Page 114 of Mr. Infuriating

I’d be surprised if I made it through this kitchen renovation without throwing myself at him.

That didn’t exactly fit into my “find a new husband and pop out some kids” plan.

Maybe I could just practice the making the kids part. So when I did find my new baby daddy, I’d be ready to rock his world, and he’d want nothing more than to put a baby in me.

God, I was lame.

Why couldn’t I just admit I wanted to have sex again with the hot carpenter? I needed to channel some of Laura’s energy. She’d have no trouble admitting that’s what she wanted and going after it.

The problem was she could get up the next day and not think about the guy again. Meanwhile, I brought Gabe home, granted it was for the entire weekend, and was heartbroken when he ghosted me. And even more heartbroken when I learned why.

But it also confirmed there was no future with him.

I really needed Mr. Infuriating to be a little less likeable now and a lot more infuriating.

****

Gabe

Gretchen had thrown towels on her dining room chairs and was seated at the table, enjoying a slice of cheesecake right out of the container when I came back inside.

“We forgot to have dessert earlier,” she said with a flirty smile.

“I think the pizza filled us up.” I opened her refrigerator and pulled a slice from the bag. “Although neither of us had thought to offer any to Beau.”

“We should be ashamed of ourselves. We’re cheesecake hoarders.”

I grabbed a plastic fork from a bag of disposable silverware that she’d neatly lined up next to the paper plates and plastic cups on the hutch she’d transformed into a microwave cart.

Following Gretchen’s lead, I forwent a plate, opened the lid, and took a bite before sitting down next to her.

“Anyone who’s tried Caruso’s cheesecake wouldn’t blame us.”

A small smile escaped her, and I noticed she arched her back a little when she leaned forward.

“How should we decide who gets the last piece?”

She was definitely flirting.

I thought about what Beau had said. She did deserve someone amazing.

I wasn’t that man. I brought way too much baggage to the table.

“We could just split it. Or, we could be nice and offer it to Beau tomorrow.”

Her face fell and she sat back in her chair.

“Yeah, that’d probably be the polite thing to do. Since he is helping and everything.”

She tossed her fork in the container next to her half-eaten slice and closed the lid.

“Besides, this piece should last me the weekend, unless Jake catches me eating it.”

I laughed out loud.

“I have a mini-fridge in my bedroom closet where I hide my snacks I don’t want the kids to find.”

“I’m learning all the tricks. One of my coworkers hides candy in an empty oatmeal container in her pantry, and another puts it in a vegetable bag in the freezer.”

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