Off Limits Marine by Kate Hoffmann

Author:Kate Hoffmann
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2017-08-04T16:00:00+00:00

6

ANNIE STARED ACROSS the table at Gabe, sipping at her wine as she listened to him tell a funny story about his first time in a helicopter. It involved six corn dogs and a county fair and an eight-year-old who’d saved his birthday and Christmas money to buy the ride.

Nellie and Lisa sat on the other side of the table, the remains of a steak dinner spread out on the checkered tablecloth. They’d finished two bottles of wine and were halfway through the third when Lisa stood, holding her glass of water out to the others.

“I’d like to make a toast,” she said, swinging her arm around until her water dumped out on Gabe’s lap. “Yes, it’s water, but hey, I’m pregnant.”

Annie, Gabe and Nellie held up their glasses and cheered. “To water,” Gabe said.

“To babies,” Annie added.

“And to my beautiful wife, who is blooming like the rose she has always been,” Nellie finished. “I love you, darlin’.”

“All right, all right,” Gabe said, picking up the bottle of sparkling water. He graciously refilled her glass. “Carry on.”

“To my friend Annie and her friend Gabe. May the two of you discover that love is all you need.” She began to sing the refrain from the Beatles song as she danced around over to Annie and wrapped her arms around her neck.

“I think it’s time for Lisa to go to bed,” Nellie said. “We’ve got a busy day tomorrow, and we don’t want Mommy to have the flu while we’re touring the Air and Space Museum.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to come along with us?” Lisa asked.

Annie gave her a kiss on the cheek. “We need to work on the boat tomorrow. I have Gabe for a whole day. I need to make good use of him.”

Lisa giggled. “Oh, I can think of much better things to do with him than making him work on that boat.”

“Take her to bed,” Gabe ordered.

Nellie got up from the table and scooped his wife into his arms. “Come on, darlin’. We’ve got a bed full of children waiting for us.”

“Don’t forget the dog. Oh, you don’t mind watching him tomorrow? He’s really good. He hardly ever poops in the house. I’m talking about the dog, not Nellie.”

“No problem,” Annie said with a laugh.

They listened as Nellie stumbled up the stairs. Gabe got out of his chair and circled the table. He turned her chair around, then pulled her to her feet, dragging her into his arms. “Hello,” he murmured.

“Hi,” Annie said.

“I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve been here all night long.”

“You know what I mean,” Gabe said. “I’m used to touching you whenever I want to.”

“I know. It’s a little strange with Nellie and Lisa. I don’t want them to think we’re a couple.”

“No, we wouldn’t want them to think that. So, what exactly are we? We can’t be lovers because we don’t love each other.”

“I don’t think the term lovers really excludes people who aren’t in love. But I think friends with benefits is probably a better way to think of us.

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