Dream a Little Dream (Chicago Stars, #4)(91)

There was a long pause. “I see.” He glanced down at the pliers in his hand, but she had the feeling he didn’t see them. “How much are they going to pay you?”

“About what you are—they can’t afford much right now—but the business is going to grow. I’ll make do, especially since I won’t have rent.” She thought of the check for twenty-five thousand dollars tucked away in her top dresser drawer, and her stomach clenched. “As soon as Edward starts school full-time, I’m going to try to get a scholarship and go back to college. I’ll only be able to take a few courses at a time, but I want to study business and finance.”

He shoved the pliers into the back pocket of his jeans, and his eyes had that old hard look in them. “I see. You have it all worked out, don’t you?”

She nodded.

“No discussion? It didn’t occurred to you that maybe we should talk this over before you made up your mind.”

“Why?” She spoke gently because she had to make certain he knew she wasn’t blaming him. “There isn’t any future for us. We both know that.”

But he was in no mood to be appeased. He stalked toward her, closing the distance between them with angry strides. “You’re not going.”

“Yes, I am.”

He loomed over her, and she wondered if he was deliberately using his size to intimidate her. “You heard me. You’re staying right here! Going to Florida is a hare-brained idea. What kind of security would you have working for peanuts and relying on other people for the roof over your head?”

“That’s what I do now, “ she pointed out.

For a moment he seemed taken aback, then he made a harsh gesture with his hand. “It’s not the same thing at all. You have friends here.”

“I also have enemies.”

“That’ll change once people get to know you and realize you’re going to be part of the community.”

“How can I be part of the community? There aren’t any opportunities for me here.”

“And you think there’ll be opportunities for you working for an hourly wage in some cheap Florida gift shop?”

She turned away from him. “I’m sure it’s not cheap, and I don’t want to argue with you about this. I have to go.”

“No.”

“Please. Don’t make it any harder.” She walked over to the lawn chair and clutched it for support. The nylon webbing scratched her palm. “Kayla can run the snack shop. I’ll work through next weekend, so she has time to get her bearings and you can find someone to help her.”

“I don’t give a damn about the snack shop!”

She wanted to point out how very true that was, but she held her tongue. In the aviary, Tweety Bird kept up his high-pitched cheeping. Who but Gabe would have gone to so much trouble to rescue a sparrow?


He jammed his hands into his pockets as if they’d become his enemies. “You’re not going to Florida.”

“I don’t have any choice.”

“Yes, you do.” He paused and glared at her. The line of his jaw grew more stubborn. “We’re going to get married.”

Her heart skipped a beat, then began to hammer. She stared at him. “Married? What are you talking about?”

“Just what I said.” He pulled his hands out of his pockets and stalked toward her, his expression belligerent. “We get along. There’s no reason why we shouldn’t get married.”

“Gabe, you don’t love me.”

“I care a hell of a lot more about you than G. Dwayne ever did!”

He was breaking her heart. “I know you do. But I can’t marry you.”

“Give me one good reason.”

“I already did. The best reason of all.”

Something helpless flickered in his eyes. “What do you want from me?”

She wanted what he’d given Cherry and Jamie, but it would be cruel to say that. And what was the point? He already understood. “Nothing more than you’ve already given me.”

But he wouldn’t be put off. “I can take care of you. Once we’re married, you won’t have to worry about where your next meal’s coming from or what’ll happen if you get sick.” He paused. “You’ll have security for Edward.”

That wasn’t fair. He knew she’d sell her soul for her son, and she fought back tears. At the same time she realized this was something they finally had to talk about. “You have to know that’s the biggest reason I can’t do this. There are different kinds of security. Spending his childhood with a man who dislikes him is worse for Edward than poverty.” There. It was finally out in the open.

“I don’t dislike him.” But he wouldn’t meet her eyes, and his voice lacked conviction.

“I’m being honest with you. Do the same for me.”

With his back to her, he moved toward the aviary. “It’s just going to take a little time, that’s all. You want everything to happen instantly.”

“You dislike him as much now as the day you first saw him.” Her resentment bubbled over. “And it’s so unfair. He can’t help the fact that he’s not Jamie.”

He whirled around. “Don’t you think I haven’t told myself that a thousand times?” He drew a ragged breath, struggling for control. “Look, just give it some time and it’ll work out. I know I’ve taken you by surprise, but once you think it over, you’ll realize our getting married is the best thing.”