Chapter 12 #2
"I don't want you to make amends. I want you to leave me alone." She shouldered past him and opened the door.
"I meant it when I said I'm not giving up on us, Paige."
She closed the door on him and pressed her back against it. Phillip was persistent. She’d learned that last year when he kept flirting with her at the gym. And even after she'd learned he was engaged to Avery, he still hadn't wanted to end things with Paige.
The thought of having to fend him off for the whole weekend made her stomach roll. She'd cared deeply for him. More than she had any other man. But he’d hurt her terribly. No way would she give him the chance to do it again.
She had to convince Phillip she was not available. Physically or emotionally. Would Gabe help her?
A fake relationship was safer than a real one, because if Gabe needed a fake girlfriend, it meant he didn't have another woman on the side.
He wouldn't cheat on her.
Relief flooded over Paige, making her feel almost light-headed when she walked into an empty PT office Friday morning. Gabe, the only one in the room, sat at his small desk making notes on his computer. She glanced around a second time to make sure they were alone.
The door to the closet where the laundry facilities were stood open. She caught a glimpse of Luke's shoulder as he folded a towel.
Maybe I should wait.
Recalling Phillip’s vow to not give up, she decided it was now or never. She hurried over to Gabe.
"Good morn—"
"I'll do it." She spat out the words before she lost her nerve.
He looked up in surprise. "Do what?"
"I'll be your girlfriend." She tried to whisper but the urgency in her voice made it sound like a growl.
"What?" He sprang to his feet, making her to fall back a step.
"I said I'll pretend to be your girlfriend." She kept her voice low and forced herself to speak slowly. Which wasn't easy, because her heart raced a hundred miles an hour, despite feeling like it had the tightest of the resistance bands wrapped around it.
Gabe's brows jerked up. "Why?"
“It turns out I need your help." She held her breath, willing him to say, "No problem, what do you need?"
He stepped back. "What kind of help?" Caution filled his voice.
"I need a fake boyfriend for a while." Paige ground out the words, hating having to make the admission.
Whistling came from the laundry closet.
Gabe motioned her toward the table farthest from the closet. He quickly grabbed heat packs and brought them to the table. "Why do you need a fake boyfriend?"
"Because Phillip, my jerk of an ex, showed up last night, trying to get me to take him back." Despite trying to keep her words quiet, the disdain in her voice made it raise.
"The guy who cheated on you?" Gabe whispered as he tucked a heat pack behind her back.
"Yes."
He studied her face for a long moment. "You really had no clue he was cheating on you?"
"No. It's scary how duplicitous some people can be."
"Tell me about it." The hardness in his voice made her look closely at him. The muscle in his jaw jumped, and his eyes narrowed as a steely determination filled his face.
"Why do I get the feeling you know what I'm talking about?"
"Because I do." He looked up at the ceiling for a long moment and mumbled something in Spanish.
Paige heard the word loco which she recalled from her high school Spanish class as meaning crazy. Was he talking about her or himself?
Either way, he’s right. This is crazy.
When he looked at her again, his gaze was hard and penetrating. "You don't plan to ever go back to this guy?"
"Absolutely not." Paige spat out the words.
"And you're not seeing anyone else?"
"If I was, I wouldn't need your help." She jabbed a finger in his direction.
"Right." Skepticism lingered on his face.
"I meant it when I said I was done with men. I’m still recovering from my last relationship. Believe me, the last thing I want is to jump into another one—not a real one, anyway.” Fear that he might turn her down made her defensive. “I'm not an idiot."
"No, but I might be." He said the words under his breath, but Paige heard them.
"What do you mean by that?" Her brows pulled together.
"Nothing."
"Hey, Paige," Luke said as he walked out of the small closet, carrying a stack of small towels. "I thought I heard your voice."
Gabe locked gazes with Paige as he adjusted the heat pack against her hip. "Can we talk after I get off work today?"
She nodded.
The longer she spent at PT the more tense she became, but it had little to do with the exercises. Every time she caught Gabe looking at her with that pensive expression, her muscles bunched. It didn't help that a small crease furrowed his brow, and he frequently chewed on the side of his lip.
Each time they locked gazes, her heart rate spiked. She wasn't sure if it was the prospect of playing the role of his girlfriend or because she feared he might change his mind.
He didn't actually agree to be my fake boyfriend.
He asked if they could talk after work. Was he waiting until then to tell her he wasn't interested or that he'd already found someone?
"Hey Gabe, did you find a fake girlfriend yet?" Luke's out-of-the-blue question snapped Paige out of her musings.
Warmth flooded her cheeks. Had the assistant overheard Paige's offer this morning or did he bring it up again, hoping to get her to volunteer?
"Not yet." Gabe shot Paige a brief glance before turning a murderous glare on Luke. "But we are not discussing it here."
"What's this about a fake girlfriend?" Gladys asked.
Nikki propped up on her elbow on the table beside Gladys. "Gabe's mom is on his case about dating. So, he's trying to find someone to pretend to be his girlfriend." She continued despite Gabe's audible groan. "I offered, but he thinks I'm too young."
Paige almost burst out laughing at the stricken look on Gabe's face. He closed his computer and propped his elbows on it to scrub his hands over his face.
"Good grief. Of course you're too young." Gladys' expression was full of disapproval. "Paige is much better suited to be Gabe's girlfriend than you are."
"What!" Paige exclaimed. Never mind that she'd offered to play the part a little over an hour ago, she couldn't help being shocked by Gladys' bluntness.
Gabe must have been equally as surprised, because his head flew up, and he turned wide eyes first on Paige then on Gladys.
"That's what I said," Nikki said with glee. "And Luke even agreed they'd make a cute couple."
"They would." Gladys gave Paige then Gabe an appraising look. "They'd have cute kids too."
"That's enough!" Gabe burst to his feet, and Paige froze mid-squat. "From now on, there will be no more discussions of my love life—or lack thereof—" He held up a finger for emphasis. "Real or fake in this office." One by one, he gave everyone except Paige a hard glare.
Her eyes darted around the room. Luke wore a guilty expression. Nikki looked like her idol had just toppled off his pedestal. And Gladys grinned like she had a secret.
"Methinks the man protests too much." Gladys met Gabe's glare with a raised eyebrow. When he continued to stare her down, she relented. "Oh, you're no fun." She made a shooing motion with her hand. "If we can't talk about your fake love life, let me tell you about mine."