New York Nights. Kathleen O'Reilly

to watch. She wasn’t going to watch. So then Lindy had to come by and tell her how Gabe was pulling a Sean with this new chick. And that it was completely weird because Gabe wasn’t like Sean, and the woman was okay, but she wasn’t that fabulous, but maybe she’d told him she could tongue him in the French-Bolivian way.

      “What’s the French-Bolivian way?”

      “I made it up, Tessa. You know, guys get really jacked up when you mention tongues. It’s like verbal Viagra or something. Considering the mental hard-on he’s got going over there, I’m thinking it has to be tongues.”

      Tessa didn’t want to hear any more about tongues. “I’m going downstairs to smoke a cigarette.”

      Lindy looked at her, confused. “You don’t smoke.”

      So why did everybody have to be so literal tonight? “I’m going to learn,” she answered and then ran downstairs because she needed to get away, if only for a few minutes. Just long enough to pull herself together.

      Once downstairs, she hid in the walk-in refrigerator, shivering in the cold, until a moment later when Daniel came in and sat next to her on a crate of limes. “You all right?” he asked as if it were completely normal to be sitting around in a refrigerator.

      “Good. Of course, I’m good. No, I’m great,” Tessa replied.

      “You don’t sound great.”

      “Does anybody really know how great sounds? We all have varying degrees of great, and I’m tipping the scales here.”

      He stayed silent for a minute, and she wondered why Daniel even cared about her well-being. He never was this sociable. Never. “Marisa is a friend of yours?” he asked.

      “Yeah.”

      “She’s a looker.”

      “And she’s nice, too,” said Tessa sweetly.

      “That’s why you’re pushing her toward my brother?”

      Tessa didn’t like the way Daniel was looking at her. As though he knew things, things that she didn’t want anybody to know. “She doesn’t have cooties, if that’s what you’re trying to ask.”

      “Not asking. Merely trying to sort things out.”

      “Nothing to sort out,” she said, forcing a laugh.

      “You’re sure?”

      “Yeah. If you’re thinking about the bet, don’t worry. I’m going to make Sean give everybody their money back. You won’t lose.” Technically Daniel should have won the first night. At one time, she would have insisted that he take the money, but now she didn’t care. When she had a real job, she’d pay him the three thousand out of her own pocket.

      “I’m worried about Gabe, not the bet, Tessa.”

      And, yes, he was worried about his brother, not the money. Wasn’t that what families did? Protect each other? Tessa wanted to tell him that Gabe didn’t need anybody worrying about him. He was unflappable, unsinkable, unassailable and every other able she could think of. Able. It was exactly the right word for Gabe. And Marisa. He and Marisa would get along fine. “Gabe’s great,” she muttered, crossing her arms across her chest, partially in defense and partially because the walk-in was freezing.

      Daniel was unfazed. “I’ll leave you alone.”

      “You do that, Daniel. Thanks.”