That earned him an incredulous gape complete with raised eyebrows. “You could call her like every other man on the planet.”
“You really think giving your sister fair warning of what I’m doing is a smart move?”
Danny’s laugh rang out loud enough a few people from across the street turned and looked. He waved his hand and headed toward the office. “Point taken.”
Chapter Nine
The low, throaty rumble of a souped-up engine dragged Gabe out of sleep. She pulled the covers up over her head and gingerly rolled away from the window. If she’d told Danny once, she’d told him a thousand times not to fire his Harley up this early. It always made Mr. Yates cranky, and cranky meant a long lecture about the safety of motorcycles. If she was smart, she’d stomp out there and tell him—
Wait a minute. That wasn’t Danny’s Harley. It rumbled, sure, but not like this engine. This was bigger. Definitely more horsepower.
She threw back the covers and carefully rolled out of bed, snatching her phone off the nightstand on the way. Who the heck would come to visit at eight o’clock in the morning on a Saturday? She peeked between the blinds.
Zeke’s cherry-red Camaro idled in the driveway.
She gasped, and jumped back.
Holy crap.
More carefully than before, she pried the blinds apart just enough to check the rest of the driveway. No Danny.
Shit. Shit. Shit. And here she was in another freaking night shirt.
She rushed to the bathroom, flipped on the light, and groaned. Just once, she’d like to wake up and not look like she’d been on a ten-day bender. Movies made it look like other women woke up with sexy bedhead, but not her. She brushed through the ratty mess in long quick strokes.
The screen door’s quick whoosh sounded followed by three firm raps on the door.
Tossing the brush to the counter, she stepped back and assessed her appearance. The tangles were gone, but one side was more smooshed than the other. The nightshirt was old, but it was pretty without being overly girly.
She hurried toward the front door. Worrying about what she looked like was silly anyway. He’d already seen her as dressed down as a girl could get. What difference did bad hair make?
Um, because you’ve obsessed about him for a whole freaking week and fantasized about kissing the bejesus out him on a nightly basis, that’s why.
She froze two steps from the door. She hadn’t brushed her teeth. What kind of idiot answered the door for a guy like Zeke with morning breath?
Maybe she should ignore it and pretend she wasn’t here.
The knocks rapped again.
Yeah, ignoring him was stupid. Her truck was right outside so he knew she was home. “Hang on a minute.” She dashed back to the bathroom and did a world record on brushing her teeth. Nothing her dentist would be satisfied with, but enough she wouldn’t knock him over with a “Hhhhhello.”
Pausing at the front door, she pulled in a slow, steady breath, smoothed her hand down the front of her nightshirt and wrapped her hand around the knob. He was probably just looking for Danny. No big deal. Act casual.
She swung the door wide, opened her mouth to say good morning, and promptly lost the ability to speak. His hair was still damp from a shower, and he looked like he was headed out for some kind of sporting event. His black shorts paid homage to some seriously cut quads and his red shirt clung to equally defined shoulders and arms. In one hand he held a cardboard drink tray with two Styrofoam cups, and in the other a box of donuts from the bakery down the street. “Hi.”
A simple hi. Like his ornery smile hadn’t taken her day and completely turned it upside down. “Morning.”
He lifted the box with the donuts and motioned toward the living room. “Are you going to invite me in, or did I hog too much popcorn last time?”
Gah, where was her head? She stood back and waved him in. “Sorry. I was asleep when you knocked. I’m slow to wake up.”
“Then I guess it’s a good thing I got coffee to go with the donuts so you don’t have to make any.” He sauntered toward the kitchen, set his sugary wakeup call on the table, and glanced over his shoulder. “You do cream or sugar?”
She shook her head and padded closer. “Danny’s not here. He didn’t come home last night.”
“I didn’t come to see Danny. I came to see you.” He opened the box of donuts, pried the lid off one cup, and held it out for her. “I wasn’t sure what kind of donuts you like so I grabbed one of everything.”
