Two to Tangle (A Tangle Valley Romance #2) - Melissa Brayden Page 0,92
glanced behind her. “Let me see what time it is when I finish up.”
“But we’re inspected. We’re ready. What more could you have to do?”
“There’s still a lot of cleanup involved. My guys aren’t the tidiest when they work. Surfaces, floors. I want this place to sparkle before I hand it over for good. I’ll give you a call when I’m done.”
“Okay. Deal.”
Surprise, surprise. Ryan finished up later than she’d planned and just headed home so as to not disturb Gabriella. Disturb her? Since when was that even a thing? Ryan had taken pleasure in rocking her world daily, so Gabriella wasn’t buying it. In fact, she was beginning to understand that what she’d feared all along had happened. Ryan had gotten bored with her, and Gabriella had become the little puppy chasing at her heels. Not the position or the person she wanted to be at all. She could ignore the writing on the wall all she wanted. Didn’t make it go away.
Sitting at the meeting with her friends, she still had no answers. “We’re existing, I guess. But that’s about it. She placates me. I think she’s over it. The new, fun part is over.”
“I hate that,” Madison said, her eyes on her screen. She shook her head. “You deserve more.”
“Yeah, sometimes I hope it’s that she’s honestly just overworked. But then it feels more like I’ve lost my shiny sparkle. Angie said this would happen just recently. She called it, and I blew her off.”
“I don’t know what’s going on with Ryan,” Joey said, squeezing her hand, “but I know I don’t like what I see it doing to you.”
“If you say so.” If Ryan’s feelings had changed, there wasn’t much Gabriella could do. She swallowed back the emotion that threatened to engulf her at the very real possibility. A lump arrived in her throat, the room felt intensely small, and tears threatened. “Why don’t we get started on our meeting?” A distraction about now would be nice.
“You guys, I have minor news.”
Gabriella gestured to herself. “Lay it on us.”
“I just wanted to let you know that I think Becca and Skywalker might become a more permanent fixture around here.”
Gabriella widened her eyes. “Becca’s moving in?” A normally thrilling bit of news somehow didn’t hit the way it should have. It sat tightly on her chest. She brightened anyway. “That’s fantastic.”
“I knew this was coming,” Madison said. “Happy to hear it.”
“Thanks, guys. She’s giving her landlord notice tomorrow that she won’t be renewing her lease on the house.” Joey made a face that said she was both nervous and excited. “Just a big step is all. We practically live together anyway, right? She’s my person, so it’s time to make this a little more official.”
“You two and that dog are going to be so happy you won’t be able to see straight,” Madison said.
Joey relaxed and beamed. “We are, aren’t we? I know big steps always freak me the hell out, but nothing has ever felt more right. I know my dad would just love her.”
“That’s how you know it’s real, because it feels right.” Gabriella identified with the feeling, and at the same time, everything in her worried it would never be hers again. “Did you pull out a Jackism from his box of sayings in preparation for this big decision?” It was a practice Joey had come to rely upon after discovering a box of sayings Jack Wilder had left behind when he passed.
Joey laughed. “Yeah, and just as expected, it was so awful that it was awesome. Wine-ding roads sometimes lead straight home.”
“I love that one,” Madison said, meeting Gabriella’s gaze purposefully. “It resonates.”
“It’s perfect,” Gabriella said back.
Joey nodded. “When someone makes you feel as much as Becca does, you don’t let that go. You take the big leaps, so that’s exactly what I’m doing.”
Gabriella internalized those words and tucked them away. When a person makes you feel…
Madison nodded her approval. “You’ve always been a risk taker, buddygirl. It’s just nice to see you extending that to your love life these days.”
They got down to business. Gabriella presented her menu for the sit-down dinner. Prosciutto and arugula pizzas for each table upon arrival, garnished with freshly shaved Parmesan. Next up would be a caprese salad with fresh mozzarella. For their entrée, each diner would then have the choice of her chicken scaloppine, shrimp carbonara, or Tuscan rib eye followed by a flourless chocolate cake that made you want to fall off your chair.