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“That doesn’t matter. You made a baby together. That makes her your ex.”
“Shannon has a new family now.” Gabe did his best to keep the bitterness from his voice. He’d never understood—would never understand—how Shannon could walk away from her daughter and pretend she never existed. “She’s not interested in seeing either one of us.”
“Not even her daughter?”
Gabe realized he should have known the conversation would go down this road. But it was a path he had no intention of traveling. The less said about his daughter’s lack of relationship with her mom, the better. “I prefer not to discuss Finley or her mother with you.”
“Well, I prefer not to discuss Ed and where our relationship went wrong with you.” Michelle took a sip of her champagne and cast a wider net around the room with her gaze. He knew she’d found an out when her face lit up. She waved to a strikingly beautiful woman with long chestnut hair standing in the doorway.
“Adrianna came after all,” Michelle said with a relieved smile. “I need to introduce her around. If you’ll excuse me…”
Michelle strode off without a backward glance.
Gabe lifted his glass of beer to his lips and realized he should have asked her about Sasha instead of her ex-husband. Still, he was here to network, not to spend the entire evening talking to the beautiful and sexy woman who lived next door.
But for the rest of the evening Gabe kept one eye on her. Just in case she needed any help of the…neighborly sort.
For the rest of the week, Michelle was too busy to think about her next-door neighbor. But when Saturday rolled around, he was hard to ignore, trimming bushes and watering his lawn, wearing cargo shorts and Nittany Lions T-shirt.
With the thin cotton stretched tight across his back as he cut and pruned, it was obvious he had some serious muscles. Of course it wasn’t as if Michelle was sitting out front in a lawn chair watching him. No, she was walking Sasha around the block while she waited for July Wahl.
July was a friend who’d been a photojournalist before getting into nature photography. She had an excellent eye and had been the first photographer Michelle had thought of when she and her partner had decided to update their website.
They wanted photos on the site to show them looking friendly and approachable. If anyone could make that happen, it would be July.
Michelle was just rounding the corner when she saw her friend pull into her driveway. She tried to hurry Sasha along but the dog would not be rushed. Just as she feared, by the time she reached the front of her house, July had walked over to speak with Gabe.
Ever since the After-Hours event Monday night, Michelle had tried to confine her interaction with her neighbor to a simple nod of the head.
“July,” Michelle called to her friend as she drew close. “Thanks for coming over.”
“My pleasure.” The auburn-haired beauty looked stylish as always in yellow capris, a multicolored scarf belt and white cotton shirt. “Gabe and I were just talking dogs. He owned a lot of different breeds growing up.”
Yep, her neighbor was a true Renaissance man. Sexy. Great listener. Dog expert.
Michelle smiled.
“David and I’ve been discussing getting the boys a puppy,” July said to Gabe. “Perhaps one of these times at The Coffee Pot you’ll let us pick your brain about what breed might be a good match.”
“Sure.” Gabe’s crooked smile encompassed Michelle. “It’d be my pleasure.”
“Are you ready to go inside, July?” Michelle asked, feeling suddenly warm. “I’ll make us some iced tea and get Sasha fresh water.”
“It’s good to see Sasha again.” July reached over and gave the dog a pat on the head, then cocked her head. A tiny frown furrowed her brow. “Is it just me or is Sasha’s coat not as thick? And she looks like she’s lost weight.”
Michelle saw the question—and the worry—in Gabe’s eyes.
“I took her to the vet Tuesday.” Michelle answered July but kept her gaze focused on Gabe. “Dr. Pitts did a thorough exam, ran a bunch of blood work and diagnosed her with hypothyroidism.”
July’s green eyes grew puzzled. “The hair loss fits that diagnosis, but don’t you usually gain weight with that condition, instead of lose it?”
“Normally,” Michelle admitted. “But some dogs become so lethargic they just don’t feel like eating. To complicate matters, I’d recently switched Sasha to a food she ended up not liking.”
“Thank God that’s all it was,” Gabe said and Michelle heard the relief in his voice.
After chatting with Gabe for a few more minutes, July followed Michelle inside. Once in the kitchen, Sasha ate the rest of the food in her dish, then looked up and whined.
