“Because I’m an idiot.”
“Well, some people are.” She nods thoughtfully.
“I thought you were going to say that some men are.” Neil crosses his arms over his chest and leans back on the counter, genuinely interested in what Gabby has to say.
And so am I.
“No, people can be idiots. Not just men.” She shrugs. “Especially when it comes to love.”
“No one said anything about love.”
“Maybe that’s the problem,” she says with a smile. “Sex and love together, that’s a powerful thing.” She seems to shake herself and offers Neil a shy smile. “Or I’ve been told.”
“I’m not ready for love.”
“You’re what, in your mid-twenties?” she asks.
“Yes.”
“So, grow up.” Both Neil and I raise our brows, him in surprise, and me in pride. “You have an amazing job that many people would kill for. You don’t have to fall in love today, but you don’t have to be a jackass either.”
“I think I did just fall in love.”
I growl, but both of them ignore me.
“Trust me when I say,” she continues, “screwing anything with boobs isn’t attractive. It doesn’t make you a hot baseball star. It makes you a pathetic athlete with less than questionable morals. And later, when you are lonely and you want to fall in love, it won’t be easy. Do your thing. Play baseball. But don’t be a jackass.”
“You’re smart,” Neil says, looking shell-shocked.
“I’ve had my share of jackasses,” she replies simply. “My brothers sometimes have jackass qualities, but we yank them back to reality quickly. My dad was no jackass. And I’m certainly not raising one. If you act respectably and respectfully, the right girl will come along.”
“You should add counseling services to your menu here,” Neil says with a laugh. “But I hear you. And I don’t disagree with you.”
“Of course you don’t disagree. I’m right.”
I can’t stand it anymore; I have to touch her. I pull her in front of me, against me, and wrap my arms around her shoulders, holding her close. Neil smiles at her thoughtfully, then raises his gaze to mine.
“I’ve never seen you like this, man, but now I know why. You’ve never met anyone like her.”
“Not even close,” I agree.
“I’m going to bed.” Neil nods at both of us and turns to leave the room. “Do you mind if I stay tomorrow night too? I’d like to see a bit of New Orleans.”
“No problem,” Gabby replies. When he leaves the room, she tilts her head back, looking up at me upside down. “Did I say too much?”
I kiss her forehead softly and rest my lips there. “No, sweetheart. I think you said exactly what he needed to hear. He’s having a rough time.”
“I could tell.” She sighs and closes her eyes, still resting her head back against my chest. “Your lips feel good.”
I grin against her skin. “Let’s go put them to use in other places.”
Chapter Ten
~Gabby~
“Here, give these to Sam.” I glance up as Neil climbs the steps of the porch with a Cubs tote bag in his hands. “I signed a couple balls. You can have Rhys sign them too. And there’s a jersey in there.”
“You really didn’t have to do that,” I say with a smile and accept the bag. Sam is going to be so excited! “But he will love it. He’ll be sad that he missed you.”
“Maybe I’ll meet him another time,” Neil says. “Gabby, thanks again for what you said the other night.”
“Look, I’m sorry if I crossed a line—”
“No. You didn’t.” He shakes his head. “I needed to hear it¸ and you were right. It’s time to grow up and enjoy this career. Who knows how much longer I’ll be able to play? Professional athletes have an expiration date, especially catchers. My knees won’t last forever.”
“Well, if you ever need advice, you know where to find me. You know, southern women aren’t exactly known for keeping their mouths shut.”
“I’ll remember that.” He grins and turns to walk away, but stops and looks back at me. “Rhys is a good man.”
“But?”
“No but. He’s a good man. Just thought I’d let you know, for what it’s worth.”
I smile, touched by the sweet baseball player. “It’s worth a lot.”
He nods, gets in his car, and pulls away, leaving just me and Rhys at the inn. The rest of the guests left earlier this morning, and given that it’s Sunday, I’m officially off duty.
I find Rhys in the kitchen, finishing a phone call. “Everyone is gone.”
“Good.” He grins and folds me into a hug. “Do you want to go somewhere today?”
“Nope.” I press my ear to his chest, enjoying the sound of his heartbeat. “I want to show you around my home.”
“I’ve been here for a few weeks, baby.” He chuckles against my hair. “I’ve seen it.”
“Not the slave quarters, or some of the other fun spots. I have stories to tell and everything.”
“I’m getting the official tour?” he asks with surprise.
“Absolutely.” I take his hand in mine and lead him outside, toward the slave quarters first. “We renovated these along with the house when I decided to move forward with the inn,” I inform him and he smiles indulgently. “What?”
“Your tour guide voice just came on.”
“Well, I am guiding.”
“It’s sexy.” He’s smiling in that way he does that’s reserved just for me, and there go the lightning bugs in my belly again.
“I’m glad you approve. As I was saying, I wanted the guests to see what the slaves lived in, and how they lived, here at the plantation back in the day.” The doors and windows of the small buildings are Plexiglas, so you can see in, and the elements don’t disturb the displays inside. “These are original slave homes that I had moved closer to the house. There is writing on the walls inside. See?”
“I didn’t think slaves were allowed to know how to read or write.” He’s not just humoring me now, he’s really interested, and it makes me proud to share this with him. “It looks like dates and names.”
“Most weren’t allowed to learn. It depended on the owner. As far as we know, my ancestors allowed the slaves to have an education, and some came here already knowing how to read and write.”
“Interesting.” He backs away and leads me to the next cabin. “What made you decide to do all of this?”
“Well, because although this isn’t a piece of our history that we’re proud of, it is a part of the plantation, and I want the guests to learn about it all. And the rest is a long story.”
“I happen to have you all to myself today,” he reminds me as he rests his hand on my neck, rubbing gently. “So, talk away, beautiful.”
“I had Sam very young. You know that.” He nods, patiently listening. “When I told my daddy that I was pregnant, well…I was so scared.” I swallow hard, thinking back on that day. “He found me over in the gardens, crying, the day I told Sam’s biological father that I was pregnant, and he told me to get rid of it.
“Dad scooped me up, sat me in his lap the way he did when I was little, and asked me what was wrong. I couldn’t make the words come. I was scared and ashamed. So ashamed.”
“Why were you ashamed? You didn’t do it alone.” Rhys takes my hand in his, links our fingers, and leads me to the gardens.
“No, but I was old enough to know better. But, I told him that I was pregnant, and that the boy wanted me to abort it. And he said, ‘What do you want, baby-doll?’”
Rhys kisses the back of my hand. “What did you want?”
“I wanted to keep the baby.” I sigh and sit on the bench next to Rhys. “I didn’t want to get rid of it. So, Daddy said what he always did when times got rough. You can’t control the wind, but you can adjust your sails. So we’re just going to adjust our sails and get on with it.” I smile sadly, wishing for the hundredth time since Dad passed that I could hear his voice say those words to me again.
“And you did.”
I nod. “We did. My family rallied around me. Sam is loved fiercely and we were very well taken care of, of course. I didn’t go to college. I’m lucky, Rhys. I come from a very influential family. A wealthy family. I’d told Dad on a few occasions that I wanted to turn the plantation into an inn. He liked the idea, and was helping me with plans. He was funding the renovations and the startup costs.