Page 52 of Second Shot

“Sure.” I grab my coffee and follow him outside to sit in teak patio chairs. The air is crisp but not cold, carrying the scent of eucalyptus and salt from the ocean beyond the hills. The city sprawls below us, and from this distance it looks less claustrophobic.

“This is nice,” Gabe says, letting out a long sigh. “I don’t usually have anyone to enjoy the view with.”

“Well, I’m sure your wrist enjoys the view.” I’m joking around, but the truth is I love hearing he doesn’t share this view with anyone but me. So far we’re still only seeing each other, and that’s how I’d like it to stay. I really like Gabe, and more and more I feel like what we have could be something serious.

He laughs. “You’re more fun. Much better conversationalist.”

“Gee, thanks.” A light breeze carries the scent of blooming jasmine from the edge of the yard, mingling with the last trace of coffee from our mugs. This truly does feel like a perfect day. I stretch out in the chair, my legs propped on the lower railing, feeling full and lazy.

Beyond the edge of his property, the city stretches out in hazy layers. The skyline rises in muted blue-gray, softened by distance, and the faint hum of life down below is just a whisper up here. Birds chirp from a nearby oak tree, and somewhere in the neighborhood, someone is mowing their lawn, the buzz low and rhythmic like background music.

Gabe sets his half empty mug on the small table between our chairs, and glances at me. “It’s nice to see you relaxed.”

“It’s easy to do here. It’s so peaceful.” I sigh.

“Yep.” He looks out over the valley below. “This is a special place.”

I nod and say softly, “It’s not just the place. It’s also the company.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes, indeed.” My pulse races as I admit, “I love being around you, Gabe. I was having arough time when I first got here. But you’ve helped me so much.”

He smiles, but despite the smile, his jaw tenses. “I’m glad I could help you. I… I know we had a rough start.”

“Yeah.” I’m still not sure why Gabe disliked me in the beginning. We’ve never actually talked about it. We just fell into a sexual relationship that has turned into something deeper. I’ve never wanted to rock the boat by asking what had bothered him originally. But we know each other better now, maybe I could ask a few questions?

He must feel my gaze on him because he looks over. “Everything okay?”

I nod, still struggling with whether or not I should broach the subject of why he didn’t like me in the beginning.

He laughs. “Dude, you look like your dog died. Just spit it out.”

I grimace. “I don’t want to ruin our nice morning.”

He squints at me. “This thing must be pretty serious then, if you think it’ll ruin our whole morning.”

I laugh gruffly and shake my head. “No, it’s nothing bad. I’m just curious about something.”

“Okay, what are you curious about?”

“Maybe it’s dumb to even care.” My cheek twitches. “But, when I first joined the team, you seemed to dislike me. I… I guess I’ve just been curious why.”

His face tenses immediately and he looks away. He takes so long to answer I think he isn’t going to. But then he says, “I just don’t like change, that’s all. New team members can mess up the team dynamic.”

He’s lying.

I can feel he’s hiding something, and I have to wonder why. I’d never even met him before joining the team, so I’m not sure what I could have done to upset him. “You sure that’s all it was?”

Still avoiding my gaze, he says, “I’d also heard you were cocky. Hard to work with. I guess I let those rumors get in my head.”

“Where’d you hear that?” I rasp, stunned. I’ve never had a bad reputation. I’ve always been professional and hardworking. I’ve never had an issue with anyone on any team I’ve played for. “Who said that? Because it’s a lie.”

Guilt washes through his blue eyes. “Uh, it was just gossip I heard around somewhere.”

He’s being evasive. What the fuck is going on?

“I’d love to know who’s spreading lies about me.” I fix my gaze on him and he has little choice other than to meet it. “Was it someone on my old team?”

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