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KIM BALDWIN. Erin looked at Gable for a long moment, and her eyes shone with tears
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Erin looked at Gable for a long moment, and her eyes shone with tears. “Can you forget I’ve been such a jerk?”
“I never thought that in the F rst place. You’re entitled to have an off day.”
“Thanks for understanding.”
An elderly woman pushing a walker came up behind Erin, interrupting them.
“Good morning. May I help you?” Gable asked.
The woman dug in her purse and pulled out four empty prescription vials. “I’d like these reF lled, please.”
“Certainly.” Gable glanced at the labels. “It’ll be a few minutes, if you’d like to take a seat.”
“I’m going to let you get back to work,” Erin said, once the woman had moved away. “I’ve got a training class soon.”
Gable stuck out her lip in a disappointed pout, which drew the F rst genuine smile from Erin since she’d arrived.
“Come to my house for dinner tonight?” Erin asked with a hopeful expression.
Gable smiled back. “I’d like that. I’ve missed you.”
Erin looked at her for another very long moment. “I’ve missed you too.” Then she was gone.
v
That evening, Gable detoured home long enough to change into a T-shirt and jeans. When she drove up Erin’s driveway shortly before seven, she spotted Erin waving to her from a portable gas grill set up a few feet from the cabin. It was a warm late-July day, but there wasn’t much humidity, and the steady breeze and shelter of the trees made it seem much cooler than eighty-eight degrees.
“Perfect timing,” Erin said as Gable got out of the Jeep.
Gable sucked in a big whiff of…steak? Her mouth started watering as she approached. “Something sure smells good.”
“It’s not Outback Steakhouse, but I splurged and got us a couple of F let mignons at the butcher shop. Medium rare, right?”
“Oh yeah, exactly right,” Gable replied, pleased that Erin remembered.
“Go on in and help yourself to a beverage.” Erin gestured with the tongs in her hand. “There’s beer and soda in the fridge, and an open
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bottle of wine on the table. These will be done in a minute.”
“Okay.”
Earl Grey had evidently been watching Gable’s approach from his perch in the window. He was crouched just inside the door and pounced on her as soon as she entered, then raced away, hoping she would chase him as she had when he was staying at her house. Gable’s eyes followed the cat until he passed the dining area, where her attention shifted to the beautifully laid table. White china and crystal stemware rested on place mats and napkins in a deep emerald green. Between the settings rested a pair of candlesticks and a vase F lled with the delicate miniature daisies that grew rampant along Erin’s drive.
She always makes meals an occasion, Gable thought, recalling the other times Erin had prepared dinner for her. But she noticed there was a subtle difference this time, in addition to the extravagance of the F lets mignons. The place settings were laid opposite each other, instead of at right angles as they had always been before. She and Erin would face each other tonight as they ate.
Erin was just f ipping over the steaks when Gable joined her outside with a glass of wine in her hand. “How was work?” she asked, and Gable was struck for a moment by the pure, sweet domesticity of that moment—Erin in her oversized barbecue apron, grinning up at her and asking how her day went. Gable knew she was only indulging an impossible fantasy, but she would savor the moment nonetheless.
“My day got considerably brighter when I saw you standing at the counter,” she answered honestly.
Erin smiled broadly at the comment.
“The table looks great.” Gable gestured toward the cabin. “And I can’t believe you got us these steaks.”
“Well, I wanted to do something nice for you. And this happens to be one of those many wonderful indulgences that we have in common, so I beneF t too.”
I wish we had more in common at moments like these, Gable thought, swallowing hard. It wasn’t getting any easier at all to be this close to Erin without being able to touch her. You just look so damnkissable. How is it that you seem to get cuter every day?
Over the course of their friendship thus far, Gable had greatly enjoyed being able to steal frequent long looks at Erin whenever Erin was preoccupied—cooking dinner, doing dishes, shopping, watching television. She relished every chance she got to admire, unobserved,
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