Slipperless Series (Book #2)(20)

With one eye on his menu, Gabe took a pull of his cocktail. “You’re not going anywhere, Fiona. Look, don’t make me regret doing this.”

I swallowed hard and glared at him. He just didn’t get it. Didn’t he see how uncomfortable I was? Just the way she’d touched him. I hated it. I’d never been jealous in my life and logically, I had no right to be. It’s not as if we were a couple. But her behavior was just so… brazen. It made me sick to my stomach. Oblivious to my growing rage, Gabe sat there casually sipping his drink and perusing the menu. When it became apparent he had no intention of acknowledging any of what happened, I felt compelled to, because if I didn’t, I’d probably scream.

“Do you think she’s pretty?” I huffed.

Gabe lowered his menu just enough to make eye contact with me. He wrinkled his brow. “Who?”

“The hostess,” I snapped. “Do you think she’s pretty?”

“Oh… Mandy?” he said with a casual nod. Lifting the menu up once more, he continued. “Yeah, of course. She’s a doll. What guy wouldn’t?”

As he finished speaking, I looked away suddenly mortified I’d even asked the question. What the hell was happening to me? In my peripheral vision, I noticed Gabe straighten himself up and place the menu on the table. He remained silent for several moments as he took a sip of his drink. I had no doubt what was coming next.

“You um… jealous, Fiona?”

I shook my head but didn’t turn to look at him. “What? No. Of course not.”

“Mmm, hmm,” he muttered. Gabe placed his drink down on the table. The tablecloth muted the sound, but only a little. “Look at me.”

Regret filled my stomach as I moved my eyes back towards him.

“You have nothing to be jealous of, Fiona. I invited you here to be with me. Not her, not anyone else. Just you. Don’t disappoint me and don’t make me regret it.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Well,” he said, with a disdainful exhale as he leaned back into the booth. “You should be.”

Overcome by an almost horrific level of shame, I clutched my napkin in my lap. I wanted to slide underneath the booth and crawl out of there. I couldn’t believe how I was acting. Gabe had no intention of letting me off easy.

He dragged his fingers up and down the side of the glass, smearing the condensation as he did.

“You confuse the hell out of me,” he said with a disgusted puff of breath. “You know that? How is it that the very same woman who sat in my office a few hours ago, full of confidence and self-belief…”

He paused and waved his hand at me in disdain. I didn’t know what to say so I did what came naturally and said the only thing I could.

“Gabe, please. I’m sorry.”

“I don’t want to talk about it anymore. I’m hungry.”



FIONA

Needless to say, my car ride home was awful.

We hadn’t even discussed work. Hell, Gabe and I didn’t talk at all. He ordered for both of us, and in less than thirty minutes the evening came to an end.

I couldn’t believe how stupidly I’d behaved. Gabe never promised me anything. But as hard as I tried to convince myself, I couldn’t deny the emotions I experienced when I watched the way Mandy behaved towards him. I didn’t want any other woman touching him and especially not kissing him.

I’ve never been jealous of anyone or anything in my life and now look…

What had I done? Gabe was turned off. After the meal, we left the restaurant and went our separate ways. It wasn’t something I’d seen from him, ever. No kiss, no hug… not even so much as a goodbye.

Putting romance aside, I considered the possibility I might have done some real damage to our working relationship as well. I could only hope Gabe would be able to keep his personal feelings towards me, to the extent he had any, separate from business. But based on the way I’d acted, I couldn’t say I’d blame him if he didn’t.

After the longest twenty minute car ride of my life, I arrived home. Listless, I dragged myself into the apartment and as I did, I dropped my purse on the kitchen table. Of course, it landed right on the edge and toppled to the floor, spilling its contents everywhere.

“Uuuuhhhhh…” I groaned, as I looked up toward the ceiling. “Could this night possibly get any worse?”

I exhaled a weary breath and bent down to clean up my mess. As I did, I heard the sound of the television on in my grandmother’s room. It wasn’t unusual to find she’d fallen asleep while watching it. A few seconds later I’d finished, and afterward, I made my way down the hall towards her bedroom. Once I arrived, I peered around the corner, and looked in the direction of her bed. To my surprise, she was wide awake and judging from her demeanor, waiting for me to get home.