by S. J. McCoy
“I do. In fact it’s what some women like best.”
Ethan cocked his head to one side. “Why?”
He laughed. “Someday I’ll teach you about girls, but you stick with what you know for now, okay?”
Ethan nodded and climbed into the car, his attention returning to the box of doughnuts on his lap. “Okay.”
As Gabe settled behind the steering wheel he couldn’t help but think Ethan might be right. Perhaps he should dial it back a bit. While it was true that some women enjoyed his no-nonsense approach—to everything—Renée might not be one of them. He shrugged as he drove his nephew and his doughnuts back down Main Street. What did it matter? She was just an old friend who was going through a hard time. They were going to catch up. That was all.
Chapter Two
Once Renée had everything cleaned up and laid out ready for tomorrow morning she closed herself in the little bathroom in the back of the bakery. She needed to get a grip! She’d had butterflies in her stomach ever since Gabe left. He’d be here to pick her up in a few minutes, and they were going to…hang out? Why? She dragged the little cap off her head and stared at herself in the mirror. Because that’s the kind of guy he is, she told herself. He probably wants to give me some free legal advice! Gabe had always been the kind to look out for the underdog, to champion the cause of the needy. He was no doubt just being the same stand-up guy he’d always been and looking to help out an old classmate. She grinned as she pulled a comb through her hair. She was a mess, just as she always had been. Her hair refused to be tamed. Her freckles refused to be covered. Her eyes were nice though, and with this extra lick of mascara they looked great. She stood back to get a better look at herself. Yep, definitely a mess, but she was her own kind of mess, and that’s all she ever had been. Gabe probably wouldn’t even notice what she looked like anyway, he’d be too busy assessing the merits of her case and deciding what he could do to be of service.
She turned up the tail of her shirt and tied it around her waist. It was warm out there, that was all. She started at the sound of the bell tinkling as the door opened. She’d turned the sign to Closed so it could only be Gabe.
She sucked in a deep breath at the sight of him. A polo shirt and chinos wouldn’t normally grab her attention—too neat and pressed—but stretched over his body they held her gaze all right and set her heart racing. Damn, he was amazing. Realizing she’d been looking a little too long, she slowly lifted her gaze. She didn’t meet his though, as he was still looking her over. So much for him not noticing what she looked like. She could almost feel the way his gaze traveled over her, lingering on her exposed midriff before traveling up to linger even longer on her breasts. Her heart hammered in her chest. Oh yeah, he was noticing her and looking as though he liked what he saw.
He finally met her gaze. He didn’t smile, just raised an eyebrow. “Are you ready?”
She had to bite back a laugh. After being ravaged by just a look like that? Yeah, she was ready. Ready and willing. She nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She needed to get her imagination back under control or she’d end up making a fool of herself.
He held the door open for her and waited while she locked it behind them.
“Any ideas what you’d like to do?” she asked.
“I brought a picnic. I figured you probably didn’t get a chance to eat today since you’re by yourself in there.”
Wow! She was starving, but had been happy to forego food until afterward. She hadn’t thought they’d be hanging out for too long. It wasn’t as though they’d ever been really close friends or anything.
He opened the door of a green Avalon and gestured for her to get in. Apparently he didn’t need her agreement. She obeyed, who was she to argue? She was hardly going to say no to an afternoon with Gabe Morgan and a picnic basket!
She fiddled with her hair as he drove out onto West Shore Road. Now that she was here in the car with him, she didn’t know what to say. They’d chatted a couple of times when she’d been working at the bar in the resort, but other than that they hadn’t seen or spoken to each other in, what, fifteen years or so? Maybe this was a stupid idea.
“So, how have you been?”
Oh, God. Maybe this was a really stupid idea. An afternoon of small talk with a condescending stranger wasn’t going to be any fun. No matter how good looking he was. “You really want to know?”
Gabe shot her a quick look. “I really want to know.” Something about the way he said it, the way his face softened when he did, made her decide to tell him.
“It’s been a living hell, Gabe. I’ve been awful. I’ve been in shock, I’ve been in denial, I’ve been hurt, and I’ve been angry. I’ve hated the man I spent ten years of my life with, and, worse still, I’ve hated myself. That’s how I’ve been. How about you?”
He said nothing as the car bumped down a rutted dirt road that led to the river. He cut the engine before he finally turned to look at her. Renée swallowed. Why on earth had she just blurted all that out? He’d probably want to head straight back to town and get away from the crazy redhead as soon as he could.
Instead, his words stole the breath from her lungs. “I’ve been worried about you.”
“What?” That didn’t make any sense at all.
“Renée, I always admired you when we were kids.”
Huh? What kind of BS was that? She didn’t have time to wonder as he continued.
“After what happened and we all went our separate ways, I used to think about you a lot. I admired the way you handled it, handled yourself. When I heard what you were doing with the charity and everything I wasn’t at all surprised. You’ve been an inspiration to so many.”
Renée watched his lips move, not quite sure she was correctly hearing the words coming out of them.
He met her gaze. “Since the first time I saw you back here, working behind the bar, and Ben told me what you were going through, I’ve been worried about you. I’ve wanted to talk to you. Tell you I’ll do whatever I can to help. Tell you you’ve got a friend if you want one.”
