Page 53 of Chasing the Dream

“You don’t do it,” Maria accused.

“That’s because I’m the boss. It would look bad if I did it.”

“Oh. So, only us lowly employees can fall for a co-worker, is that it?”

“I never called you lowly, and the answer is no. It’s easy to fall for someone you work with, especially when you see the person all the time.” He took a long swig of coffee, feeling Morgan’s eyes upon him but not meeting them.

“Has it ever happened to you?”

He suddenly felt extremely warm even though he was dressed in athletic shorts and a T-shirt. He would have blamed it on the coffee, but it had already cooled off. “Once or twice.”

Maria and Morgan eyed him closely, seemingly waiting for him to say more, but he’d already said too much. He abruptly stood up, grabbed the coffee cup, and said, “Let’s go. The hiking trail awaits!”

With that, he strolled out of the kitchen without looking back. Once they were in the car, he was surprised when Morgan picked up their discussion.

“How long have you had feelings for Matt?”

“For a while. A few months, maybe.”

“Does he know?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Don’t be so sure,” Gabe interjected and then immediately wished he hadn’t.

“What do you mean?” Morgan asked, eyeing him curiously from the passenger seat.

“Guys can usually tell when a woman is into him.”

“Oh yeah? How?”

It sounded like she was challenging him, but he wasn’t sure why.

“By the way she looks at him, her tone of voice when she talks to him, how close she stands…”

“How big her smile is?” Morgan grinned at him, reminding him of their showdown at Bryan’s bar.

“Yes,” he said pointedly.

“I see. And does that work the opposite way too?”

“What do you mean?”

“If a guy stands too close, stares too long, and smiles really big, does that mean he’s into a woman?”

He shifted uncomfortably, suppressing the urge to roll down the window. He’d probably get yelled at by both women, though, since it was only forty degrees outside.

“I suppose.”

Maria laughed. “This is so much fun. It’s just like old times!”

“Not quite,” Gabe muttered.

He wisely kept his mouth shut for the duration of the ride.

Chapter 17

Morgan leaned against the railing and gazed out over the canyon. “Wow. Gorgeous.” They had taken a paved trail down into the canyon and had stopped to rest. Maria was busy snapping photos, and Gabe was leaning against the railing beside Morgan.