“Look, Gabe, I’ll take anything I can get. You come highly recommended, and terms like the best have been liberally thrown around where you’re concerned. We can work together long-distance, at first, on a limited basis. I can structure the contract that way. Your broad recommendations to stop the hemorrhaging of cash on this end would help a lot until you’re in a position to take over temporarily as CEO.”
Gabe leaned forward. “You’ve given me a lot to consider, Jim. Send me your business plan and the most recent financials. I’ll see if I can get clarity on the numbers for you.”
“Clarity is going to be scary as hell,” the other man admitted.
“I know, but it’s necessary.”
“Okay. Thanks, Gabe. I appreciate any input you can give me. And I sincerely hope you’ll come on board.”
“Talk to you soon, Jim.” He hung up the phone and stood, coming around the desk to rest a hip against the edge. Finally he met his aunt’s gaze. “So what do you say to me taking you to lunch?”
“That is a shameless and transparent attempt to distract me, Gabriel.”
“It’s after noon, and I’m hungry. I’m not completely clear about what I’m distracting you from.” That response could be characterized as evasive, but it was mostly a lie. And when had he gotten so good at it? Thoughts of Courtney flashed through his mind. Yup, that’s when it started. And she was as uncomfortable with it as he was.
“Don’t be dense, dear. It doesn’t suit you at all.” She moved closer to the desk and folded her arms over her chest. “You don’t want to talk about what I just overheard you say to Jim on the East Coast. That’s why you’re playing dumb.”
“Dumb?”
She tilted her head to the side. “You were discussing a job.”
“Oh, that.” He waved a hand dismissively. “A company is in trouble.”
“I got that,” she said wryly.
“This guy did some research on turnaround specialists, and my name came up. It was no big deal.”
“You’re thinking about starting your own consulting company. That’s pertinent information.”
“Yes. But you already know that,” he reminded her. “I talked to you about it when you asked for my help with Make Me a Match.”
“You’ve been freelancing and never said a word about corporate headquarters. That implies hiring people to work for you and doing it on the other side of the country.”
“That’s my plan. But I haven’t made any decisions yet on where it will be. The East Coast isn’t that far.” He shrugged.
“Last time I checked, it was a pretty long plane ride. Why not just go for Micronesia?” Lillian Gordon was normally the voice of calm in the center of chaos. Rational and serene. She wasn’t that way now.
“This is all in the talking stage, Aunt Lil.”
“I know you pretty well, Gabriel. You have a tell when your mind is all but made up. If the words come out of your mouth, it’s a very good bet that your brain has filtered them first.” Her eyes narrowed on him. “I thought you were sticking around for good.”
“Did I ever say that?” he countered.
“You said you were okay with the idea of putting the brakes on your career to help me.”
“If I remember correctly, I said that brakes on my career would give me a chance to figure out my next professional move.” He pointed at her. “You have selective interpretation, Aunt Lil.”
“Potato, po-tah-to.” She huffed out a breath. “I had the distinct impression that you were staying in Huntington Hills.”
“I never said that.” But he didn’t quite look her in the eyes, because he knew what he would see there.
“You’re right. I did read between the lines,” she admitted. “Because you are very dear to me and I very much like having you around.”
He met her gaze then and, sure enough, it was there. Disappointment. Was there anyone, anywhere, who didn’t hate seeing that look on the face of someone they respected and loved? He thought not and was no exception.
“You know the most recent numbers for Make Me a Match are very good. That could mean a lucrative buyout offer. I’ve gotten a few calls,” he admitted. “Companies are reaching out with proposals that would assure you’re more than comfortable for the rest of your life. You could retire with peace of mind.”
“What if I’m not ready to retire?” She was pouting.
“If the deal is negotiated shrewdly, you could stay on as a consultant for as long as you want.”
“That could be attractive,” she acknowledged. “But you are trying to distract me again.”
And it nearly worked, he thought. “It’s just something to think about.”
“And I will,” she promised. “Along with mulling over why in the world you would even consider a job that would take you so far away. Your mother is so happy to have all her children close by. As am I. And we were relieved to see you finally putting down roots. Why would you go to the other side of the country?”
“For one thing,” he said, “it would be next to impossible for my mother to interfere in my life. I wouldn’t have to attend Sunday dinners where someone in the family has invited a woman to fix me up with.”
“Seriously? That’s it? That’s your reasoning?” She shook her head as if he was a dimwit. “Don’t you see? We don’t have to find women for you anymore because you have Courtney now. She’s such a lovely young woman.”
He was in complete agreement about that. A vision instantly formed in his mind of her just a few nights ago. In sweatpants, an old T-shirt, freshly washed hair and no makeup. She certainly hadn’t been trying to impress him because she didn’t know he was going to show up. But he found her captivating.
He wanted her.
Then his aunt’s words sank in. The family had backed off throwing women at him. That meant they completely bought in to his fake relationship with Courtney.
