night Tyson broke up with me. Imagine my surprise when you showed me a different side of yourself at Buddy’s. I’d started to think maybe I’d misjudged you too.” She snorted. “Then you proved me right again.”
“How?”
“You know how. So I bailed instead of staying there and pretending everything was peachy keen, jellybean and that you hadn’t kicked me when I was already down.” She threw her shoulders back. “I’ve had some time to think, and maybe I’ve got liquid courage tonight, but I wanna tell you, bud, that you’re wrong, wrong, wrong because I can’t be both.”
Jesus. Was she drunk? Because she wasn’t making sense. “You can’t be both what?”
“Both the tempting kind of woman with the power to make a man stray, and . . . I’m paraphrasing here . . . the kind of woman who isn’t the slightest bit feminine, not your type.” She paused and took a long sip of champagne. “Ring any bells yet?”
Why was she studying me with an intensity that sent a spike of fear through me?
My brain rewound to the night at Buddy’s and my discussion with the bartender. Him asking if I planned to make a move on Gabi and me answering . . .
She’s definitely not my type.
Gabi hadn’t been there during that conversation.
But that didn’t mean she hadn’t overheard it.
Fuck me.
That’s why she’d left.
In that moment I felt myself shrinking—smaller and smaller to the size of a cockroach.
A vile bug that deserved to be squashed and wiped off her shoe as she walked away.
Which Gabi was currently doing; strolling off after the ultimate mic drop.
Oh, hell no.
Rather than putting hands on her, I outmaneuvered her, ending up directly in front of her again.
“Move,” she said crossly.
“No. You’ve said your piece now I’m saying mine.”
She tilted her head back, skepticism apparent on her face and in her posture.
“I’m sorry this apology is long overdue. I was wrong to suspect you had a thing for Jax and you’d act on it. I’m sorry that my misplaced concern for my brother caused problems for you at Lakeside.”
Her only reaction was to cross her arms over her chest.
“And I’m truly sorry I said hurtful things when you were already having a bad night. I shouldn’t have added to it, but I did, and for that additional hurt, I’m sorry.”
Gabi blinked at me. “That’s it?”
“Ah, yeah. Why? Is it not enough?”
“Where’s the mansplaining? The ‘I didn’t know you could hear me.’ Or the ‘I only said that to clear the way for Rico to hit on you.’ Or the ‘I knew you were listening, and I was just messing with you’ or the ‘it’s not my fault you can’t take a joke’ kind of excuses?”
“Gabriella. There’s no excuse for my dickish, hurtful behavior. What’s worse is I didn’t know you’d overheard.” I cringed. “No, it’s definitely worse that you took off and I didn’t check in with you to make sure you were all right given the shit day you’d had. And to add further insult to injury, this past week whenever I saw you, I couldn’t figure out what I’d done to piss you off.” I ran my hand across the back of my sweaty neck. “Christ. I always know how to smooth things over and this time . . . I’m at a loss. I’m not a purposefully mean guy. I don’t get off on being an asshole. I’m just so fucking sorry. I won’t ask for your forgiveness because I don’t deserve it.”
I walked away.
Seven
GABI
In less than five minutes Nolan Lund had wrecked me again.
This was why I hadn’t wanted to come to this party, but Liddy had strong-armed me into attending to celebrate after I told her I’d made the next level for the job interview.
Too much bubbly resulted in too much information from me, giving Nolan a piece of my mind. What he’d done was wrong. No doubt about it.
But the way he’d owned up to it and apologized?
That had set everything to rights with me.
I cooled my heels and my temper with another glass of champagne.
Then I went looking for him.
I wasn’t sure where he’d gone, but I suspected he’d be by himself. I dodged and weaved through the patrons clogging the hallway. The crowd thinned when I’d reached the last semiprivate gaming area and I caught sight of him, playing an arcade game in the corner.
Now what?
I paused in the threshold, debating my options.
Sidle up next to him and toss off a pithy comment as if