by Banks, Maya
And oh God, if Jace found out…
She sucked in her breath. Jace was a huge problem. He would lose his mind if he ever found out about any of this. Surely Gabe had considered that. Hadn’t he?
There was no way she could ever let her brother know about this. It would ruin his friendship with Gabe and would likely ruin their business as well. Not to mention he would never understand, and it would put a huge wedge between her and Jace.
She was contemplating it. She must be if she was factoring in all the potential obstacles, right? Had she lost her mind?
She should so be running as fast as she could in the other direction, and yet…
She made it with ten minutes to spare and opened the door to La Patisserie. The bell jangled, a familiar sound as the door shut behind her, and she smiled a greeting at Greg and Louisa, the owners of the shop.
“Hello, Mia!” Louisa called out from behind the counter.
Mia offered a wave and quickly ducked into the back to get her apron and hat. It was a ridiculous French beret, and she always felt silly wearing it, but Greg and Louisa insisted on all the employees wearing them.
When she made her way back to the front, Louisa waved her over.
“I’ve got the counter today. Greg will be in the back baking. We have a huge order to fill by tonight, so can you man the tables?”
“Sure,” Mia said.
There were only five tables in the tiny café. It was mostly a takeout spot for coffee, croissants and delicious confections, but a few of their regulars liked to take their coffee and food inside on their lunch break. There were an additional four tables on the sidewalk, but they were self-serve and she didn’t have to wait those tables.
“Have you eaten?” Louisa asked.
Mia smiled. Louisa was always concerned that Mia didn’t eat enough or that she skipped meals, and as a result she was forever trying to force food on Mia.
“I ate this morning. I’ll grab a bite before I leave.”
“Okay, be sure and try Greg’s new sandwich. He’ll want your opinion. He’s testing it out on a few customers today to get feedback. He wants to add it to our menu.”
Mia nodded and then headed toward a table where a couple had just sat down.
For the next hour, Mia worked the lunch rush and was too busy to give the matter with Gabe her full attention. It definitely still occupied a huge part of her brain. She was less attentive than usual, and she messed up two orders, something she rarely did.
Louisa sent concerned looks her way, but Mia stayed busy, not wanting the older woman to worry, or worse, to ask her if anything was wrong.
At two, the lunch rush started winding down, and the shop started to empty of the steady stream of customers. Mia was just about to take a break, grab a drink and sit down for a minute, when she looked up and saw Gabe walk through the door.
She stumbled in midstride and nearly went sprawling on the floor. Gabe lunged forward and caught her before she could fall. His hands remained firmly wrapped around her arms even after she’d steadied herself. Her cheeks flamed with embarrassment, and she hastily glanced around to see if anyone had witnessed her clumsiness.
“Are you all right?” Gabe asked in a low voice.
“I’m fine,” she managed to get out. “What are you doing here?”
His mouth quirked into that half smile, and he regarded her with that lazy gaze. “I came to see you. Why else would I be here?”
“Because they have good coffee?”
He started toward the table in the far corner, his hand still curled around her elbow.
“Gabe, I have to work,” she whispered fiercely.
“You can take my order,” he said as he took his seat.
She huffed in exasperation. “You don’t eat here and you know it. I can’t ever imagine you eating in a place like this.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “Are you calling me a snob?”
“I’m merely making an observation.”
He picked up the menu and studied it for a moment before lowering it again. “Coffee and a croissant.”
She shook her head and walked around the back of the counter to get the croissant and pour a cup of coffee. Thank God Louisa had gone in the back with Greg and hadn’t witnessed her falling all over herself. She had no desire to answer questions about who Gabe was.
She had to wait for her hands to stop shaking before she picked up the cup of coffee. She carried it and the saucer with the croissant to Gabe and placed them both in front of him. When she would have retreated, his hand shot out to grab hers.
“Take a moment and sit down, Mia. No one’s in the shop.”
“I can’t just sit down. I’m at work, Gabe.”
“Are you not allowed a break ever?”
She wasn’t about to tell him that she had been just about to do that very thing when he’d walked in. Hell, she wouldn’t put it past him to have waited until the shop emptied when he knew she wouldn’t be occupied to come in.
With a resigned sigh, she sat in the chair across from him and leveled a stare in his direction.
“Why are you here, Gabe? You said I had until Monday.”
“I wanted to see what my competition was,” he said bluntly.
He glanced around the shop and then back at her, a questioning look in his eyes.
“Is this really what you want, Mia? Where you want to be?”
She glanced over her shoulder, making sure Greg and Louisa were still nowhere in sight. Then she glanced back at Gabe, her knees shaking under the table.
“There’s a lot in that…contract.” She could barely get the word out. She lowered her gaze because she couldn’t meet his stare any longer. “A lot to consider.”
When she chanced a peek at him, there was a look of absolute satisfaction in his eyes.
“So you’ve already read over it then.”
“I skimmed it,” she lied, trying to sound casual and at least a little sophisticated. As if she entertained such offers all the time. “I intend to go over it more thoroughly tonight.”
“Good. I want you to be certain.”
