He planted a kiss to my temple before murmuring, “I’ll see you tonight,” then he released his hold on me.
Immediately, I missed his warmth, but only nodded my agreement while unzipping my purse to dig for the key fob in the side pocket.
When the door unlocked with a chirp, Gabe opened the driver’s door and waited for me to get inside before gently closing it.
I pushed the start button, fastened my seatbelt, and gave him a small wave as I put the car in drive and pulled away.
Next stop: the grocery store to buy all the ingredients for my non-date dinner tonight.
****
Gabe
I watched her Honda until it disappeared, then fired off a text to Derrick before getting back in my truck.
Me: You at work?
He answered right away.
Derrick: Yeah, what’s up?
Me: I just dropped Gretchen off in the parking lot so she could get her car, and I saw your Porsche.
Derrick: Come in, I’ll make you lunch.
Me: We just finished with breakfast, but I’ll come in for a minute.
Before I even reached the edge of the parking lot, he opened the front door and waited while I covered the distance to the entrance.
When I was a foot away, his face lit up with a shit-eating grin.
“I take it since you took her to breakfast, things went well last night between the two of you?”
“Very well.”
“And I’m guessing she still doesn’t know who you really are?”
I shot him a look as I walked past him into the bar. The place looked different with all the lights on.
“Come on, D. I know I can be an asshole, but you can’t possibly think I’d be that shitty.”
“Wait,” he pulled the door shut and turned the lock. “So, she knows? Was this before or after you were naked?”
Walking toward the bar, I snarled, “Before, dickhead.”
“And she still slept with you?”
“We reached an understanding.”
“Which was?”
“Probably the same one you had with Laura.”
He snickered. “Laura and I didn’t do much talking.”
I let out an exasperated breath as I sat down on a barstool.
“That neither of us are looking for a relationship. No expectations.”
