Jacob's Ladder: Gabe (Jacob's Ladder #1)

“Yeah, I did.”

“I cannot believe you told Kennedy but didn’t tell me!”

Since I hadn’t been able believe what had transpired between me and Gabe, I’d gone straight home to tell Kennedy about it, not even taking the time to drop the wrecker off. It was still parked outside in the driveway. “Just how was I to do that when you were gone all day?”

Huffing, Ellie replied, “Ever heard of a phone call or text? You two could have at least FaceTimed me.”

I shook my head. “It wasn’t the kind of story I wanted to tell over the phone or a text, least of all on FaceTime.”

“What happened?”

After drawing in a deep breath, I filled Ellie in on my rendezvous with Gabe. She sat in such rapt attention, I wasn’t sure she even stopped to blink. Once I finished, she slowly shook her head back and forth. “I cannot believe you turned him down.”

Clanking her fork noisily on her plate, Kennedy huffed, “I swear, sometimes I think you would give a serial killer a chance if he was hot enough.”

“Gabe Renard is not a serial killer,” Ellie countered.

“No, but he’s an arrogant dickhead,” Kennedy shot back.

“That’s an understatement,” I murmured.

“Weren’t you at least tempted to go out with him?” Ellie asked.

With a sigh, I ran my hands over my face. “Of course I was. I’m not blind—I saw perfectly well with my own eyes how good-looking he is.”

Ellie nodded. “Not to mention rich and famous.”

“Thanks for reminding me.” The last thing I wanted was to ever be seen with Gabe. While being famous certainly had its perks, it also had a downside. I never wanted my face splashed across the internet, not to mention print magazines. Nasty memes created about my boobs or my ass, derogatory posts about me being a single mom—hell no. There was no way I would expose Linc to that.

I shook my head. “But at the end of the day, I do have my pride. He only wanted a one-night stand from me.”

“You don’t know that.”

Kennedy groaned. “Stop being such a romantic. Do you actually think someone like Gabe Renard is looking for a relationship?”

“You never know. He tours with the guys in Runaway Train, and they’re all married.”

“Considering his twin brother is single also, I’d say the Renard brothers are commitment-phobes,” Kennedy said.

Ellie frowned. “I just wish you’d given him a chance.”

“The last time I gave a musician a chance, I got knocked up at seventeen.” Eyeing the clock on the stove, I winced. “I don’t have time to talk about this anymore. If I don’t light a fire under Linc, he’s going to be late for school.”

“Just answer one thing for me before you go,” Ellie said.

“What?”

With a wicked grin, she asked, “How good was Gabe in your dream?”

“Multiple Os.”

“Oh yeah, my favorite kind of Os.”

“What’s an O?” Linc suddenly asked from the doorway.

As Ellie and I shrieked and jumped in our chairs at his appearance, Kennedy spewed out the espresso she’d just drank. When I finally recovered enough to find my voice, I said, “Nothing you need to know about. Hurry up and sit down for your breakfast.”

Before he could question me any further, I popped out of my chair to give it to Linc. I then made a mad dash out of the kitchen to both grab a shower and escape my mortification.





It was nothing short of miraculous that in forty-five minutes, I got Linc and myself out the door, but some how I managed to do it. “Why didn’t you take the wrecker back last night?” Linc asked as we headed down the porch steps.

Because I needed to haul ass home to talk to your aunt about this hot, arrogant rocker guy asking me out. “I knew I needed to get back home to make sure you finished your project,” I replied. Inwardly, I patted myself on the back for coming up with a quick, clever reply.

Linc grumbled something under his breath as he hoisted himself up into the cab of the wrecker. We made a quick trip down Main Street and over to Hart and Daughter. When I pulled around back, I wasn’t too surprised to see my father’s pickup already in the lot.

Two years ago, he’d been in a serious car accident which caused him to suffered a traumatic brain injury as well as a shattered pelvis. He spent months in rehab relearning basic skills, as well as how to walk again. Since he would never be one hundred percent again, he had turned the entirety of Hart and Daughter Wreckers over to me. Nowadays, he came to the shop to lend his expertise, but mostly it was to hang out and shoot the shit with some of the other retired men. He also considered it an important part of his continued rehabilitation to walk Lincoln to school every day.

I grabbed my purse and then headed in the back door while Linc stayed outside. Most of the guys arrived somewhere between seven and eight, even though we didn’t officially open until nine. Scanning the group for my dad, I finally spotted him in front of a BMW that needed a new front fender.

Leaning in, I gave him a smacking kiss on the cheek. “Morning, Daddy.”

“Morning, sweetheart. I went ahead and put on a pot of coffee for you.”

“My hero,” I teased as I crossed the room for more caffeine.

“Linc outside?”

Taking one of the plastic cups, I poured myself some joe. “Yep, ready and waiting. I’m sure he’s out there giving Demo some love.”

“Speaking of waiting, there’s a man here to see you. I went ahead and told him to have a seat in your office.”

Furrowing my brows, I blew rivulets into the steaming coffee. “Don’t tell me it’s Flannigan’s trying to sell us used parts again.”

Dad shook his head. “His name is Gabe.”

The cup slipped through my fingers and sloshed onto the floor. “D-Did you say Gabe?”

With his brows disappearing into his forehead, Dad asked, “Are you okay, sweetheart?”

“I’m fine.”

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

I couldn’t exactly explain to my father that while Gabe wasn’t a ghost, he certainly haunted my sex dreams. After taking a few seconds to get ahold of myself, I grabbed a wad of napkins and started mopping up the coffee. When I glanced up from cleaning, Dad was staring quizzically at me. “He’s just an old acquaintance I’m not looking forward to seeing,” I lied.

“Need me to come in with you for backup?”

Smiling, I gave Dad a pat on the back. “I think I can handle it. Besides, you need to get Linc to school.”

“If you’re sure.”

“I am.”

“Hey Abe, can you come over here and give me your opinion on this sealant?” one of the men called.

Dad glanced at his watch before replying, “Yeah, but you better make it quick. I gotta get Linc to school by 8:15.” He smiled at me. “Don’t worry, I’ll get him there on time.”

“I wasn’t doubting you.”

After watching Dad hustle across the room, I drew in a deep breath and threw my shoulders back before flinging open my office door. Sitting in one of my ratty office chairs that I always meant to replace was Gabe.

“What in the hell are you doing here?” I demanded.