Page 21 of Mine to Love
Even though part of him believed he should. It all came back to the same tired old tape.
He wasn’t good enough and she knew it.
But his father once told him that unless a girl flat-out admitted that’s why she didn’t want him, then it was all in his head.
“Second, you should know that Gabriel was texting with Charlie.” He pointed to the tablet on the counter. “I saw it when I sat down for breakfast.”
“I’m not surprised.” She sighed. “The only real question I have is whether Gabriel reached out or Charlie. My guess would be Charlie. Even though I upset Gabriel by telling him Charlie wouldn’t be welcome anymore, he stopped texting him when we first moved here, except when Charlie texted him first.”
“Does he ever tell you what they talk about?”
“Sometimes.” Liberty nodded. “I’ll talk to him about it later.”
“I’m happy to have a chat with him at work. He jibber-jabbers all day anyway about all sorts of stuff. Maybe he’ll open up to me.” Miles downed the last of his coffee.
“Don’t press him.” She reached out and curled her fingers around his biceps. “The last thing I need is for him to have an issue with you and not want to work.”
“I hear you.” He took a chance and stole a brief but powerful kiss, letting his lips linger on her mouth, rendering her speechless. He smiled. “Tell Gabriel to meet me by my truck in fifteen.” He turned on his heel and made a beeline for the door with his heart hammering in his chest.
She might not have said yes.
But she sure as shit didn’t say no.
And he did his best to push that beat-up old tape out of his mind.
Liberty sat in the break room at the Safe Harbor Café, stabbing her fork into her summer salad and pushing the food around. She’d barely slept all night, thanks to what most would refer to as a little booty call. Damn, she couldn’t believe she’d slept with Miles.
She laughed at the thought. No. She more or less fucked him good. Or maybe it was the other way around.
She’d gone to see him only because she wanted to apologize and set the record straight.
Not end up screwing him right there in his kitchen.
It resolved nothing. She felt like crap over the way she’d dealt with Gabriel and her raging conflicting emotions regarding Miles, and she hadn’t been able to settle her mind.
Of course, the texts from Charlie hadn’t helped.
Fucker.
The man had made her life a living hell and he wasn’t going to stop anytime soon.
Her only hope was that if she ignored him, he’d go away.
Only he went from calling her a selfish lying bitch to telling her he loved her, that he was sorry, and he wanted her back.
“You look like you swallowed a lemon.” Lucy Ann, her boss and the owner of the café, strolled into the break room and plopped herself in the chair across from Liberty. “I hope it’s not the change in schedule that’s got you looking so down.”
“Not at all. I have no problem working mornings and lunches. I just can’t believe that Rumor is coming back tomorrow. She just got married yesterday.” Liberty relished the idea of chatting about anything other than Miles or her ex-husband.
Lucy Ann laughed. “That’s her and Emmerson for you. To them, each day is either just another day or a day to be grateful, depending on how you flip the coin.”
“I wish I could look at life that way sometimes.” Liberty pushed her salad to the side and lifted her iced tea, taking a big gulp. “I wanted this town to represent new beginnings for me and Gabriel. We’ve never lived anywhere other than Palm Beach and honestly, I hated it there.”
“You don’t seem to be the kind of girl who would get along too well in that town.” Lucy Ann arched a brow.
Liberty laughed. “You don’t know the half of it.”
Lucy Ann glanced at her watch. “You’ve still got twenty minutes on your break. Why don’t you tell me about it.”