She screwed her eyes up as she tried to process his words. “But why? We were never really friends.”
That seemed to surprise him. “I thought we were. You didn’t?”
She shook her head. “We were in the same group of friends, but, come on, Gabe. You were the golden boy, the town doctor’s son. I was the town drunk’s daughter.”
“I never saw it like that.”
“Well, I did. And so did everyone else.”
He stared at her for a long time, long enough that she started to feel uncomfortable. She had no idea what was going on behind that intense gaze. “What?” She had to break the tension.
“You say we were never friends. Would you like to be my friend now?”
“Are you serious?” What on earth was he playing at? She didn’t get it.
“I’m deadly serious. You’ll get to know that about me. I don’t say anything unless I mean it. I don’t do anything unless I mean it.”
“Then would you do me a favor?”
“What’s that?”
“Smile.”
The corners of his mouth turned up, but his eyes were still concerned.
“You just proved yourself a liar, Gabe.”
“How?”
“Smile like you mean it, or don’t smile at all!”
He smiled. It spread all over his face and touched his eyes. If she wanted to let her imagination get involved she might have thought it touched her heart, too. But no. She had to keep her imagination and Gabe Morgan as far away from each other as possible!
“I mean it. So what do you say? Want to be my friend?”
She pondered it for a minute. “I could certainly use one. How about you, do you want to be my friend?”
“I do.” He held her gaze for a moment and then looked away. When he looked back he reached over and touched her cheek. “For now.”
What did that mean? Probably that he wanted to be her friend in he
r time of need and he’d be on his way once he’d done what he saw as his duty. Although part of her wanted to say no thanks—she was used to running a charity, not receiving it—she didn’t. He meant well, and she hadn’t lied, she really could use a friend right now. “Okay then, well I never had a friendship with a time limit on it before, but you just say the word and there’ll be no hard feelings when you’ve had enough.”
Gabe opened his mouth to speak then seemed to think better of it. He got out of the car and pulled a huge picnic basket from the trunk. Renée scrambled out and followed him down the path that led to the riverbank. She watched as he spread the blanket out in the shade under the trees and opened up the basket. She laughed when he pulled out a bottle of champagne and two flutes.
“Who the hell drinks champagne on a picnic?”
Gabe patted the blanket beside him for her to sit while he poured. “We do,” he said, and smiled—a smile that looked an awful lot like he meant it.
~ ~ ~
The look on her face as he handed her champagne made Gabe close his eyes for a second. It was such a strange reaction, he had to wonder why he did it. She was so beautiful, so brave, and so honest. He knew, as he saw the image of her imprinted on his memory, why he’d done it. It was to capture the moment so he could keep it. When he was a kid he used to believe his mind was a camera and his eyelids were the shutter. When he closed them he created a photographic memory he could keep forever. He hadn’t done that for years and yet now he thought about it as a rush of happy childhood picture memories flashed through his mind. It made him smile.
Renée gave him a puzzled look. “That looked like another genuine smile. Two in the space of a minute. What is it with you? Are you trying to live by the politicians’ motto?”
“The politicians’ motto?”
“Once you learn to fake sincerity, you can achieve anything.”
He laughed. “Not me. I’m usually accused of being too sincere.”
“I didn’t know there was such a thing.”
“Okay, maybe too honest. Too ruthless in my quest for the truth and too blunt in my use of it.”
She shook her head. “I didn’t know that was a thing either. How can the truth ever be a bad thing?” He watched her stop and think, knowing that she’d recently learned some truths that had hurt her, that had destroyed her life. She seemed to understand what he was thinking. “I mean, the truth about Eric wouldn’t have been so bad if I’d known it at the time. It’s when the truth is hidden for so long and you build your life on a foundation of lies, that’s when everything goes to hell. Not because of the truth itself, but because everything crumbles around it when it comes out.”
Gabe nodded. He hadn’t thought of it like that before, but it was true. She’d given him the opportunity to ask what was going on with Eric and the case, and he wasn’t going to pass it up. “So how are things going with all that?”
She took a gulp of her champagne and met his eye. “Didn’t you promise me food? You’re right, I didn’t get a chance to eat today and I’m starving. If you don’t feed me, this champagne will go straight to my head, and I will not be accountable for my actions.”
“What actions might they be?” The way she was looking at him told him the champagne was already going to her head, and he was very interested in the kind of action that look suggested. He didn’t wait for her answer though. He turned away to unpack the picnic basket so she could eat. However interested he might be, she was still married. She was in a very precarious situation, and he wasn’t in a position to do anything more than be a long-distance friend. He laid out the sandwiches he’d made and she grinned.
“Wow. Thank you. Homemade. I’m impressed. I was expecting store-bought.”
He laughed. “Why? Is that what usually happens when guys take you out for a picnic?”
“I’ve never been on a picnic with a guy before.”
“Never?”
She shook her head and grabbed a sandwich, busying herself with removing the wrapper.
“Were you happy with him, before you knew?”
