Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 75592 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75592 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
He didn’t answer and I had to suppress a grin when he turned to Marcie. “What do you think?”
She immediately shook her head and held out her palms. “Oh, no you don’t. That’s not my decision.”
“Your opinion matters to me,” he said, taking one of her hands in his. “Give it to me straight.”
Marcie’s eyes softened and she smiled at Ethan. She then glanced around the table at everyone, her gaze holding the longest on my brothers before she said, “I think it’s important to let Sylvie have a relationship with Gabe and not just a surface relationship. I think it needs to be fostered… deepened, even. Everything that Kat said is true and he deserves our trust, I think. But more importantly, Gabe is the last representation that Sylvie has of her mother. You can’t take that from her.”
Ethan nodded and I could tell by the expression on his face that was exactly what he was thinking. “She’s really homesick for France and she deserves some fun and goodness right now.” He glanced over to my parents. “I’m sorry. I know you want to take her and you still should at the end of the summer, but I think it would be great if she went now.” Ethan then brought his attention to me. “But you’d have to go, Kat. You made a compelling argument that Gabe has earned some trust, but he doesn’t have my full level and I’m not sure he ever will.”
I was happy that Ethan decided to let Sylvie go and there was one thing he and I were absolutely aligned on. I wasn’t sure Gabe would ever have my full trust either, and that’s not just because of his last name.
“And you’ll be coming with Sylvie and me?” Gabe asks.
And… is his voice huskier than normal? I shake off that notion. “Yeah, you still need a chaperone.”
Gabe snorts in amusement, shaking his head but then when his eyes land on me, they’re warm and filled with gratitude. “Kat, this—thank you. It means a lot that you managed this.”
I cross my arms, leaning against the wall. “Sylvie deserves this and it’s important to her. We’re all working in her best interests.”
Gabe steps closer, his presence overwhelming. “And what about you? Going to France with me—this isn’t a simple decision.”
I avoid his gaze, focusing instead on the patterns in the wood grain of the parquet flooring. “I’ve arranged for my brothers to cover for me at the farm. It’s handled.”
“That’s not what I asked.” Curiosity lifts my head to meet his eyes. “Are you okay with this? With us being there together?”
I don’t like the softness in his voice or the promise in those words. Or maybe I don’t like imagining such things. “There is no us,” I say flatly.
The corner of his mouth curves upward and he actually taunts me. “Didn’t seem that way the other night.”
A sound rattles in my throat, dismissively haughty. “It was just a kiss, not that good and already forgotten.”
Stroking a thumb along his chin, he murmurs, “Not the way I remember it. Maybe you need a reminder.”
“Maybe you need a swift kick to the balls if you try it,” I reply sweetly, even fluttering my eyelashes. My words have bite and determination, but I can tell by the way he’s looking at me that he knows as well as I do that if he kissed me, I’d go all in.
Luckily, Sylvie’s footsteps pound down the stairs. We both turn to see her coming at breakneck speed with a towel slung over her shoulder. She’s sporting a cute yellow bathing suit with white polka dots and ruffles along the shoulders and hips. “Let’s go swimming.”
“Let’s do it,” Gabe says, slinging his arm over her shoulders. He walks her toward the back patio door that will lead to the pool path and I follow along. I watch as they chat easily, Sylvie’s smile as bright as her swimsuit and that makes having to deal with Gabe Mardraggon very easy.
CHAPTER 14
Gabe
Walking through the main floor of my home, I switch lights off as I prepare to go up to my bedroom. It’s nowhere near bedtime and I still have a lot of work to do, but I have found the master suite to be extremely comfortable. I’ve taken to doing evening work sitting atop the big four-poster bed with my laptop propped before me. In the kitchen, I grab a bottle of water and in the pantry a bag of peanuts to snack on. My phone chimes in my pocket and I pull it out to see that Kat has texted again.
I ignore the beating of my pulse that happens every time I get a text, call or email from the woman. Over the past handful of days, we’ve settled into a routine that includes daily contact. If she’s not asking questions about something she’s read in the mountain of paperwork I’ve given her about the winery, she’s reporting on Sylvie. This is extra special as she’s doing so of her own accord, and it speaks to Kat’s kind heart, despite years of hard feelings between us.