He reached across the table and slid his fingers over her wrist. Her pulse leapt and reacted to the simple touch, and chill bumps raced up her arm.
“Quit your job, Mia,” he said in a quiet voice that didn’t carry beyond the table. “You know this isn’t where you need to be. I can give you far greater opportunities.”
“For you or for me?” she challenged.
He smiled again and it was so damn seductive that she nearly melted on the spot.
“It will be a mutually beneficial arrangement.”
“I can’t just leave them shorthanded. It wouldn’t be right, Gabe.”
“I’ll ensure they get a temporary employee until they fill your position. There are plenty of people who need jobs, Mia. The Millers don’t want to let you go. They aren’t looking because they’re perfectly happy for you to stay on for as long as they can keep you.”
Mia hesitated and then nervously pushed back her hair with one hand. “I’ll consider it.”
Gabe smiled again, his eyes glowing with warmth. Before she could react, he pulled her forward, tilting her chin up with his finger. His mouth melted over hers, hot and breathless. She didn’t move, didn’t pull away. She went soft against him, leaning further into his embrace as he deepened the kiss.
His tongue brushed over hers, teasing lightly before retreating. He licked over her bottom lip and then tugged gently, sucking it between his teeth.
“Think about it, Mia,” he whispered. “I’ll be waiting for your decision.”
And then he pulled away and walked out of the shop to his waiting car.
Mia stood staring at the street long after he’d pulled away. Her lips tingled from his kiss and she put her fingers over her mouth. She could still smell him, still felt the imprint of his body against hers.
She was startled from her stupor when the bell above the door jangled and a customer walked in. Louisa
came from the back and rang the customer up while Mia removed Gabe’s half-full coffee cup and the uneaten croissant from his table.
It was nearly time for her to leave for the day. She only worked a few hours, usually during the lunch rush, and sometimes on Saturday and Sunday mornings if they really needed her.
She walked slowly to the back to remove her apron and the beret, her mind in turmoil. Greg was baking and Louisa hustled back to rejoin him. Mia stood in the doorway for a long moment before Greg looked up and saw her.
“Is something wrong, Mia?” he asked.
She took a deep breath and slowly expelled it. “There’s something I need to tell you and Louisa.”
chapter five
“Holy shit, you quit?” Caroline asked.
Mia slowly nodded and then turned her attention back to the near-boiling water on the stove. She salted it and then added the spaghetti.
“Come on, you have to tell me more. What prompted this decision? I was beginning to think you were going to make a career as a pastry chef or something.”
“You sound like Gabe,” Mia muttered.
Caroline’s eyes narrowed. “Is he why you quit? Spill, girlfriend. You’re still holding out on me about today’s meeting, and it’s driving me crazy!”
Mia hesitated and then clamped her lips shut. She couldn’t tell Caroline about the contract. Or anything with regard to her meeting with Gabe. If she was going to agree to this—and apparently she was giving it serious consideration—she didn’t want the details of her private life—with Gabe—to be known. Even by her best friend.
But she had to tell her something. So she went with the lesser of the two evils.
“He offered me a job,” Mia said.
Caroline’s eyes widened. “Wait. He kissed you. He threatened to fuck you on the terrace. All because he wants you to work for him?”
Yeah, it sounded pretty lame to Mia too, but she wasn’t saying a word about that damn contract.
“Well, there could be more, but for now, he wants me to be his personal assistant. He thinks I’m wasting my talents working at La Patisserie.”
Caroline poured them both a glass of wine and slid Mia’s glass across the bar to her. Mia stirred the spaghetti sauce and gave the noodles a quick poke.
“Well, I agree with him there. You didn’t go to grad school to pour people coffee and offer them a croissant,” Caroline said dryly. “But personal assistant? I think he gives a whole new definition to the word personal.”
Mia remained silent, not rising to that particular bait.
“So you must have decided to do it if you quit, right?”
Mia sighed. “I haven’t decided anything for certain yet. I have until Monday to make my decision.”
Caroline shrugged. “It’s a no-brainer if you ask me. He’s rich, he’s gorgeous and he wants you. What’s not to love about that setup?”
“You’re incorrigible,” Mia said in exasperation. “Money isn’t everything, you know.”
“Said by someone who is indulged by her older brother, who also happens to have more money than God.”
Mia couldn’t deny that Jace was every bit as wealthy as Gabe, or that he did a lot for her. He’d purchased this apartment for her—though he didn’t like that more often than not she walked the twenty blocks to work. She didn’t need a roommate, but Caroline needed a place to stay and Mia liked the company. But she tried not to rely solely on Jace. She wasn’t extravagant. In fact, she had learned to be quite frugal with her meager earnings.
“I think I’m more curious than anything,” Mia admitted. “He’s always fascinated me. I’ve had a thing for him for as long as I can remember.”
“Curiosity is a valid reason for hooking up with a guy,” Caroline said. “How will you know if you’re compatible unless you take the leap?”
Taking the leap felt appropriate. Only it wasn’t just a short hop. It was a full plunge off a cliff. She itched to take out that damn contract again so she could go over it one more time, but she couldn’t do it in front of Caroline, which meant she’d have to wait until later to review it.
