AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Yet here she was.
With a sigh, she extricated herself from his embrace, freezing when he murmured in his sleep, but he didn’t wake. She placed one foot on the floor and then the other, gradually easing herself away, afraid that if she disturbed him, he’d convince her to go for round two. One slip-up she could live with, but two would be stupid.
She left the bedroom and searched the darkened living room for her dress and purse, then pulled the dress over her head as silently as possible. She abandoned her underwear—she’d wake him if she went back for them—and kept her feet bare, the better to make her escape. Fortunately, February mornings were mild, so she didn’t have to worry about her toes freezing. She let herself out of the apartment, gently closed the door, and tiptoed down the stairs. At the bottom, she left via the fire exit, which automatically locked behind her, and beelined for her car. She pressed a button on her key fob to unlock it and climbed into the driver’s seat.
“Why?” she asked herself in frustration as soon as the door shut behind her. “Why do you sabotage yourself? No matter how hot or fun Logan is, he’s never going to be the father of your children.” He’d made that obvious the first time they met. He’d given her the talk she suspected he gave all of his hookups.
All I want is fun. No strings. I’m never going to settle down. I’ll be a bachelor until the day I die.
Yada yada yada.
Honestly, it had been a little insulting that he’d thought she needed it spelled out. She’d told him so and started to walk away, but he’d made a smart-ass remark that immediately lured her back. They’d bickered, and before she knew it, they were in his bed. That seemed to be how it went with him. He overrode her good sense. Being with him, even for one night, messed with her head. She needed to focus on her goal of finding the right guy to make a family with. She was in her thirties, after all. She couldn’t afford to waste valuable time or mental real estate on Logan or to fall into that old pattern with him.
She started the car and drove to her new home, a few minutes outside of Haven Bay on the inland side of town. Fortunately, she’d fed the cats and dogs before she went on her date, otherwise she’d have had a whole other layer of guilt to contend with. She parked near the door and let herself in. Thomas greeted her, meowing loudly, his eyes shining green in the light from her phone. Behind him, two other furry outlines with glowing eyes waited. Probably Mouse and Karen. Luna would be asleep. She was more independent than the others.
“Hi, babies,” she said, feeling like a teenager who’d been caught sneaking out of her room. “Sorry I’m late.”
Thomas bumped his head against her leg and meowed again. She scooped him up and buried her face in his furry body. He purred as loudly as an engine. She carried him through the house and held him with one arm while she used the other to open the back door. Thelma and Louise were waiting outside. They had crates with blankets on the back doorstep but much preferred sleeping in the house when they got the chance. Louise shivered in a way that was no doubt designed to make Gabby feel guilty.
“It’s not that cold,” she muttered, although the breeze was a bit chilly. “Never mind. Come to bed.”
She brushed her teeth and slipped beneath the blankets, finding a warm ball of fur already waiting for her. Luna. The other animals surrounded her and she smiled. She loved being close to them and sharing in their unconditional love.
“No more Logan Pride,” she promised them. “That was the last time.”
Karen made a judgmental sound, as if she doubted Gabby’s word. She wasn’t the only one.
* * *
Logan’s arms were empty.As was his bed. He blinked his eyes open and looked around. There was no sign of Gabby. Groaning, he sat up and stretched, then scanned the floor. Her underwear were still there, but when he stopped to listen, the apartment was dead silent. Disappointment flashed through him at the thought that she’d probably left. He’d have liked to see her this morning. He could have cooked her breakfast and chatted about what she’d been up to since she moved to town—aside from dating everyone other than him. He’d heard from Shane that she’d joined the staff of the rural veterinary clinic, but he wasn’t sure what that entailed. Working with the local farms, perhaps. There weren’t too many stock farms in the area, but there were a handful, and the next nearest clinic was quite a drive away so their clinic probably covered the entire district.
Now, he wouldn’t get the chance to ask her about it. He flopped back against the pillows and stared at the ceiling. Perhaps it was better that way. Gabby intrigued him, and the more time he spent with her, the more he wanted to know her better. That would lead nowhere good. He’d only end up hurting her, and that would be a shitty thing to do, especially when she was fresh out of a relationship and probably nursing wounds because of it. He didn’t know much about her ex, but from what he’d heard, it hadn’t been an amicable breakup.
