too happy to provide for him in that department. “How about some coconut bars and dinner sometime this week?”
“It’s a deal if it includes the striptease.”
Ohhhh. I picture undressing in front of Gabe, and it terrifies me. “Are you serious?”
He lifts an eyebrow. “Are you?”
Am I? I let the scene play out, returning to the image of stripping down to my sexiest La Perla panties and bra, and I no longer feel terror. I feel thrills. Or perhaps I feel both, and I like the cocktail, thank you very much. “Yes. I think I am.”
A grin that reaches halfway to Naughty Town spreads across his face. “You’ve got yourself a deal. But aside from the torture rack, did you enjoy your time with your girls?”
I love that he calls them that. Vanessa and Perri are most definitely my girls. “I always love seeing them. Is that kind of crazy? I’ve known them since we were five, but we still have something to talk about every single time.”
“It’s like that with great friends, isn’t it?”
I nod as we cruise past lush green hills rich with grapevines and billboards beckoning travelers to stop for wine tastings and to sample all sorts of grapes. “We’re like sisters. We went on a trip when we were younger—we were thirteen, and our parents sent us to visit Vanessa’s grandparents on their horse ranch for two weeks during the summer—and the security guard at the airport asked if we were triplets.”
Gabe chuckles. “The blonde, the redhead, and the brunette.”
“Exactly! And sure, we could be fraternal triplets, but then he said, ‘You all look alike,’ and I think it’s because we had that sister energy. That connection.”
“I definitely see that in the three of you.”
“We thought that was the best compliment in the world. My mom said to the guy, ‘No, but they wish they were.’ And that was true. We wanted to be sisters so we could be together all the time. To hang out together, play cards, watch movies, go to the mall, get our ears pierced—we wanted to do everything. And now, as we all race toward thirty, we still love our time as a trio.”
“It’s a rare and precious gift to stay friends that long. I’m glad you have it. I’m glad they’re your family.”
“Me too.” I smile since he gets it. He completely understands our tight bond. “Speaking of family, how is your pops doing?”
Gabe offers a small smile. “I saw him a few days ago, and he kept talking about a dog he missed. A female schnauzer, he insisted. He only wanted the female schnauzer. But he never had that kind of dog. He always had collies.”
“What did you say when he was talking about a dog he didn’t have?”
“I kept reminding him of Daisy and Violet. Those were his collies. Eventually, we talked about other things. Baseball, the fire department, and the mac and cheese that Emily—my nana, his wife—used to make him. He had no trouble remembering the recipe for the mac and cheese,” Gabe says with a laugh.
“Did he give you the recipe?”
“Yeah, it was basically cheese, more cheese, and even more cheese.”
“Sounds yummy.”
“It was his favorite thing to serve me when I was at their house as a kid. All things considered, I guess he’s doing okay.” He drums his fingers on the steering wheel. “You know, he’s the reason I kick your ass at Words with Friends.”
“He is?” Gabe’s talked about his grandfather frequently, and someday I hope to meet the man he admires so much.
Gabe’s voice tightens, like this is hard for him. “When he first realized he was struggling with his memory, he pulled me aside and told me he was going to give me the most important piece of advice ever. Even though he knows and I know that his advice wasn’t a guarantee, he wanted me to do everything I could, so he said: ‘Do crossword puzzles, young man. Exercise your brain. I don’t want you to go through this. Anything you can do that might keep it at bay, do it. Don’t be like me.’”
A lump rises in my throat. I knew Gabe loved his puzzles and his grandpa, but I didn’t make the connection before—that it was the older man’s words of wisdom that spurred him on. They led him to keep that part of him—his mind—as active and well-oiled as his body. It’s far too easy to neglect the brain, but that isn’t a choice Gabe has made, and