’ll destroy you, Gabe.”
Gabe nodded curtly.
“Noted.”
Bobbi had heard the doorbell five minutes ago but she couldn’t bring herself to go downstairs. She checked her appearance for the umpteenth time and morosely concluded that it was still the same. She was wearing her navy-blue, all-purpose dress combined with her favorite tribal jewelry and a pair of flat sandals, which were the only pair of shoes she owned that looked even remotely feminine.
“This is a mistake,” she whispered, feeling sick. “Oh God, what are you doing, Roberta?”
There was a soft knock on her door, and her stomach sank into her ugly sandals.
“Come in,” she called faintly. When the door opened to reveal Billy instead of Gabe, she slumped in relief.
“Gabe’s here for you,” her brother said, his voice strangely gentle.
“I know,” she said.
“Are you coming down?”
“Soon,” she whispered. He turned as if to leave but changed his mind and came to stand beside her, staring at her reflection in the full-length mirror.
“This must seem odd to you,” she said, and he smiled.
“A bit.”
“I’m in love with him, you know,” she confessed. “I have been for a long time. He doesn’t feel the same way about me and that’s okay.”
“Is it okay?” Billy asked softly and her lips trembled.
“He loves me and he . . .” She blushed, this was her brother after all. “He uh . . . likes me in that way, but he’s not in love with me. For now, that’s enough.”
“When will it stop being enough?” Her brother, usually such an obnoxious joker, was being remarkably sweet and understanding and his concern brought a sting to her eyes and warmed her heart.
“Who knows? Maybe it will always be enough.”
“Are you content with merely enough?”
“For now,” she repeated with a decisive nod.
&nbs
p; “Just be happy, Runt.” Her brother smiled and gently leaned his shoulder against her until she lost her balance and nudged back with a laugh. “Now are you coming downstairs or not? Your date seems rather nervous.”
“He does?” That thought was so far beyond the realms of possibility that it boggled her mind for a moment.
“Yep. I left him in the den with Dad. Last I saw, he was trying to explain that he was here to take you out.”
“Oh my God, what did Dad say?”
“I don’t think he got it. He asked Gabe where he was taking you; I left Gabe to sweat it out and came up here to get you.”
“A date?” Gabe was getting the full, formidable Mike Richmond death stare and he finally knew what all the man’s business competitors had felt like just before their downfall. The man was certainly a force to be reckoned with, but Gabe had never had that force turned on him before.
“That’s why you sent her all those flowers? You were courting her?” An old-fashioned word that made Gabe wince guiltily when he thought about what those flowers had really been about. Courting? That would have been like shutting the gate after the horse had already bolted.
“Not exactly,” Gabe admitted, keeping his hands folded respectfully in front of him and his eyes level. Don’t show any sign of weakness, he reminded himself. Mike Richmond pounced on weakness.
“So what was that if not a courtship?”
“An apology,” Gabe confessed. “We’d had an argument about something.”
“Like a lover’s spat?” he asked genially, and Gabe swallowed, sensing a trap.
“Just an argument,” he maintained.
“How long has this thing been going on between you and Bobbi?” The older man came right out and asked the question Gabe had been dreading.
“Nearly a month.”
“And this is the first time you see fit to come to my door like a gentleman and take her out? What have you been doing before now?” The man’s voice had turned to ice, and Gabe cleared his throat uncomfortably.
His Unlikely Lover Page 21
