Second Nature (His Chance 2)

“It goes without saying you’re invited,” Will told me. “We’re trying to pin down a date, so we’ll let you know as soon as we figure it out.”

Beck grinned at me and added, “From what I’ve been hearing, it sounds like you know exactly who you’ll be bringing as your date to this wedding.”

I grinned, too. “Yeah, I do.”

Phoenix asked, “So, what’s going on with you and Gabriel?”

“Well, we’ve been getting reacquainted, and he’s coming with me to San Francisco. Since I was going to hitch a ride with you, do you think there’s room for one more in your Bronco?”

“Sure,” he said. “There’s plenty of room, as long as you don’t mind getting cozy with Will and Lorenzo and Madame Leota.” The cat shot him a look when he said her name.

“That’s fine with me. Also, Gabriel messaged some friends who live in San Francisco last night, and they’re letting us use their apartment while they’re visiting the UK. He says you’re welcome to stay with us.” Phoenix and I had been planning to share a hotel room to save money and I’d invited Gabriel to join us, but he’d had a much better idea.

“You two are going to want some privacy, so I’ll fend for myself,” Phoenix said.

“Are you sure?”

“Definitely.”

I turned to Beck and said, “I just realized we’re getting ahead of ourselves, because he hasn’t had a chance to talk to you about getting some time off yet.”

Apparently Beck was the most laid-back boss ever, because he just shrugged and said, “He can take as much time off as he needs, it’s no problem. The resort won’t even reopen until the first week of April, because we’re redesigning the spa and didn’t want to annoy our guests with a bunch of noise and construction mess.” The blue-eyed brunet, who was wearing plaid shorts and a neon yellow T-shirt with a cartoon fish on it, didn’t seem old enough to be running a high-end resort, but from what I’d heard he was actually turning the place into a huge success.

Just then, Gabriel’s enormous friend Tracy came in through the door at the back of the lobby, carrying a box. He scowled when he spotted me and kept going. Once he’d exited through the door at the front of the building, I muttered, “What’s with that guy? When he saw me in Gabriel’s room this morning, he acted like I was a criminal or something.”

“To be honest, I’ve never understood their relationship,” Beck admitted. “He and Gabriel came here together from San Francisco, and I get that they’re good friends. But it seems like Tracy assigned himself the role of Gabriel’s protector when there’s really no need for that.”

I asked, “Do you think Tracy has a crush on him?”

“That’s what I assumed at first,” Beck said, “but now I don’t think so. It’s more like Tracy needed a project, and he chose to focus his time and energy on Gabriel. I get the impression he’s been a bit lost since he left the Army. He’s thrown himself into his job looking after the horses, but I just don’t think it’s enough for him.”

I admitted, “Even though it’s a bit odd, I guess it’s not a bad thing that Gabriel has someone looking out for him.”

Beck’s phone beeped, and he picked it up from the coffee table and read the screen before saying, “Speak of the devil.” A moment later, Gabriel entered the lobby holding his phone, and Beck called, “Of course! Take as much time off as you need.”

Gabriel looked so sexy. Once again, he’d dressed all in black, which seemed elegant and sophisticated on him. His slightly cropped, long-sleeved sweater revealed his pierced belly button, and his slim-fitting pants and boots with a bit of a heel emphasized his long legs. Red lipstick drew my eyes directly to his gorgeous, full lips.

He asked his boss, “Even if it’s six weeks?”

“That’s totally fine,” Beck said.

Gabriel settled in on my right and told me, “In that case, we’re all set. My friends that are letting us use their apartment will be home in about three weeks, but they’re totally fine with us staying until you’re finished with the movie.”

I smiled at him and said, “This is going to be great.”

We were joined a few moments later by three more guys who worked at the resort. I’d met Vee the night before, and he greeted me like we were old friends. The other two were a slim Asian-American guy named Ezra and a big blond named Isaac, who looked like a Viking. Ezra parked his wheelchair in front of the fireplace, and Isaac sat at his feet and looked up at him with pure adoration in his eyes.

Everyone started talking about the resort, which I found out was becoming well-known for its summer camps for grown-ups. While they brainstormed some new ideas for the upcoming season, Gabriel took my hand and put his head on my shoulder. At that point, I totally lost track of the conversation. All that mattered was the beautiful man sitting beside me, who smelled like soap and tangerines and everything good in the world.