“Fuck that. I have a woman waiting at home,” Eli says with a grin. “I’m out of here.”
Gabby is waiting at home, too, and she hasn’t been feeling well. Not to mention, she and I need to have a talk.
“I’m out too,” I reply.
“I’ll play,” Declan says. “Come on, Beau. We can take Ben.”
“You can’t take me at anything,” Ben replies with a laugh. “But you can sure as fuck try.”
“I was fucking winning,” Beau says with a scowl.
“Come on, take it like a man,” Ben says.
***
It wasn’t terribly late when I got back last night, but Gabby was already asleep, and now I feel her trying to quietly slip out of the bed without waking me.
She’s fucking avoiding me.
And it’s pissing me off.
I let her slide out of the bed, and when she’s a few feet from the bathroom, I say, “We need to talk, Gabby.”
She stops in her tracks and her shoulders sag as she turns around and stares at me with sleepy eyes. “About what?”
“About why you’re avoiding me.”
“I’m not,” she says and pushes her hand through her hair as I climb out of the bed. “I was trying to let you sleep. Sam and I are heading into the city for the day.”
She doesn’t say it out loud, but without you is obviously at the end of that sentence.
“Did I do something to piss you off?”
She frowns and looks down at her feet, then up at me. “No.”
“Then what’s wrong, baby?”
She shakes her head, but before she can deny that anything is going on, I grip her shoulders in my hands and kiss her forehead. “Something is wrong, and I need to know what it is.”
She steps back out of my grasp. “I’ve told you a hundred times, nothing is wrong.”
“You’re lying.”
She shakes her head stubbornly. “Stop this. I told you. Nothing. Is. Wrong. Now drop it. I don’t need this from you, Rhys. If you don’t like my answer, that’s your problem.”
She stomps into the bathroom and slams the door, and I decide to give her space for now before I say something I’ll regret.
Like stop fucking lying to me and just tell me what the fuck has crawled up your ass.
That won’t help anything.
So I return to my own room upstairs, and take a shower, answer some emails, and waste a bit of time, and when I’m sure that Gabby and Sam are gone, I head downstairs.
Eva, the new employee, is in the kitchen getting breakfast ready for the guests. Eva is in her fifties, recently widowed, and wealthy. But she’s also lonely, and this job was right up her alley.
She smiles as I walk in the kitchen.
“Can I get you anything, Mister Rhys?”
“No thank you, Miss Eva,” I reply with a smile. She raises the spatula and points it at me, a smile on her pretty face.
“You’re too skinny. You need to eat.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” I wave and leave out of the back, heading for the road. I need to work off some of this frustration. I plug my earphones in my ears and jog, then work my way into a run.
Something is very wrong with Gabby. When I pulled her into my arms last night, I could tell that she’d been crying. Why won’t she just talk to me? I can’t fix it if I don’t know what’s wrong.
I run for thirty minutes, then turn around and head back toward the inn.
I have no idea where she and Sam went this morning. Not that she needs to check in with me, but she usually lets me know if she’s not going to be around. It’s just a matter of consideration for each other.
And, goddamn it, I miss her.
I run around the inn to the barn and spend another hour working on stretches and weight training. The music is still pulsing in my ears when it suddenly stops and my phone starts ringing.
“Hello.”
“Where the hell are you?” I frown and stare down at Melanie’s name on my phone.
“What are you talking about? I’m in New Orleans.”
“You’re supposed to be in Chicago, today, to film the Children’s Hospital commercial.” She sounds very shrill, and very pissed. “I can’t believe you forgot, Rhys!”
Fuck.
“I’m sorry. I can be there today. Charter me a plane and I’ll be on my way to the airport in less than thirty minutes.”
“Make it fifteen,” she growls and ends the call.
“Damn it,” I mutter and run for the house. I don’t have time for a shower, but take a quick one anyway, throw some clothes on, and then simply scoop up my things and throw them all in my duffel.
I have no idea what I’ll need, so I just take it all. I didn’t have much to begin with anyway.
Gabby’s phone rings and rings, and finally sends me to voice mail. Where the fuck is she? I don’t want to leave without explaining to her what’s happening.
I run past Eva and out to my car, then peel out of the driveway, headed to the airport.
I try to call Gabby again, but it’s no use. So I send her a text.
I’m needed in Chicago. I had to leave.
I’ll call her when I get there and explain it all to her. I already miss her. I’ve been missing her for days. I wish I’d had a chance to kiss her and hold her in my arms before I left.
I wish she’d fucking talk to me.
