Page 36 of Visions of You

“That it was Gabe?”

I nodded.

She made a dismissive noise. “He’s thirty-six years old. He can take care of himself. Though I’m a little surprised at you, considering your stance on men when you first got here.”

“Me too. We’re going out Saturday.”

“Ha!” she shouted triumphantly, and I jumped. That made her laugh. “Sorry. But this morning, I gave him the third degree and told him he needed to ask you out. Obviously, he did.”

“I want to pour it over every inch of your body and lick it off.”

After a deep inhale, I blinked several times and turned my attention back to my friend. “Yeah, we’re doing dinner and a movie at Driftwood Beach.”

Maia’s brow furrowed. “Driftwood Beach? I thought they were showing a rom-com this weekend.”

“They are.”

She stared at me, then her chest started shaking. She rushed a hand to her mouth but couldn’t hold in the guffaws. “Oh my God! You convinced my brother—Gabe!—to go to a romantic comedy? Girl, he must be seriously ga-ga over you. If I asked him to do that, he’d smack me in the head and tell me to piss off.”

“I might have some charms he can’t see in you.”

She shuddered, still laughing. “Well, I hope so, but have fun. Who knows? The movie is a comedy. Maybe he’ll even laugh once or twice.”

Chapter Fifteen

Gabe

I glanced quicklyat my jaw in the rearview mirror, verifying the sharp line on my cheek and across my neck. The evening was warm with hardly a breeze. I’d planned on putting the top down on my car, but April wore her hair down and I didn’t want her to worry about it blowing everywhere.

She wore a dark red sleeveless button-down shirt matched with a white skirt and sandals. And makeup—the first time I’d ever seen her wear any. She knew how to apply it too, and I was pleased she wasn’t one of those women who slathered it everywhere. Instead, I couldn’t really tell what she’d done, except she was even more gorgeous than normal.

And that was saying something.

We passed over the causeway between Calypso Key and Dove Key. Halting at the stoplight, I smirked at Salty’s Tavern across the street. I turned right onto Main Street. A large sign stood at the side of the road, pointing the way to Conch Republic Brewpub at the end of the street.

April ducked her head to read the sign. “Are we going to the brewpub?”

“No,” I said and made a left turn a short distance later. “I’m taking you to a little hole-in-the-wall place called Rousseau’s. It doesn’t look like much, but it’s one of the best restaurants in the Lower Keys.”

She smiled at me, and my heart flopped over. Something about this woman captivated me—more than physical attraction. For the first time in forever, I wanted to make a good impression. To have her think highly of me. Before picking her up, I had spent an embarrassing amount of time in my closet before deciding on a dark-orange button-down shirt and khakis.

The narrow lane ran between a pizza parlor and an ice cream shop, then I turned into the small sand parking lot of Rousseau’s. The building was a light-green, single-story cottage with white trim. April exited the car before I had a chance to open the door for her. So I settled for pressing my hand against the small of her back as we climbed the short flight of stairs, stepping onto a covered porch that ran the length of the building.

With my head, I pointed to the left end of the porch where the bathrooms were. “I need to use the men’s room before we go in. Wait for me?”

“Of course.”

She leaned against the railing as I headed down the wooden floor. When I came out a few minutes later, she was standing upright and talking to someone on the other side of her who was leaning down on the rail. My eyes narrowed as I took in her stiff shoulders.

Then the person straightened upright.

It was Ben Coleridge.

Anger exploded in my gut, and I strode toward them, my footsteps echoing loudly.

Ben looked up and widened his eyes when he saw me.

“Get out of here, Coleridge.” I tried to keep my voice low, but mywords still came out menacing. I placed an arm around April’s shoulders.

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