She took a bite of the sandwich without looking up. As he watched her eat he wondered whether she would answer, if she’d even heard.
“We were never happy.” She met his gaze. “I’m not just saying that. I’m not revising history because of everything that’s happened. We got along okay in the beginning. I thought we would get better with time. It turned out I was just a useful idiot to him. The marriage, the charity—they were the perfect front. He got to syphon off so much money, live his seedy life, and still seem respectable.”
“You didn’t notice all that money disappearing?” Gabe knew the moment the words were out that they sounded like an accusation. He was cross-examining her out of habit. He could have kicked himself.
“I’m sorry, I…”
She held a hand up. “No. Don’t be. I’ve asked myself the same question a thousand times. Whatever the outcome of this court case, I already know I’m guilty.”
Gabe couldn’t believe she meant that.
She shook her head sadly. “Not like that. I didn’t know. Didn’t have a clue. So surely that makes me guilty by ignorance, doesn’t it?”
“No. It doesn’t. Not in a court of law, but, more importantly, you can’t let it make you feel guilty. What are you guilty of? Trusting your husband?”
“I’m guilty of allowing my husband to steal thousands of dollars. I’m guilty of violating the trust that people placed in me when they donated their hard-earned money. I’m guilty of trying to keep a marriage going…of trying to make myself a better person for a man who was stealing from me, lying to me, and cheating on me.” She took a deep breath and pushed her hair out of her eyes. “I guess all of that makes me guilty of being pretty damned stupid, huh?” She drained the last of her champagne before smiling and holding her glass out for more.
“You’re not stupid, Renée. As I remember, you’re one of the smartest people I’ve ever known.”
She laughed. “I thought you only said things you really meant.”
“I do.”
“Well sorry, Mr. Harvard Law-educated trial attorney of the year, but I don’t believe you.”
He could see there was no point arguing with her. It was true, though. She’d been his only competition in high school when it came to academics. It wasn’t only that kind of smart he’d been talking about though. She’d been smart about people, too. The way she’d handled herself after Chloe died. The way she’d dealt with her father and his drinking. She’d met everything head on, dealt with things in a calm and efficient manner. She was capable and in control and yet she’d always seemed…what? What was the word? It wasn’t happy--not when her sister died, not when she was dealing with her father and his drinking. It wasn’t fun either, although he’d always envied her that. In their group of friends they’d both been considered the smart ones, but she was the creative one, too—the adventurous one, the one who thought outside of the box.
She was watching him. “What? You can’t argue because you know I’m right?”
He smiled. “No. I’m not arguing, because you’re a worthy opponent. I’m biding my time, building a case, and when I hit you with my evidence, I’ll take you down. You won’t have a leg to stand on.”
“Oh.” She looked surprised. “So you’re planning on being my friend long enough to build a case then?”
He nodded. “I am. Though I may need to interview you repeatedly. Can you stand that?”
She smiled. “I can. Next time you’re back in town I’ll treat you to lunch. How about that?”
That was good. She was at least open to the friendship, though he wasn’t sure how long he would be able to keep it to just that. “No, sorry.”
He felt bad about it, but he was thrilled to see the disappointment in her eyes before she started apologizing. “I’m sorry. I guess I was getting carried away…”
“No, you weren’t. I’m staying here the whole week this time. So saying we can
have lunch next time I’m in town isn’t as much or as soon as I wanted.”
She grinned. “So how much do you want? And how soon do you want it?”
Despite his earlier insistence that he always told the truth, he decided this was one of the rare moments when it was best left unspoken. The way she looked sitting there on the blanket, her wild red hair framing her beautiful face, the way her shirt showed off just enough bare skin to make him want to taste it. He wanted all of her—naked—and right now. “I can’t tell you yet, but I’ll be able to give you a better idea if you’ll have lunch with me tomorrow.”
“You’ve got yourself a deal, counselor.”
Chapter Three
It was almost six by the time Gabe pulled up in front of the bakery. He looked over at Renée. It had been a great afternoon and he didn’t want to say goodbye yet. At the same time, she’d agreed to have lunch with him tomorrow, and he didn’t want to overdo it either. “Where’s your car?” he asked.
She gave him a funny look. “My trusty steed is around back.”
“I’ll take you around there.”
She started to open the door. “That’s okay. I can walk. Thanks for this afternoon.”
Gabe pulled her back before she could get out. “Your car isn’t back there, is it?”
She shrugged. “I never said it was. You assumed.”
He shook his head at her. “You walk down here at four in the morning?”
“I told you. I have my trusty steed, thank you.”
Gabe pulled into the alley behind the bakery and saw an old bicycle leaning against the wall. “You trust that thing?”
Renée laughed. “I have to. It’s all I’ve got.”
That bothered him. She must be worse off than he’d thought. “Well, how about we put it in the trunk and I’ll give you a ride home.”
“I’m fine…honestly.”
That did it. The speed with which she replied made it damned sure he wouldn’t take no for an answer. If she hadn’t wanted him to see her bike, it was pretty obvious she didn’t want him to see her house. Well tough. “I’m taking you home, Renée. No arguments. We can bring the bike or leave it here, but, either way, I’m driving you home.”
