AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I might be a pain inyourass, but I’m not going to turn down a really awesome idea,” Gavin scoffed, but she wasn’t wrong. Given their banter and irritation recently, it wouldn’t have surprised either of them if he said ‘fuck no’.
“Great, so I’ll get a timeline and schedule going, will coordinate with Bronte on information cards and which animals are part of the auction. Or do you want me to work with you on this?”
Gavin shook his head. “Bronte’s the right person. I’ll get her to keep me updated on everything.”
Ginny nodded and stood up, her smile still in place. “Thanks for the tour today.”
“You’re welcome.”
She nodded again and they stared at each other for a long moment before she was rushing out the door with a quickbye, leaving Gavin slumped in his chair with his heart racing.
CHAPTER11
“I hearyou’ve been keeping secrets from me,” Frankie singsonged as she walked into Ginny’s office.
She stared at her friend-slash-boss for a moment, trying to figure outwhatsecret Frankie was referring to because apparently there was more than one. Frankie’s beaming smile didn’t give anything away, which only made Ginny tilt her head in confusion. Frankie dropped into a cushioned armchair in front of the desk and mirrored the head tilt, her smile getting wider with every passing minute.
“You look creepy,” Ginny muttered, sorting through the things that could constitute a ‘secret’.
Secrets…secrets…did she find out about @GinLife? Does she know that you want to fuck Gavin? Oh god, are there more?
“When were you going to tell me that you’re working withGavin Rhodes?”
The relief that coursed through Ginny made her body relax instantly and she hoped like hell that Frankie didn’t notice that. A soft laugh escaped her as she leaned back, brushing a hand through her thick hair.
“If you’d waited another fifteen minutes, I would have given you that update face to face,” Ginny told her, typing a few more notes into Party Central before hitting the ‘submit’ button. Turning her full attention to Frankie, Ginny arched an eyebrow. “Didn’t realize it was grounds for gossip.”
“Considering the chilly behavior at my Christmas party, we aretotallygossiping about it.” Frankie’s phone buzzed a few times, clearly updates from Party Central. She ignored her phone and grinned widely at Ginny. “Now, tell me everything.”
Rolling her eyes, Ginny leaned back in her chair and sighed. “I don’t know what you want or expect to hear, but we’ve got history and I’ve decided to put it aside to help him.”
“How long have you two known each other?”
“His whole life,” Ginny admitted, fixing her eyes on the wall behind Frankie. “Our moms are best friends, so we all grew up together. His brother, Spencer, is my best friend.”
“That’s a lot of history.”
Humming in acknowledgement, Ginny continued, “Our families spent summers together when we were kids, and when Gavin was fourteen or so…we had a fling. It didn’t end well and I hadn’t seen him since then.”
“My Christmas party was the first time you saw each other in…how many years?”
“Twelve, give or take.”You know how long it’s been, don’t play coy.She’d been eighteen and Gavin had been sixteen when shit hit the fan, when he tossed her the velvet box she still hadn’t opened. When he’d caught her in the cove with Camilla. The memory made her heart ache, because she could still see Gavin’s expression clearly in her head.
“And now you don’t like each other, but you’re working together.”
It was a question posed as a statement and Ginny opened her mouth to respond, but changed her mind. How did she explain to someone else what she and Gavin were to each other, how they felt about each other, without making it sound so ridiculous and childish? Because at the heart of it, their frustrated banter and constant need to poke at each other was a little juvenile. They weren’t looking to rip each other’s throats out anymore, but that didn’t mean they were always happy to be around each other either.
They hadn’t seen each other in a few days, her visit to tour the shelter being the last she’d seen him, but Ginny was still thinking about him. Not necessarily in a good way, because he popped into her head when she was hornyandangry. It was the kind of confusing she didn’t need or want. Yet, it existed.
“We don’tnotlike each other, it’s just…messy,” she finally said, because that one word contained multiple meanings for what was really going on between the two of them.
“Is it a good idea to work together when it’s messy?”
Ain’t that the million-dollar question?
“It’ll be fine.” Even though she said the words with all of the confidence she possessed, Ginny didn’t believe them. “We’ve been talking and dealing with this shit for a few days now, well…it’ll be fine. I won’t make WEW look bad.”
Which wasn’t a lie. She wouldn’t make Wildes Events + Weddings look bad at all. She would deliver yet another stunning event that would get them more clients and raise tons of money for Gavin and the shelter. Problem was, they hadn’treallybeen talking or dealing with their shit. Gavin might have been on his best behavior when she visited the shelter, but the tension lingered. They had so much history to sort through, but the last time she’d approached that topic, he’d gotten mean. Sheunderstoodhis reaction, but she didn’t support it. Their past would always be the elephant in every room and conversation, and it was easier not dealing with it. But it was also so very unhealthy. Ginny knew they needed to figure their shit out before it exploded in their faces.