“Leave her alone,” he muttered to himself. “She’s been through enough. She doesn’t need you messing with her any more than you already have.”
If he tried to get close to her, there was no doubt he’d hurt her somehow. All his life, Logan had been told how similar he was to his no-good father. He had the same hair, the same carefree attitude, and the same reputation as a womanizer. Not to mention they shared a love of surfing and wide open spaces. Summed up, this equaled one truth. Logan would be a crappy boyfriend or husband, just like his dad had been.
Stop wallowing in self-pity.
He forced himself to get up, confirm that she was gone, shower off the smell of sex, and don a clean outfit. When he was presentable, he went downstairs to finish last night’s cleanup. It only took a half hour to have The Den smelling of disinfectant rather than spilled beer. Then he wandered out the front door and across the town square, smiling at the people clustered around the fountain in the center of the square, until he reached Cafe Oasis. The tables inside were nearly full, thanks to the tourists who flocked to the bay on the weekends.
He walked inside and joined the short line, checking the cabinet before deciding on a cream cheese and salmon bagel. He ordered from Lana, the middle-aged woman who owned the cafe, and took one of the few remaining empty seats in the corner. He enjoyed a latte and ate his breakfast while listening to Irene and Nell from the Bridge Club—a group of retirees who spent more time gossiping than playing cards—discuss their romance sweepstakes.
They’d been running the sweepstakes for a couple of years, betting on which people would form couples and when. The pool of singles was dwindling though, and it sounded as if poor Gabby was now their biggest subject of speculation. At least they were leaving him alone. Earlier on in the sweepstakes, they’d tried to include him, but now they seemed to take him at his word when he said he wouldn’t settle down.
He left the cafe with a friendly wave for the two ladies and headed for the beach. Since it was before eight on a Sunday, hardly anyone was around. He spotted a runner in the distance. Perhaps Sterling from the bed and breakfast, or Michael, the school principal. He went to the trailer he rented for the surfing school he ran, and grabbed his wet suit from inside. Then he glanced around to make sure no one was watching, changed into the wet suit, and tucked one of the surfboards under his arm.
He drew in a lungful of sea air as he made his way to the water, and smiled. God, he loved that smell. The ocean was his favorite place. As a teen, he’d spent hours riding the waves, which had stood him in good stead for his years as a professional competitive surfer, and now for running his own surfing school. He waded into the shallows. It was cold at this time of day. When he’d gone far enough that the waves lapped at his waist, he climbed onto the board and started paddling. He loved the burn in his arms. He could surf all day, if not for his bung knee. Most of the time, it didn’t slow him down too much, but he’d never have the same effortless grace he used to, and if he overdid things, he’d regret it later.
He positioned himself in the water, waiting for the right wave to roll under him. He tuned in to his surroundings, allowing everything else to drop away. Out here, all was peaceful. Or at least, it usually was. Today, for some reason, he couldn’t shake the guilt of betraying Shane’s trust again. He’d just have to stay away from Gabby from now on. Otherwise, he’d be forced to have a very awkward conversation with his friend.
3
By some miracle,Gabby had managed to keep her distance from Logan after the night they shared together. For the last six weeks, she’d stayed away from The Den, and he must have been doing his part to avoid her too because they never ran into each other in the minimart or at The Shack—the local ice cream parlor and cupcake shop. A couple of times, she saw him leading a surfing class from a distance, but she knew better than to approach.
Despite her success on that front, she hadn’t gone on any more dates. She was being more cautious in vetting people because she knew she needed to prevent a repeat of the circumstances that had led her to Logan’s bed in the past, which meant no more self-pitying episodes after terrible dates. Ergo, there could be no more terrible dates.
Fortunately, she didn’t need to worry about men tonight. Well, except for little ones. It was Friday, which meant that Shane’s friends were meeting for poker. She was catching up with Faith, Shane’s partner, and Charity, Faith’s sister, while they looked after Shane’s sons, Dylan and Hunter.