Courtney had just said they needed to end it soon. Something in her eyes when she did had made him uneasy. Part of him, a very big part, had pushed back at the suggestion. But, per their verbal agreement, if everyone believed they cared, the meddlers would be forced to give them time to mourn when it was over. This conversation with his aunt was proof they’d reached their goal and crossed the finish line. Fake dating had produced the desired outcome.
His aunt cleared her throat to get his attention. “Say something, Gabriel.”
“Courtney is special.” It was a relief not to have to lie.
“I agree. And if you take a job on the other side of the country, what about her? Women like her don’t grow on trees, you know. And I haven’t seen you this happy since before Margo died.”
Happy? Really? Couldn’t she see he was still angry about what fate took from him?
Gabe stared at her, waiting for the heat of anger to swell inside him and fill up the painfully lonely and empty spaces. But nothing happened. It didn’t come. The simmering bitterness wasn’t there. He tried to remember the last time a surge of fury had overwhelmed him and couldn’t.
Uneasiness had him wondering when he’d last made a concentrated effort to recall Margo’s voice. He hadn’t been sure that was even possible, but he used to take a stab at it anyway. But not recently. The realization rocked him that he hadn’t tried to see her face in his memories, either.
The only face he instantly saw now was Courtney’s. The night she’d called off their dinner date, he’d heard distress and sadness in her voice. There was no way he wasn’t going to her. He was a fixer, and he couldn’t ignore the instinct telling him she was broken.
Suddenly the triple whammy hit him squarely in the chest. The three amigos, his stalwart companions since burying his wife—pain, survivor’s guilt and grief. But the anger he’d always used as a shield was gone. There was nothing standing between him and the feelings of loss he’d stubbornly refused to acknowledge
. Courtney had penetrated that armor, and now he could add betrayal of those memories to the list of his sins.
Chapter Twelve
“Is Mr. B coming over tonight?”
Courtney carried two totes of groceries through the door from her garage to the kitchen. She glanced over her shoulder at Ava, who was helping lug the stuff. “I don’t think so.”
“But it’s Saturday night, and you’re off this weekend.”
“That doesn’t mean we are obligated to see each other.”
“But you’re dating,” her daughter reminded her.
They were “dating,” with air quotes, Courtney thought. “And sometimes people are too busy to go out.”
Ava put her bags on the kitchen table. “It’s just that I went for tutoring this week, and he said something about going to the pier at the beach. So, I was wondering if you’re going to be seeing him sometime this weekend.”
Courtney had been pleased and surprised when Ava actually volunteered to go to the market with her. She missed the days when her little girl always wanted to go “bye-bye.” Now she was beginning to think there was an underlying motivation and just had to figure out what was going on.
She put a half gallon of milk in the refrigerator and a replacement ice cream container in the freezer. Sometimes with Ava the direct approach worked. “Is there something on your mind, sweetie?”
“No.” But the single word sounded a lot like a question.
Rome wasn’t built in a day, she thought, holding back a sigh. “So you’ve been going to tutoring.”
“Yeah.” A bag of chips crackled as Ava pulled it open. She popped one in her mouth and started to talk.
Courtney was about to issue the usual mom directive to not carry on a conversation with her mouth full but didn’t have to.
“I know,” Ava said with her hand covering the lower half of her face while she chewed. “Sorry.”
Persistence paid off. Good to know. When the coast was clear, she said to the teen, “You were saying?”
“Mr. B is a good tutor. He makes math fun and easier to understand.” She pulled another chip out of the bag but didn’t eat it. “I got a B plus on my algebra test.”
“Wow.” Courtney’s heart swelled with pride in her offspring, and she thought she just might explode with it. “Congratulations. See, hard work really does pay off.”
“Yeah. I get it.” Ava was trying to put on her sullen “don’t lecture me” face, but a smile leaked out. “I held up my end of the bargain.”
“What bargain is that? You’re not grounded and haven’t been for a while. I’m dating.” Mentally she added air quotes to that last word and crossed her fingers behind her back, hoping the half-truth wouldn’t deduct too many points from her positive karma. It was time for a lateral subject change. “Gabe told me you showed up at tutoring with a boy.”
“Yeah. Nick Perino.”
His name had come up when they were talking about the cute boy that made you want to go to school every day. Courtney waited for more, but the teen stuffed a chip in her mouth. Persistence, she reminded herself. “Tell me about him.”
“What did Mr. B say?”
“That his attitude could be better and he badly needed a haircut.”
“Mom—”
She held up a hand. “He also said Nick is really smart. He doesn’t need extra math help but apparently is willing to go to tutoring just to spend time with you. My takeaway is that if you’re his friend, he must be okay.”
“He is.”
The glow on her daughter’s face was both beautiful and worrisome. Every fiber of Courtney’s being, every bit of energy she possessed, was about protecting this child she’d created. She never knew if she was doing the right thing, saying something to push her away. And her own dysfunctional family experience didn’t give her a foundation for a solid maternal skill set. Gabe had hit the family lottery with his, and she envied him that. Still, she never wanted to look back and regret not saying something to Ava about choices.
