Page 23 of Coming Home to Wishington Bay
‘Thinking about getting back up.’
His gaze fell on the upturned ladder and the amusement in it died immediately. ‘Wait, did you fall? I thought you were just taking a timeout? Bryan, get off the poor woman. She’s not your personal bed.’ He knelt, picked his dog up and set him back beside us, gaining a sigh for his troubles. ‘Are you all right?’
‘I’m fine. The curtains didn’t fare so well though.’
‘Does anything hurt?’ he asked, doctor head on as he helped me untangle the last of the velvet from around my ankle. Gabe’s eyes moved over me, I assumed looking for anything pointing in the wrong direction or being on show when it wasn’t supposed to. Thankfully – for many reasons, the least of which was that had he found anything fitting that description, I would have totally lost my shit – he didn’t.
‘My dignity is a little bruised but other than that, nope.’
‘Sure?’
I laughed and pushed him away. At least I tried to, but it was kind of like one of the tiny crabs I’d seen on the beach trying to shift a piece of driftwood the size of a tree. Gabe didn’t budge at all.
‘I’m fine. Stop fussing. You’re as bad as my brother.’
‘It’s my job.’
‘Are you on duty right now?’
‘No.’
I raised an eyebrow. ‘Well then, it’s not your job now and I’m fine, so while I appreciate your concern, you’re relieved of any duties here.’
He blew out a sigh. ‘Man, you’re stubborn.’
I gave him a shrug. It wasn’t the first time I’d been called that and as a woman working in a competitive environment, it also wasn’t the most unpleasant description I’d ever had either, so I was OK with it.
‘What are you up to anyway?’ he asked, righting the small metal stepladder I’d been balancing on.
‘I’m taking these curtains down. Gigi had all the mod cons in her kitchen and bathroom but I need to modernise the rest of the décor in order to show the house in the best light for when I sell it.’
Gabe pushed a voile away gently and looked out at the sea. ‘And when do you think that’s going to be?’
‘The sale? I’ve no idea. I guess I just need to see how things go with getting all the jobs done.’
He hadn’t turned or spoken. I touched his arm gently. ‘Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you’re taken care of with the sale. Gigi was very definite in her will about ensuring you have free rein to live next door at a reasonable rental rate for as long as you wish. She also put in a clause to give you first refusal on the sale of the place. I’m assuming you know that?’
‘I guess that would make it easier for you to sell this one.’
‘What?’
He turned, an expression I couldn’t quite make out on his face. ‘If I bought the house next door, you wouldn’t have to worry about trying to sell this one with a sitting tenant in the attached property.’
‘That’s not why I was saying it!’ I said, guilt flashing through me that that had been exactly what I’d been thinking before I’d met him properly. But now? Now I could see how much he loved it here and also how much he’d cared for Gigi. For that alone, even if I hadn’t liked him, he could stay in the place forever if he wanted.
‘No. I know. I just wanted to let you know that if I could help you out, I would. It’s just that I’m not … not really in a position to buy a house right now.’
‘Of course not. And I really didn’t mean it that way.’
‘A house needs love and attention, and I just don’t really have that available at the moment.’
‘Seriously,’ I said, moving the stepladder back closer to the window, ‘it’s fine. Besides, it might even help me sell the place. “Right on the beach with beautiful sea views—”’ I made a banner shape with my hands ‘“—and comes complete with hot doctor in residence.”’
Ohmigod. Did I just say ‘hot doctor’? Please, please just let me have said ‘doctor’.
‘Hot?’
Oh crap.
