Page 3 of Gideon

Over my dead body.I also would bet my last million that Richard wasn’t a member anywhere, despite what he was trying to imply. “Well, perhaps…” I let the word hang as if I was debating with myself. “Of course it would be acceptable for you to attend, but not Abigail I’m afraid.” I noted Abigail seemed to brighten a little. “Perhaps you would allow me to keep Abigail company while you go meet Master Ford?” He looked reluctant. “Actually, I believe there are one or two new guests here already to meet him,” I lied. And that tipped the balance. With an admonition for Abigail not to move or be a nuisance, he hurried away. Abigail sighed.

“I don’t suppose I could borrow a phone, could I? I was in such a rush I left mine in my locker at work.”

“Of course,” I soothed. “You came straight here from work?” She nodded, not seeming to notice when I guided her to the comfy leather couch Max and I had been sitting on a moment ago.

“I’ll call for a cab,” she said, yawning suddenly, her hand flying up to cover her mouth.

“We can arrange that. Have you eaten at all if you came from work?”

She shook her head despondently. “No, Ricky—Richard, said I shouldn’t. That we could eat afterwards, but I get cranky when my blood sugar drops.”

She was perfect. Her lower lip even stuck out a little to accompany her last statement. “Well, we can’t have that.” I caught the eye of one of the subs that was serving for the next hour. He was clearly hovering and waiting to see if I needed anything.

“Christopher, can I get a plate of assorted—sorry, are you allergic to anything?” She pinked again and shook her head.

“No, I just don’t do well with heavy food coloring.”

I glanced back at Christopher. “Please ask Margaret for a sample arrangement of finger food, and pass on Miss Abigail’s request. And we’ll have two bottles of water, a coffee, and one of Margaret’s special hot chocolates.”

“Yes, sir,” Christopher said and rushed away.

“Special hot chocolate?” Abigail asked.

“With whipped cream and chocolate flakes on top.”

Abigail groaned, leaning back, and put her hand on her belly. “That sounds wonderful.”

I checked off another plus on my list.

“You don’t need to babysit me,” she said suddenly, jerking forward, realizing her eyes were in danger of closing.

“It would be my pleasure to keep you company. You mentioned kids?” I deflected. “Tough job.”

She smiled softly. “Daycare. It can be, but it’s so worth it.”

I reached out and tugged gently on her pigtail. “It suits you.”

She flushed again and I was fascinated. A moment later my coffee and her hot chocolate arrived. I wanted nothing more than to drag her onto my knee and let her drink it out of a sippy cup, or better yet a bottle. “Have you known Richard long?”

She sighed. “As neighbors when we were kids. But not recently. I met him in the grocery store a few times, and we’ve gone out for a drink, but nothing too serious. He said he needed someone to come with him to meet some friends from work.” She rubbed her eyes with one hand and stifled another yawn. I would get some food into her and take her home myself. There was no way I trusted either a cab or numb-nuts. And good, he wasn’t her boyfriend. As far as I was concerned, he wouldn’t ever be.

Margaret came herself with the food, and a soft, fluffy blanket draped over her arm. She smiled and handed it to me. “In case your young lady gets chilly.” I thanked her. Margaret knew my preferences.

“Wow, that’s service,” Abigail said watching Margaret leave, then seemed bemused as I got a plate and napkin, then forked some chicken bites, a bit of pasta salad, some egg rolls, and a few chips onto a plate, then passed it to her after I’d wrapped the blanket around her shoulders. I really wanted to feed her myself but managed to restrain the impulse.

She looked up, “Thank you, that’s really kind.” My ears picked up on the surprise, almost as if she wasn’t usedto much kindness, and it made every protective instinct I’d honed in my forty-five years sit up and take notice. I watched as she ate the chicken bites and salad but left the egg roll and most of the chips. I unscrewed the bottle of water before passing it over and again she shot me a startled look. “Thank you.”

“You’re very welcome, Abby.”

She beamed when I used a shortened version of her name so I must have called it. While she sipped the hot chocolate we shared some other tidbits about the club, her work, but when she yawned again and blinked her eyes, I knew I needed to call it a night. I sent a quick text to my manager asking him to inform Mr. Richard Martin that I had taken Miss Barkley home, as she was tired, and would make sure she got inside safely.

Abby looked like in another minute she would be asleep on the couch, and I ached to take proper care of her. Since it seemed she’d been forced to leave her coat in Richard’s car, I wrapped the blanket around her, adding another negative to the idiot’s tally. For many reasons, we had to keep the club reasonably cool. I got her address from the manager, as they had to sign in, but wasn’t thrilled to discover it was on Errin Road. There were a lot of apartments there, and I didn’t know how some of them got away with the appalling standards their tenants lived in.

Sure enough she was fast asleep when I pulled up, turned off the engine, and got out. Hers wasn’t one of the worst ones, but I definitely wouldn’t simply drop her off. In fact, when I opened the car door and she didn’t stir, I fished her keys out of her purse and simply gathered her up in my arms. I’d humped packs in basic training that weighed more than she did, even as deliciously curvy as she was.I had to juggle the keys a little, but two teens came out at the same time I wanted to go in and they never spared me so much as a second glance. I even managed to unlock her apartment with one hand as the lock was shit, and I shouldered my way in and clicked on a light.

I took in the tiny apartment. It was sparse but scrupulously clean from what I could see. A small kitchenette stood behind a breakfast bar, again clean but bare, so I carried on to the closed door on the other side assuming it was the bedroom and managed to push it open with one hand.

It was pink.

---