Here All Along by Crista McHugh Read Free Book Online Page B

birthday and gotten them the famed Krug Chef’s table near the kitchen.
    He made a moan of ecstasy. “I love that place. And you made it for two, right?”
    His hopeful smile eased some of her guilt. “Of course. Eight o’clock.”
    A shrill female voice sliced through her warm happy thoughts of sharing an elegant French dinner with Gideon. Mackinzie Donavan wedged herself between them and threw her arms around Gideon’s neck. “Sounds perfect! I can’t wait to have a nice, romantic dinner with you tonight.”
    It was times like these when Sarah wished her manicurist had left her nails longer. She stood back, inwardly seething as the actress ran her fingers through Gideon’s hair.
    To his credit, he appeared genuinely mortified. He gathered Mackinzie’s hands in his and created some distance between them. “I think there’s a misunderstanding. I’m not having dinner with you tonight.”
    “Of course you are. Who else would you be taking to Restaurant Guy Savoy?”
    Sarah cringed when Mackinzie mispronounced the famous French chef’s name.
    Gideon looked to her for help, but she shook her head. There were some battles worth fighting, and then there were airhead bimbos who would make Gideon’s life miserable if she overstepped her bounds as his assistant. He was a big boy, and he needed to handle this for himself.
    “I’m sorry, Mackinzie, but I’m taking someone else.”
    The actress jutted out her lip in an exaggerated pout. “But who could be more important than me ?”
    Sarah rolled her eyes and turned away before she told Mackinzie exactly what she thought.
    Gabe beckoned her with his finger.
    She squared her shoulders and marched toward him with every intention of silencing him about her past.
    But before she could get a word in, he said, “I’m surprised at you.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “Letting her have him without a fight.” He leaned forward, his elbows resting on the arms of his chair. “Or am I reading your piss off and die expression wrong?”
    “How do you know it’s not directed toward you?”
    Gabe threw his head back and laughed. “Because if it was, I would’ve borne the full force of your wrath last night. So what is the story between you two?”
    She glanced over her shoulder and noticed with a twinge of ire that Gideon still hadn’t managed to get rid of Mackinzie. Yet her voice sounded flat and emotionless as she replied, “It’s like he said last night. I’m his assistant. Nothing more.”
    “Right.” He drawled out the word like he knew she was lying. “Then I don’t suppose you’ll mind if he takes her to a nice, romantic dinner at Guy Savoy instead of you.”
    Her heart pounded, and blood rushed to her muscles as she glared at the overly sexified actress. If he took Mackinzie to their restaurant…
    “Yep, just as I suspected. Nothing at all going on between you two.”
    She snapped her attention back to Gabe, who was watching everything unfold with an amused grin. “Not in the way that you’re implying. And second, I wanted to talk to you about something you said last night.”
    He laced his fingers behind his head and reclined in his chair. “What?”
    “You called me by the wrong name as I got on the elevator.”
    “Did I?” he asked with mock innocence.
    Damn him! She fought the urge to stomp her foot or shove her finger into the center of his chest and tell him to shut up. Next to Gideon, Gabe Harrison was the most frustrating man she’d ever had to deal with. “Why?”
    “Why what?”
    “Why did you call me by that name?”
    Both brows rose in sarcastic surprise. “You mean that’s not your name?”
    “You know it’s not, especially after you called me by my proper name all evening.”
    “My mistake. I blame the wine.” His features settled into a teasing smirk. “For a moment, I could’ve sworn you were—”
    Sarah silenced him by placing her hand over his mouth. “Don’t you dare say that name here.”
    She was so busy checking to