Chapter 13 #2
"Thank you for standing up to Phillip like that." Paige's words were quiet, but the sincerity in her eyes spoke volumes.
He shrugged. "It was the perfect opportunity to play my role. I'm only sorry we had an audience."
"Me too." Paige chewed on her bottom lip. "Do you think they'll all keep their mouths shut?"
"Luke will. Even though Gladys finds the whole thing amusing, I think she understands that this could have serious repercussions for us, or rather me."
"What about Nikki?"
"I don't know." Gabe shook his head. "She's immature and flighty enough that she might let something slip."
"That's my fear too."
"We need to talk." He glanced at Luke and Sam. "Somewhere we don't have an audience. Can we meet after I get off work?"
"Sure. Where?"
"Charity's Diner?" He could kill two birds with one stone. They could talk, and he could buy Paige dinner and call it a date, so he'd no longer be lying to his mom in that regard.
Paige grimaced. "If we're trying to keep this on the down-low, that's the worst place to meet. It’s always crazy busy there. Besides, my sister-in-law owns Charity’s. She's not likely to be there in the evening, but word would definitely get back to her."
"Hmm…maybe we should just meet at the park next to the swimming pool."
"That's as good a place as any." Paige slowly nodded her head. "Unless there are baseball games tonight."
Paige let out a sigh of relief as she put her car into park and used the rear-view mirror to check her hair and make-up. Then she stopped herself and rubbed her clammy hands on her jeans. It didn't matter how she looked. Like it or not, Gabe was stuck with her as his fake girlfriend.
I can't believe I'm doing this.
It felt good to drive again, especially today of all days. The last thing she wanted to do was ask her mom to drive her to the park for a secret meeting with her physical therapist.
She tapped her fingers against the steering wheel as she surveyed the empty parking lot. Thank goodness there were no baseball games tonight.
Paige had no idea how this thing with Gabe would play out, but she didn't look forward to lying to her parents.
She may be an adult, but they liked to know where she was going, who she'd be with, and when she'd be home.
Honesty had always been important to her, but it was even more so now after being lied to for eight months.
She didn't feel one bit guilty for lying to Phillip, however. Not after all the lies he'd told her.
Her chest tightened when a dark blue car parked beside hers.
It squeezed even tighter, pushing the air from her lungs, when Gabe—despite a long day at work—stepped out of his car looking like he'd just walked off the cover of a magazine in his fitted jeans and blue polo that hugged his biceps.
Even the way he pulled off his sunglasses as he looked her direction was sexy.
What am I doing?
How did she pretend to be a girlfriend to all that and not fall for the guy?
Why couldn't my therapist have been some old man? Or even someone like boring Gary?
She climbed from her car and gave Gabe a weak smile.
"Hey." He rubbed his palms down his jeans.
Was he as nervous about this as she was?
"Hey."
Despite the empty parking lot, Gabe looked around nervously. "Do you…uh…want to sit in my car to talk?"
"Can we walk?" She pointed to a path that circled the park.
"I can't walk very fast yet, but I need to move, if you know what I mean.
" Sitting close to him in a car that probably smelled like the woodsy cologne she'd caught whiffs of over the past three weeks wouldn't help her rapidly growing crush.
"Walking is a great idea." He motioned for her to precede him to the path.
They'd walked a good twenty yards before either of them spoke.
"Thanks for backing me up—"
"I know you were pushed—"
They both spoke at once.
Gabe chuckled. "Go ahead."
"I just wanted to thank you again for bailing me out with Phillip."
"It seemed like the right thing to do at the time. Especially since you'd already agreed to be my girlfriend." He rushed on. "I mean my fake girlfriend. I know you were pressured into it by Phillip and everyone at PT, but I appreciate it."
"I still think this is crazy." Paige looked sideways at him. "Are you sure you don't want to just tell your mom the truth?"
"No, I can't. Not right now." Gabe balled one fist at his side and shoved the other hand into his hair. "I need her to believe I'm in a happy relationship."
"But won't she see right through this—I mean—us?"
She mentally chided herself again for the way she flinched when Gabe put his arm around her that morning. How would she react when he touched her in front of his mom?
"I swear moms have a way of knowing when their kids are lying." Paige's voice came out strained thanks to her anxious thoughts.
"While I agree that's true, I also believe people see what they want to see."
Was that why Phillip had been able to deceive her for so long? Because she'd wanted to believe he was the one she'd spend the rest of her life with.
"My mom wants to see that I've moved on, so I'm hoping when she meets you, she'll be so happy, she won't question our relationship too carefully."
"Moved on from what?"
The muscle in Gabe's jaw twitched. "Nothing."
Paige stopped walking and propped her hands on her hips. "Fake or not, keeping secrets from each other will only make our relationship harder to sell."
A cold sweat broke out between Paige's shoulder blades. Meeting the parents was always nerve wracking but meeting the mom of a man you hardly knew was downright terrifying.
