After gathering up the wrappings and empty containers from our lunch, Gabe grabs my hand. "Seriously, Sasha if you need anything, I'm more than happy to help."

"I know. But I really want to do this on my own. It’s my project and I need to feel like I'm doing it on my own steam."

"Stubborn girl. Stubborn beautiful girl."  But he squeezes my hand in understanding.

"Besides, maybe I don’t need a stage. Maybe my performers will move throughout the crowd and sing directly to the audience. It’ll be an interactive show. Kind of like those cool flash mobs you see online where everyone is singing and dancing together." I do a little turn and spin away from him like a ballerina.

When I turn around, Gabe is watching me with the strangest expression. "You are remarkable. Nothing keeps you down for long, does it?"

The open affection in his voice warms me through and through. He doesn't seem to expect an answer, just pulls me into his arms. He holds me for a long time and I have the sudden urge to clamp my arms around him. To never let him go.

But then he just kisses me on the forehead and says, "Lock up behind me, okay?"

*   *   *   *   *

About ten minutes after I get home that evening, the doorbell rings. I was all geared up for a night of conditioning my hair and eating leftovers since Gabe already warned me he's working late tonight. We’re supposed to be casual so I hadn't let on that I was disappointed. But I was. And worried that maybe I'm more into this than he is.

Taking my sister's advice and presenting Gabe with an offer he couldn't refuse was always a risky prospect. Pretending that I'm okay with a casual thing hasn't been easy. But the way he acted today, the way he held me … wasn't so casual. I shiver remembering. Maybe he's been thinking about me all day, too? I skip to the door. Maybe he decided to ditch work and come over anyway!

But when I look through the peephole, I see the last two people I was expecting. I yank open the door.

"Kay? Eli? What are you guys doing here? Were we supposed to meet?"

Usually I'm not the forgetful type but with everything that's been going on lately it's possible that I spaced when we were making plans. I'd noticed a missed call from Kay earlier today but I’d been so exhausted that I'd figured I'd call her back this evening.

"No, I just wanted to come by." She doesn't meet my eyes as they come in. I shut the door behind them and turn around. Usually Kay comes right in and gets comfortable on the couch. Today she's standing awkwardly in the middle of the living room and hasn't even taken her coat off.

Something is wrong.

"Okay, what's going on?"

Kay wrings her hands. “I came by your new space around noon today. I wanted to take you to lunch."

"You did? Why didn't you come in?" Then it hits me that I was busy at noon. Having lunch with Gabe. Suddenly her discomfort makes sense. Depending on when she came by she could have seen something completely innocent or something completely … not.

"I tried to stay out of it.” Kay glances over at Eli.

He takes over. "When Tank asked me to find his youngest brother, I did a little digging on all of them. I wasn't trying to be nosy but I figured that there might be something that connected them that would help me find Luke. Well, the things I discovered about Gabe were troubling. I wasn’t going to say anything but when Kay mentioned seeing you together today, I figured you'd want to know."

"Troubling?"

"He's got a clean record as an adult but there were a few incidents that didn't add up for me. So I took a look into his juvenile records. It didn't take long to figure out the guy's a grifter."

"Not sure what that means but if you're trying to tell me he's a thief, I already know. He told me."

"He told you?” they ask in unison.

Kay recovers from her shock first. "Okay, well that's good that he's not hiding anything. But I couldn't help but worry."

I contemplate just telling her the truth but I'm honestly not sure how to explain what I'm doing with Gabe. It's not that I think she'll try to stop me but I know she's already worried about me getting hurt. So I go with a modified version of the truth.

"Gabe has been helping me out a lot with the business. It's really not a big deal.” I don’t mention the incredible sex or the fact that my heart turns over in my chest every time I see him. Kay will just worry needlessly.

As expected, my words seem to calm her. ”Well, good. Anyway, I know you keep saying you're on a dating strike but I told Eli about my plan to fix you up and he thinks Maddox might be a good match. I don't think you've ever met him but he's worked for Eli for years. He's good looking, too. I think you'll like him."

"Good looking?" Eli repeats.

Kay rolls her eyes and waves him away. "Divorced but you know that's to be expected when you like older men."

Words can't even begin to describe how awkward this is. Eli is not the type of guy with the patience for gossip so I'm not sure how she got him to listen to the tales of my troubles. He looks completely uncomfortable.

"Kay, I'm sure Eli has way better things to do than worry about my social life."

Normally Eli is pretty reserved so I'm shocked when he suddenly leans closer. “You are my baby’s best friend. I want you to be happy. And any guy that hurts you is going to be on my shit list. I’d rather just introduce you to some guys that I know have their heads on right.”