Page 45 of See You Next Tuesday

“What?” He swallowed. “I’m fine, what do you mean?”

“I don’t know.” She tilted her head and looked up at him—her eyes were rimmed with smudgy gray shadow. “You seemed weird after you went bungee jumping with my mother.”

She hit the word mother a little too hard, like it was some kind of accusation.

“Just lightheaded.” He shrugged. “Taking risks will do that. You should try it sometime.”

“But I’m so comfortable exactly where I am.” She folded her arms, emphasizing her cleavage even more than the top already did. “Or didn’t you notice?”

“Hey!” Kira clapped Gabe on the back. “What are we drinking?”

“It’s your birthday, you should choose,” Gabe said.

“But you’re buying.” Kira grinned. “So it’s only polite to let you decide.”

“Hey, Morgan! Four more of these?” Gabe indicated the nearly empty glass in front of him.

“All for you?” she joked. “Are you sure that’s wise?”

“For my best friend slash boss and her very attractive entourage.” Gabe let his eyes linger on Anya’s body; her face warmed. Good. If she could torture him, he could damn well return the favor.

“We’re gonna get a table. You guys good to wait for the drinks?” Simone asked, and Gabe nodded. Gabe slid off his barstool to stand beside Anya. He liked how dangerous it felt, knowing he could slide his hand onto her back at any moment, the second he thought she might want it.

“You already made friends with the bartender?” she asked.

“I make friends wherever I go,” Gabe quipped. “Everyone likes me except you, remember?”

“Is that why you worked so hard to charm my parents?” Anya’s tone was calm, but her eyes betrayed something more volatile. “Were you trying to prove a point?”

“So they liked me.” Gabe smiled with satisfaction. “Don’t you trust their taste?”

“They don’t know you as well as I do.”

Gabe let out a short laugh. “Huh.”

“What?”

“Kind of an ironic statement for a woman who’s refused to get to know me at every turn.”

“Don’t flatter yourself.” Anya smirked. “You’re not that complicated.”

“Oh, yeah?” Gabe leaned back against the bar. “Enlighten me.”

He could see her gears turning. She glanced over at the table where a few others from the campaign were sitting with Simone and Kira, and Gabe knew she was weighing whether to leave him at the bar to go join them. But he also knew that she wouldn’t. It was one of the things he liked best about Anya. She always took the bait.

“You’re so afraid.” She leaned toward him.

His breath quickened. “Of what?”

“Of anyone seeing you,” she said lightly. “You hop from job to job, city to city. You don’t put down roots, you don’t keep anyone around long enough to risk that they might actually challenge you—”

“And you do?” Gabe raised his eyebrows. “Is Zeke such a challenging guy? Does he push you, Anya?”

“I can depend on him.” Anya’s nostrils flared.

“Really?” Gabe scoffed. “Then where is he?”

“I’m sure you wish he was here so you could keep belittling him,” Anya snapped.