Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 91840 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91840 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
“You know what? Forget it. I heard what he said.”
I get Gabe’s car keys from my bag and toss them at him. He catches them.
“Sorry that I broke your foot, and I’ll pay for the parking ticket. It was really nice to meet you, Tate. Wish I could say the same thing about you, Gabe, but it wasn’t.”
I turn on my heel and head for the stairs. The last thing I want to do is get back in that damn elevator again.
And, now my eyes are stinging with tears, which is stupid. I don’t even know why I’m upset.
I guess it’s just been a butthole of a day, and it’s only going to be worse tomorrow when I have no home.
God, my life sucks monkey balls.
I always try to stay positive, but life is really testing my positivity at the moment.
I push open the door to the stairwell.
“Speedy.”
The sound of Gabe’s deep voice stops me.
I glance at him over my shoulder. Whatever he sees on my face makes him wince.
He’s alone. Tate’s not with him. He must have wheeled himself over here.
“What do you want?” I let go of the door and turn to face him.
“That was an asshole thing to say. I don’t know why I said it…except that I’m an asshole.”
“Yeah, you are.”
“And…I’m…sorry.” It sounds painful for him to say.
Of course I’m going to milk it. “Can you say that again? I didn’t quite hear you. And wait while I get my phone out, so I can get this on camera.”
“Ha. Very funny. Don’t push your luck, Speedy.”
I smile, and so does he. Then, silence falls between us.
“It was a really shitty thing to say.” My words are quiet.
“I know.” He sighs. “I just have a hard time with accepting help. I don’t like to feel useless. I took that out on you. I shouldn’t have.”
I meet his eyes. “You’re forgiven.”
His eyes smile back at me. “So…”
“So, what?”
He scratches his cheek, looking uncomfortable. “Well, if the offer’s still there…I’d really like to take you up on it.”
“Oh, I don’t know…”
“Please, Speedy. If you don’t, Tate’s gonna hire some scary-ass nurse called Big Bertha to come and take care of me.”
I laugh.
“I’m not kidding. He just threatened me with it. And, apparently, she’s mean as hell.”
That makes me laugh harder. “I don’t know, Gabe. I think Big Bertha is just the punishment you deserve for being an asshole.”
“Please, Speedy.” He grabs my hand, his gorgeous brown eyes pleading up at me. “I need you.”
Well, if that doesn’t get me, nothing will. My heartbeat has tripled in time. And he’s still holding my hand, and my skin is on fire.
But I play it cool. “Fine”—I sigh—“I’ll come take care of you. It’s not like I have anything better to do right now anyway.”
He smiles. “You’re awesome.”
“I know. Now, come on, let’s go get your foot sorted, so we can get you home.”
Ava
Gabe lives in West Hollywood, so we’re actually heading back in the direction of where I left my car, which I’ll need to pick up later.
He directs me to his apartment building, and he tells me to park his car in one of his two allotted spaces in the underground parking lot.
I help him out of the car, and he allows me to, which is a miracle in itself. He’s been a lot more cordial since his apology earlier. We’ve still bickered, of course. It would be weird if we didn’t.
I hand him his crutches, and we head for the elevator.
He’s got a boot on, which goes up to just below his knee. It seems a little extreme to me for a broken foot, but I guess the doctor knows best.
And Tate wants him to keep his weight off his foot for the next few weeks, so no walking on it—hence, the crutches.
He looks kind of funny and not just because of the boot and crutches. But Tate had to cut off the leg of his pants, so the boot could be fitted. So, he has one leg of his pants cut above the knee while the other is still long.
We go inside the building and step into a huge lobby area to reach the elevators.
Gabe lifts his hand in greeting at the older man behind the security desk. “Hey, Harry.”
The man stands and comes around the desk. “Evening, Mr. Evans. What on earth happened to your leg?”
“Oh, she broke my foot.” He jerks his head at me.
For the love of God, I wish he’d stop telling people that! Even if it is true.
The security man’s eyes briefly come to me, and then a smile appears on his face. “Did you deserve it though?” he asks Gabe.
Gabe laughs. “Yeah, probably.”
“Thought so.” Harry chuckles. “You need me to do anything for you?”
“No, I’m good. Speedy’s going to be taking care of me for a few days. So, you’ll see her coming and going.”