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“Oh.” Well fuck, that sure took the wind out of my sails. “Really, we’re just friends.”
“You sure about that?”
“Yes! Don’t get me wrong, he’s a great guy, but you know, with Jesse and everything… And I’m not interested in…”
“Well, if you say so.”
“I do.”
“Okay then.”
Gabe brought my ice cream out and sat next to me, draping his arm on the back of my chair, idly running the tips of his fingers up and down my arm. Making me shiver. And frown. Because the conversation with Jake had made me realize that people were speculating about us now, seeing something between us I didn’t want to see. I should really do something about it. But even with the cruel laughter from ten years ago still ringing in my ears, I didn’t pull away from Gabe’s touch.
CHAPTER35
Gabe
This felt like a big fucking deal. It had sounded pretty casual, at first. Ally’s mom,“Gabriele! You have done so much work on the farm. You have to come to our party to celebrate.”
We’d been at the restaurant, because Jesse had told Ally he wanted to see it. She’d taken him into the kitchen, helped him make his own pizza, then had one of the servers bring it to his table. All the while her parents watched on, smiling fondly. They’d given Jesse extra cheese sticks, and his double scoop of gelato was on the house. He was in seventh heaven.
So I’d said,“Sure, Giulia, that sounds great.”
Only when I saw Ally’s face looking like a thundercloud had I realized my mistake. It was their anniversary party; a big family get together. And a really big fucking hairy deal, judging by the way Ally was twisting her hands together in her lap as we drove to the farmhouse.
“We could have come separately.”
“No, there’s no need for that.” She glanced in the back seat, checking on Jesse. He had headphones on, listening to music while he gazed out the window. “It’s just that… I’ve never brought anyone to a family gathering before,ever. Not once. And everyone’s gonna make a bigger deal of it than it is. What am I gonna do? Spend all day sayingWe’re just friends, we’re just friends, we’re just friends?I should have brought a sandwich board to hang around your neck: ‘This is Gabe Walker. We’re just fuck buddies. Mind your own business’.”
That actually made me laugh, which had Ally smiling in return. I took her hand and moved it to my lap, linking our fingers together and stroking the back with my thumb.
“And Mom did it on purpose, you know. Ambushed you, rather than asking me if I’d like to invite you.”
“Do you really mind that much? Would you have rather I’d said no? If it upsets you, I can say I’m sick and can’t make it. Or that there’s a work emergency.”
She turned away, looking through the window and I saw her swallow. Her voice was so low I almost didn’t catch her answer. “No, it’s fine. I mean, whatever.”
That made me bite back a smile and we drove the rest of the way in silence. When we pulled onto the road that led to the little farm, I said, “Jesus, is this an important anniversary? Like, ending in a zero?” I couldn’t count the number of cars parked along the side of the long, gravel drive.
“Nah. Just forty-two years.”
“Just the average family turnout, then?”
She chuckled. “Yeah, pretty much. You can drive straight up. Nobody will have taken my spot in front of the garage.”
“Okay.” The second we pulled up, Ben and Ollie ran straight over, asked Jesse to come and play with them, and they all ran off together. “Well, I guess that’s him taken care of for the day.”
“Yup.”
“Your whole family’s watching us, right? It’s not my imagination?”
There were picnic tables, chairs and blankets scattered all over the front lawn, the smell of a woodfire filling the air and lots of conversation and laughter. Underneath all that, though, there were sideways glances in our direction, a little mumbling and talking behind hands.
“No, it’s not your imagination. Okay, let’s get this over with. We start withZiaVittoria. She’ll decide what she thinks of you and spread her opinion to everyone else, and then your reputation is fixed for all eternity. So, you know, be sure to make a good impression.”
“Wow. No pressure.”
She surprised me by slipping her hand in mine, a much more public display of affection than I was expecting. We approached a group of five women who didn’t even pretend not to stare at us. I suddenly knew exactly how it felt to be a bug under a microscope. Ally introduced me toZiaVittoria. She was a short woman with piercing black eyes and salt and pepper hair, and she looked me up and down with a slight sneer on her lips and an arched brow. I returned her gaze steadily, fighting the urge to fidget. I wasn’t a schoolboy, for fuck’s sake. Then her face broke into a wide smile and she stepped forward, slapping my arm hard enough to make me wince before pulling my head down and kissing each cheekveryaggressively.
