Page 69 of Sunny Skies and Summer Kisses

‘Oh, and while I remember, Mam asked me to tell you she and Dad’ll be back to visit this evening. She’s asked if you need anything?’ Clodagh bent to puff up his pillows. ‘But if you could let us know which one of us you’d like to stay with as soon as possible, then we can get everything sorted out for you.’

Anoushka looked on as Gabe closed his eyes and sighed. It was clear Clodagh was used to bossing him around. ‘Like I said, Clo, I’ll be fine, you should get back to Gen, she needs you more than me. I’ve got Sim and Caro nearby if I need help.’

‘Yes, but it’s not the same as—’

‘I’ll stay with you. If you’d like me to, that is, Gabe?’ Anoushka turned to Clodagh. ‘I’m not at work tomorrow, and I could cancel my classes for a couple of days after that.’ It felt so natural for Anoushka to offer; she knew instantly it was the right thing to do, what shewantedto do. Which is why it didn’t surprise that her offer wasn’t immediately followed by a pulse of regret on her part, of wishing she’d kept her mouth shut. She and Gabe had turned a corner in their relationship and it felt good.

Clodagh opened her mouth to argue but stopped when she saw Gabe’s expression.

‘You’d really do that for me, Noushka?’ he said, a mix of happiness, disbelief and not a little relief creeping across his face.

‘I would. In fact, I’d invite you to stay at Oak Tree Farm, but it’s not exactly peaceful with Lucas, Lils and Lottie tearing around the place,’ she said with an apologetic smile. ‘The racket they make would be enough to give you a headache without having a bump to the head.’

‘Well, in that case, I’d love you to stay, but it’s on one condition,’ he said.

‘Which is?’ Anoushka couldn’t begin to think what it would be, but she hoped it wouldn’t be something that would incur Clodagh’s disapproval.

‘Uh-oh, I just knew it couldn’t be straightforward with our Gabriel.’ Clodagh pursed her lips, eyeing her brother warily.

Ignoring his sister’s comment, he said, ‘That you don’t cancel your lessons; I’ll be fine on my own, really I will, and it’s not as if you’ll be out for the whole day. All of this stuff,’ he nodded towards the drip, ‘makes everything look way worse than it is. Like I said, I’ll be fine. And I promise I’ll take it easy.’

Anoushka glanced over at Clodagh who released a noisy sigh and shook her head.

‘What have I just been saying, Gabriel?’ his sister asked.

‘I can ask my family and friends to pop in and check on him while I’m working if Gabe’s dead-set on me not cancelling my classes, and I’m certain Sim and Caro will be happy to as well; I’ll make sure he won’t be on his own. And there’s an excellent GP surgery in Danskelfe, with access to some brilliant district nurses.’ Anoushka hoped she’d covered all bases and would satisfy Clodagh’s high standards. She’d picked up on the weary look that had briefly flitted across Gabe’s pale face; she got the impression his older sister was no stranger to putting up a rock-solid fight to win her arguments, whether they be big or small.

Clodagh thought for a moment. ‘Okay, I’m happy with that.’ She turned to Anoushka. ‘And you’d give us regular updates on how he’s doing?’

‘Goes without saying.’

‘Well, that’s settled then. And you’d better promise to behave yourself, fella. I don’t want any reports of how you’re ignoring the doctor’s advice.’ Clodagh wagged a warning finger at her brother.

‘Jaysus, what have I done to be surrounded by such bossy bleedin’ women?’ Gabe rolled his eyes good-naturedly. But there was no mistaking his joy at the prospect of spending time with Anoushka.

‘Ah, don’t tell me you don’t love it.’ Clodagh leaned across and picked up the water jug on Gabe’s over-bed table, topping up his glass. ‘And the minute I hear from Anoushka that you’ve not been behaving yourself, I’ll be sending oul’ Granny Donoghue to come and look after you; she’ll soon have you whipped into shape, young fella.’ She threw a wink in Anoushka’s direction, apparently pleased at having found an ally in her.

Gabe raised his hands in defeat. ‘Sure, there’ll be no need for that now, Clo. I’ll be in perfectly good hands with Noushka here.’

‘Don’t worry, I’ll make sure he does as he’s told.’ Anoushka caught Clodagh’s eye and the pair of them giggled.

‘And I stand by what I was saying about being surrounded by bossy women.’ He gave them a wide grin.

The three of them sat chatting for a while, Gabe filling Anoushka in on the details of his accident which, it turned out, hadn’t been as bad as she’d initially feared. He and Sim had been riding along a country road near Skeltwick. They’d been heading towards York when Gabe had been overtaken by a car that had got too close. He’d been forced to swerve, clipping some object in the grass verge which had up-skittled him and sent him flying in one direction while his bike had gone in the other. Finding his friend unconscious in the road, Sim had called an ambulance which had, thankfully, arrived quickly and blue-lighted him to York hospital. While they’d been waiting, the driver of the car had returned, full of apologies. A wave of relief washed over Anoushka when she heard it hadn’t been Damon but a young lad who’d only recently passed his driving test.

‘Thank the Lord you were wearing a helmet and your leathers, otherwise it could’ve been a very different story,’ said Clodagh. ‘And from what I’ve heard from Sim, I don’t think the young driver of the car will be getting behind the wheel again any time soon.’

Despite her relief at Damon not being involved, it didn’t stop Clodagh’s words sending a chill running over Anoushka’s skin. She reached for Gabe’s hand, giving it a squeeze, thankful that he’d escaped with mild concussion and minor grazes. He squeezed her hand back, treating her to a sleepy smile.

‘Fancy grabbing a coffee in the café; your man’s looking a wee bit bored of our scintillating conversation.’ Clodagh nodded in her brother’s direction.

‘Sounds like a plan. I need to find my friends who brought me here, and I need to text my family too, let them know he’s okay; they’ll be worried about him.’

Downstairs in the coffee shop, Anoushka found Brogan and Kristy sitting at a table sipping tea. As she approached them, they looked up, two eager faces, keen for news.

‘How is he?’ asked Brogan.

‘He’s going to be fine, thank goodness,’ she said before turning to Clodagh. ‘This is Gabe’s sister; she’s come up from London to visit him.’

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