Page 35 of One Short Summer

“I’m not sure I like you very much right now.”

Too bad he can’t keep the grin off his face.

I get up to place my bowl in the sink before making my way back over to Gabe. The granite is smooth under my fingertips when I brush them along the counter, imagining them on his chest instead.

Yup, my hormones have completely taken over.

“So, that means you still want me?”

My question earns me an eyeroll that I take as a yes.

Another step to close the distance between us.

“Monica.”

My name coming from his lips sounds like a plea.

Bingo.

His gaze lands on my mouth, not leaving it as he swallows loudly, his Adam’s apple bobbing extra long in his throat.

I’m sure he’s a second away from grabbing me when his phone rings.

My eyes close in frustration. We might have to establish some phone rules in the future.

Gabe looks at the screen, frowning. “Sorry, but I’ve got to take this. It’s Hudson, and he’s already called a few times.”

My tummy churns uneasily, and I nod. “Of course. I hope everything’s okay.” My mind immediately drifts to Charlie and the baby, and I have to sit down after feeling a little dizzy.

“Hudson, what’s going on?”

I watch Gabe as he paces around the room, the one-sided part of the conversation not giving away enough to ease my worry, especially once the word “hospital” is mentioned.

When he finally hangs up after a few minutes, I’m practically ready to burst at the seams. “What happened?”

Gabe brushes his hand down his face before walking over to me. “Dahlia had an accident, but she’s okay. She broke her arm in several places when she fell off a ladder at the academy. Seems like she was too impatient to wait for someone to help her hang up a sign, so she thought she’d do it by herself instead. It’s obviously not a great situation for her, but compared to what could’ve happened, it’s all good.”

My hand flies to my mouth, my eyes going wide. Relief floods through me that nothing worse happened, even though I feel incredibly bad for Gabe’s sister. “Poor thing. That’s awful, especially with her academy.”

Dahlia’s Brooksville Academy of Arts just had its grand re-opening a few weeks ago, after being closed for several months for expansions and renovations. What started as a small project with a few arts classes for kids has long since grown into a huge, larger-than-life program she added more and more classes to from various other art forms, like dancing, music, and theatre.

Hudson just started teaching several classes there, and of course, I’ve snuck a peek at each and every one of them. I couldn’t miss the opportunity to watch him giggle with the little ones as they bang and clang their way through several musical instruments. Watching him with the older ones is exhilarating too, as he tries to teach them as much as he can while they hang on to each and every word that comes out of his mouth, treating him like the rockstar legend he is.

Dahlia loves having her brother around as much as the rest of the Mitchell family does.

Concern for her blooms inside my throat. “Is she okay though, besides the break?”

Gabe nods. “Apparently, she passed out for a moment when she hit the floor, but the doctors did an MRI to make sure she’s all right, and nothing popped up.”

“Phew.” I take the cold water bottle off the bar and hold it against my forehead to help with the faint feeling that still hasn’t gone away. “I’m so glad nothing worse happened. They’re sure it’s just the arm and nothing else?”

“Yeah. They just got done with all of her tests at the hospital when Hudson called. She has a little bump on her head but is fine otherwise.”

I close my eyes and blow some air up my face. The Mitchell family has become like a second family to me, and the last thing I’d want is for something to happen to any of them. “That’s good. Good, good, good.”

Gabe plays with the phone in his hands. “Would you be mad if we left early to go back home? I want to be there for her.”

I tilt my head back so I can look up at him. “Mad? Why do you think I’d be mad? This is your sister we’re talking about here. Of course we’re going back home. You don’t even have to ask.”

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