CHAPTER TWELVE – PENNY
When Gabriel called to ask me out to dinner, I’d agreed without thinking. Whatever the hell was going on between us had overridden my better judgment; removing all rational thought and making me act on impulse. It wasn’t like me to throw caution to the wind this way, but the man just had some power over me I couldn’t resist.
Two hours before having to meet with Gabriel, Alyssa texted me that Scott had asked her out for dinner. She came back to the condo soon after so I could help her get ready for her big date. She had no idea that I, too, was eager to get prettied up for my dinner with her father. Of course, I couldn’t get ready with her around or else she’d know I had secret plans.
I had spent the entire afternoon trying to come up with some sort of excuse to leave the condo at the same time as Alyssa, but so far, I couldn’t think of a convincing reason that wouldn’t seem suspicious. I still wasn’t sure what I was going to do. Then again, I wasn’t sure why I had accepted her father’s offer to have dinner when the two of us couldn’t be alone together without falling into each other’s arms. I had avoided Gabriel over the past two days, just as much as he avoided me. Neither one of us wanted to think about that line we had both sprinted across. I couldn’t even look Alyssa in the eye as she talked about her new love interest for the winter break.
“He’s just so dreamy,” Alyssa said as she smoothed down the sweater dress she wore. “I wish I went to college here in Chicago. The guys at our school suck. You ever notice that?”
She turned to look at me as I combed through my own hair. I didn’t want to risk putting on makeup because it would draw attention to what I was going to do, but I needed to get ready quickly the second that Alyssa left.
“I’ve noticed the distinct lack of quality in the guys at our school,” I said. “That’s why I tell you to stay away from them. They all just want one thing from you.”
“It’s not necessarily a bad thing sometimes,” Alyssa said, shrugging. She slipped into a pair of tall brown boots before standing in front of me. “What do you think? Do I look classy enough for wherever Scott is taking me?”
I ran my gaze along Alyssa’s athletic frame, squeezed into a dark blue sweater dress with tight leggings and knee-high boots. She had taken the time to style her short black locks into messy curls that bounced whenever she moved. I smiled at her.
“You look beautiful,” I said. “He won’t be able to resist you.”
Alyssa grinned as she swept up her purse and phone from the edge of my bed. She glanced down at her phone before her fingers danced along the glowing screen.
“You’re too sweet,” she said, and then kissed me on the cheek. “Don’t wait up for me. I’ll be back whenever Scott decides to bring me home.”
I nodded because I didn’t trust my voice to conceal my own nervousness about tonight. Once I was confident that Alyssa was gone and she wasn’t coming back, I rushed into my room to pull out the outfit I had mentally planned throughout the afternoon. I had done a bit of research on this restaurant that Gabriel suggested, and there was no doubt in my mind that jeans weren’t allowed there. This place called for nice and expensive clothes, so I shimmied into a floral-patterned skirt that flowed down to the tops of my knees. I paired it with a cream-colored blouse, along with some nylons and ankle boots.
I spent the next few minutes contouring my face with makeup while fighting nerves. I had no idea what Gabriel wanted to talk about, but I was glad that he wanted to do it out in public, not in private like the previous times where both of us had caved into temptation way too easily.
Gabriel had sent over a car to take me to the restaurant. The driver was waiting down in the lobby with a few security guards. He led me out into the cold night where an SUV was parked in front of the building.
“Do you know anything about this restaurant?” I asked while I buckled my seat belt. “I’ve tried looking it up several times on the internet, but I only found a website detailing their menu and desired attire.”
William drove through the parking lot in the direction of the freeway. “It’s not directly here in Chicago. It’s on the outskirts of the city. Beautiful place to go to.” He glanced up in the rearview mirror to catch my eyes with a smile. “I’ve taken my wife there a few times under Mr. Bradley’s invitation. You’re going to enjoy it. The food is amazing, the atmosphere is nice, and it’s very private.”
I slumped back in the passenger seat. The nerves in my stomach twisted together in a ball again at the mention of the place being private. That could be trouble. Delicious, orgasmic trouble.
The rest of the drive passed by silently as the city lights disappeared behind us. It was all back roads from the freeway until William turned into a gravel parking lot that was full of cars. A small, two-story house materialized in the darkness, looking like a cottage on the hillside with oak trees and a wraparound porch. Strings of white lights wrapped around the entire house, giving the place an enchanted look.
William pulled up to the front porch steps, and my stomach dropped. What was Gabriel trying to do? The question echoed in my mind uneasily while the front door opened a moment later.
Gabriel had picked the most expensive and secluded restaurant to have a conversation in. Obviously, I knew that money wasn’t a factor when he picked this type of place, but it seemed terribly romantic for a simple conversation. I only saw couples walking up to the front door as Gabriel emerged from the soft glow of the lights inside. He was dressed exquisitely, with his dark pants, white button-up, and a dark sweater vest. His dark hair was styled back from his sharp face.
