Page 24 of Intoxicating Pursuit

Dessert

“ S o, I’m not sure what you like? Wyatt left a vegetarian lasagna and some sort of elaborate risotto.” Gabe sifted around in the fridge. “Um, if you’re lactose intolerant, I think we’re screwed.”

“No, we’re good. I eat everything. You pick.”

He turned on the oven and put the lasagna in before coming back to join me at a small wooden table nestled between a kitchen and sleeping area in the efficiency-style cabin.

Though small, it was a beautiful space. The log walls were a rich, deep cedar, almost the color of whiskey, and matching wood floors created a feeling of all-over warmth.

A sumptuous king-size bed abutted the rear wall, and soothing acoustic music emanated from a simply furnished kitchenette.

At the center of the dining table, a short hurricane glass sheltered the dancing flame of a candle.

Gabe retrieved cloth napkins and simple silverware to make a setting for two.

“Thanks for dinner,” I said.

“Thank Wyatt. I’m just the slide-it-in-the-oven guy.” Gabe grabbed a few more bottles of hard cider from the fridge. He popped them open, handed me one, and eased into the chair opposite me. “You know, you really surprised me today with the whole ‘being single’ thing."

"And yet you had a condom handy." I grinned.

"Hey, I said I was surprised." A devilish spark lit his eyes. "Doesn't mean I wasn't hoping."

"Well, I might have been hoping for a few things, too. So, I'm glad you were prepared."

He squinted. "But didn't you tell me you and Marco started the brewery when you found out you were pregnant?”

“Oh, well, that’s true.” So, that was part of the confusion . “But that’s just when I found out about Meghan. She was conceived when I was living in California.”

“And Marco wasn’t in California?”

“No. He was at a hole-in-the-wall microbrewery in Philadelphia, building our future product line.”

“Got it.” He leaned back in his seat and took a swig from his bottle. “Is Meghan’s father involved today?”

“Unfortunately, no.” I shrugged. “Honestly, though, I get it. We were both so young and got rich quick. Weird things happened.”

“Hope you didn’t rob a bank.” Gabe raised his eyebrows in mock concern.

“We did not rob a bank,” I said, amused at the silly comment.

“We were just out of college, working at a startup in Silicon Valley. The jobs paid poorly—mostly equity compensation, which I didn’t even understand at the time.

If you had roommates though, the paychecks were enough to live on, and you could work on cutting-edge stuff, which was exciting.

” I shifted in the chair a bit, my legs tight and aching from the morning bike ride.

“Anyway, the product we were developing sold for an absurd sum of money, and that’s when we learned what equity comp was.

I mean, we were literally eating ramen noodles for dinner when we found out we were rich as Midas. ”

“Hmm. Not a rough start to your career.”

“Stupid lucky is more like it.”

“And you moved back to Philly?”

“Crazy, right? I had a golden ticket, and I chose to go home.” I shrugged. “But I really missed my family, and I figured, with that much in the bank, I could take some time to see what was next, maybe get a master’s degree.”

I rubbed my neck, thinking of the best way to say the next part.

“Meghan’s father, on the other hand. . .

he took off. He said he’d hit the jackpot and wasn’t going to waste it.

When I called to tell him I was pregnant, he didn’t even respond.

He just hung up. I’m guessing spit-up and diapers weren’t part of his lottery-winning-lifestyle vision. Anyway, I never heard from him again.”

“That’s really shitty.” Gabe’s voice sounded sincere. “And what a shame. Look what he missed out on.”

“Yup. Meghan’s a great kid. Anyway, it’s ancient history. What about you and Trevor’s mom?”

He picked at the label on his cider bottle.

“That’s a bit of ancient history, too. Her name’s Summer.

She was sort of a groupie, who became a serious girlfriend.

When we found out she was pregnant, we got really excited.

Starry-eyed about the idea of a new life.

We both got cleaned up, quit partying, bought a portable crib for the tour bus.

We had lots of ideas about how it would be.

” He sighed heavily, shifting his weight in his chair.

“After Trevor was born, though, she went right back to using. I tried to get her help, but she didn’t want it. ”

He crossed his arms in a defensive posture.

“I don’t really like to think about it. .

. but, when he was eighteen months old, I found him trying to climb out of his crib in a room where she was passed out, a pharmacy’s worth of pills spilled on the floor.

” He looked me in the eye. “That was the last time she saw him for a while.”

