Page 34 of Forever Yours
“I can’t be upset with anyone but myself,” Gabe admitted. “I had it all saved to my thumb drive”—he tapped at his computer’s keyboard—“but that’s no good if I forget the thumb drive.”
“I can’t think of a single place within a two hundred mile radius from Atlanta that doesn’t have cell reception,” Sebastian complained.
“Same for L.A.,” Greyson added, sitting up on the couch, a yawn escaping.
“C’mon, guys,” Gabe implored. “Isn’t there something to be said about the solitude of knowing there’s no point in picking up your phone just to check if anything needs your attention? That the world will continue to function without your input. You can focus on the here and now, whoever you’re with and whatever you’re doing.”
“I have trouble with the here and now,” Sebastian admitted. “Something always needs my attention.”
Greyson pointed at Sebastian holding his phone. “Why do you still have it with you? You know your phone isn’t gonna work, just throw it in your bag until we leave.”
Sebastian gave a rueful grin. “I still think a hundred emails and texts will all start coming in at once.”
“They won’t,” Greyson assured him. “You’ll be about halfway down the mountain when that happens and since you’re driving, you’ll have to wait until you’re home.”
“I’ll just have Winters read them all to me, get some business done on the drive back.”
“You’re not going to have anything coming through that you don’t want her to see?” Gabe asked.
“Nah, I’ve been so busy since I moved here that I haven’t had any time for fun. Having Sofia here at New Years didn’t help, either. That was my last chunk of time not sitting at my desk and I spent it doing sibling bonding.”
Greyson got up to stoke the fire while saying, “I find it hard to believe that you’ve been celibate since October.”
“Longer than that, if you must know,” Sebastian admitted. “I’m serious when I say that buying The Bee and the move has taken up every ounce of my energy. And no offense to Amber Falls, but there’s not exactly a swinging singles scene here. It’s a college town and the older I get, I just don’t have the patience for twenty year olds.”
Gabe laughed. “And I’m sure they’re just as thankful that Old Man Locke isn’t as lecherous as media moguls are portrayed. Besides, you don’t need a group of ladies, just one. In fact, I know that Annab—”
“Enough about me,” Sebastian broke in. “Since we’re at a standstill with work, who else wants to talk about their feelings?” He gave Gabe a pointed look.
“Hey, man, I don’t have feelings,” Gabe insisted, lying through his front teeth. “In fact, I’m completely dead inside.”
“I have so many feelings,” Greyson said.
“We know, Grey. We know,” Sebastian deadpanned. “I’m serious, Gabe. I got some…vibes between you and Devlin. You wouldn’t stop looking at her at breakfast this morning.”
“No vibes whatsoever. We’re competitors, that’s the whole reason we’re here—to take business away from the other person. She wouldn’t be here if you didn’t invite her, since this trip was supposed to be just us, but Grey couldn’t bear to be apart from Prudence for two days.”
“You’ll get it someday, bro,” Greyson promised.
They sat in silence for a few minutes until Sebastian spoke. “You know the ladies are having this exact same conversation downstairs, don’t you?”
* * * *
“You’re here because you want to be, Devlin,” Prudence insisted. “Being here with Gabe is the only reason why.”
“While I don’tquiteagree with that,” Annabelle broke in, “I’d like to think that our company is stellar, I do agree that Gabe was a big draw for you coming along.”
“I don’t think it matters what you two think. Don’t forget that I agreed to this before I knew Gabe would be here.”
“But you didn’t back out of it,” Prudence explained. “Besides, I saw you wiggle that cute little butt of yours when he was looking.”
Devlin felt her face flame. “I was just having a little fun.”
“Fun is putting together a charcuterie board for dinner, not wagging your ass at a dumbstruck Gabe,” Annabelle said.
“I was notwaggingit. I just gave a little shimmy, and I only did it because it was so obvious he was staring.”
“Did something happen at the shopping trip that you’re not telling us? Because it seems like you’re not telling us something.” Prudence went to the kitchen to grab the pot of coffee, snagging a snack tray from the fridge on her way back.