“I do remember you telling me over the summer that you’d like a nice, hot city guy with a cat,” Jules said before lifting her mug and innocently taking a sip.
I raised my hands with an unamused laugh. “Okay, yeah,maybeI said that”—I definitely said that—“but the only thing Gabriel has going for him is he’s from the city. Based on who he works for, he likely isn’t nice, and we have no idea if he has a cat or not. Honestly, it doesn’t even matter!” I crossed my arms over my chest. “He’s my enemy.”
Jules closed the photo and scrolled farther down. Apparently, I’d spoken too soon. She pulled up a photo that was dated from earlier this year. It was a selfie of Gabriel and a tuxedo cat with a caption highlighting how it was Beans’s twelfth birthday.
Give a girl a computer and a name to do reconnaissance on and she could work wonders.
I didn’t want to look at the photo—really, I didn’t—but it was right in front of me. There was no way he could look that good in person, right?
“He’s probably one of those people who photographs well but doesn’t look the same in person,” Jules offered, although I could tell even she didn’t believe what she was saying.
“We can hope,” I muttered.
“See, it’s good we looked him up,” Eliza added, “because now you won’t be ogling him in front of Hal.”
At the mention of Hal, I was immediately pulled out of my haze and reminded of another reason why I was going to stay far away from Gabriel. Hal’s grandson had never stepped foot in Golden Falls—not even for his late grandmother’s funeral—and now all of a sudden he was showing up when there was a business offer on the line. That didn’t sit well with me.
“I won’t beoglinghim, and I won’t be entertaining any proposals he has. I’m standing my ground. I know this town, and I’m going to prove to myself and to Hal that I’d do a damn good job managing the building.”
“And we’ll have your back the whole way,” Eliza assured.
“Always. You know you can count on us,” Jules added.
I offered my best friends a grateful smile, hoping that I was masking my nerves well. Because a part of me—a big part, if I was being honest—was scared I was going to lose everything I’d worked so hard for.
I was holding on to hope that Gabriel wouldn’t even show up for the meeting. But if he did, maybe he would only be in town for the weekend and then stay far away from Golden Falls.
After all, that’s what he’d been doing his whole life.
4
GABRIEL
The driveto Golden Falls passed quickly between my phone call with Liam and a handful of work calls. Thankfully, I’d finished the proposal for my father before leaving.
Despite the dropping temperatures, we hadn’t gotten any snow yet, which made for a smooth—but barren—drive. The trees had long lost their leaves, gray clouds covered the sky, and there was road construction all along the highway. I didn’t know how people loved this time of year. I couldn’t stand it.
I hadn’t been nervous about the drive. It was everything that came afterward. I typically didn’t get nervous before proposals, meetings, or presentations. I simply got them done, hence why I was my father’s closer.
That was why my time in Golden Falls had to be just business. A brief weekend trip that was purely professional and would end with me sharing my proposal, getting the building, and moving on.
One slight complication was that I thought I’d be able to stay at a hotel or Airbnb during my weekend in town, but Hal had insisted I stay with him. Which was fine. I could handle that. I could stuff my emotions into an overflowing cardboard box thatwas bursting at the seams. I’d add another layer of tape to keep it shut.
I double-checked the address listed on the mailbox with the address in my GPS before pulling up the gravel driveway.
A pastel-yellow home with a brown roof and shutters greeted me. A stone path led from the driveway to the front steps. While there wasn’t anything currently planted in front of the house, I could imagine flowers and bushes blooming there. Stones lined the garden area, including a large rock that caught my attention immediately, even from the car.Welcome to Hal and Vera’swas carved into the stone.
My chest tightened at the sight of my grandmother’s name, at realizing what I’d missed out on, and it felt like my throat was closing in. The sudden onset of emotion caught me off guard, and I tried to steady my breathing. In for four, hold for seven, out for eight.
The front door creaked open, and out came my grandfather. His jeans were tucked into his work boots and his coat was on haphazardly, like he’d quickly thrown it on when he saw my car. His thick white hair was neatly styled, and his glasses were sliding off his nose.
He looked…older than I remembered, which should’ve been obvious, but it was another thing that caught me off guard. I rubbed my chest and let out a sigh.
Just business.
I unbuckled my seatbelt and reached for my winter coat in the backseat before stepping out of the car, smoothing out my slacks. I rounded the car to my trunk, pulling out my duffle bag.
“Here, why don’t I take this off your hands, so you can grab the rest of your things,” Hal said as he reached for the bag with one hand and clapped the side of my arm with the other. He smiled warmly. “Gabe, so great to see you. I’m glad you were able to make it, and hopefully the drive wasn’t too bad. I’mglad you’re staying here. It’ll make getting into town that much easier. It’s a short drive away, or you could walk if the weather’s not too cold.”
