She announced with more volume than necessary, “I’m not just paying you a dollar!”
With effort, he turned his attention to cutting his pork chop. “Then you decide what you can afford to pay when you work out your budget. Right now, I’m hungry and don’t want to talk about it. Instead, why don’t you sit down and keep me company? Tell me how your mother’s doing.”
He glanced up in time to catch her perplexed look as she slowly sank into the other chair.
She didn’t immediately start talking, so between bites he asked, “So? How is she?”
“Still confused but otherwise okay. The staff assures me she’s adjusting quite well.”
A moment of silence followed, and then Zoe remarked, “You know, you really should take better care of yourself. You’re eating like you haven’t had anything all day.”
He shrugged. “That’s pretty close to the truth.”
“Gabe!”
“Yeah?” He met her look as he poked his fork at some green beans.
“You’ve got to do better than that. You can’t keep that up.”
This was the tables being turned. He was the one who normally scolded her. Now her anxiety was for him. He liked it. “Thanks for your concern. I do appreciate it. But I have my hands full at work. I’ve had to hit the ground running every day since I started. Hopefully it’ll get better soon.” He cut into the pork chop again. Lifting the piece on the end of his fork, he said, “This sure is good.”
“I’m glad you like it. You know if you don’t start taking care of yourself you won’t be healthy enough to care for your patients.”
He finished off the last of the roasted potatoes, wishing there were more. She was a good cook. Or maybe the food was made better by the fact that someone had cared enough to think of him. It would be so easy to get used to, even if she’d done it out of gratitude. “Zoe, I know you look after the welfare of others all the time, but I can take care of myself. I’m all right.”
“What makes you think you can give me a place to live for virtually nothing because you’re concerned enough to help me, but I can’t respond in kind?”
She had him there. It made him feel good having someone waiting for him at home who would talk to him over a freshly cooked meal, instead of always eating carryout or fast food in front of the TV. Yet Zoe had made it very clear that she was only renting space from him, that they were not “living together.” It was time to move the conversation off him. “Give me until this weekend to think about the rent and I’ll have a figure. Will that do?”
“I can wait that long. There’s one more thing I wanted to talk to you about.”
Gabe almost groaned out loud. He was in no mood for this. If he had to have a discussion with her, he’d rather discuss whether or not she preferred being kissed on the neck or behind the ear. “And that is?”
“I noticed you haven’t bought any food. I’m planning to stop by the grocery on my way home tomorrow. Would you like me to pick up some things for you?”
“Uh... I usually eat at the hospital or get takeout.” She frowned at that, so he amended, “But you’ve made an excellent point about taking better care of myself. I do need to have something here. If you don’t mind, could you get a few boxes of mac and cheese, some frozen dinners and protein bars? That should hold me until I can get to the store myself. Take the cost out of your rent when we settle on the amount.”
She turned up her lip and looked down her nose at him. “That’s your list? As a doctor, you should be ashamed of yourself.”
He shrugged. “You asked.”
“I did. Well, I’d better get to bed.” She rose. “Night, Gabe.”
He watched her walk away. The more distance she put between them, the cooler the room became. If only he was going with her. “Good night,” he whispered when she was out of sight.
Gabe finished his dinner, put the dirty plate into the sink, flipped off the light and went to his lonely room. With any luck, he was so tired he would go to sleep quickly and not think about the desirable woman just steps away. Was this what his life would be like? Always wishing for more?
* * *
Two evenings later Gabe came home before it was dark for the first time in a week. He’d had a replacement garage door opener for the one he gave Zoe delivered to the hospital, so he was now able to park beside Zoe’s car in the carport. There was something strangely intimate about their cars sharing the same close space. He shook off that thought. Zoe didn’t want that. Had made it very clear. Still, that didn’t mean he hadn’t lain awake late into the night, thinking about her.
Entering the house, he inhaled the delicious aroma of lasagna. He must be doing something right in Zoe’s eyes. As he took another deep sniff, his stomach growled. Following the scent, he fully anticipated finding Zoe standing in the kitchen. Disappointment washed over him. She wasn’t there. He headed toward her side of the house but along the way his attention was diverted out the window to the patio. There she was, sitting in a cheap fold-up lounger. Her head was back, her face lifted to the late-afternoon sun. Was she asleep?
Her head turned. Had she sensed he was there? Their gazes met through the glass, held. Zoe reminded him of an old master’s painting where the yellow light surrounded her feminine form as if she was a heavenly being. That was the thought of a lovesick man. Which he was not!
Zoe blinked and half lifted the hand lying over their baby and waved. Gabe smiled and headed in her direction. She was a temptation he should stay away from but was drawn to as if he were in her gravity field. Stepping out of the French doors of the living room, he strolled across the patio.
“I’m surprised to see you home so early.” Zoe looked back over her shoulder at him.
“I decided it was time to come home at a decent hour.” He continued moving until he was facing her then nodded his head toward the house. “Something smells delicious. Do you have enough for two?” Did he sound as pitiful as he felt?
She smiled. “Yes. I made enough so that I’d have some to leave in the refrigerator for you.”
