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I’m relieved to hear that the optimism her voice once held during conversations about Gabriel is no longer there. I shake my head. “No! Gabriel showing up out of the blue seems to be his new go-to tactic. Why didn’t you tell me you ran into him in the fall?”
She drops her hands and clasps them in front of her. “You were so happy about your position at the college, and I didn’t want to upset you. It seemed coincidental. I’m sorry I didn’t say anything.”
I nod. “It’s okay.”
Her fingers go to her lips. “I shouldn’t have invited him in for a drink. I was just surprised, and I thought . . . I don’t know. He acted like you were expecting him. I’m so sorry, Clover. I didn’t realize he was making this so difficult.”
“It’s not your fault. He’s good at manipulating people and situations and turning on the charm when he wants to.”
“Do you want me to get your father to ask him to leave?”
I shake my head. “It’s fine. I can tell him.”
But when Gabriel finally does leave, he returns a minute later to report that he has two flat tires and needs to call AAA. It’s another three hours and going on midnight before the tow truck finally comes. I end up having to tell Maverick I can’t call and not to message until I contact him.
By the time Gabriel is gone, it’s after one in the morning. And then I can’t find my phone, so of course I start panicking. My paranoia reaches new heights when I find it in the driveway, the screen cracked. Did I drop it, or did it end up under Gabriel’s tires on purpose?
The next morning, I drop my phone off to be repaired, but my mom has a day planned for the two of us, and by the time we’re done, the store is already closed, so I’m not able to pick it up until the next day. It puts me on edge because it means I can’t reach out to Maverick to let him know what’s happening. I fake exhaustion early that evening and disappear into the bedroom so I can finally call him.
I’m on the fence about telling him what happened, worried about his reaction, but feeling very much like I could use his support. If there wasn’t a flight between us, I’d want to go to him right now. As it is, my heart skips like a scratched record when his face appears on the screen. “I’m sorry for the cryptic messages, but there were some issues.” I check to make sure my door is locked. I’ve been paranoid over the last two days, worried Gabriel is going to show up again.
“What kind of issues? What’s going on that all I got was radio silence for almost three days?” He rubs his bottom lip, and while his voice is even, I can see the hurt in his eyes.
“Can we talk about it when I see you?” I start biting my nail but realize they’re going to be stubs if I’m not careful.
“Is this going to be one of those situations where you want to see me so you can tell me we’re done?” he asks softly.
“No! That’s not—I don’t want to upset you.”Of course that’s where his head has gone.It’s where mine would go if I received the same message from him.
“Hey. What happened that’s got you so rattled?”
I bite the inside of my cheek, knowing I can’t keep this from him. “You’re not going to like this.”
“I’m going to likenotknowing less,” he counters.
“Gabriel showed up at my parents’ place on Christmas Day, and he invited himself to stay for dinner.” I feel like now would be a good time for Maverick to teach me how to make those origami cranes.
He nods somberly. “Yeah. You’re right. I’m not happy about that. What was he doing in Florida?” He cracks his jaw. “Should I be worried?” He taps his lips, clearly stressed by the situation. I don’t want to make that worse for him.
“His parents live here, and he was visiting them for the holidays. And no, I don’t think you need to be worried. I’m just . . . frustrated and paranoid. I want to see you for New Year’s, but I’m concerned he’s going to show up at my house back in Chicago.”
He nods slowly. “Then why don’t we go to your place in Pearl Bay?”
“They don’t plow my road very often in the winter.”
“What about snowmobile access? Could we get in that way?”
“I think so, but I don’t have one.”
“I do. Can you give me the address? I’ll get everything ready. And I can even pick you up at the airport.”
I hesitate. “It’s a lot of driving for you.”
“I’d drive halfway across the country for a night with you at this point. Back and forth to the airport is nothing.”
My heart skips a beat and warmth floods my body. This feels so much better than the mind games Gabriel plays. “Okay. New Year’s in Pearl Bay it is.”
Twenty-Seven
