The Rebound Pact Read Free Page B

to come in here with your mom all the time. Max, too, until he moved to Paris.”
    Gabrielle chewed her lower lip. “I think Dad’s doing okay. As best he can, now that mom’s gone.” She shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant. “Max is having a blast though.”
    Holden grinned. “I know. What’s up with the Danes and Paris?”
    Gabrielle laughed. “I don’t know, guess it just spoke to us. Maybe Mom fed us too many chocolate croissants when we were little.”
    He nodded, a solemn expression coming across his face. “We were all sad to hear about your mom.”
    No one more so than Gabrielle. She’d been packing in Paris the previous year, a couple weeks behind schedule for her move back to the states, when her mother unexpectedly diagnosed with stage four ovarian cancer. There’d been no warning…
    Gabrielle shuddered and took a large gulp of wine, letting the warmth of it slide slowly down her throat.
    Holden gazed at her intently and leaned forward on his elbows, setting his wine glass on the counter. “I’m sorry, Gabrielle.”
    She mustered a smile. “Thanks.” It was easier to banish her sad memories now that over a year had elapsed. She still thought of her mom all the time, though. And wished desperately she could cry into her shoulder about Len the Dick. Her mom had always been there for her through her past relationships. Been her number one champion. The loss left a void she wasn’t sure she’d ever fill again.
    “How do you like the wine?”
    “It’s delicious.” Almost as delicious as his lips. She was grateful for that distraction.
    “ Holden, I’m calling it a night.” An older woman rounded the corner then stopped short when she caught sight of Gabrielle. “Oh, I’m sorry, didn’t realize we had any more customers.”
    “No problem, Belinda. This is my old friend, Gabrielle.”
    An old friend. She wished it had been more than that. Well, the past was the past and better that it stayed there. Dwelling on the one that got away didn’t help anyone.
    “Nice to meet you,” Gabrielle said.
    “You too. Have fun.” Belinda waved at Holden and Gabrielle over her shoulder and ducked out the door.
    Gabrielle shifted on her stool and set down her glass. “You are closed. I should go.”
    “Don’t. I don’t have anywhere to be. At least finish your wine.”
    She stared at him, this handsome man who she barely knew anymore. Why hadn’t they just ignored Max’s edict and done what they both wanted? She couldn’t help wondering what would have happened if they had. That one night had been ah -mazing…
    “So , where have you been? What have you been up to? Mount Airy sure hasn’t been the same without you and Max.”
    Did he truly miss her? Or just Max? He leaned down on the bar on his elbows, his biceps flexing and drawing her attention.
    “I was in Europe for a while.” Why did his gaze have to be so intense? Every nerve prickled with the need to reach across the bar and stroke his arms, kiss his lips.
    “ Now you’re cooking up a storm from what I here.”
    “Yes, I’m a chef .”
    “ I’d love you to cook for me. Still at La Peche?”
    She glanced down at her hands. That was a topic best left un-discussed. “I’m between jobs now.” As of that afternoon anyway… Damn you, Len!
    “ What do you like to cook?”
    A nervous smile lifted her lips while she studied Holden’s face. What would he think when she told him? Most people mocked her or made an ew face like she’d served them weeds on a platter.
    “I’m a gourmet vegetarian chef.”
    His mouth fell open and he pushed back on the counter to his full, impressive height. “You’re shitting me.”
    Gabrielle swallowed hard. “No.”
    “That’s awesome! I volunteer at the local fire department and the guys over there are all trying this new plant-based diet. They got the idea from a firefighter Austin, Texas. I’ve been trying it out myself.”
    Yep. All it took was five minutes in his company to see that Holden