As Long As You Love Me ✓

10. Talk

Before Gabriel could answer, Matthew spoke to him. "Why do you want Owen to leave?"

"No concern of yours, Dad. It's between...."

Matthew pinned him with a glare strong enough to start a fire. Owen knew that look all too well. He'd seen it plenty of times over the years. He was never able to get away with anything without the old man finding out. Kline had become a father figure to him ever since his skipped out as a kid and Kline had married his mother. He even legally adopted him and his brothers and raised them as his own. Everything from missing curfews to getting drunk. It was like he had Owen under surveillance. Maybe he had.

No need to avoid the subject.

"I've been seeing Silbie. Sort of."

Matthew jerked his head so hard he probably got whiplash. "Gabriel's sister? His teenage sister? Don't you think she's a little young?" he chastised. As an attorney, his firm had enough cases with dubious consent with one party being a minor.

"Yes, I do, but I like her. And before you jump to any sordid conclusions, we're just friends. That's all."

"And I don't want it to go any further because I don't want her changing her plans for some temporary romance," Gabriel huffed, glaring at Owen.

"Let's get back to the main subject," Owen held his hands up in surrender. "Since you seem to be this town's native son, why don't you want to take part in the auction?"

Gabriel ran his hand over his face. "Okay. I'll come clean. There's this older woman who won the bid last year and I had to fight her off during our date. I'm not looking to repeat that experience."

"So, you want me to deal with her."

"No. I just want you to fill my spot. She may or may not bid on you."

"How old is the woman?"

"Fifty."

Now Owen risked whiplash and focused on Matthew. "You should take part. You're her age. It's for charity." He grinned mockingly at his dad.

Matthew shook his head. "If she bids on younger men, she wouldn't be interested in an old guy. But this isn't about me, it's about you. So what will it be? For Zari's sake. You in or out?"

"Of course, I'm in. I'll even convince Dante to take part."

Gabriel stuck out his hand, tamping down on the nervous rolling in his stomach. "Then it's a deal. I'll let her stay with me for a week."

Owen held his hand out then pulled it back. "Two."

"What?"

His expression flickered for a moment, but the grin stayed firmly in place. "You gotta let her stay two weeks or no deal."

*

Gabriel should be ashamed for using Zari's welfare as a bargaining chip, but when it came to Bea Bennett, desperation kicked in. Having Zari as a housemate for two weeks would be the lesser of two evils. What little time they'd be together, he'd avoid lying to her. At least outright. Well, the relationship was one big—scratch that, colossal lie. But once her memory returned, she'd understand what he'd done was for her benefit, not his. His biggest challenge would be to figure out a way to sleep with her, but not have sex. After the way she kissed him, that would not be easy.

"I want the two of you to understand how difficult this will be. You saw how she was with me."

"That's another major change," Matthew said. "The old Zari used to complain about PDA."