“You never did cease to amaze me,” he huffed, shaking his head. He took a sip of his coffee. “Never.”
She rose from the couch and walked into the kitchen, her body still lacking her jeans. “Come on, Gavin,” she sighed, grazing her hand against his jaw. He jerked away from her and took a step back. “What the heck’s wrong?” she asked, her eyes bulging. “You used to love when I touched you. You’re acting as though I’m contaminated.”
He placed his mug on the counter, a frown marring the space between his brows. “Everything about you is contaminated,” he whispered through gritted teeth. “I need to get in the shower. When I get out, if you’re still here, I will physically remove you.”
He went to walk away, but she grabbed his arm. “I still love you,” she cried out. He yanked his arm away from her. “Leaving you was the biggest mistake of my life, Gavin. Please. We can work this out.”
“Like I said, when I get out of the shower, if you’re still here, I’m removing you myself.” His tone this time said not to fuck with him. He headed toward his bedroom, but before entering, he turned to face her again with a smirk plastered across his face. “And, by the way, I’m completely head-over-heels, please-don’t-wake-me-from-this-fucking-dream in love with someone else. She’s everything you’re not and then some. So I guess I owe thanks to you for that. Thank you, Gina, honestly. Thank you for leaving me and fucking up my life for a while. It was the absolute best thing you’ve ever done for me.”
With the smirk holding steady on his face, he graciously bowed in her direction, laughed, and turned toward his bedroom.
“Fuck off, Gavin,” she spat, her eyes wide at his final denial of her.
With that, he closed the door to his bedroom but not before letting out one last throaty laugh.
The heavenly smell of freshly baked New York Everything bagels wafted through the air of the taxi Olivia and Emily were sharing. As heavy sleet pelted against the vehicle, rumbling like coins dropping from the heavens, it was all Emily could do to not reach into the bag and start eating one.
“I can hear your stomach growling over the sleet,” Olivia chirped. “Here,” she said, handing Emily an apple. “At least eat this for now before you get to his place.”
“But I want to eat breakfast with him,” she replied, accepting it. “That was the whole point of me picking up bagels. They’re his favorite.”
Emily looked out the window and took in the sight of the mess New York had turned into overnight. Plows worked furiously through the streets, trying to remove the wintry mix. Considering it was the last two days of October, Emily was shocked by its assault, but nonetheless, she was also thrilled. Upon waking, she retrieved a message from her phone that said the school was closing for the day, relieving her of having to go in. Her plan was a surprise visit to Gavin’s place. Knowing that he didn’t go into work until later in the morning, she was overly excited to grab a few hours with him.
Olivia cocked her head to the side. “Right, like you two are really going to eat,” she laughed. “Just eat the damn apple.”
Shaking her head, Emily took a bite. “We are going to eat…” she paused, drawing up a mischievous brow. “And then I’ll send him to work a happy boy…after I allow him to feast on other delectable items,” she whispered.
Both women laughed.
Not realizing how hungry she truly was, Emily finished the entire apple.
“Uuugh, I’m so jealous that you have today off,” Olivia grunted as she stretched her arms out. “Maybe I’ll become a teacher, so when shit like this happens, I can play hooky.”
“You’d be miserable. You love working at the art gallery.”
“I could become an art teacher at a school.” Olivia shrugged and reached into the bag of bagels. She snatched one out and took a bite. “On second thought, you’re right. I’d be miserable. I don’t do kids that well.”
Emily laughed.
“Hey, buddy,” Olivia quickly called out to the driver. “I get off at the corner here. You might wanna slow it down, considering the streets are covered in potential death.”
The gruff-looking driver rolled his eyes. “I got you to your destination on time,” he clipped, pulling over in front of Olivia’s workplace. “You’re still alive, so no worries. That’s $22.50,” he said as he turned to face her. “Without tip,” he added, smiling.
Olivia rolled her eyes right back at him. She started digging in her purse. “Yeah, yeah, I know how it works. Keep the change.” She handed him $30.
His smile widened.
Pulling the strap of her purse over her shoulder, Olivia turned to Emily and gave her a kiss on her cheek. “Okay, so other than going to eat breakfast and then fucking the shit out of your millionaire boyfriend before he goes to work, what are your plans for the day?”
Olivia’s statement seemed to pique the interest of the driver, who was now smirking at them through the rearview mirror.
Emily’s mouth dropped open, her eyes wide. “Jesus, Olivia.”
“Well, it’s the truth,” she laughed. “And you’ll get in a decent amount of time with him, considering he’s right around the corner from here. So fuck, fuck, fuck away, friend.”
“Okay, I’m officially ending this conversation,” Emily laughed. She leaned over Olivia to open the door for her. “Get out, psycho.”
Laughing, Olivia hopped out of the cab, nearly slipping on the slickened sidewalk. “Get food shopping done at least.”
“Yes, I’ll do the food shopping. I won’t see you until later tonight though. I have some errands to run, and then I’m meeting Gavin at his office at five. We’re going out to dinner to try and figure out this whole Dillon mess.”
Poking her head back into the taxi, Olivia cupped Emily’s chin, her eyes soft. “And it’s a wonderful mess to try and figure out. Don’t forget that.” She planted another quick kiss on Emily’s forehead, ducked out of the vehicle, and closed the door.
Sighing, Emily watched as she made her way into the gallery.
Less than two minutes later, it was Emily’s turn to dig into her purse and pay the driver for the short distance. Cautiously, she slipped out of the taxi and thanked him. The door attendant swiftly made his way over to her, offering her his hand to help her navigate through the now slush-riddled sidewalk. Digging in her purse once again, she went to tip him, but he waved her off, explaining that he was more than happy to help. After thanking him, she shuffled into the lobby and headed for the elevators. On her way up, she couldn’t help but laugh to herself as she recalled what the last two times in this very elevator felt like. This time, even though there was a steady flutter of butterflies tickling her stomach, she was relaxed.
After making her way down the hall to Gavin’s penthouse, Emily rang the doorbell. That relaxation she had just been experiencing suddenly turned into a mixture of shock and confusion when the door swung open. With her heart pounding in her chest—its speed that of a jackhammer—her eyes transiently followed suit as they swept over the woman who had opened his door, wearing nothing but a sweater and panties.
Over her now rapid breathing and sweat-soaked body, Emily managed to get out, “Who are you?”
With the tilt of her head, Gina eyed Emily up and down. “I’m Gina. Who the hell are you?”
Somewhere in the back of Emily’s mind, she and Gavin’s conversation from the baseball game flooded her psyche.
“Besides, her name is Gina, and mine, of course, is Gavin—two Gs. I think it was an omen or something—destined to not work out.”
A writhing ball of hurt tore through Emily’s stomach when she realized who she was. Gavin made her feel like she stood a chance with him, but she really didn’t. She couldn’t compete with the greatest love of his life—the woman whom he’d loved enough to want to marry.