Michelle smiled and patted the top of the dog’s head. “You’ve had enough for now, sweetheart.”
“Gabe sure seemed concerned about her.” July leaned back against the counter, a speculative look in her eyes.
“He had a Golden who’d died of cancer.” Michelle added fresh water to the dog bowl. “He worried Sasha might have the same thing.”
July wanted to get right to work, so instead of enjoying a glass of iced tea, Michelle spent the next hour smiling for the camera in a variety of different outfits.
While July took the photos, Sasha padded around the house, barking at a squirrel running across the back deck and playing with a fuzzy blue-and-white soccer ball. Seeing Sasha active again made Michelle want to laugh with pure joy.
After the session concluded, Michelle poured her and July a glass of iced tea and they headed to the back deck with a plate of peanut butter cookies. Of course, when they’d decided to sit outdoors, Michelle didn’t know Gabe would be out in his yard tossing a softball back and forth with his daughter.
Even though she’d seen the teenager in passing, this was the first time Michelle had gotten a good look at her. Finley was tall with dark brown hair like her father, but her complexion was fair. From where Michelle sat she couldn’t see the color of her eyes. The girl talked as much as she threw, the conversation with her father interspersed with laughter.
According to Lexi, Finley was a good-natured girl and she and Addie were on their way to becoming the best of friends.
July cocked her head. “Did you hear a car drive up?”
The words had barely left her mouth when a car door slammed. Seconds later, the doorbell chimed.
“Looks like whoever it is came to see us.” Michelle stood. “I’ll check and be right back.”
When she opened the front door, she saw David, July’s husband. “This is a pleasant surprise.”
“It’s good to see you, again.” David smiled. “I hope I’m not interrupting your session?”
Dressed in khaki shorts and a white polo shirt, Dr. David Wahl was a handsome, confident man with dark hair and piercing blue eyes.
“Actually we just recently finished and were enjoying some iced tea.” Michelle motioned for him to follow her.
By the time they reached the back deck, July was standing, a look of worry on her face. “I heard your voice. Are the boys okay?”
“They’re fine.” David leaned over and kissed his wife’s cheek. “My parents took them to some event at the Children’s Museum. They wanted to keep them overnight. I told them it was okay.”
“I wonder why your mom didn’t ask me?” July mused, puzzlement furrowing her brow. “She usually calls me for stuff like that.”
“Reaching you might have been a little difficult considering this was at home.” He pulled a tiny smartphone from his pocket and pressed it into her hands.
“Oops.” July blushed. “Michelle and I were so busy I haven’t even missed it. Thanks for bringing it to me.”
“Would you like some iced tea, David?” Michelle asked. “Or a peanut butter cookie? They’re homemade.”
David glanced longingly at the platter of cookies. “Very tempting, but I actually wanted to see if July was interested in stopping for dinner on our way home.”
July’s expression turned thoughtful. She turned to Michelle. “Do you have plans for this evening?”
“No,” Michelle said cautiously. “Why?”
Her friend clearly had something up her sleeve. While Michelle didn’t know what it was, she had a feeling she would soon find out.
“We could grill. It’s a beautiful evening. David could run to the store and get the steaks and beer.” July’s voice trembled with excitement. “You and I could whip up a salad while he’s gone.”
“Sounds good to me.” David glanced at Michelle.
The last thing Michelle wanted was for July and David to feel sorry for her. She’d already planned to have a simple dinner, finish the book she’d been reading and go to bed early. Unless, of course, she got called out for a delivery.
“It does sound like fun, but this is your night without the kids.” Michelle reminded her friends. “You should spend it alone. Or with another couple. Not with me.”
“Are you worried about being a third wheel?” July’s voice rose. “Seriously?”
“If that’s your concern,” David exchanged a look with his wife. “I know how to remedy it.”
Without saying another word, David headed down the deck steps and across the lawn with Sasha on his heels.
“What is he—” The words died in Michelle’s throat as she watched him approach Gabe. “Dear God, tell me he’s not going to invite him to join us.”
July popped a piece of cookie in her mouth. “Looks like it.”