Those damn butterflies in my stomach started all over again when Gabriel opened the passenger door to offer his hand for me to take. Not wanting to be rude, I took his hand while I slid out of the passenger seat and waved to William, who nodded back at us. Sparks went up my arm at the feel of Gabriel’s sturdy fingers holding mine. I pulled my hand from his, not willing to draw any attention to the two of us until I knew what this extravagant dinner was all about.
“You look nice,” Gabriel said. His eyes raked me up down, leaving hot trails along my skin. “Come inside.”
I followed him up the front porch steps to walk inside the warm restaurant that smelled of garlic and freshly baked bread. My stomach twisted into a million knots when Gabriel placed his hand on my lower back to usher me past the hostess stand and up the grand stairs to an even more private dining space. The tiny room had several vases of flowers spread throughout, along with flickering candles that bathed the room in soft light.
My heart lodged itself into my throat. This felt like a romantic date, which both excited and frightened me. I shrugged out of my coat to hand it over to the waiter who immediately approached our table. He hung it on a coat rack in the corner and returned to our table to ask if I’d like some wine to start with.
“Just a small glass,” I said to the waiter, not willing to let alcohol lower my inhibitions again tonight. That was how things had gotten so complicated with Gabriel in the first place. “Can I have some water also?”
The waiter nodded at me. “Of course. I’ll be back with that in just a moment.”
A smile spread across Gabriel’s face then. We waited in awkward silence until the waiter returned with our glasses of wine and water, followed by some garlic bread that I didn’t even bother touching. It smelled absolutely divine, but the butterflies in my stomach prevented me from being able to eat.
I waited for him to break the silence. It was his idea to come out to a nice place to talk in privacy. He could make the first move.
“I imagine you’re wondering why I asked you to come out here tonight,” he said.
“A little,” I said. “You said that you wanted to talk about something.”
Gabriel propped his elbows up on the edge of the table to gaze at me. “I wanted to clear the air between us. Things have gotten a bit—”
The ringing of my cell phone interrupted him. It sounded jarring in the peaceful silence surrounding us. He stopped short and looked down at my purse hanging off the back of my chair.
I reached into my purse with an apologetic glance. “I’m sorry. I thought I had put it on silent.”
“It’s okay. Go ahead and answer it.”
“No, thanks,” I said, recognizing my mother’s cell phone number. “I think it’d be better if I didn’t take it. It’s my mom so—”
“Answer it,” Gabriel said firmly. “She’s been calling me for the past few days, too. I think she needs to speak with you about something.”
This was the last thing I wanted to deal with in the middle of a fancy dinner with Gabriel. I contemplated letting it roll over to voicemail again, but I hit the answer button at the last second. I knew she’d keep calling until she got ahold of me.
“I’m a bit busy right now, Mom. Can I call you later?”
“You won’t return my calls, so I know you won’t call me later,” she said dryly. “What are you doing right now?”
“Right now?” I swept my gaze over Gabriel as he diverted his attention away to give me a small bit of privacy to talk. “I’m in the middle of something that isn’t any of your business. What do you need?”
“I was calling to surprise you,” she said merrily. “We’re here in Chicago!”
My heart dropped to the pit of my stomach. “You are? When did you get here?”
“A few hours ago,” she said. “That’s why I’ve been trying to get ahold of you. I didn’t want to just show up to Gabriel’s penthouse unannounced.”
“How thoughtful of you,” I said, my voice dripping sarcasm.
“I was calling to invite you to dinner tomorrow night. You, Alyssa, and Gabriel. What do you think?”
I glanced over at Gabriel, who was scrolling through his own phone.
Damn her for cornering me like this. “I don’t know, Mom, I think we might have plans already,” I said as Gabriel gave me a questioning look across the table.
“Jesus Penny, you can’t avoid me forever, I’m your mother,” she said, her voice losing its happy tone.
“It’s not you I’m trying to avoid, and you know it,” I said sharply.
Now I had Gabriel’s full attention. He put his phone down and studied me as I continued to talk to my mother.
“Oh Penny, you’re just imagining things,” she said and I shook my head.
I refused to let my mother put this on me again. It was not my fault that her creepy-ass boyfriend had a thing for me and liked to make me feel uncomfortable. The fact that she cared more about what he thought and felt, than her own daughter made me angry all over again.
“Look, I have to go Mom. I’ll talk to you later,” I said, hanging up before she could say anything else.
“What was that all about?” Gabriel asked, concern clouding his green eyes.
“Nothing,” I said.
“Didn’t sound like nothing Penny. I think it’s time you finally told me what is going on? Who are you trying to avoid if not your mother?” he asked.
“Gabriel, I really appreciate your concern, but I really don’t want to ruin my evening by talking about this.”
Gabriel held my gaze for a moment before finally dropping the subject. I’d be damned if I let my mother’s boyfriend affect me more than he already had.