Page 28 of Forbidden Sins

Which indeed?

“I’ll find her a new mentor.”

Alana’s lips pursed in a way that annoyed him. “Interesting.”

In any other life, he could see being with Alana, and while they’d fooled around a little in the past, they’d thankfully decided that they were much better as friends.

“So, in the meantime, what do I do?”

She shrugged. “I find it hard to believe that you don’t have more self-control than that. But, in the same breath, I can’t believe that you’re here looking for advice about women. This is new territory. I think you should avoid her until a judge signs off on the annulment, instead of playing the happy honeymooners. There’s no sense in prolonging the inevitable.” She paused. “Unless you see a future with her.”

Gabe looked into his beer, saying nothing.

“Do you see a future with her?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “I know I like being with her. We have fun. I think that’s why I wanted to see her again—getting to know each other, see if there’s something worth salvaging between us.”

Alana hummed, and took a sip of her wine. He couldn’t tell what was happening behind her eyes.

“What?”

“Nothing. You hungry?”

“Starving.” Gabe picked up his menu, ignoring her knowing gaze. He’d told her his problem, and she’d given him some good advice—not that he was sure he’d be following it. He was done with the conversation. “How’s the tuna today?”

“It’s amazing, as usual,” she told him, still watching him carefully. “I’ll drop the subject if you want to drop it.”

“I want to drop it.”

“Another round?” she asked, gesturing to her empty glass.

Another round? His life was a complete mess. He needed at least anothersixrounds. He could always take a car back to the office. “Yes, please.”

CHAPTER NINE

ELLIESIPPEDHERcoffee and looked around the large conference room at the assembled associates and staff of the law firm. She scanned the faces—most somewhat familiar—trying to tell herself that she wasn’t looking for Gabe. With the exception of a few emails back and forth, she hadn’t seen him all day. But really, she hadn’t seen anyone. She’d sequestered herself in her tiny office on the first floor, barely breaking to eat a sandwich at her desk, one by one ticking each item off the list of things Gabe had asked her to do.

She wasn’t about to complain about the work. She didn’t want to be accused of skating by just because she was the firm founder’s daughter. She was willing to do more, stay later than anyone just to prove that she deserved to be there. She drank from her mug again. Just coffee. Not wine or spirits like everyone else. There was no way she was going to let her father catch her with a drink in her hand at a work party.

She looked around at all the people gathered, their rigid postures jovial, but there was no way they were having fun. It didn’t take a keen observer to see the discomfort, the stilted smiles, the awkward interactions. Everyone on their best behavior. It wasn’t the type of party she was used to. “I used to be so good at this,” she muttered to herself in her corner, away from whatmightbe called the action.

Ellie heard Gabe before she saw him. She looked to the doorway, where she watched him enter the room, laughing with another one of the senior associates. He slapped his colleague on the back, and looked up to search the room—his eyes finding hers immediately—and in several long strides, he crossed the room to her.

“Ellie, I’m glad you made it up this evening.”

“Yeah, I just finished up.”

“Sorry if I piled on too much.”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s nothing I can’t handle.”

“You did excellent work,” he told her.

Ellie lowered her voice. “I even took care of that other matter we discussed last night.” Her answer to their annulment.

He blinked quickly. “Good.” His voice lowered. “Now it’s in the judge’s hands until we get a court date, and it’ll all be behind us.” She nodded, and he shifted closer to her. “Now that that’s taken care of, there’s something else I wanted to discuss with you.”

She noted the way his voice lowered, his eyes hooded.

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