See Jane Love - By Debby Conrad Page 0,14

bothered with little things like cleaning. So I’m a little messy. So what.”

“Jane, you’re not a little messy, you’re a slob. Maybe you should take a few lessons from Sara. It amazes me how you and your sister are so different from one another.”

“You should talk.” She was referring to him and Alex, and he knew it.

“Point taken. C’mon, the food’s getting cold.”

He walked slowly this time, his big hand--with those long fingers--wrapped around hers, and led her to the kitchen. There should be a law against men wearing jeans that looked that good, she thought. He’d set two places at the table and had already filled their plates with bacon, eggs and buttered wheat toast.

“This looks heavenly,” she told him. The sound of the chair scraping against the vinyl floor made her wince, but she didn’t complain. Gabe nodded for her to sit. “I don’t think I’ve ever eaten a meal at the table before. This will be a real treat.” Then she eyed the tall glass of red liquid in front of her. “What’s this?”

“A great hangover remedy. Don’t ask what’s in it, just drink it.” He picked up a bottle of aspirin from the kitchen counter and shook two out into his palm. “Here, take these.”

Janie picked up the glass and sniffed. It smelled like tomato juice. So, it couldn’t be too bad. She popped the aspirin in her mouth and took a huge swig of the thick, red liquid. “That’s disgusting!” With a sour face, she pushed the glass aside.

“Drink it down,” he ordered, picking up the glass and holding it in front of her face. “C’mon, don’t be a baby.”

“I’m not a--”

“That’s a good girl,” Gabe said, pressing the glass to her lips until she had no choice but to drink.

The second swallow wasn’t quite so lethal, and by the time she’d drained the glass, the mixture had started to grow on her. She’d forgotten all about the sour, slimy taste. “There, happy?” she asked.

“Ecstatic.” He plucked a napkin from the center of the table and ran it over her mouth as if she were a child. “Now, eat,” he said, taking the chair across from hers.

He could certainly cook, she decided, savoring every last bite of the tasty omelet. Gabe smiled at her, then gathered the dirty dishes and took them to the sink. Her insides were no longer queasy, though she wasn’t sure if it was the juice mixture or the food which was responsible. And, thanks to the aspirin, her headache had already started to fade.

“Since you’ll probably want your car, I can give you a ride over to your sister’s. I promised Travis and Livvy I’d take them to the beach today, so I’ll need to leave pretty soon. Not that this hasn’t been great fun.”

“Thanks. You didn’t have to come back here this morning and . . . well, I just want you to know that I appreciate it. Really. And I’m not mad at you for cleaning my apartment.”

He held a hand to his heart. “Gee, that’s a relief.”

She smiled, even though it still hurt a little to smile. “So, you’re taking my niece and nephew to the beach?”

“Yes.”

“That’s nice,” she said without any kind of enthusiasm.

“You don’t have a problem with that, do you?”

She feigned surprise. “No. Why should I?” What do I care that Travis and Livvy will talk non-stop about Uncle Gabe taking them to the beach for at least the rest of the summer? She’d just have to think of something more exciting to do with them. Maybe she’d take them to the amusement park and the water park. Surely, they’d have more fun at both of those places than at the beach. Or at least, she hoped so.

“Last night I sort of got the impression you were jealous of the fact that I spend a week with them each summer.”

“Don’t be silly,” she told him, waving a hand for effect. “And besides, I don’t really remember anything about last night. Although I’m sure I must have said or done some pretty crazy things.”

He crossed his arms over his chest. “You’re trying to say you don’t remember anything about last night?”

“Not a thing,” she lied between her teeth, while she prayed her forced smile didn’t falter.

“Interesting,” he said, and she refused to break eye contact.

Only cowardly liars couldn’t look someone in the eye. Better to keep her gaze locked on his, so he wouldn’t see through her.

“So you don’t remember asking me to kiss you?”

“No.”

“And