Read Once Upon a Proposal for Free Online Page B

the electronic beeps and chimes of the game began accompanying the funky music that was already playing through the sound system. Bobbie watched Doreen squirt a generous helping of whipped cream on top of the iced mocha drink. “For the boy?” Doreen asked and when Gabe nodded, she slid his tall glass of tea toward him then carried the mocha around the counter to deliver it to Todd.
    Bobbie’s curiosity couldn’t be contained, no matter how it made her look. And she couldn’t imagine what had brought him to this area of downtown. “What are you doing here?”
    Doctoring his tea with sugar—the real stuff—he slanted a glance at her through lashes that were ridiculously thick. “Getting a drink?”
    â€œObviously.” She toyed with the narrow tie of her dark-brown apron. Since the day that he’d worked on her door, she hadn’t seen him again, though she’d come home last night after working a late shift for Tommi at the bistro to find that the cracked linoleum in her minuscule bathroom had been replaced by silky-smooth travertine. He’d left a note tucked against the mirror that he’d be back soon to finish it up. “I’ve just never seen you in here before.” She would have definitely remembered him, even before the kissing attack.
    â€œI had to pick up Todd from school. He attends Brandlebury Academy.”
    It was a prestigious private school. She drove by its ivy-covered walls every day on her way to the coffee shop. And it most certainly was in the area.
    Which meant that Gabe hadn’t been seeking her out, after all.
    She didn’t like acknowledging the disappointment that swept through her, so she smiled more brightly than ever. “Some of Uncle Harry’s older grandchildren attend Brandlebury,” she said. “I hear it’s an excellent school.”
    Gabe’s dark brows pulled together for a moment. “For the cost, it ought to be. Wouldn’t those grandchildren be your cousins?”
    â€œYes, I guess they would be. But Harry’s not really my uncle. He’s a family friend.”
    Doreen snorted softly as she returned to the counter and picked up the rag she’d been using to polish the glass counters.“And wouldn’t we all like to have Harrison Hunt as a family friend?”
    Gabe gave Bobbie a startled look. “Harrison Hunt is your Uncle Harry?”
    Bobbie gave Doreen an annoyed glare that didn’t faze her coworker in the least, though she fortunately moved out from behind the counter and over to the windows that overlooked the sidewalk and began polishing them. Doreen knew about Harry only because of the coffee that Bobbie delivered to him several times a week. She also knew that the relationship wasn’t one that Bobbie necessarily wanted to advertise.
    People expected things from you—things you couldn’t provide—when they learned you were all but family to one of the wealthiest men in the country. Even people you thought you could trust.
    She blocked off the thought and focused on Gabe, who was still staring at her with surprise. “Yes,” she admitted shortly. “Harrison Hunt is my uncle Harry.”
    â€œFiona never mentioned that,” Gabe murmured.
    â€œWhy would she? It’s not as if Uncle Harry—or HuntCom—has anything to do with Fiona’s agency.”
    Gabe still looked a little bemused. “Considering how often Fiona does talk about you, I’m surprised it didn’t come up even just in passing.”
    â€œFiona talks to you about me?” Now it was her turn to be surprised.
    â€œYou’re one of her favorite people,” Gabe said. “Yeah, she talks about you quite a bit.” He didn’t use a straw to drink his tea, but lifted the cup to his lips instead. “It’s good.”
    They sold gallons of the brew every day, so she’d assumed it was passably drinkable. “Fiona is one of