Page 64 of Miss Manage

He didn’t give me a chance to retreat, instead going in for the kill in the form of the hottest kiss to date.

“Any chance of Austin coming home?” Pulling my sweater over my head, he captured my lips once more.

“No. He’s at his friend’s house tonight.” The only time he arrived unexpectedly was when he would otherwise have been with my ex.

My phone chirped with an invasive sound. “I should get that.”

“Fine, but make it quick,” he gritted out, lifting me up onto the counter and leaving his hands on my hips.

I picked up my cell from the place I’d set it near the baked ziti. The screen displayed a number I didn’t know. But the look on Gabe’s face let me know he’d seen the screen, and recognized the number. “That’s Samantha.”

“Huh. Maybe she has a follow-up question from the interview?”

He pulled back, concern etching his expression. “Maybe.”

“Hello.”

“Hi, Charlotte. It’s Samantha. I hope it’s okay I’m calling you.”

“Of course it’s always fine to call me. How are you?”

Gabriel’s shoulders eased, and he smiled, stepping away and taking the delicious-smelling food out of the box and laying it on the counter.

“Um, I’m okay, but I was hoping maybe you could help me.”

“Sure, what’s going on? Is it the article?”

“No.”

She hesitated, making worry niggle at the base of my skull. Aware her father was standing beside me, I tried to keep it light. “I’m happy to help. What’s going on?”

She let out an audible sigh. “I started my period.”

“Oh.” Not at all what I’d expected.

“My mom is out of town with her husband and the kids, and I know my grandma is on vacation with Grandpa, so I didn’t want to bother her, either. My stomach hurts, and I tried to use one of my mom’s tampons, but I messed it up, and that hurt too.”

Poor girl. Although it was tempting to go over there, I knew it wouldn’t go over well, given what I knew about her mother and her precarious relationship with Gabe. “How about your dad picks you up and brings you to his place and I meet you there with some stuff?”

“I don’t want him to know.”

Gabriel’s eyes were glued to me, questions abounding. I had to give him credit, though. He looked like he wanted to grab the phone and demand answers, but he was exercising patience. “He’s here with me, so he knows you called. And I promise that although this might seem embarrassing, a grown, mature man, especially one who’s been married, knows all about this kind of stuff.”

She sighed. “Okay. But tell him I don’t want to talk about it. It’s so embarrassing.”

“I’ll tell him, and we’ll see you soon.”

As soon as I disconnected, Gabe was asking questions. “Is she okay? What’s going on?”

“She’s fine. She started her period. And her mom is out of town tonight, so she needs some guidance. She’d like you to pick her up and take her to your place without any conversation about what’s going on, and I’ll run to the store and meet you there.”

His face flushed an angry red. “What kind of mom leaves her thirteen-year-old alone overnight when she could’ve called me? I would’ve dropped everything and gladly picked her up to spend the weekend at my place.” He dragged a hand through his hair. “God, Tanya must really hate me.”

It was a fair observation, but the timing wasn’t helpful. I put my hand on his. “I can understand why you’re upset. I would be, too, but you’ll need to let go of it all before you pick Samantha up. This is a big deal to a teenager who’s feeling emotional about it, and she’s trusting the both of us to help her. Okay?”

He exhaled slowly, the action calming his features. “Yes. Okay. I’ll go pick her up. And I guess not talk about—it.”