Chapter Eighteen
~Gabby~
Gabby is waiting at home, too, and she hasn’t been feeling well. Not to mention, she and I need to have a talk.
“I’m out too,” I reply.
“I’ll play,” Declan says. “Come on, Beau. We can take Ben.”
“You can’t take me at anything,” Ben replies with a laugh. “But you can sure as fuck try.”
“I was fucking winning,” Beau says with a scowl.
“Come on, take it like a man,” Ben says.
***
It wasn’t terribly late when I got back last night, but Gabby was already asleep, and now I feel her trying to quietly slip out of the bed without waking me.
She’s fucking avoiding me.
And it’s pissing me off.
I let her slide out of the bed, and when she’s a few feet from the bathroom, I say, “We need to talk, Gabby.”
She stops in her tracks and her shoulders sag as she turns around and stares at me with sleepy eyes. “About what?”
“About why you’re avoiding me.”
“I’m not,” she says and pushes her hand through her hair as I climb out of the bed. “I was trying to let you sleep. Sam and I are heading into the city for the day.”
She doesn’t say it out loud, but without you is obviously at the end of that sentence.
“Did I do something to piss you off?”
She frowns and looks down at her feet, then up at me. “No.”
“Then what’s wrong, baby?”
She shakes her head, but before she can deny that anything is going on, I grip her shoulders in my hands and kiss her forehead. “Something is wrong, and I need to know what it is.”
She steps back out of my grasp. “I’ve told you a hundred times, nothing is wrong.”
“You’re lying.”
She shakes her head stubbornly. “Stop this. I told you. Nothing. Is. Wrong. Now drop it. I don’t need this from you, Rhys. If you don’t like my answer, that’s your problem.”
She stomps into the bathroom and slams the door, and I decide to give her space for now before I say something I’ll regret.
Like stop fucking lying to me and just tell me what the fuck has crawled up your ass.
That won’t help anything.
So I return to my own room upstairs, and take a shower, answer some emails, and waste a bit of time, and when I’m sure that Gabby and Sam are gone, I head downstairs.
Eva, the new employee, is in the kitchen getting breakfast ready for the guests. Eva is in her fifties, recently widowed, and wealthy. But she’s also lonely, and this job was right up her alley.
She smiles as I walk in the kitchen.
“Can I get you anything, Mister Rhys?”
“No thank you, Miss Eva,” I reply with a smile. She raises the spatula and points it at me, a smile on her pretty face.
“You’re too skinny. You need to eat.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” I wave and leave out of the back, heading for the road. I need to work off some of this frustration. I plug my earphones in my ears and jog, then work my way into a run.
Something is very wrong with Gabby. When I pulled her into my arms last night, I could tell that she’d been crying. Why won’t she just talk to me? I can’t fix it if I don’t know what’s wrong.
I run for thirty minutes, then turn around and head back toward the inn.
I have no idea where she and Sam went this morning. Not that she needs to check in with me, but she usually lets me know if she’s not going to be around. It’s just a matter of consideration for each other.
And, goddamn it, I miss her.
I run around the inn to the barn and spend another hour working on stretches and weight training. The music is still pulsing in my ears when it suddenly stops and my phone starts ringing.
“Hello.”
“Where the hell are you?” I frown and stare down at Melanie’s name on my phone.
“What are you talking about? I’m in New Orleans.”
“You’re supposed to be in Chicago, today, to film the Children’s Hospital commercial.” She sounds very shrill, and very pissed. “I can’t believe you forgot, Rhys!”
Fuck.
“I’m sorry. I can be there today. Charter me a plane and I’ll be on my way to the airport in less than thirty minutes.”
“Make it fifteen,” she growls and ends the call.
“Damn it,” I mutter and run for the house. I don’t have time for a shower, but take a quick one anyway, throw some clothes on, and then simply scoop up my things and throw them all in my duffel.
I have no idea what I’ll need, so I just take it all. I didn’t have much to begin with anyway.
Gabby’s phone rings and rings, and finally sends me to voice mail. Where the fuck is she? I don’t want to leave without explaining to her what’s happening.
I run past Eva and out to my car, then peel out of the driveway, headed to the airport.
I try to call Gabby again, but it’s no use. So I send her a text.
I’m needed in Chicago. I had to leave.
I’ll call her when I get there and explain it all to her. I already miss her. I’ve been missing her for days. I wish I’d had a chance to kiss her and hold her in my arms before I left.
I wish she’d fucking talk to me.
Chapter Eighteen
~Gabby~