“How much do you like this boy?” A dark cloud of hostility chased away Ava’s glow, and Courtney hastily added, “I’m not prying—” She stopped, because that’s exactly what she was doing. “Delete that. It’s just that I know from experience that guys tell you what you want to hear, promise the moon and really only want one thing—”
“Sex.”
Courtney cleared her throat. “Yes.”
“I haven’t had sex,” Ava said defiantly.
“I’m not saying that. I know you’re only fourteen.” But she believed her. “It never hurts to have an honest discussion, a reminder about birth control. Because I also know how big feelings are at your age. I just want to say again that you can always come to me about anything. I won’t judge.”
“Right.” There was skepticism in Ava’s expression.
“I will always do my level best not to judge,” she amended.
“Okay, Mom.”
“The thing is, sweetie, I just love you so much. I want the best for you. When you’re happy, I’m happy. And I will always do what I think is right to keep you that way.”
Ava closed up the bag of chips and put a clip on it. “So, since we’re having an honest discussion, how much do you like Mr. B? Remember, be truthful.”
Where Gabe was concerned, honesty was a slippery slope. “That’s a good question—”
“Do not tell me you’ll think about it and get back to me,” Ava warned.
“What makes you think I was going to do that?” Besides the fact that it was exactly what she’d planned to do.
“Since I was a little girl and asked a question or permission to go somewhere, do something that you were uncomfortable with, that’s been your standard response.” She huffed out a breath and jammed a hand on her hip, a stubborn pose that looked awfully familiar.
“Ava—”
“I’m asking because I love you, too, Mom. When you’re happy, I’m happy. And I want to keep you that way,” her diabolical child repeated back to her. “Seriously, it’s not a hard question.”
It was for her where Gabe was concerned. “How do you feel about him?”
“Mom—” Exasperation turned Ava’s voice into a near whine. “You always tell me not to answer a question with another question.”
“I have a very good reason for asking,” she defended. “As you well know, any decision I make about letting a man into my life will directly affect yours.”
Ava rolled her eyes, walked to the cupboard, pulled out a glass, then filled it with filtered water from the refrigerator. She took a drink, but that didn’t cool the hot anger in her eyes. “You’re talking about the Adam.”
“Yes.”
“The one who showed me your engagement ring to get my permission before he proposed to you and promised to be a dad to me. And—” She paused for dramatic effect. “The same ass who obviously wanted a family but only kids who were his.”
“Yeah, that’s the jerk I mean.” Courtney would never forgive herself for the awful episode and her horrific lapse in judgment about men. She’d vowed it would not happen again. It was the motivation for her agreement with Gabe. Like he’d said, a protection for both of them.
Ava wanted her to date, and that’s what she was doing. But the situation was taking a turn toward complicated, and she was flying by the seat of her pants here.
“Why are you bringing this up now?” she asked her daughter.
“I saw you the other night. When he brought over the Italian food.”
Thoughts of that night made her feel warm and gooey inside. It was such a sweet thing to do. She couldn’t remember if anyone had ever held her when she cried. And she’d believed they were alone. “You saw us?”
Ava nodded. “I was coming downstairs to say hello to him. Then I saw him hugging you, and I felt weird. I didn’t want to inte
rrupt.”
Had they said anything about fake dating? Anything Ava had heard? “Did you hear what we were saying?”
“You weren’t talking. I just heard you crying. Why were you?”
Courtney didn’t talk about the hospital very much, partly because of patient privacy issues, partly to keep the bad things from Ava. There was so much that could affect her, and she was at such an impressionable age. But she couldn’t keep everything away, and this might be one of the times to share.
“A boy came into the hospital. A drug overdose. He didn’t make it. That upset me very much.”
“Because of me,” Ava guessed. “And that’s why you canceled dinner with Mr. B.”
“Yes. I was so sad about a young life cut short. His parents—what they’re going through is unimaginable to me. And I don’t ever want to know. You think I lecture, but sweetie, I just worry so much about you. One stupid decision and—”
“I know.” Ava put down her water, then stepped into Courtney’s arms. “And I knew something was bothering you. I’m glad he came over and fed you. You seemed better after that.”
“I was. It helped.” And then she’d told him they should end this charade soon.
“So boys only want one thing.” Ava moved away, and there was a gleam in her eyes.
Courtney knew she was going to regret saying that. “It’s the rumor.”
“Did you and Mr. B ever have sex?”
That was not a question she was prepared to answer, and her mind raced. It was like tripping and trying to catch yourself with nothing to grab onto. You knew it was going to be bad when any part of your body hit the ground.
The best response she could come up with was “That’s not really important.” Hey, it was better than none of your business.
“So, that’s a big fat yes.” Ava’s smile was triumphant, although not in a bad way. “It never hurts to have a reminder about birth control.”
Courtney sighed. “The good news is your words are positive proof that you actually listen to me.”
“And the bad news?” Her teen shrugged. “There always is.”
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