Temptation on Ocean Drive - Jennifer Probst Page 0,5
out of her inner circle. She lived in a permanent comfort zone.
Was that another reason why she tried so desperately to avoid him? Did she disapprove of his lifestyle? Believe he was a player when he’d tried many times to show her it wasn’t true? He’d hoped his relationship with her daughter would prove he was a man to be trusted, but she still had issues with him babysitting or trying to help with Zoe.
If it weren’t so messed up, it’d be laughable. Yesterday, he’d picked up Chinese food and found a woman’s phone number stuck to the outside of a fortune cookie. There were a thousand women out there he could date happily, maybe even settle down with or at least have a damn good time with for a while. Why did he have to be stuck on the only woman in the world who barely knew he existed?
Pathetic. Just like Dad used to say.
He shut the voice down from years of long, hard practice. He kept the rest of the meeting brisk and professional, though inside his gut churned. They had a packed event schedule beginning this evening, and the unspoken tension between them had to be dealt with.
She sipped at her coffee, staining the white plastic lid with an imprint of red lips. Her Goldilocks white-blonde hair was pinned up in a casual bun, and she wore black leggings with an oversize fuzzy gray sweater that seemed to swallow up her entire figure in warmth. Her appearance matched her temperament—she preferred an easy, casual style that fit into every situation, whether it be a luncheon, reception, or client appointment. He admired the way she juggled each piece of her life to fit into the whole, excelling at every role: mom, sister, friend, and businesswoman.
He wondered if she got tired of being everything to everybody.
The laptop clicked shut. “Good, we seem to have everything covered. I’ll meet you at the Grand Hotel at three p.m. Text me if I need to pick up anything.”
“Did you hire another nanny?” he asked. Bella had used a part-time caretaker to help with school pickups or late-evening weddings, but the woman ended up having twin granddaughters and had recently moved down south to be with her own daughter.
“Not yet.”
“Then who’s watching Zoe?”
Her gaze snapped to his, and her cornflower eyes seemed to whirl with a bunch of emotions before clearing. He would have given anything to know her real thoughts, or what made her suddenly hesitant, turning away as if she was afraid he’d see too much. “She’s sleeping over at Daisy’s house tonight. I appreciate your concern, but I have it covered.”
Frustration simmered. In her stubbornness to always take care of things herself, she refused to even consider the ways he could help out. But every time he offered to babysit, she politely declined. It was past time he confronted her about it. “Yeah, I don’t think you do.”
“Do what?”
He gave her a level stare. “Appreciate my concern. I’m not questioning you as a mother, Bella. I’m just trying to help. As part of this team, I thought I got to care about Zoe, too.”
She gave a slight jerk as the words hit. The tiny crack in her armor pleased him, but he didn’t want to punish her. Maybe it was past time he gave up on this ridiculous hope she’d wake up one morning and finally have feelings for him. It was depressing as hell.
“Of course you can care about Zoe. She’s always been crazy about you. I just don’t think your job should include checking on who’s babysitting her. It’s not like you’re family.”
The direct hit and hiss of pain finally cleared his head. Bella would never let him in, either to her heart or her inner circle. He’d always be an outsider, and no matter of time or effort was going to change that.
He nodded, ducking his head quickly to clear up his space so she wouldn’t spot the hurt. “I get it. I’ll mind my own business from now on.”
“Gabe, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”
“I know what you mean.” He forced a smile, finally acknowledging he was half in love with a woman who’d never feel the same. It was time for him to stop torturing them both. “We’re good. I’ll see you tonight, and we’ll kill it. No worries.”
From now on, he needed to focus on his career at Sunshine Bridal and follow her rules. He couldn’t fight for something she didn’t want in the first