Steam swirled off the coffee’s black surface. He brought her coffee? And donuts?
“You do like donuts, don’t you?” he said, still holding the coffee outstretched. “I’ll have to reevaluate everything I’ve thought about you if you don’t like donuts.”
Logically her mind accepted what it was seeing and hearing, but her brain couldn’t quite tie the pieces together. It just sat there, dumbfounded and worthless. “What’s your current evaluation?”
He grinned, sidled closer, picked up one of her hands, and forced the coffee into it. “Right now, I think you’re cute when you’re sleepy.” He stepped away and chin-lifted toward the donuts. “Drink your coffee and eat at least two of those. Doctor’s orders.”
She crept close to the box and peeked inside. The sweet, sugary scent of fresh pastries wafted to her nose. She loved donuts. Or any baked good for that matter. Granted, she didn’t eat them as much anymore. Cheating seemed wrong when she was trying to help Danny eat better, but once upon a time she’d refused to end a single meal without dessert.
Zeke pulled out a kitchen chair, eased into it and sipped his drink.
One wouldn’t hurt. Especially since Danny wasn’t here to witness her dive into doughy depravity. She pinched one of the two chocolate-glaze donuts, closed her eyes and sunk her teeth in.
“Mmm.” Soft and fluffy dough with just enough chocolate that melted on her tongue. Hands down the best wake-up treat ever. She licked her lower lip to catch a piece of chocolate before it could escape, opened her eyes and stilled.
Somewhere between her first bite of heaven and now, casual Zeke had exited the building. His stare was so intense, it felt like bits of supercharged air against her skin. Not a trace of his smile was left and his lips were slightly parted.
She swiped her lower lip where the chocolate had been. “Something wrong?”
His gaze locked onto the action, then snapped back to hers. Usually, his voice purred smooth and rich, but this time it came out thick and grated. “Not a thing wrong. Everything’s perfect.” He leaned back in his chair and blew across the top of his coffee.
Weird. For a guy who’d seemed pretty level-headed the few times she’d been around him, he seemed a little moody today. Then again, who was she to judge when it came to being temperamental?
She slid into her own chair and took another bite. “You know you don’t have to keep checking on me. My ribs are still sore, but they’re a lot better.”
“I didn’t come to check on your ribs. I came to see what your plans are for today.”
Gabe popped the last bite in her mouth. “Not much. I went back to work this week. It’s only office work right now, but it kept me busier than I thought it would, so I figured I’d relax. Maybe take some new pictures and read a book I bought this week.” She sucked the last of the glaze off her thumb and finger.
Zeke stared at her, that frozen, fixated intensity aimed on her mouth.
“Sorry.” She snatched a napkin and wiped her fingers. “Bad habit. I know it’s gross, but it seems a shame to let good chocolate go to waste.”
“I couldn’t agree more.” His words were playful, but the tone behind them was a little off. Distracted, yet aggressive. He sat up straighter and nudged the donut box closer to her. “Have another one.”
“Do you kn
ow how many calories are in one of those things?”
“Absolutely. I also know I plan to keep you busy today, so an extra one won’t hurt.”
“Keep me busy how?”
“I’m taking you out.”
“Out where?”
“On a date.”
She hesitated with the donut halfway to her mouth. “A what?”
“A date. How long does it take you to get ready?”
Clearly, she’d stayed up too late reading last night. Or maybe it was the abrupt wake-up-and-scramble routine that had her brain on the skitz. “Get ready for what?”
A devilish, but oh-so delicious grin tipped the corners of his lips. “Just a little time out of the house. Some fun to go with the good weather. You might even get some pictures while you’re at it.”
Her shoulders relaxed and her lungs released the insufficient breath she’d been holding. So, it wasn’t a date. More of a mercy thing to get her out of the house in exchange for the comfort food last week. Which was fine. Sort of. Yeah, for a second there, it had been nice to have the fantasy, but at least the extended friendship thing she could process a little better. “You’re kind of bossy.”
