GABRIELLA

Right now, I needed the hot cup of coffee in my hands more than I cared about anything else. Between crying my eyes’ out, forgetting Robbie was with Lacey, and righteous indignation I had barely slept.

That man infuriated me. I should have paid better attention the first time. Should have followed logic and reason. Maybe he hadn't known I owned the property and the building when his cousin put a bounty out with local real estate agents. But he hadn't done anything to stop it from happening once he knew it was me.

There was a soft knocking on my door. My heart leaped to my throat. Nathan was back. I yanked the door open, ready to verbally let him have it, ready to... It was Lacey with Robbie. My eyes went from squinting with anger to wide in surprise.

I pulled Robbie into a hug so he couldn't see my face. I peppered him with kisses until he wanted to escape, and then I let him run away into the TV room.

Lacey, however, saw me. She saw the red-rimmed eyes, the blotchy skin, the frown pulling my face downward. Without a word, she pulled me into a hug.

I wrapped my arms around her and accepted the comfort.

“It didn't go wellz” she asked.

All could do was shake my head. I didn’t want to cry, not with Robbie so close and curious. After a few moments, I lifted my head and wiped my eyes. Lacey let go of the hug.

“I missed all the red flags again I said. “I let myself forget and ignore how incredibly selfish he is.”

“I'm so sorry Gabby. You liked this guy, didn't you?”

“Oh God, you have no idea."

Iran my hands over my face while Lacey poured herself a cup of coffee. She stood in front of the refrigerator looking at my schedule.

“Can you take the day off? Maybe you and’— she pointed into the TV room so as not to alert my son we were talking about him— “need to have day and oto TH EZ 0 0 she had to spell the entire title or little ears would perk up. He was learning how to read and could already spell some of his favorite things like 200, pizza, and candy.

Isighed. She was right. I needed to take some time and spend it with the important future man in my life, my son. But I couldn't. It would feel like defeat, like running away.

“I'm scheduled to bake most of the day. I've got the new guy working, and I don't want to be too far away,” I whined and found an excuse. “Maybe you could go?”

Lacey shook her head. “I have to study. Robbie is good to hang out with me while I do that. Oh, and, well done getting Dave. How old is he? Is he... Is he single?”

“What? Do you think Dave is hot?”

“Seriously Gabby, how have you not noticed? Oh, right, you like them older and rich."

She was right in a way. I only liked one, and he happened to be older and rich. But I don't like him anymore. Never again. “David is twenty-one or twenty-two. Are you saying you like your men younger?” I teased.

“Twenty-two is only two years younger, so shush. But is he single?”

Thad no idea and told her so.

Knowing I had a friend in my corner made getting ready for my day a little easier. I wasn't suddenly all sunshine and flowers and I wasn't readily smiling, but I was able to put on a brave face and not let Robbie think I was dying inside. I was able to b pleasant to my employees when I went downstairs and began my workday.

I was grateful that I had hired David and had scheduled a day of baking. I hadn't known that I would need a day of kitchen therapy and frosting zen. And did I really need it. I was a miserable person once left on my own. Between my anger at Nathan, my anger at myself, and the messed-up hormones making me depressed and emotional over everything, I didn’t even want to be around me.

sitting at my desk, I had to go through the incoming mail and take care of some general administration tasks before I could get to the baking, I so desperately needed to heal my soul. The phone rang.

“Love Buns, how may I help you today?"

“Yes, could you direct me to the owner?”

I groaned, the chipper voice on the other end sounded like one of those real estate piranhas.

“If you are calling to ask me if I'm aware that property values are increasing in this area and now is a good time to sell, go screw yourself. Wait, no, tell the person who put a sales bounty on my head to go screw themselves. This property is not for sale I slammed the phone down.

In a perfect example of the universe mocking me, the envelope I ripped open was the property tax notice. I shook it at the phone. “I can see right here that the county thinks my property is worth more because they want me to pay them more for what is already mine!”

I crossed my arms on the desk and buried my head the best I could. I still gripped the tax notice.

“You okay in here?” a gentle voice asked.

I looked up and saw David peering in the open kitchen door. I sighed and straightened myself up. exclusive content.

“Yeah, everything is fine.”

Itried to see him the way Lacey did. I shook my head and laughed at myself. I don't think I would ever see another man as attractive or “hot. Nathan was too fresh in my memories. How I felt about him, how thinking about him hurt.

David retreated to the front, and finished my desk work, grumbling the entire time. After a few hours, I was finally able to ge to my baking zen. I was lining up all the ingredients for the batches of cupcakes I had scheduled for today when Mitch popped his head in.

“Hey Gabby," he said in that craggy voice of his.

“Oh, hi, Mitch, come on in," I said without looking up.

“We have a situation here. I was wondering if you could come out for a moment,” he said.

I knew that tone. Someone was in trouble.

I wiped my hands on my apron before pulling it off. I tossed it overhand into the laundry as I walked out of the kitchen. Mitch was sitting at a far table with a young woman who was crying. I grabbed some cupcakes and poured a cup of coffee before I headed over. I recognized her. She had started coming to our little support group after the races. I couldn't remember her name, but I recognized her face. Only the last time she hadn't had a dark bruise on her cheek.

“Gabby, you remember Millie," Mitch said.

“Yeah, hey, what's the matter?” I asked as I placed the food in front of her, and then handed Mitch a cupcake too.

Millie ground the heel of her hand across her cheek, wiping at tears. She winced when she hit the bruise.

“I didn’t know where to go, and I thought you could help. But you weren't here,” Millie said between hiccupping tears.

“I found her sitting outside” Mitch said. “I told her you were always here, and Id find you for her”

“Okay, you're here. 'm here. Mitch is here. Step one, you got to us. Are you in trouble?” I didn't know if she would be a talker or need some coaxing. A lot of the kids that came to our group did so because they had gotten into trouble with drugs. Eithe getting caught up in the dealing of them and were not able to find a way back out, or they got busted for selling.

Millie shook her head. “My dad,’ she pointed at her face— “I can't keep pretending that walking into an open door is doing this to me."

“Are you still in school?” If she was under eighteen it would be harder, we would have to get her into a fostering situation. If she was older, we had more options.

“Graduated last year. But I don't have any money, and I don't want to go to the shelter. I've only heard bad things about it. And I can't sleep on the streets again.’

“You've already been on the streets?” Mitch asked.

She nodded. “My boyfriend Hal said I could stay with him last night. But he kept trying to get me to fuck him, and I didn’t want to. So, I ran from him too.”

“Hal, green Ninja. Yeah, I know him. Want me to pay him a visit?" Mitch asked.

I'swatted him on the shoulder. The last thing we needed was to introduce more violence into the situation.

Mitch looked at me aghast. “I would talk to him about how to treat someone in a vulnerable position. And that sexual coercion is never acceptable.”

Sure, he would. He would probably say the words between punches and kicks. Mitch's heart was in the right place, but he had come from the rough places, and they were still with him.

“Okay, we will find you a place to lay low," I started.

“She can stay with me and Jenny,” Mitch offered.

Millie's eyes went wide.

“They won't let anything happen to you. And when you are ready to get your stuff, Mitch will find some guys to help. Do you have a job?”

She shook her head. I had to think. I didn't have any openings. I couldn't send her next door because those businesses were going to be closing soon, even if they didn’t know it yet.

“we'll think of something. You did the right thing."

And I was doing the right thing, staying here, being helpful in any way I could. This time when tears hit my eyes, they were tears of anger. That stupid Lake Moore project was not going to be neighborhood people helping each other, it was going to be a bunch of rich, not-in-my-backyard types.