did her best to harass me anyway.
I was quartering limes when I heard her whistle.
"Hel-lo, handsome," Vivian drawled softly.
I rolled my eyes, not bothering to look up to see who she was talking about. She tended to go for men who didn't want her, and sometimes it was too painful to watch her get slapped down.
Though sometimes I really enjoyed it.
"Wow." She whistled softly. "His suit must have cost as much as I make in a month."
Suit? Rhys? My gut did a strange flop and my body tingled, a strange combination of excitement and tu ch’i. I looked up expecting to see Rhys bearing down on me.
Instead it was a wiry guy with short hair. Damn. Pouting, I cut a lime into wedges and grabbed another as I said, "A guy who spends a lot of money on clothes won't let a salivating woman near him."
"You aren't fooling anyone. I know what you're up to." She shoved me aside. "I'm serving him."
"Jeez." I glared at her. "Watch it, will you? You almost made me slice off my finger."
But she wasn't paying attention to me. Her imitation of a come-hither smile stretched her thin lips, and she leaned across the counter in a patented move to show off her ample boobs. "What can I get you?" she asked huskily.
Poor unsuspecting guy. I shook my head. Though if he was stupid enough to take her up on her silent offer, he deserved whatever he might contract.
"You can get me a Bombay Sapphire and tonic while I speak to Gabby."
I stopped midcut and looked up. No one had called me Gabby since—
The man in the expensive suit stared straight at me. He looked like a grown-up, edgy version of—
I blinked. "Paul?"
My brother smiled. "Hello, Gabby. Long time."
Searching his eyes, I waited for the recrimination to surface. I remembered what he'd said to me after Mom's funeral—that I was to blame for Mom dying and how I wasn't worthy of the Guardianship—and my heart broke all over again. Even though he was four years older, he'd been my confidant and playmate growing up. If anyone could have understood that it'd all been an accident, it should have been him. But he'd still held me responsible.
Only I didn't see anything in his gaze but cautious greeting. Why was he here after all these years? My gut said the scroll. What else could it be?
Longing pierced my heart. Seeing him brought home just how much I'd missed him.
His smile deepened with amusement. "Don't recognize me, Gabby?"
"It's Gabe now," I replied inanely. "No one calls me Gabby anymore."
"Gabe. That suits you. Simple and to the point." He unbuttoned his suit coat as he perched on a stool. "But you'll always be Gabby to me."
"Here you go." Vivian slid the gin and tonic in front of Paul and batted her eyes at him. "My name is Vivian."
"Thank you." It was polite, but the casual dismissal was loud and clear nonetheless. He took the drink and gave me his full attention. "I'd like to talk to you. Alone."
Vivian's lips puckered into a sulky moue.
As unevolved as it was, I couldn't help smirking. In the old days, I would have given Paul a high five. "Sure. I'll take a break."
Wiping my hands on a towel, I started to slip out from the bar when Vivian's claw grabbed my arm and jerked me back. "You have to be selfish and hog everything, don't you? It'll all come back at you, and you won't be laughing then."
With a snarl, she turned on her heels and marched to the other end of the bar.
"She's delightful," Paul said dryly as he led me to a free table in the back corner. "You've got a real friend in her."
A light feeling I hadn't felt even when the gallery offered me the showing filled my chest, and I grinned. "We've been BFFs from way back."
He chuckled.
"So." I sat down. "This is a surprise."
"A good one, I hope," he said with a tinge of anticipation as he settled across from me.
"I hope so, too," I replied softly, drinking him in.
He studied me just as intently. I wondered what he saw. Was it as weird for him to see me grown up as it was for me to see him? Because he wasn't what
I was quartering limes when I heard her whistle.
"Hel-lo, handsome," Vivian drawled softly.
I rolled my eyes, not bothering to look up to see who she was talking about. She tended to go for men who didn't want her, and sometimes it was too painful to watch her get slapped down.
Though sometimes I really enjoyed it.
"Wow." She whistled softly. "His suit must have cost as much as I make in a month."
Suit? Rhys? My gut did a strange flop and my body tingled, a strange combination of excitement and tu ch’i. I looked up expecting to see Rhys bearing down on me.
Instead it was a wiry guy with short hair. Damn. Pouting, I cut a lime into wedges and grabbed another as I said, "A guy who spends a lot of money on clothes won't let a salivating woman near him."
"You aren't fooling anyone. I know what you're up to." She shoved me aside. "I'm serving him."
"Jeez." I glared at her. "Watch it, will you? You almost made me slice off my finger."
But she wasn't paying attention to me. Her imitation of a come-hither smile stretched her thin lips, and she leaned across the counter in a patented move to show off her ample boobs. "What can I get you?" she asked huskily.
Poor unsuspecting guy. I shook my head. Though if he was stupid enough to take her up on her silent offer, he deserved whatever he might contract.
"You can get me a Bombay Sapphire and tonic while I speak to Gabby."
I stopped midcut and looked up. No one had called me Gabby since—
The man in the expensive suit stared straight at me. He looked like a grown-up, edgy version of—
I blinked. "Paul?"
My brother smiled. "Hello, Gabby. Long time."
Searching his eyes, I waited for the recrimination to surface. I remembered what he'd said to me after Mom's funeral—that I was to blame for Mom dying and how I wasn't worthy of the Guardianship—and my heart broke all over again. Even though he was four years older, he'd been my confidant and playmate growing up. If anyone could have understood that it'd all been an accident, it should have been him. But he'd still held me responsible.
Only I didn't see anything in his gaze but cautious greeting. Why was he here after all these years? My gut said the scroll. What else could it be?
Longing pierced my heart. Seeing him brought home just how much I'd missed him.
His smile deepened with amusement. "Don't recognize me, Gabby?"
"It's Gabe now," I replied inanely. "No one calls me Gabby anymore."
"Gabe. That suits you. Simple and to the point." He unbuttoned his suit coat as he perched on a stool. "But you'll always be Gabby to me."
"Here you go." Vivian slid the gin and tonic in front of Paul and batted her eyes at him. "My name is Vivian."
"Thank you." It was polite, but the casual dismissal was loud and clear nonetheless. He took the drink and gave me his full attention. "I'd like to talk to you. Alone."
Vivian's lips puckered into a sulky moue.
As unevolved as it was, I couldn't help smirking. In the old days, I would have given Paul a high five. "Sure. I'll take a break."
Wiping my hands on a towel, I started to slip out from the bar when Vivian's claw grabbed my arm and jerked me back. "You have to be selfish and hog everything, don't you? It'll all come back at you, and you won't be laughing then."
With a snarl, she turned on her heels and marched to the other end of the bar.
"She's delightful," Paul said dryly as he led me to a free table in the back corner. "You've got a real friend in her."
A light feeling I hadn't felt even when the gallery offered me the showing filled my chest, and I grinned. "We've been BFFs from way back."
He chuckled.
"So." I sat down. "This is a surprise."
"A good one, I hope," he said with a tinge of anticipation as he settled across from me.
"I hope so, too," I replied softly, drinking him in.
He studied me just as intently. I wondered what he saw. Was it as weird for him to see me grown up as it was for me to see him? Because he wasn't what
Similar Books
