Page 43 of Rafael

“I don’t know. Now, if I stay up past midnight, I’m worthless all the next day.” She waved a hand at Danny, who hurried over.

“What can I get you two?” Danny asked.

“Could I get a to-go box for my salad? And we’d like to pay the bill.” Gisele handed her credit card to the waitress.

“Gotcha.” Danny took the card with a smile. “I’ll be right back.”

Shelby frowned. “I was going to buyyourdinner.”

“You can next time,” Gisele promised.

Shelby’s brow puckered. “Will there be a next time? Have I crossed the line and ruined our friendship?” She stared across the table at Gisele. “That’s the last thing I wanted to do. I love you like a sister. I should’ve flown my ass up to New York City to putthe hurt on the man who did you wrong. He shouldn’t have gotten away with ruining your career and breaking your heart.”

Gisele laid her hand over Shelby’s. “Our friendship is intact. And don’t worry about New York. He did me a favor and showed his true colors. That whole situation opened my eyes to what really matters.”

Shelby turned her hand over and squeezed Gisele’s. “Family and friends?”

“Exactly,” Gisele said. “I didn’t come home with my tail between my legs. I came home to the people and place I love. It wasn’t my last resort. It was my first choice.”

Danny returned with Gisele’s credit card, receipt and a box for the salad she never ate.

“Thank you, Danny.” Gisele took the card, signed the bill and dumped her salad into the box. She looked across the table at Shelby, whose eyelids struggled to remain open. “Let’s get you home.”

Gisele wanted Shelby to drop her off at the end of Main Street, insisting she could walk the rest of the way to her shop.

Shelby refused and drove her all the way.

“Are you going to stay awake long enough to drive yourself home?” Gisele asked as she unbuckled her seatbelt in front of her shop.

“I’ll be fine. I’ve pulled enough night shifts; I candrive the streets of Bayou Mambaloa with my eyes closed.”

Gisele’s hand froze on the belt buckle.

Shelby laughed. “I’m kidding. But you should have seen the look on your face. I’ll wait for you to get inside and then drive straight home. With my eyes open.”

Still, Gisele hesitated, worried her friend was too sleepy to make it across their small town to her cottage.

Shelby touched her arm. “Go. I’ll be fine. Remy just texted me. He’s at home waiting for me.”

Gisele met Shelby’s gaze. “Thank you for making me go to dinner with you. We need to do Girl Time again. Soon.”

“Next time, we should include Bernie, Felina and Ouida Mae.”

“Don’t forget Camille and Amelia,” Gisele said.

“Them, too.” Shelby waved a hand. “Guard your heart, my friend.”

“I’ve got this,” she assured her friend. As she walked away, she wondered if she really did.

She’d only spent a short amount of time with the man.

Shelby had fallen in love with Remy long before they became a couple. She’d dated douchebag in New York for months before she’d trusted him enough to sleep with him—and look where that had gotten her.

Having only spent a few hours with Rafael, surely her heart wasn’t anywhere near at risk.

Was it?

CHAPTER 9

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