“Ooo, are we talking about Gabe?”Miranda two-stepped up tothem with her own partner.Keane was a better dancer than Garrett was.
“Yeah, he’s playing the overly protective big brotheragain,” Gigi said as they moved closer.
“He’s not your brother,” Miranda stated over the music.
“But he thinks he is,” Gigi replied.
So she was clueless.It probably wasn’t his place to changeher mind.Gabe obviously wasn’t ready to go after her.He would have a talkwith the guy about not butting into her relationships, but she’d wanted thissave.
“I don’t think you see the way he looks at you when you’renot paying attention,” Miranda insisted.
Gigi’s nose wrinkled.“Uhm, how would I see if I’m notpaying attention?”
“Duh, that’s what I’m trying to tell you,” Miranda insisted.
The girls were excellent at carrying out a wholeconversation over loud music while never missing a step.They were obviouslyveterans at this.
“If he looks at me, it’s because he thinks I’m a dumbass whocan’t pick a decent man,” Gigi argued.
“And yet he puts together tops and subs all the time, but heconstantly drops the ball when it comes to setting you up,” Miranda pointedout.
“Because he doesn’t think I’m ready for anything serious,and guess what?”Gigi asked cheerfully.“I’m not.I’m having fun.I’mtraveling.I’m happy right now.I don’t need a permanent top.”
And now he knew why Gabe hadn’t made a move.
They’d sat with Olivia’s friend for almost an hour, talkingabout how he came to found The Hideout with his friends.Gabe seemed to be aserious top.The kind that never gave up control.He wasn’t sure a free spiritlike Gigi could handle that.
Not without someone in the mix who could soften things.Someone who understood both roles.Someone like him.A sense of pride filledhim at the thought.He was a bridge between Olivia and Keane.They wouldn’twork without him.The same way they wouldn’t work without Keane.The way he wasstarting to think they hadn’t worked without Olivia.
Something was building between him and his closest friend.Something warm and exciting, and he wasn’t even afraid.He was looking forwardto it.
“Where’s Livie?”Garrett asked.“Did she not want to dance?”
“She wanted to finish her margarita,” Keane said.“But shethought Gigi might need backup.It looks like Gabe’s satisfied you saved her.Everyone okay?”
Gigi gave him a beatific smile.“I’m fine.The guy wasgetting handsy, but I could handle it.Not that I don’t appreciate the savevery much.”
Keane nodded to a place at the edge of the dance floor.Thecowboy stood there, staring at Gigi, his arms crossed over his chest.“Well,he’s still watching you, so stay close to one of us.”
Gigi nodded.“No problem.I can dance with the ones thatbrung me, as the old folks used to say.”
Garrett’s cell buzzed in his pocket.He thought aboutignoring it since it was well past work hours, but he slid it out, trying tokeep dancing.Ruby Lockwood.
He needed to take that call.
He stepped back.“Hey, it’s the PI.”
Gabe was at their side in a heartbeat.Like he’d beenstanding there waiting and watching for his turn to play knight in shiningarmor.“I’ll take care of her.”
Gigi rolled her eyes but stepped into his arms like she’dbeen there a million times.“He took me to my senior prom since my boyfriend atthe time was into dirt bikes, but they didn’t love him as much as he lovedthem.He broke his leg the night before, and Gabe got conned into taking mebecause it would be gross to go with one of my brothers.I asked Seth Taggart,but he had to study.Which is weird because he’s not the studying type, if youknow what I mean.Now that I think about it, I asked a couple of guys I knew,but they all had things to do so Gabe took one for Team Gigi.”
Sure, he had.Yeah, it was a real sacrifice.
He slid his finger across the screen as he walked off thedance floor.He was almost certain Gabe had found out about the dance and toldeveryone to tell her no so he was the only one who could do it.
Of course, even knowing Gabe a little made him wonder ifhe’d done something to cause the accident.Probably not.
“Hey, Ruby.Let me walk outside.It’s loud in here.”Heglanced back, trying to catch a glimpse of the table where Olivia had beensitting, but he couldn’t see through the crowd.