Page 105 of Sanctuary

Gabe couldn’t get her head around Janie’s actions. Everything she’d seen at Solo’s house had been picture-perfect. “She’s put your whole life together at risk.”

“She says that I don’t see her anymore, not since we had the kids.”

Gabe thought back to the night she and Lori babysat the triplets and how Solo didn’t register how beautiful Janie looked until she was prompted. It was a fair accusation if that was a regular occurrence. “Why didn’t she just talk to you and give you the chance to fix it?”

Solo shrugged and rubbed at the grease on the back of her hand. “If I’m honest, she probably did. I guess I haven’t been listening either.”

“I’m sorry, buddy.” Gabe tried to put herself in Solo’s shoes, but she just couldn’t imagine neglecting a wife as beautiful as Janie. Solo had clearly thrived in her role as a parent—she loved those little terrors—but it had been at the expense of her role as a lover and partner. Maybe that wasn’t unusual in the parenting world. “Is there any way back?”

Solo sighed. “I don’t know yet. We both need some time.” She looked at her watch and tapped the face. “Recess is over. We should get back to it.”

Gabe picked up her bagel and stood. She grabbed Solo’s shoulder with her other hand. “We’re all here for you. Whatever you need.”

“Thanks. And Gabe, I’m happy for you. I’m sorry I nearly messed that up,” Solo said and headed to the garage floor. “You just always have your shit so together, and I guess I was feeling jealous and…inept, I guess. It was shitty.”

“It’s all good, Solo.” Gabe still didn’t want food, but she needed the energy for the rest of the day, so she ate her lunch in three bites as she followed Solo down to the garage floor. Relationship troubles were difficult enough when they were just between two people but adding kids to the mix ramped up the complication levels to DEFCON 1. And in this case, there were business entanglements too. She couldn’t stop the selfish consideration of how Solo’s marriage issues might affect the garage. Their dream was finally happening; it couldn’t get torpedoed now.

Gabe stopped at the mezzanine and looked across the garage floor to the Brewster protected by a giant tarp. Woody said they’d gotten interest from collectors all over the world, and Saturday’s auction event had sold out within three days of the announcement that the car had originally belonged to Marie Zimmerman. It was a restoration project they were all proud of, and Gabe hoped it wouldn’t be their last.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Lori took a long drink of the lemonade she’d had clutched in her hands when she started the story. The ice was long gone, and the liquid was room temperature. She’d had a lot to tell Rosie, and it had all come out in a stream of consciousness she could barely make sense of herself. No wonder Rosie looked shell-shocked.

“That’s a hell of a story,” Rosie said.

Lori smiled. “It was a hell of a night.”

“So it looks like you’ve always had a vamp deep inside just waiting to come out.” Rosie shook her head. “I never would’ve guessed it.”

“Nor me. But now that she’s out, I don’t think I can shove her away again.”

Rosie frowned. “Do you want to?”

“No, definitely not.” She shivered at the thought of Gabe’s hands on her body. “She made me feel things last night that I’d never imagined feeling.” She sighed deeply. “It was a maelstrom of every sensation possible, every sense coming alive, and then…a perfect peace like I feel at the end of a meditation.”

“I just call that an orgasm.”

Lori laughed. “Whatever you want to call it, it was like waking up after a deep slumber and discovering life’s beau?—”

“Oh my God.” Rosie rolled her eyes. “Are you in love after one night of halfway decent sex?”

“I was in love way before that. Last night just sealed the deal.”

“I was kidding.” Rosie sat up suddenly. “Are you seriously in love?”

“I am,” Lori said, a little taken aback by Rosie’s reaction. “I thought you’d be happy for me.”

Rosie took Lori’s hand. “I am, but I think it’s okay for me to worry about you at the same time. I said you should get back on the horse, not buy the ranch. You’re still healing from the last person who cheated on you.”

Lori withdrew her hand from Rosie’s and stiffened. “Gabe didn’t cheat on me. It was years ago, in another world almost, and you could even make a case that it was justified.”

“Wow, she’s got you drinking the Kool-Aid, hasn’t she? You’d never have considered any cheating justifiable before.”

Lori untucked her legs from beneath her butt and sat up straight. “You don’t believe her story? Have you asked Shay what happened?”

“Shay shut me down when I raised the issue, but we don’t really do much talking when we get together.”

Lori relaxed a little, realizing that Rosie’s reaction was probably linked to her own situation with Shay. “I’m not a fool, Rosie,” she said gently. “I believe she’s telling the truth, and I have to go with my instinct. I ignored it for too long with the lawyer, and that brought me nothing but pain. I won’t ignore it again and risk a chance at happiness. Gabe…fits.” She held out her hand, and Rosie took it. “But I need my best friend beside me too.”

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