“You should see me when I work. Occupational hazard. So? How long?”
“To get ready? I don’t know. Twenty minutes?”
“Twenty minutes.” He shook his head and reached for his own donut. “Fucking amazing. Most women I know need an hour minimum.” He bit into the plain glaze with the neon yellow, orange, and pink sprinkles, and crossed his arms on the table. “Eat up and get dressed, gatinha. I’m going to put your sugar rush to good use.”
Chapter Ten
Zeke still couldn’t believe it. He’d thought for sure Gabe was blowing smoke when she said she could get ready in twenty minutes, but at the eighteen-minute mark she’d strolled out of the bathroom dressed in a simple green T-shirt, jeans and sandals, ready to go. He paced beside her down the sidewalk and opened the passenger-side door. “You bring your camera?”
She paused mid-settling into her seat and glanced up at him. “For what?”
“Your art. Danny said everything starts with pictures.”
“Oh.” She dug into the side pocket of her purse, pulled out her phone, and wiggled it. “I just use my phone now. Why? Where are we going?”
“Wouldn’t be any fun if I told you straight up, now would it?” He smiled and shut the door.
He’d barely circled the cul-de-sac and made it a few houses toward the front of the subdivision when Gabe tensed and leaned forward in her seat.
He eased off the gas and followed her gaze to the house with the moving van in front of it. “Something wrong?”
“Stop for a minute.” She yanked the door latch before he’d even come to a full stop and wedged herself out of the bucket seats.
He killed the engine and popped his own door. “Gabe, what’s going on?”
She stomped around the front of the car, all her sleepy morning lightness obliterated by her worrisome frown. “This is Mr. and Mrs. Malone’s house. The last time I was here they didn’t say anything about moving.”
Two men in tan cargo pants and company T-shirts shuffled out of the open garage lugging an old, but comfy looking sofa. Beside them was a wiry man with thin, dark gray hair in black dress pants from the seventies and a powder blue cardigan. “Be sure and strap it down good. The wife won’t like it if her sofa gets banged up.”
Gabe lengthened her stride. “Hey, Mr. Malone. You get some new furniture or something?”
The old man’s eyes lit up and he smiled huge, opening his arms wide for a hug. “Gabrielle! Always such a pleasure.”
Without even a hint of hesitation, Gabe walked right up and banded her arms around the man. “You only say that because you like my meatloaf.”
“Actually I love all your food, but I love your visits more.” He pulled away and studied Zeke behind her. “And who is this fine young man?”
Zeke stepped up beside her and offered his hand. “Zeke Dugan.”
“Well, that’s a nice strong name.” Mr. Malone shook his hand and smiled, but his eyes were stern and full of warning. Gabe’s father might not be alive anymore, but she had a neighbor who had zero problem stepping in and looking out for her. “And what do you do, Zeke?”
“I’m a trauma doctor. I work locum tenens at some of the hospitals in Dallas.”
“Locum tenens?” Gabe said.
Mr. Malone released Zeke’s hand and focused on Gabe. “It means he floats wherever he’s needed. Gives a man variety and keeps things fresh.” Then he aimed a subtle yet well-placed glare at Zeke that said he’d damned well better not be sporting any variety outside of Gabe.
Funny, he always thought he’d hate a parent-style inquisition, but the truth was he kind of appreciated it. Especially since it meant Gabe had more people looking out for her.
Mr. Malone wrapped an arm around Gabe’s shoulders. “I have to say, it’s nice to see you out and about with a nice man.”
Gabe straightened quick and her eyes got huge. “Oh, he’s not out with me. He’s just keeping me company. I haven’t been able to get out much and was getting a little bored.”
Wait...what? He opened his mouth to ask what the hell she meant by not out with her, but Mr. Malone cut in too fast.
“Ah, yes. I’d heard you’d been hurt at Mrs. Wallaby’s break-in. Nothing too serious, I hope.”
