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She cleaned the kitchen, putting away a few pots and pans Dane had grabbed. No food littered the counter, so she couldn’t be sure what he had planned to make for breakfast.
How did he learn to cook? It just occurred to her.
His mother didn’t cook, so she didn’t teach him.
Francis, his parents’ cook? That seemed the likely answer to such a simple question. All she had to do was ask him. Pick up the phone and call.
An apology would be best first, then ask where he learned to cook.
She wiped down all the kitchen counters, even though they didn’t need it, then organized the fridge because who likes an unorganized fridge. She even color-coded the items, so it looked like a rainbow when you opened the door. Everyone loved rainbows. Rainbows made a person smile.
She opened and closed the fridge a few times.
The colors captured her attention.
Like a pretty rainbow.
No smile appeared.
She slammed the door closed.
Because she was an idiot, finding the dumbest excuses to waste time instead of picking up the phone to apologize. It irritated her once again that another one of her friends was right. Jaxson said she liked to push guys away. Sure, she dated some full-on losers. But on occasion, she dated a nice guy or two. Like Greg. But it never amounted to much.
Because she pushed them away.
Kind of what she had done to Dane this morning. Instead of appreciating his kindness for sticking up for her, she told him to get the hell out, like he had done something wrong.
The past month had been one of the best months of her life. Full of fun, laughter, hot sex. Oh, boy, the sex was out of this world hot. Every time she saw Dane, her heart fell a little deeper in love.
It scared the shit out of her.
How could he love someone so brash, outspoken, and idiotic at times? Going undercover to see if your best friend’s boyfriend was cheating on her was a very stupid thing to do. Grown adults didn’t act like that. They had meaningful, truthful conversations. It would’ve been so much better if Mia would’ve just asked Champ if he was cheating.
Except Mia would’ve never done that, and Gabby couldn’t say no to her.
It didn’t make it right.
Ugh. She needed to clear her head. Everything kept going round and round in circles.
So, she took another shower. This time she turned the water even hotter, letting it scald her skin until almost every inch was beet red.
By the time she stepped out of the shower, she looked like a cooked crab waiting to be smashed open claw by claw.
Wiping the mirror clear of steam, she stared for a moment at herself. She wasn’t happy with the woman staring back.
And delaying the inevitable talk—because she’d have to face Dane at some point—only confirmed she was a coward. Damn it. She was no coward. Not in the face of anything. Armed suspect. Crazed, drunken asshole. Smart-mouthed teenager. Victim crying for the loss of a loved one. She faced anything and everything head-on. Every single time. She would with this, too.
She got ready for the third time that day. Same as the last time. Light makeup, cute hair. She pulled a nice shirt out of the closet. Not too fancy, but not too plain. She paired it with a set of black capris that always made her butt look fabulous.
Then she grabbed her phone.
And hesitated.
For a second.
Then hit dial and listened to the phone ring. And ring. And ring. Until the voicemail picked up.
Wow. All day worrying and wondering and going out of her mind with regret, and Dane didn’t answer her call.
