“Right on time,” she greeted. “Come on in.”
Gavin dropped his cell phone into a pocket and slipped his sunglasses onto his head as he stepped inside. “I would’ve been here earlier, but I got an unexpected visit from my dad. I finally had to kick him out.”
“No worries. I overslept this morning and only finished packing about ten minutes ago. I haven’t even eaten breakfast yet. I thought we could grab something on the way.”
She almost never overslept, but the night before what was supposed to be a quick visit with Callie and her family had turned into the opposite. Despite her plans to get home early and pack, she hadn’t walked through the door until well after two this morning.
“Thanks to Dad, I never got around to it either, so I was going to suggest we stop at Café Sorell before we get on the road,” Gavin admitted. “Unless you prefer somewhere else.”
“No, they have great pastries.” She tried to keep her eyes on his face, but this morning she was finding it quite the challenge. The man really belonged in some magazine advertising underwear instead of behind a desk.
“Are you ready to go or do you need a few more minutes?” he asked, oblivious to her struggles.
“Good to go. Do you want to drive or should I?”
Most days she didn’t mind being behind the wheel for a long drive. This morning she’d much rather be in the passenger seat so she could keep her eyes focused on him instead of the road, but since she’d invited him along, it only seemed fair she offer to tackle the three-and-a-half-hour drive to Newport.
Taking a step back toward the door, he shrugged. “You look tired. I don’t mind doing it.” He picked up the overnight bag she’d left on the floor. “Is this it?”
She nodded. “I’ll meet you outside. I need to grab my purse.”
Through the windshield she saw the cell phone glued to Gavin’s ear as she approached his car. Although the call could be a friendly one, she put her money on it having something to do with work. Perhaps this weekend she’d find a way for the device to go missing until it was time to head home. Really, any projects he had going on could take a vacation for two days.
Whatever the call was about, he ended it as she opened the door.
“Please tell me you weren’t discussing business.” Leah climbed into the air-conditioned vehicle, the leather cool against her bare legs.
“No, just talking to a friend. They wanted to share some news with me.” He started the engine and drove down the long driveway.
It didn’t go unnoticed that Gavin didn’t mention the friend’s name or give any hint whether it was a male or female friend. “Good news, I hope,” she inquired, her curiosity getting the better of her this morning.
“Uh, yeah I guess.” Gavin turned left out of the driveway and proceeded down the street. “She got engaged last night.”
“Engagements are usually good news.” Despite all the time she’d spent with Gavin, he’d only mentioned a handful of friends, and they’d all been male. “She must be a close friend if she called this morning to tell you.”
Rather than immediately answer, he adjusted the air vent near the steering wheel. “I’ve known Amber a long time.”
Knowing someone for years didn’t mean you had a close relationship with her. And although absolutely none of her business, she wanted to know just how close he and Amber were. “Does she live near you?”
“Not anymore. She moved to Rhode Island about two years ago. She lives in Providence.”
A burst of relief washed over her. If he had to have a close female friend, engaged or not, Leah preferred she wasn’t living right next door to him.
You have no claim on him, she reminded herself. They were friends, nothing more. Whatever did or didn’t exist between him and other women didn’t affect her. Before she said something she’d later regret, she’d better change the subject.
“Does your dad make surprise visits like he did today a lot?” Despite dating Harry for two and a half months, she’d only met Donald Kincaid once and it’d been a chance encounter at a restaurant.
“Occasionally. He did it more when Harry was living with me. Dad’s always been closer to him than me.”
She was 99 percent certain this was the first time since the afternoon she caught Harry with another woman that Gavin had mentioned his half brother. Come to think of it, he didn’t talk about his family much. Leah couldn’t help but wonder if her and Harry’s previous relationship was the reason behind it.
“You’ve got the condo to yourself again?” She’d assumed Harry had left Gavin’s and moved into his new house by now. It’d been more than half completed when they broke up. But when it came to construction, setbacks happened all the time. When she’d had her own house remodeled, it took a month longer then planned.
Gavin pulled into the parking lot of the nearby café. “Yes, thank God. Harry moved out the beginning of June. And if he hadn’t, I might have checked into a hotel until he did.” He turned off the engine and looked at her. “If he ever asks to stay with me again, I’ll barricade the door.”
Whenever she’d been there, it had appeared as though they’d been coexisting peacefully despite their polar opposite personalities. Gavin’s comments told a different story. “It’s not always easy living with someone.”
“Vivian, I could handle living with,” Gavin said as he reached for his door handle. “We’re a lot alike. I think the only thing Harry and I have in common is that we have the same father.”