“Imaginary friends don’t count,” she tossed back jokingly.
“You’re hilarious. Have you ever considered doing a stand-up comedy act?”
“Can you blame me for doubting you?” Vivian asked. “Not once during any of our recent conversations have you mentioned a girlfriend, and now suddenly you’re going to a party at her parents’ house.”
You got me there.
He hadn’t said anything about the friendship developing between him and Leah. Actually, he hadn’t even mentioned her name during their conversations. Instead he’d focused on what was going on in Vivian’s life and what his daughter was up to, because although his sister lived across the country, she adored her niece.
“Do I know this mystery woman?” Vivian didn’t like to be left in the dark no matter the subject matter, but especially when it came to his romantic life.
“Yeah, you met Leah the night you stopped by.” Back in February his sister had been in the city to see a show and popped in for a couple hours. Both Harry and Leah had been at the condo.
“Leah as in Leah Sherbrooke? Harry’s girlfriend?”
Harry and Vivian had never been close, and it wasn’t unusual for them to go several months without speaking. He’d assumed she’d seen or heard that their brother was now involved with runway supermodel Milan Novak. Well, at least he had been as of last week. Keeping up with Harry’s love life required more effort than Gavin cared to exert.
“She dumped him about three months ago after she caught him with one of my neighbors. I think Harry’s dating a model now,” he explained.
Vivian snorted. “Big shocker there. Someday I hope he gets a taste of his own medicine.” His twin had always been vocal in her opinion of how Harry treated the women he dated. “When did you two get together?”
“We’re friends, Viv. We go golfing together and occasionally share a meal.”
“I have a lot of friends, both male and female. Except for Willow and Brandy, I wouldn’t invite any of them to a party at Mom’s house unless there was something between us.”
Gavin noticed she didn’t mention parties at their dad’s house. For as long as he could remember, Vivian and Dad had butted heads. Now unless the event Dad and Kerry were throwing was for Piper, their much-younger half sister, Vivian rarely attended anything at their father’s house. That often included Thanksgiving and Christmas gatherings.
“And if you agreed to go, Gavin, she’s more than another golfing buddy to you,” she continued.
Vivian knew he wasn’t one for big parties. Even in high school and college he’d preferred to hang around with a handful of close friends rather than a packed house full of people he didn’t know.
“I’m taking it slow with her,” Gavin admitted. There wasn’t a person out there he trusted more than Vivian. Anything he said to her wouldn’t go any farther. “Considering how things ended between her and Harry, it seemed like a good idea.”
“Probably not a bad plan,” she agreed. “How does she feel about you having a daughter?”
On the two occasions Gavin had shared that he was a father, both women had told him they weren’t interested in sharing him with Erin. He couldn’t see Leah saying anything remotely close to that. She seemed to value family. Actually, the whole Sherbrooke family was rumored to be extremely close despite its size.
“I haven’t told her about Erin yet.”
A tsking sound came through the phone. “Before things get serious, I recommend telling her. I don’t know about Leah, but I’d hate to have a guy drop news like that on me after we’ve been together a few months. It would make me wonder what other secrets he’s keeping.”
He planned to not only tell her but also hopefully introduce her to Erin when the time was right. “Don’t worry. I’ll tell her soon.”
“Well, have fun. And if your plans change, my door
is open. No need to call. Just drop by.”
Unless Leah called telling him she changed her mind, he wouldn’t let anything keep him from spending the holiday weekend with her.
Chapter Two
Leah dropped her overnight bag by the front door and headed for the kitchen. She’d called Gavin the night before and reminded him that if he didn’t show up at her house by nine this morning, she’d drive into the city and get him. She half expected him to insist he had too much work and just couldn’t take the weekend off. When he did, she had an argument all prepared.
He surprised her though. Instead of backing out, he laughed and promised to be there on time—not that he’d ever been anything but on time when they got together, unlike her ex-boyfriend. Even if it meant the difference between life and death, Harry would be late.
Before hanging up, she’d extended her mom’s invitation for Gavin to stay at the house rather than in a hotel. As she’d expected, Mom had been more than happy to add one more person to the guest list. In Mom’s opinion, when it came to a gathering like this, the more the merrier. Since so many of the people attending the party lived within driving distance, very few were spending the night. Despite the invite, Gavin again insisted he’d rather stay at a hotel. For reasons she couldn’t fully label, she’d been disappointed. Rather than dwell on it though, she focused on the fact he was coming and she’d be able to enjoy his company—something she found herself wanting to do more and more lately.
She managed to finish half her iced tea, her favorite summer morning drink, before the console on the kitchen wall beeped, alerting her to someone at the door. She ignored the little jig her stomach suddenly started doing and headed down the hallway.