Over the next few weeks, they fell into a set pattern. Every evening after work, Gabe showed up at her mother’s house, and they spent the night watching television. Sometimes, they would make dinner like tonight, or they would eat the leftovers the church ladies kept bringing. Other times, Gabe brought them takeout.
It had taken a few days for Ed and Gabe to finish fixing up the outside of the house. Brooke had helped wherever she could, mostly pulling weeds and planting the flowers they brought to her. They’d claimed it wasn’t too late in the season to plant but had chosen a selection of flowers that would require little to no maintenance. Most were annuals, a few were brightly colored perennials, and a couple they had selected would flower in the fall. Gabe had suggested when autumn came. They could purchase a few potted mums for the front porch.
In addition to the gardens, they had done all the trim on the first floor so the color matched all the way around the house. They’d cut the lawn and fertilized it. Although it was only last week, she could see a real difference. The shade of green was so inviting, rather than full of weeds and burned yellow patches.
All her mother could talk about now was the living room. Ed had done a wonderful job. Her mother had stayed to watch part of it, but the paint fumes had bothered her, so she’d ended up sitting on the porch overseeing Brooke and Gabe pulling weeds. Every day, she mentioned Ed and the living room. At first, Brooke had found it amusing, but now, she groaned each time it was brought up.
For her part, she was impressed with the amount of effort Gabe was putting into their relationship. She hadn’t realized what a bargain she was getting when she'd agreed to this deal. A few times a week, they would meet with his family for dinner or join Nick and Amelia for a card night. She found she enjoyed spending time with his family and was even looking forward to it.
Often, they made love during weeknights after her mother had gone to bed, quietly moving together on the sofa. Once, they’d taken a blanket into the backyard and coupled beneath the stars. Gabe hadn’t mentioned going back to the motel.
Sometimes, she caught herself slipping down the old rabbit hole, partaking in fantasies that involved the future, like her and Gabe working side-by-side in their own garden. Maybe her mother was right. Spending time with him might be a dangerous idea.
One Wednesday afternoon, she dropped by his office, hoping to repay his kindness. It was Sophie’s day off, so Brooke thought she might stop by with lunch for them. Dan had taken the afternoon off, so there was someone to stay with her mother.
On days that Sophie wasn’t there, Gabe locked the front door. He spent the days focused on drafting rather than entertaining clients. Brooke had to pound on the outer door. She was about to pull out her cellphone to call him when she saw him approach the window, looking very fine in jeans held up by a thick white belt. He wore a loose, sky-blue cotton t-shirt with an inky zip-up sweater. It had three-quarter-length sleeves that molded to his strong forearms. A dark blue agate pendant on a corded black leather necklace pulled the whole ensemble together. Her mouth watered.
He gave her a quick wave and came forward to unlock the door. “Hey. What are you doing here?”
Coming from Gabe, that question used to sound like an accusation, but now it sounded like a pleasant surprise. She walked past him as he held the door for her. She held up the bagged food and a tray holding soft drinks. “I brought lunch. Have you eaten yet?”
She felt his hot stare all over her body. “No, but suddenly I’m starving.”
She blushed.
“Come on in. I’m working in the drafting room.”
She went ahead while he locked the door. By now, she was accustomed to visiting his office. She sometimes brought him little snacks or simply used them as an excuse to get out of the house for a bit. The drafting room was the smallest of the three rooms. Photographs of various buildings hung on the wall, a few of them being samples of his work. The only furniture in the room was the drafting table, a desk chair, and a cabinet.
Rather than join her immediately, he took a moment to hunt through the cabinets behind Sophie’s desk. When he entered the drafting room, he had a blanket that he shook out and laid on the floor.
“Picnic style,” he announced.
Brooke kneeled on the floor and began pulling containers out of the bag. Gabe didn’t join her right away—instead, he went to the cabinet and pulled down some blueprints. He sat on the floor with her, leaving the rolled-up documents nearby.
Together, they ate cheeseburgers and salty fries. They sipped on milkshakes, hers a chocolate one, his a plain old vanilla. It hadn’t taken long for her to learn his habits and all the things he liked and didn’t like. He loved seafood, but because Amelia didn’t like it, he often didn’t eat it growing up. She found out he didn’t like coconut and wasn’t a big fan of raisins in anything, but he enjoyed them on their own. He liked movies and games with lots of action and gore, which were also her favorite type, and he loathed the sappy romances and TV movies that his mom and sister constantly forced him to watch.
Likewise, he seemed to be picking up on her habits. He’d eat things off her plate that he knew she didn’t like—disgusting things like mushrooms. He knew she didn’t like all the fancy cheeses his mother was accustomed to serving as appetizers. He knew that, as a special treat, she enjoyed having Bailey’s in her coffee after dinner. He’d also learned all her erogenous zones. He knew she liked to be kissed below the ear, that the backs of her knees were ticklish, and it turned her on when he sucked on her fingers.
After they’d finished lunch, Gabe tossed all the packaging into the paper bag to be thrown out later. He took one final draw from his shake, then wiped his hand on his jeans. Brooke used a napkin to clean her mouth, then crumpled it and threw it in the bag.