Even after their somewhat strained conversation a couple of nights ago, she was still trying to take care of him. Doing it despite her insistence that they were nothing more than roommates. He suppressed a spark of hope she’d changed her mind and managed to answer in a neutral tone, “Thanks. That’s really nice of you.”
“It’s the least I can do since you’re helping me out.”
That explanation left a sour taste in his mouth. He would’ve liked it better if her kindness was motivated by a more intimate reason. Why did he keep wishing for more? She’d made it so plain on numerous occasions there would be nothing between them but the baby. He needed to accept it and get on with his personal life. Maybe it was time to ask about the available female staff at the hospital.
Zoe was saying, “I’d better get up and take it out before it burns. If you hadn’t come home it really might have. The sun feels so good.” Zoe swung her feet off the lounger to the bricks. “The day is so beautiful I couldn’t pass up the chance to be outside. I saw this lounger in the grocery and had to have it.”
Gabe stepped closer. “I’m sorry there’s no patio furniture. I’ve never had a need for it before.”
“This is such a nice space I’d furnish it before anything else.” A shocked look came over her face. “I’m sorry. That’s none of my business.”
“Why can’t it be? As far as I’m concerned, you can have a say in how I furnish the house where our child will be spending a lot of time. I don’t know anything about that stuff. How about going with me to pick something out? You’d have a better idea of what I need than I do.” He wasn’t sure what had made him extend the invitation, but any reason that might coax her into spending time with him was worth a try.
She looked at him as if weighing the pros and cons. “I guess I could, if you really want me to.”
/>
“Tomorrow work for you?” The question had just popped out. He’d had no intention of doing it that soon.
“I have to visit Mother first thing in the morning, but I could go after that.”
“Great! We’ll go visit your mom then head for the furniture store. I’ve not seen where she’s living, and I’d like to.”
“Why?” She watched him suspiciously.
“Why what?”
Her look didn’t waver. “Why would you want to go with me to visit my mother?”
He couldn’t really answer that, so he settled on, “Because I like your mother and she’ll be the grandmother of my child. Also, you’ve practically gone into debt because of the quality of this place, so I’m curious.”
Zoe shrugged then pushed off the lounger. When she teetered backward, he caught her elbow and helped her stand. Her chuckle was a nervous one. “Thanks. I’m getting more off balance by the day. If you want to go, you can. I need to get the lasagna out.” She walked toward the door.
Gabe followed her. And more beautiful. In the kitchen, he watched while Zoe removed and cut the pasta. He could hardly wait to taste it. To resist digging in before it made it to a plate, he busied himself with the dishes.
“I’m impressed. A man who knows how to set the table correctly.” Zoe picked up a plate and returned to the stove.
“My grandmother taught me. She’d be happy you noticed.” He took glasses from the shelf and filled them with ice.
“Not your mother?”
“Mom wasn’t around much. She was busy making a living. I spent a good deal of time with my grandmother in my early years.” Why was he telling her all of this? He didn’t make a habit of sharing his personal life.
“You must’ve missed your mom.”
He had. She’d told him throughout his childhood that it must be that way since his father was gone. Gabe’s child was never going to know that feeling if he could help it. But would that really be possible with his current job, the future demands of his career? “I did, but it was what it was.”
Zoe looked at him for a moment as if she understood everything he wasn’t saying. Moving to the table, she set down the plate of food. “Go ahead and start. It’s better hot.” Picking up the other plate, she returned to the stove.
Gabe finished pouring the tea and took his place. Zoe had included a small salad and a piece of toasted bread as well. The aroma was divine but still he waited for her.
Zoe joined him with her plate in her hand. “I told you to go ahead and start.”
“And my grandmother taught me that the cook deserves to be waited for. Sorry, her teaching trumps what you want.”
Zoe smiled. “Smart woman.”
“She was. I miss her every day.” Zoe reminded him of his grandmother, who had been the most giving and caring person he’d ever known until he’d met Zoe.
“Tell me about her.” Zoe placed her napkin in her lap and picked up her fork.
“I guess she was like every other grandmother. Tough when she needed to be but loving all the time.” Gabe took a bite of the hot lasagna and his taste buds screamed with joy. Zoe could get a permanent job cooking for him. He would miss her when she left. That looming event he didn’t want to think about. “This is wonderful. I didn’t think anything could be any better than the meal last night.”
Her eyes twinkled and her cheeks turned rosy. She enjoyed a compliment. Had the other men in her life not done that enough? He’d like her to always look at him the way she was now. In spite of her curt refusal to allow a personal relationship between them, her happiness mattered very much to him. But why?
“I’m glad you like it,” Zoe said with a hint of shyness. As if she hadn’t been sure he would.
“Anyone would.”
“Not anyone.”
There it was. Just what he’d suspected. “Has someone said you weren’t a good cook?”
Zoe made a sound low in her throat. “Oh, yeah, in no uncertain terms.”
Annoyance hot as fire flashed through him on her behalf. “Like who?”
