I’m the only member?”
He scowled at her. “Stop putting yourself down like that.”
“ I’m just saying what everyone else does.”
Gabriel handed her half of his sandwich. “Honey, you haven’t lived her in almost three years. So, how do you know what anyone around here is saying?”
He had a point, and Harrison had said the same thing. “Do you remember when we used to meet under the second set of entwined dogwoods, and eat lunch during the summer?”
He smiled, a far-off look appearing in his beautiful eyes. “You’d always bring me lemon pound cake.”
“ You’d bring me Pringles—the cheese flavored ones.”
“ Azalea wouldn’t allow processed foods in the house,” he said with a grin. “I remember your fingers and mouth would be yellow-orange by the time you were finished.”
“ And you tasted like lemons,” she giggled, and then smashed her lips together. Why did she have to bring that up?
“ Cheese and lemons, who would have thought it?”
“ Sorry, that was—”
“ Nothing wrong with reminiscing. We were childhood sweethearts, Summer, no matter how much you wish it wasn’t true.”
“ I never said that.” She’d never wished that either.
He smiled sadly at her. “You didn’t have to.”
Summer fell silent, and Gabriel did the same. It wasn’t uncomfortable, and that bothered her all the more. It was easy and sweet and—
“ I need your help,” she blurted.
His blue eyes turned hard. “I’m listening, but I’m not promising anything. Elise needs my full attention.”
“ I want you to help me get Ivy back.”
Chapter Eight
Was Summer out of her mind? Of course she was. How else could they have had a civil conversation for longer than a minute, besides insanity or divine intervention?
“ You wouldn’t have to do anything beyond marrying me, and then we can get a divorce or an annulment after whatever requirements the state has is met,” she said in all seriousness.
“ We’ve known one another for eighteen years, and in all that time, have I ever said I’d get married just so I can get a divorce? And a planned one at that,” he growled. He threw his lunch in the nearby trashcan. It was a good thing he’d shared it with Summer, because his appetite was completely gone.
“ You owe me,” she said, her voice just as hard as his.
“ Owe you?” His jaw clenched. “I have done nothing but bend over backwards for you. I’ve lost perfectly good relationships because of you. I put people who matter last because of you.”
“ People who matter?”
“ Yes, people who matter.” He exhaled. “I have gone against advice from my friends, my parents, my ex-girlfriend, and even your sister to help you. It’s cost me everything at times to help you, but do you appreciate that? Hell no.”
Brown eyes grew wide, but her mouth turned stubborn. “I didn’t make you choose to help me.”
“ What was I supposed to do—let you starve, freeze, and go homeless?”
Birds in a nearby tree flew away, wings beating loudly.
“ You were supposed to believe me, yet you didn’t. You believed what everyone else said about me, and not until you found out it wasn’t true, did you apologize.”
“ That still bothers you?” He threw his hands in the air. “The act of a dumb, insecure teenager not taking your word for something still bothers you?”
“ It was more than something.” She fisted her hands in her lap. “I was called a whore and a slut. I was accused of sleeping with the entire football team, with teachers if I made a good grade, and if a couple broke up, it was because I screwed their boyfriend.”
“ Damn it, I wasn’t there, then. I was in college.”
“ I know where you were, but you could have stopped it when the rumors first started,” she pointed out.
“ When I found out what Patrick Johnson did to you, I made him pay…I broke his arm and knocked out three of his teeth.” He jumped to his feet. “Does that make
He scowled at her. “Stop putting yourself down like that.”
“ I’m just saying what everyone else does.”
Gabriel handed her half of his sandwich. “Honey, you haven’t lived her in almost three years. So, how do you know what anyone around here is saying?”
He had a point, and Harrison had said the same thing. “Do you remember when we used to meet under the second set of entwined dogwoods, and eat lunch during the summer?”
He smiled, a far-off look appearing in his beautiful eyes. “You’d always bring me lemon pound cake.”
“ You’d bring me Pringles—the cheese flavored ones.”
“ Azalea wouldn’t allow processed foods in the house,” he said with a grin. “I remember your fingers and mouth would be yellow-orange by the time you were finished.”
“ And you tasted like lemons,” she giggled, and then smashed her lips together. Why did she have to bring that up?
“ Cheese and lemons, who would have thought it?”
“ Sorry, that was—”
“ Nothing wrong with reminiscing. We were childhood sweethearts, Summer, no matter how much you wish it wasn’t true.”
“ I never said that.” She’d never wished that either.
He smiled sadly at her. “You didn’t have to.”
Summer fell silent, and Gabriel did the same. It wasn’t uncomfortable, and that bothered her all the more. It was easy and sweet and—
“ I need your help,” she blurted.
His blue eyes turned hard. “I’m listening, but I’m not promising anything. Elise needs my full attention.”
“ I want you to help me get Ivy back.”
Chapter Eight
Was Summer out of her mind? Of course she was. How else could they have had a civil conversation for longer than a minute, besides insanity or divine intervention?
“ You wouldn’t have to do anything beyond marrying me, and then we can get a divorce or an annulment after whatever requirements the state has is met,” she said in all seriousness.
“ We’ve known one another for eighteen years, and in all that time, have I ever said I’d get married just so I can get a divorce? And a planned one at that,” he growled. He threw his lunch in the nearby trashcan. It was a good thing he’d shared it with Summer, because his appetite was completely gone.
“ You owe me,” she said, her voice just as hard as his.
“ Owe you?” His jaw clenched. “I have done nothing but bend over backwards for you. I’ve lost perfectly good relationships because of you. I put people who matter last because of you.”
“ People who matter?”
“ Yes, people who matter.” He exhaled. “I have gone against advice from my friends, my parents, my ex-girlfriend, and even your sister to help you. It’s cost me everything at times to help you, but do you appreciate that? Hell no.”
Brown eyes grew wide, but her mouth turned stubborn. “I didn’t make you choose to help me.”
“ What was I supposed to do—let you starve, freeze, and go homeless?”
Birds in a nearby tree flew away, wings beating loudly.
“ You were supposed to believe me, yet you didn’t. You believed what everyone else said about me, and not until you found out it wasn’t true, did you apologize.”
“ That still bothers you?” He threw his hands in the air. “The act of a dumb, insecure teenager not taking your word for something still bothers you?”
“ It was more than something.” She fisted her hands in her lap. “I was called a whore and a slut. I was accused of sleeping with the entire football team, with teachers if I made a good grade, and if a couple broke up, it was because I screwed their boyfriend.”
“ Damn it, I wasn’t there, then. I was in college.”
“ I know where you were, but you could have stopped it when the rumors first started,” she pointed out.
“ When I found out what Patrick Johnson did to you, I made him pay…I broke his arm and knocked out three of his teeth.” He jumped to his feet. “Does that make
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