"You're right." He let out a heavy sigh. "Six years ago, I went through a bad break-up." He shrugged and started walking again. "I haven't dated much since, and my mom thinks I have a fear of commitment."
"Do you?" Paige fell into step beside him.
"Why does everyone keep asking that?"
"Who is everyone?" Paige fired back.
"My sister asked the same question when I told her our mom thinks I'm afraid to commit."
"Well, your sister knows you better than I do, so there must be cause for doubt." She raised a questioning eyebrow. When he shook his head, she went on. "So, why haven't you dated?"
"I have. Just not a lot." His admission was quiet.
"Why?"
Gabe gave a tense chuckle. "When did this become twenty questions?"
"When you asked me to lie to your mom for you."
He winced. "Do you have to phrase it like that? Can't we just think of it as putting on a performance for my mom?"
"I should probably warn you that I dropped out of my high school drama class because I'm a horrible actress."
"I'm not much of an actor either, but this is important to me, so you'd better believe I'm going to give the performance of a lifetime."
Performance of a lifetime in a fake relationship?
That thought both thrilled and terrified Paige. How was she supposed to keep her growing interest in her therapist in check if they made their fake relationship that convincing?
"You never answered my question." She changed the subject back to him.
"Which one? You've asked several."
"Why haven't you dated much?"
He shoved his hands into his pockets and shrugged. "For the same reason you've sworn off men."
"She cheated on you?" Paige's heart went out to Gabe. She recalled his reaction last week when she asked him if he had ever cheated on a woman. No wonder he was offended. It must have been incredibly painful for him if he still avoided dating after all these years.
"With my best friend."
"Ouch." Paige grimaced as she resisted the urge to reach out to him. She folded her arms instead.
"You can say that again." He kicked a small rock off the paved path. "I'm over it. Have been for a while, but that doesn't mean I'm eager to jump into another relationship that has the potential…to fail."
"Amen."
"What exactly happened with Phillip?" He looked sideways at her.
Paige didn't want to talk about Phillip any more than he wanted to talk about his ex, but there needed to be honesty between them. She gave him a brief rundown of meeting Phillip at the gym, his persistent flirting, and their months of dating. "I learned the truth on Valentine’s Day. From his pregnant fiancée with whom he’d finally set a wedding date. "
Gabe let out a low whistle. "No wonder you were so eager to get away from that—" He cut himself off and cleared his throat. "You were trying to get away from him when you were hit by the car, weren't you?"
"Yes." Grateful for the lack of judgment on Gabe's face, Paige sucked in a relieved breath as she nodded. "Can you believe he had the nerve to show up at the hospital after my accident to ask me to keep seeing him on the side?"
Gabe stopped walking. "You're kidding."
"I wish." Paige rolled her eyes. "And then last night he showed up, saying Avery, his fiancée—I mean, former fiancée—lost the baby. So he broke up with her, because he wants me back."
"Wow." Gabe shook his head in disbelief. "Just…wow. I can't believe his arrogance. Do you think he bought our act this afternoon? Have we seen the last of him?"
"I don't know. He can be persistent when he wants to be. I mean, he strung me along for eight months.” Paige resumed walking.
"I'd rather not stage a public display if we can help it but let me know if he keeps bothering you."
She nodded, hoping that wouldn’t be necessary. "How long will I need to play the part of your girlfriend?"
Gabe's posture stiffened and the muscle in his jaw jumped again. "I'm not sure. A few months maybe." The words sounded tense and forced.
"Months?" Paige's stomach sank.
"My mom's not going to believe you're really my girlfriend if you only show up with me once or twice."
"I know, but will she expect us to be together all the time? Because that's going to be difficult to explain to my parents."
He shrugged. "I have a busy schedule, so maybe we can just plan on spending time with my mom and sister on Saturdays or Sundays?"
Paige slowly nodded as she chewed on her lip. "That's doable, but it's going to be tricky to hide from my parents."
"I realize I'm asking you to do a lot more than lie to my mom, and I'm sorry for that, but I could lose my job if your father or Dr. Stoker find out I'm dating—well, sort of dating—a patient."
"I know." Her already slow pace slowed even more. "So, we play our parts and keep this a secret for…a few months. Then what? Do we stage a breakup?"
She thought about Riley's comment that maybe her and Gabe’s paths crossed for a reason. What happened if she opened her heart and fell in love with him only to find out he really was afraid of commitment?
Gabe's posture stiffened, and his Adam's apple bounced. "That won't be necessary."
"What do you mean?"
He didn't intend to carry this ruse out indefinitely, did he?
He blinked and shook his head as if pulling himself from a stupor. "We'll play it by ear. If necessary, we'll break up." His voice was flat as he stared off into the trees.
"Will that keep your mom off your back for a while?"
He gave a small, sad-looking smile. "I won’t have to worry about her after that."
Paige kept glancing at his face as they continued to walk and discuss plans to join his mom and sister for dinner the next evening. For someone who was desperate to find a fake girlfriend, he didn't look very happy to have one.