Rush (Breathless #1)(15)

“You’re incorrigible,” Mia said in exasperation. “Money isn’t everything, you know.”

“Said by someone who is indulged by her older brother, who also happens to have more money than God.”

Mia couldn’t deny that Jace was every bit as wealthy as Gabe, or that he did a lot for her. He’d purchased this apartment for her—though he didn’t like that more often than not she walked the twenty blocks to work. She didn’t need a roommate, but Caroline needed a place to stay and Mia liked the company. But she tried not to rely solely on Jace. She wasn’t extravagant. In fact, she had learned to be quite frugal with her meager earnings.

“I think I’m more curious than anything,” Mia admitted. “He’s always fascinated me. I’ve had a thing for him for as long as I can remember.”

“Curiosity is a valid reason for hooking up with a guy,” Caroline said. “How will you know if you’re compatible unless you take the leap?”

Taking the leap felt appropriate. Only it wasn’t just a short hop. It was a full plunge off a cliff. She itched to take out that damn contract again so she could go over it one more time, but she couldn’t do it in front of Caroline, which meant she’d have to wait until later to review it.

She forked out a noodle and bit off the end. “It’s ready. Grab a plate and I’ll drain the spaghetti.”

“I’ll get more wine,” Caroline offered. “You’re such an awesome cook, Mia. I wish I had your skills. Guys love that shit.”

Mia laughed. “Like you have any problem in the guy department.”

And it was true. Caroline was gorgeous. Only a little taller than Mia, she was way curvier with a lushness to her figure that attracted men like flies. She had beautiful burnt-auburn hair that had varying shades of red and gold under sunlight. Add rich brown eyes that twinkled with warmth and the result was a beautiful woman with a sunny personality that endeared her to everyone she met.

“The problem is finding the right guy,” Caroline said wistfully.

Mia cringed, regretful of her careless words. No, Caroline didn’t have any problems in the guy department as far as attracting them. But the last man she’d attracted had been bad news.

She held up her wineglass in an effort to smooth over her faux pas and said, “I’ll drink to that.”

• • •

Gabe’s office phone rang, but he let it ring and continued typing the memo he was working on. It was after hours. No one should be calling his office.

The room went silent, and then just a few seconds later, his cell phone rang. A quick glance at the incoming contact and he briefly contemplated letting it go to voice mail. With a sigh, he picked up his phone to hit Receive. He couldn’t ignore his mother even if he already knew why she was calling.

“Hello,” he said.

“Gabe. There you are. I thought you might still be at the office. You work such long hours these days. Aren’t you ever going to take a vacation?”

He had to admit the idea had merit. Even more appealing was the idea of taking Mia with him. Several days away from the world in order to initiate her into his world? Definitely something to consider.

“Hello, Mom. How are you?”

It was a question he’d learned better than to ask, and yet he always did. The problem with asking his mother how she was doing was that she never took the polite way out and said fine like most people did, regardless of whether they were really fine or not.

“I can’t believe what he’s doing,” she said in clear agitation. “He’s making a fool of himself and of me.”

Gabe sighed. After nearly forty years of marriage, his father had moved out, served his mother with divorce papers and seemed determined to run through as many newer, younger models as quickly as possible. His mother wasn’t taking it well, as could be expected. And unfortunately, Gabe was her sounding board.

He loved his father, but he was being a huge dick. Gabe didn’t understand it. How could you be with someone for that many years and then wake up one morning and decide to walk away?

He wasn’t certain that he would have gotten to the point of asking Lisa for a divorce. She’d been the one to leave him. It may not have been the right thing to do, remain in a relationship where it was obvious there was no love or true affection any longer, but he would have spared her the pain and humiliation of a divorce. She, however, didn’t feel the same about sparing him. And he didn’t hold the divorce against her. Maybe he should have done something before allowing it to get to the point it had. But he hadn’t realized that Lisa was so desperately unhappy. What he held against her was the way she went about divorcing him.

“It’s disgraceful, Gabe. Did you see the papers this morning? He had a woman on each arm! Now what would he do with two women?”

No way Gabe was answering that question. He shuddered even imagining his father…No, he wasn’t even going there.

“Mom, stop reading the society pages,” Gabe said patiently. “You know it’s just going to upset you.”

“He’s doing it on purpose to punish me,” she railed.

“Why would he punish you? What could you have possibly done to him?”

“He’s showing me that while I’m sitting at home grieving over the death of my marriage, he’s out having the time of his life. He’s telling me with more than words that he’s moved on and that I no longer have any place in his heart.”