Gabe unraveled the blueprints and spent the next ten minutes showing her his progress on the kids’ camp Miles had commissioned him to plan. She was amazed at the thought he’d put into the project. Not only was he talented in design, but he’d come up with some interesting ideas. While he kept the lodge very traditional, he’d themed each of the outer buildings and all the cabins. The kids would love being able to choose which cabin to sleep in, whether it was the Asian style, the Mexican fiesta room, or the African savannah.
Crawling around on the floor, Brooke was involved in studying his plans and didn’t notice when his mood changed. On hands and knees beside her, Gabe moved aside a strand of her hair and kissed her neck. He nibbled on her earlobe.
She turned to him with humor in her eyes and said, “Just what are you doing?”
“I have a question.” He continued kissing her. “I know when swimming, you’re supposed to wait thirty minutes after eating, but how long do you have to wait for sex?”
She tapped her lip in thought. “How long has it been?”
He glanced at the clock on the wall. “Thirteen minutes and forty-five seconds.”
“Wow! That’s just the right amount.”
He grinned. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
When he moved to kneel behind her, she got a little uneasy. “Um, Gabe?”
He stroked up the back of her bare thighs. “I love these little sundresses you wear.” He flipped the skirt of her dress up and over her hips. His fingers traced the line of her thong. “You wore the other thong.” His whispered words sent shivers racing through her body.
“You seem to really like them, I was thinking of buying a few more.”
“I like that idea.” He lifted the hair away from the back of her neck. He kissed her nape while rubbing his jean-clad crotch against her ass.
It amazed her how quickly he turned her on. Already, she felt herself leaking into her panties. She couldn’t help but move against him.
“Enough practice.” Gabe tugged her panties off. She heard him unzip his pants. Impatiently, she wiggled her ass in the cool office air. With his jeans hanging loosely around his hips and his dick exposed, Gabe shuffled forward. He was already hard and ready to go when he put his cock against her entrance. Rather than enter her, he slid it back and forth, exciting them both a little more. Every stroke that rubbed against her clit further ignited her fire.
When she was nice and wet, he slipped easily inside. She wasn’t sure if it had been on purpose or a happy accident, but either way, they both grunted in satisfaction. His pace was quick. He grasped her hips to hold her where it pleased him most. Brooke moved with him, just as eager to reach the finishing line.
Knowing he wanted her enough to take her in his office had her heart bursting with happiness. His rough strokes and urgent need had other parts of her bursting. It wasn’t long before her climax hit her, and her arms barely held her up as Gabe continued to pound into her from behind. He groaned out his release, and they both fell to the floor.
Twenty minutes later, after an awkward cleanup in the miniature powder room, Gabe waved goodbye to Brooke. With each step she took toward her car, she cursed herself. Falling for her own play-acting, she was stupidly getting attached to this made-up relationship. Worse was her growing affection for Gabe. She needed to proceed with caution, or else when she left town, she wouldn’t just be grieving but also trying to mend a broken heart.
She feared it was already too late.
* * *
Gabe sat in the middle of the church, last in the row, nearest to the wall. At times throughout the service, he listened intently to what Pastor Jim was preaching. At other times, he stared in wonder at the stained-glass windows that depicted various scenes from the Christian faith. He’d grown up going to church and attending the youth group, although his family had frequented a church closer to their home. So the words were familiar, as was the feeling of standing with an open hymn book and mumbling along with those who sang much better than him.
Paige had seen him when he’d come in. She was often out of her seat to sing with the choir, and each time he felt her eyes on him, he knew she was questioning his presence. Pastor Jim had noticed, too.
When the service ended, Gabe thumbed through the Bible, reading passages at random, and waited as the crowd thinned. The wooden pews creaked as families emptied from them and lumbered toward the back of the church, where Pastor Jim waited to greet each and every person. A few refreshments would be served for those who weren’t in a rush to get home. Many of the younger couples had to fetch their children from Sunday school.
Gabe shuffled to the end of the pew and joined the back of the receiving line. Not long after, he was shaking Jim’s hand.
“It’s wonderful to see you again, Gabe.”
“It’s good to see you, too. It was a nice service.” He could see Paige waiting for him in the lobby, but Gabe focused his attention on her father. “How have you been?”
Jim smiled. “Great. It’s nice to see summer has arrived in full force. Melissa and Paige were planting all day yesterday. Paige didn’t put on enough sunscreen and looks a little crispy today.”
Gabe looked toward Paige again, noticing her nose was a little more pink than normal. He didn’t want to hold the line up any longer, so he thanked Jim for the sermon and began making his way through the crowd to where Paige waited.
She was leaning against the far wall, well out of the way of traffic. Gabe joined her. He studied her face in profile as she nodded to various people, smiled, and greeted others. With sun-kissed cheeks, her freckles were more prominent. “Your dad said you got a little sun yesterday.”
She turned to him. “Yeah, I was gardening with Mum. My shoulders got the worst of it. They’re still tender.” The dress she wore covered her upper body, hiding the burn. “So, Gabe, what are you doing here?”
“I was hoping you might have a few minutes to chat.”
