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“Nothing,” Stacy said. “We let Gabe do what he needs to do. But I’m going to ask him to keep me informed. I’ll play it up as if I need some information to make sure no one slips. I’ll pass that information on to everyone else.”
That was exactly what she was hoping Stacy would say.
“I’ll keep on Elise,” Richard said. “She’ll talk to me.”
“Don’t bring up Gabe’s name though,” Jim said.
“I won’t. I’ll let her come to me with it.”
“We’ll be over there soon,” Diane said. “We’ve got cookies. We won’t say anything to Elise about Gabe, but she’d expect us to make some comment about being single, don’t you think?”
“She will,” Richard said. “Just let one slip. She’ll come in and give me hell about you trying to set her up and then I’ll see if she gives anything away about being with Gabe.”
“This is so sneaky,” Jim said. “I’m not sure how I feel about it.”
“You wanted Gabe set up as much as me,” Stacy said. “It’s how it works. And Gabe knows so the only one clueless right now is Elise.”
“And if she finds out she is going to light me up,” Richard said. “I’ve got some cards I can play if that happens. We’ll cross that bridge if we reach it.”
“Sounds like we’ve got our game plan,” Diane said. “See you soon.”
This was all working out much easier than they thought.
But nothing is ever easy.
20
PLAYING CUPID
“We’ve got cookies,” Elise heard out in the hallway. She knew that voice. It was Diane Fierce.
She got up from her desk and made her way to the front. She was in the mood for something sweet.
She wasn’t one for Valentine’s Day, but today she was pulling out all the stops.
Gabe was only giving her so much and she wasn’t sure what was going on.
Then it hit her. He wanted her to come to him when she felt she was ready emotionally and not just on a physical level.
The fact he’d handled the whole thing so well, better than she had, told her that he had more willpower than her.
That he was going to try to make sure they didn’t end up in the same situation as last time.
There was a big part of her that wanted them to have a time where something negative wasn’t the motivation behind them coming together.
Which meant it had to come from her.
“Those look great,” she said. “I’m going to steal one now. Royce sent me a picture of one he was eating. Just had to tease me.”
Her brother was good like that, but Royce had also said he was sure the office would be getting some too.
She figured that was Diane and Carolyn’s way to come here and get a few digs in about her being single. It seemed it always happened when they were around her.
“Now you get your own,” Diane said.
She pulled a red heart-shaped cookie out and took a bite. “These are awesome. Are you making the rounds today?”
“We are,” Carolyn said. “A few businesses in the first building. Then Olson, McCarthy’s and here. We got the crews working too.”
