See Jane Love - By Debby Conrad Page 0,46

going to have a baby.” She offered her sister a quick smile, then burst into tears.

“Aw, honey.” Sara struggled to get to her feet, then leaned over Janie and hugged her. “Don’t cry. Everything’s going to be okay.”

“I can’t help it. It must be my hormones,” Janie said, whimpering. When Sara pulled away, Janie wiped at her tears with a napkin. She’d been crying a lot lately, and it was embarrassing. It didn’t matter whether it was over an old movie, a good book, or just thinking about Gabe. She sighed miserably. “I love him, Sara.”

Sara eased herself back into the chair and met Janie’s gaze. “I know you do, honey. But it would never work between you two. You said so yourself.”

Janie sniffed. “I know. But I have to tell him about the baby.”

Sara’s expression was one of sinking despair. “Yes, I suppose you’re right.” Then her face brightened. “Don’t worry, Alex will tell him.”

“Sara, I’m not going to ask Alex to tell Gabe something like this. I’m going to tell him myself. Face to face. In fact, I’ve already booked a flight to New York. I leave in the morning.”

* * * * * * * * * *

“I would think you’d be a little more excited about the offer from J & B Publishing. Seven figures is nothing to scoff at,” Doree Meyers said, dabbing her mouth with a white linen napkin.

Gabe sat across the table from her at Sardi’s, picking at his linguine with clam sauce. Doree had been his agent ever since he’d sold his first book. The offer was for the sixth book in his detective series. “I’m not scoffing. I’m just not in a very good mood.” He pushed his plate aside, his appetite gone.

“You haven’t been in a good mood for months.” She looked at him above her tortoiseshell half glasses, took a bite of salad, and chewed. Doree was a rail thin woman in her late fifties. She had spikey, silver-streaked hair and was as savvy as they came. “So, who is she?”

Gabe shrugged and averted his gaze. “Nobody. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“The woman that has you in such a foul mood.” He felt the intensity of her look. “I get it. You don’t want to talk about her.”

“There’s nothing to talk about. It’s over.”

“She must have been pretty special.”

He struggled to maintain an even tone. “Nobody special,” he lied. “Just someone I spent some time with last summer.”

“Maybe you should think about seeing a shrink,” she said as she motioned for a busboy to refill her water glass.

“I don’t need a shrink.”

“It’s nothing to be ashamed about. I’ve been seeing one for years.”

Gabe snorted. “You have? Whatever for?”

“To learn how to deal with big time authors like yourself. I don’t like feeling intimidated. It makes it hard to do my job.”

“You? Intimidated? That’ll be the day. You scared the hell out of me the first time we met. You still do sometimes.”

“Well, then, all the money I spent on therapy was worth it.”

Gabe laughed and rested his elbows on the table. One million, four hundred thousand dollars. He should be celebrating, but all he felt was empty inside. He wished he could call Janie and share his good news, but then he’d have to tell her he’d lied to her about his occupation. That would just open a new can of worms. Stupid idea, he told himself. Besides, would she really care? She was very likely dating someone by now. Especially after her sexual awakening. She’d be like a kid in a candy store, wanting to try all sorts of new things. Although, a part of him refused to believe that about her.

“We should talk about you doing a book tour,” Doree said, breaking into his thoughts.

“No tours. No signings. You know how I feel about both. That’s one of the reasons I write under a pseudonym. I enjoy my privacy.”

Doree studied him for a moment, then cocked her head to the side. “You still haven’t told your brother you’re a successful author, have you?”

“My brother and I aren’t exactly on speaking terms at the moment.”

“He still thinks you’re a cab driver, doesn’t he?”

Gabe averted his gaze and didn’t answer. He’d probably always be a screw-up in Alex’s eyes. Alex constantly reminded him about all the trouble he’d caused in high school, and now, after what happened with Janie, he’d probably never forgive him. Not that Gabe blamed him. What he’d done was stupid. As soon