Page 17 of Fierce-Gabe

He’d found it.

After he’d made a major misstep with her. They’d gotten off on the wrong foot.

He’d tried to apologize and done everything else he could to get Elise to talk to him.

She’d walked away angry.

Since then, he did everything he could to just poke at her in a happy way. It drove her nuts and gave him a smile and a glimpse at the side of her he wanted to know more of.

Elise Kennedy was made of concrete tough enough that dynamite wasn’t blowing through it.

The thought that maybe he had some extra firepower in his corner might be the help he needed.

“Why do you two have a problem?” his father asked. “I always found Elise a pleasure to talk to. She’s not fake. You know how much I hate fake people.”

“She’s not,” Gabe said. “And to be honest, I don’t know the problem. Guess I just rub her the wrong way.”

No way he was telling his parents what he knew that could be the problem. It wasn’t their business.

“Now that you know,” his mother asked. “Do you want the Fierces to know you’re aware?”

“Not sure it’s going to make a difference,” he said. “Might as well just keep it quiet for now and let it play out. Could be interesting to see what they think they can do.”

“You’re not going to fight it?” Jocelyn asked. His sister looked confused.

“Nothing to fight,” he said. “It is what it is. You can’t make someone like you, even if the Fierces think they can.”

Trust me, he knew. He tried.

Someone else could do it now.

5

HIDING AT HOME

The last place Elise wanted to be a month later was the Fierce Christmas Eve get-together.

But now that they were working so closely with the Fierces, she really couldn’t avoid these events.

Besides, Royce was here with Chloe so with any luck she wouldn’t get ganged up on by the Fierces. And she knew enough other people here too.

“You’re doing the right thing coming,” her father said to her. He’d been here when she arrived. She made her way to him right away.

“It’s fine. I don’t do much anyway.”

“It’s nice for you to get out of the house,” her father said. “Remember that.”

“I know Royce and Chloe are going to her parents’ after here to celebrate and I guess there was part of me that didn’t want to sit around and be the only anti-social one of the family.”

“That’s the spirit,” her father said.

The only problem was, she knew beyond a doubt she’d probably run into Gabe McCarthy and wanted to avoid that.

“Elise,” Carolyn said, rushing over to her. “We are so glad you could come this year. We don’t normally see you at these events. I heard you are coming to the New Year’s Eve party too.”

“I am,” she said. “My father told me I have to stop hiding at home. Though last year I was at a friend’s house on New Year’s Eve.”

Carolyn smiled. “I love that you say it like it is. Whatever the reason is, we are so thrilled you could make it. I know you know plenty of people here.”

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