Two to Tangle (A Tangle Valley Romance #2) - Melissa Brayden Page 0,90

here.”

“I owe you for this,” Gabriella said with the warmest of smiles.

“You don’t.” Ryan glanced behind her. “But to be honest, I think I’m too tired to be much company tonight. Gonna chill with Dale. Can we do dinner another time?”

Gabriella stood, caught off guard. “It’s me. I don’t care how tired you are. Ryan, you don’t even have to speak. We can just be in the same room together. Maybe kiss.” She met Ryan’s gaze. “I think it’s about time we make up, don’t you? Remember what’s truly important in life?”

“Of course, yeah.” She tried to buy in to that. Every part of her wanted to spend the evening with Gabriella and for them to be okay now and forever, but she was learning things about herself as she went. One of those things? Love and giving herself to another person maybe wasn’t for her. She thought back to just six months ago when she’d been unattached. Yes, she’d been a lot less fulfilled, but she hadn’t been living in fear, a shell of herself, waiting for the inevitable other shoe to drop. She hadn’t been so dependent on another human being that she couldn’t breathe at the thought that they would someday turn to their best friend and realize that’s where they really belonged. And of course, that’s what she fully imagined would happen at any moment now because her mind was a cruel place to dwell at three a.m. when sleep evaded. She made herself look at Gabriella, really look at her. “But maybe this isn’t the night for it.”

Gabriella’s gaze shifted away from hers and back. “Yeah. Okay. Are you, though? Okay. It’s been days, and you don’t seem like…you.”

“Just the long drive taking it out of me. That’s what this is.” She forced a smile, leaned down, and kissed Gabriella softly on the lips, realizing that she needed to get it the hell together. She was trying here, but not getting very far. They couldn’t go on like this. She needed to figure herself out.

“I’ll call you in the morning.” Gabriella squeezed her hand and smiled. She was also trying, and that meant so much.

“I’ll be there.”

“Oh. Can I say good-bye to Dale?”

Ryan softened and her heart squeezed unpleasantly. “Yeah. Of course.”

She watched as Gabriella came off the steps and sank to her knees, prompting Dale to trot on over, head low, clearly looking for some love. He got it. She cupped his big, dopey face in her hands and spoke quietly to him. He licked her nose and she kissed his cheek. They’d become quite the duo over time, and that made Ryan sad for reasons she refused to fully examine.

“Good night, Gabriella.”

“Yeah. ’Night, Ryan.”

* * *

Gabriella checked her watch and moved into double time like a mall walker on a mission. She had a meeting with Joey and Madison to coordinate their efforts for the release party. Most of the details were already in place, but with so little time remaining, it was time to circle back and make sure all was on track for Saturday afternoon. She passed the storage shed and caught a quick glimpse of Bobby. She opened her mouth to say hello and realized he was in a lip lock for the ages with none other than that sneak, Loretta! She’d been right! She pointed and gasped, and for emphasis re-pointed and gasped, arm outstretched. She looked around, vindicated. Yet there was no one to witness this torrid love scene but her. Typical. She huffed. Hands on her hips, she watched them a moment before feeling intrusive and heading to her meeting.

“I’m late like a rabbit down a hole, but I have like fifteen good excuses, none of them being Loretta and Bobby sucking face in the shed. Except, oh yes, one of them is exactly that.”

Joey squinted at her. “This again? C’mon.”

“Yes, and I’m right, so suck it, bitches.”

Madison raised her gaze in curiosity. “We’re bitches now. That’s new.”

Gabriella shrugged. “I tried it on. Felt weird. So take that, weirdos.”

“Much more you.” Madison went back to her laptop.

“Did you actually see them?” Joey asked.

Gabriella, done trying to convince the world, turned the key in front of her lips. “You know what? With that kind of attitude, you’ll have to find out for yourself. Maybe I saw their lips pressed together in a jumble, maybe I didn’t.”

“Well, someone’s sassy today,” Madison said with a slight incline of her head.

Gabriella sulked. “It’s a whole thing. I won’t bore you with