Page 50 of Coming Home to Wishington Bay
‘It’s my job, Mum.’
‘Yes, it is and we’re enormously proud of you for it. But you have to have a life outside it too. Maybe Holly could teach you to cook.’ She turned to me, shaking her head. ‘Honestly, how can you perform surgery on tiny babies and save lives and not be able to boil an egg? I ask you.’
‘I’m right here, Mum.’
I tried to hide the giggle but failed miserably.
‘You know, as my girlfriend, you’re supposed to be on my side.’
I turned back to him, seeing the tease in his eyes, already knowing me well enough to know that I’d love to come back at him with a smart-arse reply right about now. Well, I’d hate to disappoint him.
‘And I think we both know I’m incredibly supportive. Some might even say I go above and beyond.’
‘Gabe, you’d better not be taking advantage of her.’ His mum sounded serious now.
‘No, Mum,’ he said, taking my hand, his thumb resting on my palm. ‘I can promise you I most certainly haven’t taken advantage of her.’ The pad of his thumb made the very slightest of brushes against my skin and I felt a flush of warmth in places that had remained at a fairly steady average temperature for a while now. For the most part. He saw me swallow and gave the smallest of smiles, those beautiful blue eyes dancing with mischief.
Chapter 10
‘OK. That was cheating,’ I said, once Gabe’s parents had headed off into the village for a pre-dinner walk and explore.
‘What was?’ he asked, expression innocent as he collected all the glasses in one hand with the practised ease of a professional. He caught my glance. ‘I waited tables when I was at college, among other things.’
I gave him a look and he grinned, knowing exactly what I was telling him off about.
‘Unless you want your parents realising that my knowledge of you is as imaginary as this whole relationship, I think you’d better fill me in on some details,’ I said, moving to facts, an area I’d always been more at home with.
Gabe soaped and rinsed the delicate glasses before putting them on the rack to drain. ‘Relax. It’s not a problem. You’re not going to see them much, and as you’ve probably already worked out, my mum will do enough talking for the both of you.’
‘I like her.’
He looked round at me, his smile wide and unexpected. ‘Thanks. I know she thinks you’re great. And not because she told me about twelve times when I waved them off up the beach earlier.’
‘Gabe?’
‘Yeah?’
‘I feel terrible lying to her.’
He took a deep breath and stepped over to the sofa, where I was currently perched. Taking my hands, he wrapped his fingers gently around mine.
‘I know. And I feel horrible for doing it too, and even worse for involving you. Like I said, I never expected to ever meet you, let alone to have to let you in on the secret that we’ve been seeing each other for quite a while now. I do appreciate it, honestly. And you’re right about earlier. I did step over the line. I’m sorry.’
‘It’s all right. I know you were just trying make things look authentic.’
That the touch had been an act and not real bothered me a whole lot more than it should have done. And that in turn bothered me even more so that I was now worrying about the fact I was worried about something. Another classic Holly move, I told myself as I winced and wriggled a little.
Gabe sat back, running a hand over his hair. ‘You know what. You’re right,’ he said, his voice soft, the tone resigned. ‘This isn’t right. You’re already getting worked up about things.’
‘No, Gabe. I’m fine. Really.’
‘You’re not fine. You’ve turned that shade of pale you go when you’re heading into an attack, your hands are trembling, and from the look on your face, your chest is tightening and causing you discomfort. That, Holly, is not fine. And the fact I’ve caused that makes me not only the world’s worst doctor, but a pretty shitty person as well.’
I was concentrating on my breaths as he spoke. By the time he was done, I’d felt the tightness lessen a little bit.
‘Better?’
I nodded.