Melissa, Paige’s mom, came over to greet Gabe, and for another ten minutes, Paige mingled, but finally, they were headed across the parking lot to Gabe’s truck for a little privacy. He opened the passenger door for her, something he’d grown accustomed to doing while they were dating. Rounding the front of the vehicle, Gabe watched as the churchgoers began to pull out of the parking lot.
The sharp notes of birds chirping could still be heard once Gabe closed the door to the cab of the truck, but the soft voices of those lingering in the lot were muffled.
“You and Sam.” Gabe hesitated, not knowing how to bring up the topic that made him most uncomfortable. “You’re in love, right?”
Although no one could hear them, Paige still cast her gaze around the lot and lowered her voice. “Yes.” When Gabe chewed his next question for a little too long, Paige prompted him. “Why?”
“How did you know?”
“That I was in love?” Paige seemed a little shocked. Resting her head against the seat, she stared out the window. “I think it’s different for everyone. I just sort of knew.” She turned her head and looked at him. “Being with her is so much better than not being with her. At first, it was exciting. I just liked being with her, but then I realized that whenever I had free time, I wanted to spend it with her. It might sound corny and clichéd, but I’m always thinking about her.”
With his forefinger, Gabe traced the steering wheel. “That’s what I thought.”
“You got someone on the brain? Can’t stop thinking about her?”
“It’s all the time,” he complained. “When I go to bed, when I wake up, when I’m at work. Hell, even when I’m dreaming. It’s only her.”
“There was a time I doubted you’d ever find the right one. It’s Brooke, right?”
Puzzled, Gabe glanced over. “You don’t even know her.”
“No, but I keep in touch with the girls. They’ve kept us updated.”
“They know?”
“If you’re just now figuring out that you love Brooke, then I think it’s safe to say they knew before you did. Have you told her yet?”
Gabe shook his head. When she laughed at him, he retorted a little too directly, “Have you told your parents?”
“Apples and oranges, Gabe. Your parents want you to bring home a girlfriend. Mine don’t.”
More gently, he prompted, “What are you going to do?”
“Sam’s come to the house to hang out a few times. My parents like her. We’re going to tell them next weekend. Her parents already know. Have for a while now.”
“How did that go?”
“Really well, actually. They had a suspicion about her, about it. They’ve been supportive.” She paused before confessing. “They think my parents would want to know.”
“How do you feel about it?”
She looked out the passenger side window and watched as, across the lot, a family piled into a big van. “I’m scared. I’m not ready. I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready, but I can’t hide it anymore. Keeping secrets destroys relationships. More than they preserve them.”
Gabe thought about that. He couldn’t let Brooke keep thinking their relationship was fake. Not when he’d come to think of it as so much more than that.
“I know this is new for you, but you need to tell her how you feel.”
He’d already succumbed to that idea. “I know.”
“You’ll feel better once you do.”
Gabe smiled at her. “I think the same can be said of you. For what it’s worth, I think your parents will be able to deal with it.”
Paige flinched. “I’m prepared for the worst. If they kick me out, Sam’s folks said I could stay there, but Sam and I are looking for a place together anyway.”
He squeezed her hand. “I’ve met both of your parents, and they love you. They are wonderful people.”
She nodded.
“I can’t see them reacting like that. I think you’ll be okay. It might not be as difficult as you think. And you’ve got a future with Sam to look forward to.”
Paige kissed his cheek. “Without you, I never would have met her or realized what I was missing in my life.”
He took in her sunburned, delicate features, the way her bangs hung in front of her left eye. “We had some fun times.”
“We certainly did.”
They sat silently for a few minutes, listening to the birds chirping. Gabe sighed. “I need to talk to Brooke.”
“Yep.”
“Thanks.”
She smiled brightly at him. “That was it?”
“Yes.” Now, he felt silly for having bothered her. He had already put plans into motion. He’d be picking up Brooke for an early dinner this evening. Maybe he’d tell her if he could work up the nerve. “I’m terrible at this sort of stuff.”
“You’re not that bad at it. You made one hell of a boyfriend when we were dating. You were kind and sweet. You nailed all the little gestures that you should have. All you have to do now is try it for real. Put some feeling into it.”
Gabe’s brow furrowed. “Each time, there were feelings involved.”
Paige grabbed the door handle. “Not the same way. There was friendship and lust, but never anything deep. Never any risk.”
That was the part that worried him—the risk.
Paige was about to hop from the truck when Gabe’s phone buzzed, indicating a text message. Turning it over, he quickly read the screen and realized his plans for tonight would have to wait. “Shit.”
“What?” Paige asked with concern.
He wasn’t sure how much Paige knew about the situation, but he explained as he turned the key in the ignition. “Brooke’s mom is in the hospital again. They took her there early this morning. She’s got terminal cancer.”
Paige’s shoulders drooped. “Oh, Gabe, I’m so sorry.”
“Look, I’ve got to run.”
“Of course. I’ll be praying for you and Brooke.”
With his tongue taking up too much of his mouth, he could only manage a nod. Paige stepped away from the car, and he drove out of the lot. He had to get to the hospital.