Page 69 of Gabriel & Skye

“Just met that cute nanny of yours.” He whistles low. “No wonder you’re whistling while you work these days. I would be too. She’s cute.”

Gray chuckles into his bourbon. “A woman like that is bound to do that to you.”

Thank fuck they can’t read minds. If they knew what I really thought about my hot nanny — or the vivid dream I had — they’d be giving me shit about it all night.

“I don’t know about whistling while I work, but she’s great with Trinity, and she’s happy. That’s gotta be a good start.”

“Can you get out of dad mode for five seconds?” Hudson points a finger at me.

“It’s a little hard to do that,” I sigh. “You two might live lives of complete freedom, but not all of us do.”

“Do you like the woman or not?” he presses. “Because if you don’t…”

I bristle at his words, jealousy running through me. “Since when did this turn into an inquisition about me?” I balk.

“Just answer the question,” Gray says. “Should be simple enough to do, even for you.”

My eyes narrow at him. I told him the other day I thought she was cute, so he’s now ganging up with Hudson, purely just to spite me. “I have eyes, so of course I’ve noticed. And if I didn’t like her, she wouldn’t be working for me.”

“Ask her on a fucking date,” Hudson mutters just before Travis walks up with his beer.

“Ask who on a fucking date?” He gives me a chin lift.

I can’t exactly tell him the truth. “Someone I can’t have — it’s complicated.” Fuck. Why did I say that?

Gray and Huds try to contain their amusement, but barely.

“Isn’t it about time you jumped back on the horse?” Trav goes on, oblivious.

This is kinda awkward when I’m picturing his sister. “Don’t you start. If you want to dig the knife in, start with Hudson.” I glance over toward him. “He’s been dateless for quite some time now. We’re all a little concerned.”

“Just waitin’ for the right one, boys. Had a lot of wrong ones, believe me. It ain’t what it’s cracked up to be. Broads are trouble with a capital T.”

“The right one.” Gray’s shoulders shake with laughter. “One day I might believe it; when I see it with my own eyes.”

“Hey, it shouldn’t come as a surprise,” he says. “I told you this not so long ago, and it’s not like I’m gettin’ any younger.”

“I thought you were joking!” Gray balks. “I seriously misjudged you, my friend.”

Hudson has been known to have had extensive experience in one-night stands, just as bad as me in the couple of years after my wife destroyed my life. All of that’s behind me now, but I can’t say I was an angel.

“I heard Dolly Simpson is on the prowl.” Travis coughs into his hand.

She’s the local beautification in town who’s a little bit of a man-eater, in the nicest possible way.

“Been there, done that,” Huds sighs. “I’m talking about a good, sweet, southern girl who knows how to stand on her own two feet, doesn’t talk back too much, and is willing to put up with my array of shit; the days vary.”

Us guys all laugh. “Yeah? And how’s that going for you?” I shake my head.

“No takers, but your sister is always spinning her woo-woo shit about one door closing and another opening. She tried to cleanse me with a rose quartz earlier; said I had bad juju and I could do with a chakra realignment.”

We all burst out laughing. “She gets it from our mother.” Gray wipes a tear from his eye. “The Bassett women are horribly superstitious, too. Rumor has it our great-grandmother could hex people.”

Something about what he said about a good southern woman has me backing up as I blurt out, “And what’s wrong with Georgia-Blue?”

He turns to look at me. “What?”

“She’s a good southern woman who can stand on her own two feet. Then again, she does talk back, and I doubt she’d put up with any of your shit — my bad, forget I said anything.” I take a pull of my beer, trying not to laugh.

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