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Even though I have two minutes left on Vi’s timer, Donna and her critical once-over are waiting for me in the hall.
“Don’t you have an iron in your room?” She glances over my shoulder.
Before I can answer, the girl from Gabe’s bed walks out of his room, her hair wet like she just showered.
Gabe follows, leaning in the doorway, bare chest on display, his hair towel-dried. “I’m sorry.”
“Every time you say it, it means less.” She exits toward the elevator in an oversized band tee and rolled up sweats.
The throwback to my morning with him pinches the heart side of my chest.
“Stellar choice in guys, Jess.” Donna’s mouth twists like it doesn’t want to be left out of judging my bad life choices. “Did you really not see that coming?”
In a way, I didn’t. I wanted to believe he was different. There was a part of me that trusted him, felt like she could tell him anything and he’d understand and keep her secrets.
Gabe swings his head our way.
With a sharp glare, Donna makes sure he gets the same heavy dose of unsolicited disappointment she gave me. “I’ll tell Vi you’re not going to make it.”
As she walks away, a few college-age girls pass, slowing down to take not-so-sneaky, over-the-shoulder shots of Gabe with their phones.
Ignoring them, he waits till we’re alone to drift toward me. “It’s not what you think.”
“It doesn’t matter what I think.” He doesn’t matter anymore. I won’t let him. I take off for the escalator before he can say anything else.
How I make it through the luncheon, I’m not sure, but I do. Even squished at a round table of eight that should seat six. My elbows have nowhere to go, and if I move at all, my leg either hits the stranger on my left or Vi on my right.
Up front, the speaker wraps up and the room breaks into applause.
Vi taps the edge of my plate with her knife. “I snagged us the last reservation at the sushi place off the lobby late Saturday night.”
“For what?” I stab my food, but it’s already congealed into some sort of chicken parmesan-potato-green bean casserole.
“Have you heard anything I’ve said?” If we weren’t surrounded by people, I’d get her pay-attention tirade. “To privately celebrate turning in your new book after your release party.”
My mouth dries out. I grab my water glass and drink.
“You love sushi.” She waits for me to say something.
“I know.” I won’t be able to eat it after the release party.
“Great.” She sets her knife on her plate. “I got a table for six.”
“Six?” I gulp down more water, my heart jumping onto a treadmill set way too fast.
“You, me, Julie Ann. Donna if she wants to come.” Vi glances across the table, offering the woman who most wants to see me fail a front-row seat to the implosion of my life. “I’m working on your dad.”
Choking on the water, I snap my head toward Vi. I bet she is.
“And Gabriel,” she adds. “If you want to bring him.”
“She definitely wants to bring him.” Gabe’s deep voice crashes over me. Along with a strong smell that reminds me of Red Hots.
His fingers slide to my neck and knead, sending shivers down my back. There should be an off button for that kind of thing after you find out a guy’s a first-class jerk. I peel his hands off my body.
Vi beams at him over my shoulder. “Great. Table for six it is.”
“Can’t wait.” He leans over until his lips brush my ear.
