Page 24 of Forever Yours
Annabelle let out a belly laugh. “Please.” She looked to see Gabe next to their table. “Hello, dear.”
“Hi, AB. What can I get you?”
“I’ll have the lunch portion Chicken Alfredo, and a Jameson, please.”
“This is a working lunch, Winters,” Sebastian pointed out.
A little smile tilted Annabelle’s lips. “Make that a double, Gabe.” She turned her attention back to Sebastian who was still looking at the menu. “Also, I won’t be here to report on the Polar Plunge. I’ll be withmyfriends this weekend.”
“And who am I supposed to have cover that in your absence?” Sebastian asked, his head still buried in the menu.
“I don’t care who you make do it. Maybe you should write the story yourself, then you could participate, and no one will be around to witness your shrinkage.”
Gabe’s eyes widened at these words and he swung his gaze to Sebastian waiting for him to return the verbal volley. Sebastian’s head slowly rose from the menu, and he took a visible long, slow breath. He waited a beat, his eyes on Annabelle before he turned to Gabe.
“I’ll just have a whiskey for now.”
Gabe nodded and backed away from the table, walking around the bar just as Leo set Greyson’s lunch in front of him.
“Did I hear them say they were having a working lunch?” Greyson asked as Gabe poured two doubles back at the bar.
“That’s what Seb said.”
“I wonder what they’re working toward?”
“I’m sure we’ll all know once they figure it out.” He turned back into the lion’s den, saying a little prayer, having not yet acquired the same skills as Prudence and Greyson with disarming these little spats. It seemed like he walked back in on another doozy of an argument.
“I know I’m the boss and all, but even I get to take some personal time,” Sebastian was saying.
“You’re not invited,” Annabelle spat back. “Besides, you might have to do something that requires survival skills, like in a place like that and I’m not sure you’re capable of starting a fire.”
“I’ll have you know I was a Boy Scout, Winters.” He held up one of his hands in the Boy Scouts honor sign then, at her guffaw, turned his hand and lowered his two outside fingers, leaving the middle finger up.
Gabe didn’t want to intervene, so he set down their drinks and got the hell out of there, but that didn’t stop him from hearing the last of the argument.
“I can’t believe you!” Annabelle all but shouted. She stood, slipped her arms into her coat and was out of the door in a flash.
Sebastian slid from the booth, a look of defeat and exhaustion on his face as he walked over and sat next to Greyson, his glass trembling just a little in his hand as he set it down.
“I have to ask, what do you say to her, to get her so riled up?” Greyson moved over his plate of fries for Sebastian to share.
“I just told her that she had to submit a request for time off through our HR portal and I needed it before today was over or she couldn’t have the time off.”
“Why would that make her so mad? Isn’t that protocol the same pretty much anywhere?” Gabe asked.
The side of Sebastian’s mouth ticked up in a devilish smile. “We don’t have an HR portal.”
“Man, you just can’t wait to rile her up, can you?” Gabe said.
“Riling her up is so easy—you can’t blame me.”
Leo came out from the kitchen with Annabelle’s lunch.
“Just box it up, Leo. The least you can do is take this to her, Sebastian.”
“Yeah, I will.” He downed the rest of his whiskey. “Anyways, I’m in for the cabin this weekend if there’s still room.”
Greyson slapped Sebastian on his shoulder. “There’s always room for you.”