“My ex-fiancé. Nothing I prepared for him seemed to suit. He always complained. Too salty, too hot. I guess that’s one of the reasons he’s my ex. Along with a few other, larger character flaws.”
She’d been engaged? Had cared about a man enough to want to marry him? It shocked Gabe how much that bothered him. If she’d married that guy, they wouldn’t be sitting here now. Wouldn’t have had that night or be expecting a baby. He would have missed knowing Zoe. He swallowed hard and put his fork down. “What happened?”
“I caught him out to dinner with another woman. Turned out he was a jerk. He made it embarrassingly clear in front of the entire restaurant that I wasn’t who he wanted. That I was too old-fashioned. Wasting my time waiting for a knight in silver armor to ride up and pledge to love me until death did us part. That expecting the man who said he loved me to be faithful and plan to be with me forever was naive nonsense. He said I needed to grow up. What a fool I was! I know what I want, and I have no intention of settling or compromising.”
Gabe had the sudden urge to hit something. If her ex had been there he would have punched him in the face. Although he was pretty sure he wouldn’t like the answer to the question before he asked it, he couldn’t stop himself. “What do you want?”
“To find someone who will love me for who I am. Who’ll put me first in his life and grow old with me.” She looked at him. “To have that happily ever after.”
Her answer was worse than he’d expected. She wanted everything Gabe was confident he couldn’t provide.
CHAPTER SIX
ZOE WOKE THE next morning to the sun shining through her bedroom window and the birds chirping. She stretched. Now that she was well into her second trimester, she was feeling more energetic. A flutter in her middle made her pause. She couldn’t stop a smile of happiness curving her lips. The baby was kicking. Butterfly taps, but they were there nonetheless.
At dinner after she’d told Gabe she was holding out for a man who would love her unconditionally and commit the rest of his life to their marriage and family, the conversation had become stilted, punctuated by awkward silence. His reaction had not been a surprise. It had merely reinforced his original revelation that he had no interest in getting married and having a family. With his logic, his career wouldn’t allow it. When she’d risen to clean the kitchen, he’d insisted he would do it. Sensing Gabe was still uncomfortable with her answer, she’d left him to it and gone to bed. She’d slept well and deeply.
Thinking about the way their evening had ended, she feared their visit to her mother’s and the shopping trip might be tense as well. Debating whether or not to spend the day with Gabe, she was surprised by the smell of frying bacon wafting into her room.
Gabe was cooking?
She pulled her robe on and tugged the belt tight, making certain she was completely covered. More than once when she’d been talking to Gabe about rent, she’d caught his gaze slipping to the V of her robe. His hot glances had brought to mind passionate memories that would have weakened her resolve if she’d allowed herself to revisit them.
The scent led her to the kitchen, where Gabe stood at the stove with his bare back to her, the view of wide shoulders with thick muscles tapering to a trim waist and slim hips clad in well-worn jeans hung low. She swallowed. He had such a nice behind, was a magnificent specimen of a male. Her fingers twitched with the temptation to touch him. Would he mind if she did? The question set off mental alarm bells. She must stop tormenting herself with fantasies of forbidden pleasures.
She stuffed her hands into the pockets of her robe and cleared her throat. “Good morning.”
Gabe half turned. “Morning. I don’t have your culinary talents but I can cook eggs and bacon. Interested?”
Zoe battled to master her physical reaction to him as she sh
rugged in what she hoped was a nonchalant manner. “Sure.”
“Have a seat. I’m just getting ready to do the eggs. How do you like yours?”
Apparently, whatever had been bothering him last night was forgotten. She took what had become her place at the table. “Scrambled.”
He smiled. “Scrambled it is.”
She liked this cheerful, relaxed version of Gabe. This was the man she’d gotten to know in Chicago. The charmer. She suspected his charisma was at full force.
Gabe placed a plate with fluffy eggs, two slices of crisp bacon and buttered toast in front of her. It looked as delicious as it smelled. She gave him a genuine smile of gratitude. “Thanks.”
He soon joined her with a plate twice as full as hers in his hand. Over the next few minutes they ate in a companionable silence. Zoe was glad their camaraderie had returned. Slowly chewing bacon and studying him as he ate, she decided she’d like it to always be that way between them. She watched as his gaze met hers. He raised a brow.
“Thank you. This is wonderful.”
Gabe looked pleased. “You’re welcome.”
His phone that was always nearby buzzed. He picked it up. “Dr. Marks.”
As he talked she continued to eat, paying little attention to the conversation. “I’ll be in this afternoon to review the charts.” Gabe ended the call.
“Problem?”
“I implemented a new protocol. It’s not popular, so I’m getting some pushback. Do you have a certain time that you have to be at your mother’s?”
“It’s Saturday, so I can go whenever I wish.”
“Then do you think you can be ready to leave in half an hour? I have to go in to the hospital later.” He picked up his toast.
She pushed at her eggs. “Then why don’t you just go pick out furniture while I go see Mom? Cut down on your stress.”
“No, I’ve got time. I just need to check the charts after shift change this afternoon.”
She was amazed at his dedication to detail. “You really oversee all the details.”
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