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“Sutton,” she began, but I cut her off.
“Did you get the chance to call and speak with Mrs. Brand? Where are we on the child watch project for the employees?”
Candice reluctantly went back to work, and we managed to knock out a considerable number of projects in the next few hours. Not taking a break for lunch, we ordered sandwiches in and were discussing the accounts payable process when the delivery person arrived. They left, and we dug in as we worked.
I was halfway through my sandwich when the door swung open again.
My eyes snapped to the source of the noise, and my words nearly froze in my mouth.
“Gabriel? What in the hell are you doing here?”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Sutton
Candice looked from me to Gabriel and back again. I stood up and awkwardly greeted my former employer from back in Otterville Falls with a handshake that I was tempted to wipe off the moment our hands broke apart.
Bethany the Bitch came racing in. “I am so sorry, Ms. Landry. I don’t know how this gentleman got past my desk.”
I wanted to roll my eyes at her obvious flirting with Gabriel. Sure, he looked good on the outside, but there was nothing on the inside that was appealing in the slightest.
Gabriel tipped his cowboy hat at Bethany. “I’m sorry, ma’am, I didn’t mean to cause any harm. I just needed to speak with Sutton. We’ve been friends since we were children.”
Candice choked, and I could see the censure in her eyes. She wanted to know why I hadn’t told her about Gabriel. I knew that she was thinking that there was some hot love affair that I had buried. Little did she realize that I had told her all about Gabe the Dick. I just hadn’t mentioned his name.
“That will be all, Bethany,” I said dismissively and saw the narrowing of her eyes before she excused herself from my office.
Candice immediately stood, and I introduced them.
“Gabriel was my boss back at Abberly’s Bar after his mother Ruth Ann passed away.”
Understanding lit her face and I saw the way she wrinkled her nose in disgust. Now that she knew what I was dealing with, there wouldn’t be any more hurtful gazes from her.
“Gabriel, this is my right hand, Candice, she has been instrumental in my development here at Sutton Enterprises.”
He looked at me with a strange expression. “Instrumental? Development? Shit, Sutton, I’ve never heard you talk like that before. Have you been taking lessons in deportment?”
And with a few words, he already had me on edge. My fists curled up of their own accord and I knew that my tone was frosty when I replied to him.
“I am a busy woman, Gabriel. What do you need?”
He looked over at Candice. “Can we get a little privacy?”
Just as she tried to escape, I stepped in front of the partially opened door and closed it.
“There is nothing that you need to tell me that can’t be said in front of Candice.”
I didn’t want to be left alone with Gabe. He had a creepy vibe to him that seemed amplified the moment he stepped into my office. I had thought I had seen the last of him.
Candice motioned for the seat adjacent to hers and I followed that up with an invitation for him to sit down.
Once I was back behind my desk, I felt a little better with the distance I had put between us.
“I hate to rush you, Gabriel, but I do have a meeting in a few moments.”
I could tell by the sour expression on his face that I was pissing him off. What did he expect? If he wanted to be welcomed with open arms, he shouldn’t have been such an ass to me for all of those years.
He leaned forward in his chair. “Sutton, there has been a little accident back home.”