Perfect Fit - Brenda Jackson [51]
Sage slowly lifted her brow and held his gaze as if she couldn’t believe what he’d suggested. He had made the statement as if for them to have another date was a done deal. As far as he was concerned, it was. But he could tell by the way she was looking at him she wasn’t.
“Do you think I assume too much, Sage?” He decided to beat her to the punch and ask.
For a long moment she stared at him. Finally, she broke eye contact and looked out the window.
“Sage?”
A frown had creased her brow when she met his gaze again. “Do you, Gabe? Do you think that you assume too much?”
He met her gaze with a level stare, wondering why it was important to him to take her out again, although every fiber of his being was screaming at him to back off. She had issues to deal with. He should patiently wait and let her work through them before making a move. But for some reason he didn’t want to wait.
“The only thing I can assume with certainty is that you enjoy laughing, and I like seeing you laugh. And for some reason, I get the feeling that you don’t trust me, and that bothers me since I make it a point to be the type of person anyone can trust in my line of business as well as the personal aspects of my life. So I’d like to give you the chance to get to know me. I’m not asking for anything hot and heavy, Sage, just friendship and a chance to see you again in a nice, comfortable setting like this. We do have to eat a decent meal every once in a while, so what’s wrong with sharing it?”
“Just for friendship?”
“Yes.” For some reason he was willing to break the rules for Sage Dunbar and hoped he wasn’t making the mistake of his life. “So, are you willing to let there be a next time?”
Sighing, Sage leaned back in her chair. It was too soon to become involved with another man after Erol, especially when she had so many personal issues to deal with. But then, according to Gabe, they would be friends and nothing more. “Yes, Gabe. I’m willing to let there be a next time.”
Later that night after getting ready for bed, Sage walked over to the bedroom window and looked out. It had started snowing again. Her lips twitched. If Rose was listening to the weather report, she might never decide to come out and pay her a visit. She also thought about the bet she’d made with Gabe.
She turned from the window when she heard the phone ring and quickly crossed the room and picked it up. “Yes?”
“You owe me five dollars.”
Sage laughed. While walking her out to her car after dinner, Gabe had said he thought it would be snowing before midnight. She had told him she’d heard that it wouldn’t snow again for at least a couple of days. He’d made a five-dollar bet with her that she was wrong and he was right. “Okay, so you win. Don’t rub it in.”
“I won’t too much. But once you get to know me, you’ll find out that I’m a person who likes being right.”
Sage shook her head, chuckling. “It must be hard carrying around that big head of yours.”
Now it was Gabe’s turn to laugh. “Well, yeah, sometimes it is. Good night, Sage.”
She grinned. “Good night, Gabe.”
After hanging up the phone, Sage couldn’t help but smile. He had a knack for making her laugh, and she really liked that. Gabe Blackwell was something else. She had to admit that he was definitely an all-right guy.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Without opening an eye, Sage reached across the bed to the nightstand to pick up the ringing telephone and drowsily said, “Hello.”
“Sage, are you still in bed?”
Sage opened one eye slowly upon hearing the sound of her mother’s voice. She then sleepily peered at the clock on her bedroom wall. “Yes, Mom, it’s only six o’clock here. Did you forget about the four-hour time difference again?”
“Oh, sweetheart, I’m so sorry. I tend to forget about that. I’ll just call you back later.”
Sage slowly pulled herself up in the bed. “No, Mom, that’s fine. I’m usually up by seven anyway.” Now Sage’s curiosity was peaked. Her mom