Chills skittered up my bare arms. “Sounds pretty scary.” I couldn’t fathom a parent with substance-abuse issues trying to raise a toddler. It was hard enough to keep them safe when you had all your faculties. It would be impossible if you were impaired.

“It took a while to figure out how it was going to work. I had a lot of childcare help on tour for a few years, and eventually, Summer got herself cleaned up. Got married. Became steady and stable.” He leaned forward on the table, rubbing the back of his neck.

“By the time Trevor started school, we settled into a routine. She kept him during the school year. He would come with me over the summer. It probably helped that the whole band sort of grew up over the course of those years. Marriages. Children.” He leaned back in his chair.

“Maybe a concert tour isn’t the ideal place for a kid, but we managed to keep things reasonably family-friendly. It worked out.”

I smiled at him. “Sounds like you went on quite a journey when you became a dad. Trevor’s lucky he had you.”

The sky had fully darkened outside, and the wonderful scent of the warming lasagna grew stronger by the minute.

I thought of the million things I didn’t know about him yet. “Where do you live when you're not on tour? Here in North Carolina?” I set my elbows on the table, propping my chin on my hands.

“No, I just visit occasionally. . . I guess the place I’ve always considered my permanent home is on the Columbia River Gorge in rural Oregon—near the town of Hood River.”

I couldn’t imagine considering a place my home. “You don’t seem so sure.”

“Well, lately, that house is getting spooky quiet. My brother and parents have moved away, and Trevor’s not around much anymore. Makes me wonder what I’m doing there sometimes.”

“You’re used to seeing Trevor a lot?”

“For sure. When Summer got straightened out, she moved to Portland to be close. Her home is maybe an hour away. So even during the school year, Trevor would come stay on weekends if I was home. We’d go windsurfing or hiking or try some crazy home improvement project.

And he hated math, which I’m good at, so I was sort of his unofficial tutor.

By senior year, though, he just wanted to spend time with his girlfriend, and now, he’s off at college.

So, if I don’t have guests, the house feels.

. . I don’t know. . .kind of hollow.” He shrugged.

Just thinking about it was a knife to the chest. “I can’t imagine.”

“Well, get ready girl, ’cause it’s coming. Do you think a lot about your next chapter? What you’ll do when Meghan heads off to school? I mean, presuming she’s a college-type kid.”

“Oh, she definitely is. I’m sort of hoping she’ll stay close, though. There are so many great schools in Philly.”

He tilted his head. “Is that what she wants?”

“Um, I’m not sure.” I could barely be honest with myself about it.

“Okay.” Gabe eyed me skeptically. The music strummed in the background, and he took a swig of cider.

Then he set the bottle down and clapped his hands with finality.

“Well, onward. Let’s talk about something more fun.

What do you wanna do tomorrow? The mountains await, and it’s supposed to be a gorgeous day. ”

Grateful for the change in conversation, I bought right in. “Any recommendations?”

“Oh my gosh. The hiking around here is epic, and whitewater rafting is super-fun, if you’re feeling adventurous. A cousin of mine has a horseback riding place a few miles away, too. She takes you through the woods and past little waterfalls. Or we could go for a drive—”

I shot him a look.

“Oh,” he chuckled. “I forgot. The lady does not want to sit in a car.” He shrugged. “Well, any of that sound good? Or do you wanna aim for something more mellow?”

With such an amazing menu of options, it was tough to choose, but the creek in town looked so appealing today—sunlit and vibrant. “You said you liked to go tubing in the creek when you were a kid. Do you still enjoy it?”

“Sammy, it’s one of my favorite things ever. You wanna have a float day?”

“Yeah.”

“Done. . . I love it.” He stretched his well-muscled arms over his head, cracking his back. “So, how dedicated are you to the anti-car vibe? Wanna bike down to the creek again? Burn off some energy first?”

“Well, I dunno.” I squinted my eyes at him playfully. “Are you gonna pull a cheap shot on the way home again? Beat me at a race I don’t know I’m in? Cheaters are so uncool, you know.”

“Nope. I’m gonna beat you fair and square.

You’re going down, girl.” His diabolical grin crinkled the crow’s feet around his sparkling, butterscotch eyes.

I would never understand how men consistently grew sexier with age, but they sure did.

The candlelight flickered a golden radiance across his sun-kissed skin and his eyes shone like polished amber. To me, he was luminous.

An electronic timer went off, prompting Gabe out of his chair and snapping me out of my revery.

I got up to help. “What can I do?”