She forked out a noodle and bit off the end. “It’s ready. Grab a plate and I’ll drain the spaghetti.”
“I’ll get more wine,” Caroline offered. “You’re such an awesome cook, Mia. I wish I had your skills. Guys love that shit.”
Mia laughed. “Like you have any problem in the guy department.”
And it was true. Caroline was gorgeous. Only a little taller than Mia, she was way curvier with a lushness to her figure that attracted men like flies. She had beautiful burnt-auburn hair that had varying shades of red and gold under sunlight. Add rich brown eyes that twinkled with warmth and the result was a beautiful woman with a sunny personality that endeared her to everyone she met.
“The problem is finding the right guy,” Caroline said wistfully.
Mia cringed, regretful of her careless words. No, Caroline didn’t have any problems in the guy department as far as attracting them. But the last man she’d attracted had been bad news.
She held up her wineglass in an effort to smooth over her faux pas and said, “I’ll drink to that.”
• • •
Gabe’s office phone rang, but he let it ring and continued typing the memo he was working on. It was after hours. No one should be calling his office.
The room went silent, and then just a few seconds later, his cell phone rang. A quick glance at the incoming contact and he briefly contemplated letting it go to voice mail. With a sigh, he picked up his phone to hit Receive. He couldn’t ignore his mother even if he already knew why she was calling.
“Hello,” he said.
“Gabe. There you are. I thought you might still be at the office. You work such long hours these days. Aren’t you ever going to take a vacation?”
He had to admit the idea had merit. Even more appealing was the idea of taking Mia with him. Several days away from the world in order to initiate her into his world? Definitely something to consider.
“Hello, Mom. How are you?”
It was a question he’d learned better than to ask, and yet he always did. The problem with asking his mother how she was doing was that she never took the polite way out and said fine like most people did, regardless of whether they were really fine or not.
“I can’t believe what he’s doing,” she said in clear agitation. “He’s making a fool of himself and of me.”
Gabe sighed. After nearly forty years of marriage, his father had moved out, served his mother with divorce papers and seemed determined to run through as many newer, younger models as quickly as possible. His mother wasn’t taking it well, as could be expected. And unfortunately, Gabe was her sounding board.
He loved his father, but he was being a huge dick. Gabe didn’t understand it. How could you be with someone for that many years and then wake up one morning and decide to walk away?
He wasn’t certain that he would have gotten to the point of asking Lisa for a divorce. She’d been the one to leave him. It may not have been the right thing to do, remain in a relationship where it was obvious there was no love or true affection any longer, but he would have spared her the pain and humiliation of a divorce. She, however, didn’t feel the same about sparing him. And he didn’t hold the divorce against her. Maybe he should have done something before allowing it to get to the point it had. But he hadn’t realized that Lisa was so desperately unhappy. What he held against her was the way she went about divorcing him.
“It’s disgraceful, Gabe. Did you see the papers this morning? He had a woman on each arm! Now what would he do with two women?”
No way Gabe was answering that question. He shuddered even imagining his father…No, he wasn’t even going there.
“Mom, stop reading the society pages,” Gabe said patiently. “You know it’s just going to upset you.”
“He’s doing it on purpose to punish me,” she railed.
“Why would he punish you? What could you
have possibly done to him?”
“He’s showing me that while I’m sitting at home grieving over the death of my marriage, he’s out having the time of his life. He’s telling me with more than words that he’s moved on and that I no longer have any place in his heart.”
“I’m sorry, Mom,” Gabe said gently. “I know this hurts you. I wish you would get out and do something. You have friends. You have plenty of pet causes that you donate to and volunteer your time. You’re still young and gorgeous. Any man would be fortunate to catch your eye.”
“I’m not ready to move on,” she said stiffly. “It would be disrespectful to pick up with a man so soon after the divorce. Just because your father is acting like a classless jerk doesn’t mean that I won’t act with a little decorum.”
“You need to worry less about what everyone else thinks and focus on what makes you happy,” Gabe said bluntly.
There was a long silence and then his mother sighed. He hated her being so unhappy. It hurt him to see her in such pain. He tried to stay out of his parents’ affairs, but lately it had been next to impossible. His mom called him every other day to bitch about what his dad was doing, while his dad was busy trying to shove his latest girlfriend down Gabe’s throat. The problem was that he was with a different woman every time Gabe saw him, and his father was too focused on trying to bridge a gap in their relationship caused by the very thing he was trying to force on Gabe. Acceptance. He wanted Gabe’s forgiveness and acceptance. And while Gabe could forgive his father—he could hardly hold his decisions against him, it was his life and his happiness—he couldn’t accept another woman in the role his mother had performed for most of Gabe’s life.
“I’m sorry, Gabe,” his mom said quietly. “I know you must hate it when I call. All I do is complain about your father. I shouldn’t do that. Whatever he’s done, he’s still your father and I know he loves you.”
“Let’s have dinner over the weekend,” Gabe said in an attempt to lift her spirits. “I’ll take you to Tribeca Grill.”
