Page 60 of Forever Yours
“It might be time to talk with Gabe about the whole proposal thing,” Devlin admitted.
“Wait.” Annabelle held up her hand. “You’re telling me that you haven’t discussed the one thing that adds the drama to this whole situation? You’re banging each other’s brains out, but not using those brains to figure out what the hell you’re going to do?”
The sound of a throat clearing broke Devlin from her despair.
“Of course, Jason, you’re back. I’d expect nothing less,” Annabelle deadpanned.
“Just the checks, ladies.” He deposited them on the table and did an about face with military precision before gliding off.
“Devlin, please tell me that you and Gabe have discussed your proposals or the art gallery?” Prudence echoed Annabelle’s earlier words.
“Umm.” Devlin tried not to give the outward appearance that she wanted to avoid the question.
“What are you going to do when one of you gets the property and the other one has to give up on their dreams?” Annabelle asked.
“I’m trying not to see it that way,” Devlin explained. “We have time before anything needs to be decided.”
“One day is not time. You do know the proposals are due Friday, right?” Annabelle pointed out.
“Of course I do.” Devlin grew frustrated. “You don’t think I know all of this?”
Seeming to sense Devlin’s unease, Prudence tried another tactic. “I don’t want this to come between you, but I can’t think of an outcome where one of you doesn’t get hurt.”
A silence settled over the table, which was rare with this group. Devlin felt a stab of guilt at her irritation with her friends and tried to summon anything that would ease them back into being their easygoing selves, but was cut short when Prudence downed the last of her wine and looked at her watch.
“I’ve got a meeting in ten minutes, otherwise we’d continue this conversation.” She sighed as she grabbed some cash from her wallet and deposited it on the table. “We’re not trying to be hard on you, Dev, we’re trying to help you.”
Annabelle nodded, agreeing with Prudence. “Do you remember when Prudence completely overreacted at the Fall Festival street dance?”
“Hey!” Prudence exclaimed. “I had my reasons.”
“They ended up being terrible reasons, but my point is that Devlin and I helped you talk it out.” Annabelle laid her hand over Devlin’s. “We weren’t trying to prove anything or to be right about it, we just want to help, and the best way to do that is to talk it out and see the situation from all angles. A ladies lunch doesn’t give us enough time to get into it, since I’ve gotta go, too.”
Prudence and Annabelle stood and said their goodbyes, waving to Jason on their way out. This left Devlin alone in their corner booth, ruminating on the situation she’d gotten into but not yet sure how to extract herself from it.
Devlin remembered Prudence’s misery from a few months ago and tried to convince herself that her situation wasn’t the same. She and Gabe were adults who’d made the joint decision to pursue a relationship despite knowing the outcome. They were so wrapped up with each other that she was sure neither of them was letting reality sink in and they weren’t thinking about what would happen when one got the shop and not the other.
Oh yes, ithadcrossed her mind more than once, but she’d gotten good at shoving it back to a place where it didn’t need immediate attention. That place no longer existed. That place was now a cavernous hole where thoughts pinged around with a speed and clarity that made her lightheaded.
She hadn’t let herself dwell on the fact that Gabe had been able to break down her walls in a matter of weeks, or what that meant. She recalled his poetic talk about his craft and wondered if that also applied to her. Maybe he saw her unfinished self and just knew what she should be, what her final shape would end up as.
The bastard from Boston dared to sneak back into her thoughts at this exact moment of clarity. He’d done a number on her, she knew that, and the fact that she was still letting him anywhere near her mental state was concerning to her. She’d been practicing mindful meditation since she moved to Amber Falls, and was starting to think she needed to kick it up a notch.
After Annabelle and Prudence had broken down her defenses, they’d made her realize that Gabe was the most exceptional person she’d met. Everything she’d told them was true. He was kind and generous and giving. She could go and make her business a success anywhere, she knew that, but she could go through the rest of her life and never find anotherGabe. What they felt for each other might not go any further than where it already was—hell, it might not last until next week—but she was determined now to try.
Devlin sat there with the sounds of the restaurant creating a background symphony. The clink of silverware on plates, a bang from the kitchen and the murmur of voices all somehow quieted her mind.
She knew what she had to do. Gabe worked late tonight so she wouldn’t see him until the next evening. She’d talk to him tomorrow and tell him that she’d decided not to submit her proposal. The time they’d spent together had given her a new outlook on her time in Amber Falls. Expansion could happen at any time but she felt like she needed to tend to her budding relationship with Gabe now, like a seed that needed water and sunlight. Devlin hoped that Gabe understood and felt the same, and that he’d let the building in between go to let their relationship grow without their businesses being involved.
Chapter Nineteen
The ladies decided to join in on tonight’s dart night at Finnegan’s, a rare occurrence. The Nor’easter that had passed through a few weeks ago had proven to be the exception to this year’s winter rule, and the snow had all but melted, leaving clear streets and sidewalks and a town population that was excited to not be stuck in their houses. That meant good business for Gabe, as they had only so much to do in a small town after dark, even in a college town, and meeting at a bar was one of them.
“Bullseye!” Greyson crowed, hitting the center.
“Good job, honey,” Prudence called from her stool at the bar.
“Way to go, Grey,” Annabelle added as Devlin clapped.