Total pages in book: 28
Estimated words: 25768 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 129(@200wpm)___ 103(@250wpm)___ 86(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25768 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 129(@200wpm)___ 103(@250wpm)___ 86(@300wpm)
Both Zach and Remy’s eyebrows shot upward.
Maddox wasn’t sure if it was her calling him a gentleman or the fact that he had this young spitfire living with him. Temporarily, he reminded himself. “It isn’t for long and she’s in Joe’s old room,” he said of his brother.
“Isn’t that what they all say?” Zach snickered and Remy chuckled, enjoying putting him on the spot.
Hadley rolled her eyes. “I’m sorry they’re behaving like adolescents,” she said and turned her gaze to Gabby. “Congratulations again. You have my cell phone now. Call me and we’ll have lunch or drinks.”
“I’d love to!” Gabby smiled as the trio walked out the door, then she turned to Maddox.
“Making friends, I see.”
She braced her hands on her hips, tipping her head to one side. “Do you have an issue with that?”
Did he have an issue with her making friends with his people? Becoming even more a part of his world? Getting a job around the corner?
He had no fucking clue. “Congratulations on the job,” he said instead of answering her.
“Thank you.” She blew out a long, obviously relieved breath. “I didn’t expect it but I’m so excited. It’s something I got on my own. I wanted to be a docent at a museum but that didn’t happen.”
“Why not?” He couldn’t help but be curious about her.
She lifted her shoulders in a little shrug. “My parents, of course. I majored in art history and applied to the museums in Manhattan.” Her eyes sparkled as she spoke, the idea obviously a passion of hers.
“What did they do?” he asked of her parents, already angry on Gabby’s behalf.
“They interfered, what else? Both called their friends and contacts who are on the boards of the larger institutions. Everyone turned me down. One woman on the board of a smaller museum admitted she was afraid to lose my father’s yearly donation.”
Her dejected look didn’t sit well with him. Nobody deserved to have their dreams undermined by people who were supposed to love them.
“I didn’t get one interview.” Her normally sweet disposition gave way to a frown and she curled her hands into fists at her side. “I had straight A’s in my major. I paint and have taken classes for years, but do they care? Acknowledge my ability? No, they do not,” she said, clearly on a roll and not waiting for a reply. “They want me to be a stay-at-home wife, be active on charity boards, and host dinners for my hardworking husband.” She treated him to that cute wrinkle of her nose again. “As if I’d marry Mr. Grabby-hands.” Her face flushed, this time not from anything good.
The reminder of how Preston had cornered her had Maddox’s own hands curling into fists. He wasn’t frustrated, he was furious. Given the chance, he’d introduce the man’s face to a wall and remind him what happened when he touched someone without consent.
Maddox stepped forward and braced his hands on her shoulders. “Breathe, Gabby.” He’d unintentionally hit a nerve with his question and he wanted to calm her. “Hey. Be proud of what you did accomplish, okay. Forget about the past and concentrate on the present and the good things happening for you.”
She nodded and when she glanced up, he noticed her eyes were wet. Shit. He hated when women cried. He’d grown up with a mom who never showed her sadness, she kept it hidden. He had a brother, not a sister. And the women he’d dated had specialized more in fake tears than real ones.
Something about Gabby got to him though. Her genuine personality and the vulnerability she didn’t hide shone through. He sensed she was real.
And to a jaded guy like him, that trait was extremely appealing.
* * * *
A week after he told Gabby she could stay, Maddox sat at his desk, staring at an inventory sheet. It was late and numbers blurred before his eyes so he rubbed them with his palms. He didn’t have to wonder what was on his mind. It was the same thing always in his head. His houseguest, who continued to surprise him and not in a bad way.
Last week, after Gabby left the bar, Maddox spent a couple of hours overseeing things at work and taking the time to convince himself he was prepared to have her living under his roof. The house wasn’t large and he knew they’d be in close quarters so he had needed to remind himself of all the reasons he should keep his hands to himself.
Maddox thought he’d prepared himself to have Gabby in his home. At least that’s what he told himself by the time he left work a few hours after she took her car home. His home, not hers. Unfortunately, it hadn’t been as easy as he’d convinced himself it would be.
Gabby was everywhere. Not only had she purchased new towels for her bathroom, she bought some for his, too. Not that she’d been in his bedroom or the primary bath but she said she assumed his were as old as hers. Which was true. He hadn’t updated them for years. He never even thought about it. Now he had plush, comfortable towels when he came out of the shower. It might be a small thing to someone else, but to him it showed a thoughtful side even if she had used the money she’d taken from the bank and refused his offer to pay her back.