Page 37 of Marry Your Best Friend

I sit up a little straighter. The funeral was a few days ago, and I haven’t been avoiding Gabe, but he still hasn’t been around much. It seems everyone at the fire department has been sick, and he’s working nonstop. I’m worried about him. Usually I would have checked on him, and I’m feeling guilty that I haven’t. “Of course he loves me. I love him… and my brothers.”

She holds a hand up. “So help me if you say he’s your brother, I’m going to scream. I can barely be in the same room as you two.”

“What do you mean by that?”

She wiggles her eyebrows at me. “You two are a whole vibe.”

“We’re friends. Best friends and he’s always looked out for me.”

“Yeah, but—”

She stops talking and is staring over my shoulder at the front door. I turn to see what’s got her attention, and my stomach does a flip when I see Gabe coming in. He goes straight to the bar, and that’s when I realize he’s not alone. There’s a woman with him, and she’s smiling up at him. It’s like a punch to my gut, and even though I try to actlike I’m not affected by seeing him with another woman, I am.

“Gabe!” Cat hollers across the restaurant.

I half-whisper, half-yell at her, “Cat, no! He’s here on a date or something.”

Cat looks at me like I’ve grown two heads just as Gabe and his friend comes over to us. “Hey, you two.”

He hugs Cat and me, and when he raises up, he gestures to the woman next to him. “Lainey, this is Cat and Chrissy. Lainey is a rookie. She just got transferred from the Jasper FD.”

I try to smile, but I’m almost queasy as I look at the two of them. Thankfully, Cat takes over the conversation. “So you’re new to Whiskey Run? That’s exciting! Are you here permanently or just helping out?”

Lainey looks at Gabe and smiles. “Permanently.”

“Gabe, food’s ready!” Malcolm calls out from behind the bar.

Gabe gives him a thumbs-up before he tells us, “I’m going to grab the food. I’ll be right back.”

Lainey stays with us, and Cat uses the time to get to know her. Usually I’m friendly topeople, but all I can do is sit here shell shocked. “So how are you liking Whiskey Run?”

Lainey looks over at the bar at Gabe and then smiles at Cat. “Really good. Gabriel has been amazing and has been showing me the ropes. He’s something else.”

Cat nods in agreement. “Yeah, Gabe is one of the good ones.”

My throat feels thick, and all I can do is nod my head in agreement. I recognize the look Lainey is giving Gabe because I’ve looked at him that way for more than half my life. He’s one of those people that is just fun to be around. He makes you feel special and like you’re one of the most important people in the world.

Gabe is smiling when he walks back over to us, but his smile falters when he looks at me. He lifts up the bag he’s carrying. “The food is all ready. We should probably get back before Rich tries to fix something and everyone gets food poisoning.”

Lainey laughs like it’s some kind of inside joke, and I can’t hide the reaction on my face. Gabe puts a hand on my shoulder. “You doing okay? I know you’ve been busy at work.”

I feel guilty for an instant because I have been busy at work, but I should have been talking to himand returning his phone calls. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I feel like I screwed up our friendship, and I should be working to get things back to the way they were, but I just can’t. It hurts to see him. “I’m good, yeah.”

Lainey grabs one of the bags from Gabe. “Here, let me help you.”

He hands her the bag, and I watch as their hands touch and Lainey laughs. Kill me now.

They tell us bye, and Gabe tells me he’ll call me later, but as soon as they walk out of the bar, I push my plate away and bang my forehead on the table.

Cat just continues to eat, watching as I make a spectacle of myself. “Ready to talk now?”

It’s not until I raise my head and she sees the tears in my eyes that the smile on her face drops and she looks at me worriedly. “Oh honey…. Talk to me. What’s going on in your head?”

I grab a napkin and wipe at my eyes. “Cat, I messed up. I messed up so bad, and now there’s no fixing it.”

She moves around the table to sit next to me instead of across from me. “How did you mess up?”

“I had sex with Gabe.”

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