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“Uh, thank you.” Mia shifted on her feet and didn’t meet Gabby’s eyes as she asked, “Is someone else here? What did ‘lots of company’ mean?”
“Jaxson’s on the balcony.” Gabby glanced at the clock. “Why aren’t you still at work? You look a little too dolled up right now.”
Dane looked over at Mia, taking in her outfit once again. She was a beautiful woman. She wasn’t Gabriella, though. He knew everyone kept calling her Gabby or Gabs, but he could only see her as Gabriella. He would continue to call her only that.
“I needed…you know, some time off. I wanted to pop in and say hi. You were out cold this morning when I left, I wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“I’m fine. But you’re hiding something from me. Let me see your phone,” Gabby demanded, holding out her hand.
Mia circled the island counter, moving farther away from Gabby and more toward him. “There’s nothing on there of importance.”
“Mia! Did Champ call you? Are you seriously thinking about seeing him again? I worked a whole week with the wrong man just to find out if that man was cheating on you. Newsflash—he was!”
“I know. I hear you. I need to get a few of my belongings from his apartment. He asked me to come get them and talk a little. That’s all,” Mia said in a small voice.
“You are not dressed for a little trip to get your belongings. But if that’s the case, I’ll go with you.”
“Can we not do this in front of his brother? I’ll be fine on my own. I—”
“You’re not going there alone,” Jaxson interrupted, popping in as if out of thin air. He took a place close to Dane, glancing between Gabby and Mia. “You’re not going there either, Gabby.”
“Oh, you’re going to stop me?” Gabby shoved a hand on her hip, raising her brow in defiance.
Dane wanted to chuckle at her cute stance. So fierce and demanding. It reminded him of the times she reprimanded him in the office.
“Unless I miss my guess, you haven’t finished talking it out with Dane. And you should. Not to mention, you have a hot head sometimes.” Jaxson shook his head, rolling his eyes. “All the time. You wanted to punch the man in his office when he was screwing the woman on his desk. I’m not sure you can control your impulses this time.”
Jaxson looked at Mia. “Did you hear the part where I said he was screwing another woman on his desk? You’re a beautiful woman, Mia. You’re amazing. You have the best friend in the world who took a vacation from her real job to help you out in some crazy scheme. If she would’ve told me about it, I would’ve talked her out of it and helped you handle this guy. You deserve better. You shouldn’t even be contemplating going back to this asshole.”
Jaxson glanced at Dane. “No offense to you. I know he’s your brother.”
Dane shrugged, suddenly not so worried. The jealousy vanished—almost, but not quite—as Jaxson’s concern for Mia was clear. “He is an asshole.”
Jaxson nodded with a smile. “See, even his own brother thinks so. I’ll go with you to get your stuff. You can go exactly like that, even though it’s a little too beautiful, in my opinion. But hey, we can use that. We can shove it in his face. I’m your new date for the night. That’ll grate on his nerves. Trust me.”
Mia bit her lip, the indecision clear.
Dane stood up from the counter. “My brother is a liar. He’s not worth your time. Go with Jaxson and get your things, then leave without another word. It’ll irk my brother to see you arrive with another man. I almost wish I could see it.”
“Wow, you really don’t like him, do you?” Jaxson asked with a small laugh.
Dane turned toward him. “Only when I have to.”
Dane waited with the other two for Mia’s decision. He wanted to push her and Jaxson right out of the apartment. He had made up his mind. He was done being mad at Gabriella.
And he wanted her all to himself now.
“We could be here all night with your indecisions. Gabby makes executive decisions all the time for you. I’m making one right now. I won’t see you dating that guy again.” Jaxson rounded the counter, placing his hands on her shoulders. He pushed her forward.
“Okay, Jaxson,” Mia said quietly, as she obediently let him push her out of the kitchen.
Dane saw Jaxson wink at Gabby and throw her a sweet smile. He wasn’t worried about that anymore. That was nothing.
“What the hell just happened?” Gabby asked after she heard the front door close.
“You have no idea, do you? Youshouldbrush up on your detective skills.”
She glared at him. “Excuse me?”