Thankfully, from the way Gabe was shaking his head, it appeared he wasn’t interested. Michelle expelled the breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. But her relief was short-lived.
David smiled and headed across the yard, calling over his shoulder. “Come over at six.”
“What was that about?” July asked her husband when he reached the deck, slanting a sideways glance at Michelle.
“I invited Gabe and his daughter to join us and they accepted,” David said with a smug smile.
Gabe and his teenage daughter.
In her house.
Michelle swallowed a nervous laugh and realized feeling like a third wheel was now the least of her concerns.
Chapter Four
“Put some of the brownies you baked this morning on a plate and we’ll take them with us,” Gabe said to his daughter.
Finley looked up from the kitchen table where she sat, book in hand. “I made those for us, not for them.”
Gabe counted to ten and reminded himself that Finley had hoped for a different outcome for this evening. Yesterday she’d asked if she could invite Addie over tonight and he’d said yes. Unfortunately Addie already had plans. “Even though it will be only adults tonight, July is a photographer and I know you like that kind of stuff. Plus Sasha will be there.”
Relief flooded Gabe when Finley’s lips turned upward. His daughter had a deep love for dogs and this was something animals seemed to sense. Earlier Sasha had made a beeline across the yard to Finley.
“I still don’t see why we have to give them our brownies.” Finley pushed back her chair and stood. She glanced down at her denim skirt and top. “Or why I had to dress up.”
Gabe slipped an arm around her shoulders and gave a squeeze. “They’re giving us dinner. The least we can do is bring dessert. And if I had to change, so do you.”
“We looked okay the way we were,” Finley grumbled. “Or at least I did.”
“Oh, so you’re saying it was only me?” Gabe teased.
“No comment.” Finley stepped back and looked him up and down, taking in his khaki pants and blue plaid shirt. “You look…pretty good. For an old guy, that is.”
“I just turned thirty-one.” He bristled with feigned outrage. “Hardly over-the-hill.”
A smile lifted her lips. “Keep telling yourself that, old man.”
Gabe chuckled, overcome with love for this child of his. He thought of the things her mother had been unwilling to give up. College life. Living on campus. Spring break trips.
Not for one minute did he regret the choice he made. He wondered if Shannon could say the same thing.
Impulsively he gave Finley a quick hug, planting a kiss on the top of her head.
“Hey,” she twisted away. Her brows pulled together, but he saw the pleased look in her eyes. “What was that for?”
“I love you.” The words came easily to his lips, the emotion as natural as breathing. “I’m proud of the trouper you’ve been during this move. I know it hasn’t been easy.”
“I’m a Davis.” She pulled back her shoulders and straightened. “According to Grandpa, we do what needs to be done. And we don’t whine.”
Thank you, Dad, Gabe thought. His parents had been such positive role models for Finley.
“He’s absolutely right. As always.” Gabe pulled a paper plate from a drawer, along with some plastic wrap. “This should do for the brownies.”
This time there wasn’t a single grumble as Finley quickly washed her hands, then began transferring the chocolate squares to a disposable plate.
Gabe took a deep breath, feeling suddenly unsure about tonight’s barbecue. He hoped accepting the dinner offer hadn’t been a mistake.
“Do you like her?”
For a second Gabe wasn’t sure he’d heard correctly. He turned toward Finley. “Who?”
“Michelle. Our neighbor,” Finley clarified a bit impatiently. “Do you like her?”
“She seems nice.” Gabe chose his words carefully, not wanting there to be any misunderstanding. “If you’re asking if I want to date her, the answer is no.”
Finley tilted her head. “Not your type?”
An image of Michelle flashed before him. A gorgeous blue-eyed blonde with long legs and big—Gabe cut off the thought. “She’s okay. It’s just I don’t want to date anyone right now. This isn’t a good time.”
When he’d graduated with his degree in Construction Management, Gabe had thought long and hard about his next steps. Did he want to stay on the East Coast? Move to Florida where his parents now lived? Or head out west to a part of the country that had always appealed to him?
Finley was already in middle school, so it had been important to consider carefully. If they didn’t relocate soon, she’d be in high school, which would make a move at that point difficult.
