and knew she didn’t want to spend hours on a boat. “Sightseeing.”
“Sightseeing works. What else?”
Another s-word came to mind, but she knew better than to mention sex. She changed letters. “Tennis.”
He shrugged. “Tennis is fine, too. Golf?”
She wrinkled her nose. “I’ve played a few rounds, not often enough to be any good. My ex was a scratch golfer, but he didn’t play with me. We’d go to golf resorts and I’d do the spa while he golfed. I love pampering as much as the next woman, but … wait.” An idea occurred and she rolled it around in her head for a moment before voicing it. Would this be something she truly wanted to do? Thinking about it did give her a devilish bit of pleasure. “Do you play golf, Gabe?”
“I’m not a scratch player and I haven’t picked up a club in over a year, but I don’t embarrass myself.”
“Have you ever played Pebble Beach?”
“No. Have you?”
“Nope.” She gave her first spontaneous smile in days. “But playing it was Greg’s number one golf goal. The Monterey peninsula is supposed to be gorgeous. There’s the aquarium, Carmel … the weather might not be as warm as Florida, but it won’t be twelve degrees.” Glancing at the dashboard thermometer, she corrected, “Ten degrees.”
Gabe gave her a sidelong look. “I don’t believe I’ve ever seen that particular wicked glint of delight in your eyes before, Mrs. Callahan.”
“I admit I wouldn’t mind exorcising an old ghost.”
His mouth twisted, and she wished she’d chosen a different metaphor, but then he nodded once, forced a smile, and said, “Go pack your bag, Nic. California, here we come.”
They arrived in Monterey shortly before sunset. He’d booked them into an ocean-view suite at one of the famous Pebble Beach properties. She’d tried to act cool during the obsequious welcome by the staff upon their arrival, but she’d abandoned all pretense of sophistication when she walked into the spectacular sitting room. The furnishings, fabrics, and finishes were like nothing she’d ever seen.
At Gabe’s instruction, the bellman placed her bags in the bedroom, where a king-size bed was dressed in sumptuous linens. Gabe carried his own bag into an adjoining room. Nic stifled the urge to go bounce on the mattress. Next she peeked into the adjoining bathroom and spied a huge whirlpool tub. This place was a palace. For the first time she didn’t look forward to her “wedding night” with dread.
Actually, she was almost tired enough to start it right now.
Gabe came to stand in her doorway and must have read her mind—or the exhaustion on her face—because he said, “It’s been a long day. How about we order room service rather than try the restaurant tonight? We can watch the sunset from the balcony and turn in.”
“That sounds perfect.” She beamed a grateful smile his way.
He smiled softly in return. “I’ll call room service. How about we meet on the balcony in twenty?”
“It’s a date,” she replied, then immediately wanted to bite her tongue. They’d been easier together the last few hours. With all the fun stuff taking place, she hadn’t dwelled on the bad stuff. She didn’t want this slip of the tongue to ruin that. “I didn’t mean … it’s just an expression. I say it all the time to Sarah and … well …”
“Nicole, I get it. See you in twenty.” He reached to shut the door to her bedroom, then stuck his head back in and added, “No need to parse your words around me. It’s a date.”
She relaxed. Good—she was tired of living in a minefield. She emptied her suitcase and cosmetics bag, then gave in to the urge to test the mattress. She stacked the pillows against the headboard, then kicked off her shoes and curled up atop the coverlet. The pillow case smelled of lavender and sunshine, she thought. It was pure heaven.
Heaven brought to her by her very own angel, Gabriel.
She snickered at her own nonsense and closed her eyes. Except for being exhausted, she felt better than she had in weeks. Her problems were far from solved. Yet she no longer wanted to either cry or commit murder every time she looked at Gabe—a huge improvement.
She’d had a long talk with herself during the flight to California and she’d made some decisions. She was determined to forgive and forget all the past hurts, both real and imagined. She was prepared to do her part to see that this trip accomplished its purpose, and they could return to