“No, I’m fine.”
Another mover trudged out of the garage, two boxes stacked high.
Gabe waved his direction. “What’s going on? You donating stuff? I would have helped you. Or made Danny come for the heavy lifting.”
“Oh, no, dear. Lucy and I sold the house to a nice couple a few days ago. We’re moving into that new retirement community on the other side of the lake.”
“But why? You love it here.”
“Of course, we do. But the yard maintenance was getting to be such a chore, and a new Realtor brought us an offer we just couldn’t ignore. Not to mention, Lucy’s been jumpy ever since she heard about people breaking into Mrs. Wallaby’s house. The Realtor mentioned there’ve been other break-ins in surrounding neighborhoods, too, so it seemed like a smart move. A young thing like you should be careful. Especially when your brother’s not home.”
“Excuse me.” The mover who’d hefted out the boxes waited near the edge of the truck. “We’re ready for someone to show us what you want loaded next.”
Mr. Malone nodded and stepped away. “Gabrielle, I’m so sorry. Let me help them, and we’ll go in and track down Lucy.”
“No, it’s okay,” she said. “Go take care of your movers. When do you have to be out?”
“Not until the end of next week. This is just the first pass. Lucy and I will come by and visit tomorrow after church if you like.”
“Should I make meatloaf?”
“My dear, you make whatever you like, so long as it’s not too much trouble.” He waved and shuffled into the garage.
Gabe’s shoulders slumped and she huffed out a tired breath. “Weird.”
No kidding. Though he doubted she was weirded out about the same thing he was. How the hell could she possibly think him waking her up with donuts and coffee on a Saturday morning was anything other than a bona fide date?
He got her back in the car and steered them out of the neighborhood and onto the highway. “Mr. Malone seemed nice. Are you close to them, too?”
She shook her head, eyes trained on the strip centers and restaurants whizzing outside her window. “No. Not really. I mean I talk to them, but not nearly as often as the folks in the houses closer to me. Maybe once a month.”
“So why are you so upset they’re moving? Seems like a retirement community would be pretty nice at their age.”
She shrugged and looked at him, her scowl still etched deep. “Maybe. It just seems out of the blue. The last time I was there, Lucy asked me to help her dig a new garden. Then all of a sudden they change their mind? And what other break-ins? All the neighborhoods around us have gates and huge property walls. Who the heck could break in there?”
She had a point, though he figured he had zero odds of dragging her out of her worry. Some thoughts just needed time to percolate. Like how he was going to get it through her stubborn head that his time with her didn’t qualify as charitable babysitting.
By the time he reached his exit, they’d burned through half the songs from John Mayer’s Born and Raised album without a single word spoken. Not that he was complaining. He loved the fact that Gabe felt comfortable enough to keep her silence around him. Plus, it gave him time to formulate his plan of attack.
He pulled into the big intramural fields off Highway 75 and Gabe snapped back to reality. “Where are we?”
The parking lot was only halfway full this early on a Saturday and the fields were still slick with dew, which meant the next few hours were going to end up seriously muddy. “SMU’s intramural fields. You’re going to help me out while I work with some kids. But we’ll cover that in a minute.” He pulled into a parking space, punched the brake and faced her. “We need to talk about something else first.”
The sudden change in topic and strange surroundings seemed to work to his advantage, because her scowl shifted to curiosity and confusion. “Talk about what?”
“I want to be clear on something. Clear enough that when I get out of this car, I do it knowing you’re under no more illusions.”
“Okaaay...”
“This is a date. A one hundred percent, man asks woman out, gets to know her, then kisses her stupid when it’s over date. What this isn’t is me being friendly with you in a purely platonic way.”
She blinked. Then again. And again.
“Was that clear enough?” he said.
She swallowed, though it looked like the act took a ton of effort, and her cheeks turned a cute pink. “Why would you want to go out on a date with me?”
Wild & Sweet (The Haven Brotherhood) Page 11