Page 8 of Guiding Little Gabi

So, while she’d stood there, staring up at him, he’d watched the hope in her eyes fade to heartache. She’d yelled “April Fools’,” and run. The fact that it was actually almost July hadn’t even registered for several moments. Who could blame her? Not him.

So now, even though she should be at work in less than an hour, he was calling her again, this time about her ridiculous notetaking methodology. It was as good an excuse as any to hear her voice. Only she still wasn’t answering her phone.

Before he could repeat the call, someone pounded on the door. Raleigh rubbed his hand over his face and reminded himself that he’d paid for a total of seven years of higher learning and had earned aJuris Doctordegree, the equivalent of a Ph.D. Therefore, he did not have to resort to cursing when people banged on the door of an office that was clearly closed.

But it sure was fucking satisfying.

With a frustrated sigh, he strode up the hall to point out the closed sign to whoever was abusing his door before they cracked the glass. Three steps in, it occurred to him Gabi might have forgotten her key and might be the one banging on the door. When he reached the entrance, his striding had increased to jogging.

Unfortunately, unless Gabi’s fist had doubled in size and she’d grown eleven inches overnight, she was not the one pounding on the door. Raleigh unbolted the lock and swung open the door. “Come on in, Reid. I hope no one saw you, or I’ll be answering the door until Gabi gets here.”

“I didn’t see anyone, but you can always ignore the knocking. Unless it’s me, of course.” Reid Nolan, not only a client but a good friend, grinned. He did that much easier over the past year, now that he’d found his Little girl, Winnie.

“Of course.” Raleigh did his best to return the smile, but it wasn’t easy. “I’m glad you’re here, actually. I’m having difficultywith some notes Gabi took, and I could use a break. Come on back.”

He led Reid to the break room instead of his office. That’s where the coffee was. Not that it was much better than drinking tar. He hated when Gabi wasn’t there. And not just because she made great coffee.

She was the light of the office. Hell, she was the light of his life. His Little tempest in a teacup. He never knew what the day would hold when Gabi was around. She had a smile that could light up the sky. Or at least she used to.

As usual, Reid cut straight to the chase. “How’s Gabi doing these days? She was at Books-N-Brews last Friday, and she was crying.”

Raleigh groaned, raking his hands through his hair. He’d really fucked up. Part of the security of living in a small town was everyone was in everyone else’s business. Surely someone could have told him. Someone like the man facing him.

He glared at his friend. “Gabi was crying? Why the hell didn’t you call me? Was she okay by the time she left?”

Reid shook his head. “Fuck if I know. Vivi was there and she talked to Gabi. You know how she grandmothers everyone. I figured she called you. All I know is Gabi was there, and then she left. You might be able to find out from Lovie when she gets to work. She was there, too.”

As owner of the bookstore and coffee shop, Vivi was the first person the Littles turned to when they needed a sympathetic shoulder to cry on. Raleigh sighed, making a mental note to review the communication protocols with his paralegal. “Okay, fine. I’ll ask Lovie when she gets here.”

Reid stared at Raleigh. Raleigh suspected his friend saw more than Raleigh wanted him to. “I thought you wanted to be Gabi’s Daddy. You changed your mind?”

That hit a nerve. “Of course not.”

Reid shrugged. “So, what’s stopping you?”

“The last thing she needs is a Daddy who can’t keep her safe, much less happy. She deserves someone way better than me.”

Reid shrugged again. “Of course she does. All of our Littles deserve better. If you still care about her…” Reid’s words trailed off.

The snort escaped Raleigh before he could catch it. “I don’t think that’s a well-kept secret.”

Reid stared at him as if he'd seen smarter boxes of rocks. “Maybe not, but I don’t think Gabi knows.”

That earned Reid a bark of laughter that held no humor at all. “Not anymore. She flat out asked me before work Friday. I pretty much convinced her I didn’t.”

“Well, that explains her showing up at the coffee shop crying. Look, man, if you want Gabi to be yours, you may want to let her know before it’s too late.”

That was the problem. Raleigh was afraid it already was.

Reid clapped a hand on Raleigh's shoulder. “I’ll see myself out.”

Raleigh stared at Reid’s retreating back. He dropped back to his seat, groaning again and running his hands over his face. He had fucked this up completely.

Still, regardless of how big an ass he’d been, she was his. It was all he could do to walk instead of run back to his office. Grabbing his phone from his desk, he called her again. This time he’d keep calling until she answered her damn phone.

As it had before, her phone went to voicemail. Damn it! “Gabi, when you get this message, you call me, little girl. No matter what time it is. I need to talk to you, and it’s important.”

He disconnected the call and paced around the room. What if he was too late? What if she’d already made the decision to leave?

---