Page 83 of Coming Home to Wishington Bay
‘It’s well documented that doctors make the worst patients so I’m not listening to you. Let’s get this stuff unloaded and the car back before you can’t see to drive.’
Half an hour later we were back and I’d sat Gabe on the sofa while I went off to rustle up a sandwich and possibly cake for a little evening tea. We’d found the most darling village pub on our explorations today and settled down to an enormous roast dinner so neither of us were particularly hungry.
‘I thought I told you to sit down,’ I said, glancing up to see Gabe resting against the doorframe.
‘I am sitting down,’ he answered, taking a chair at the table where I had just put the breadboard.
‘That’s not so comfy.’
‘But I can’t talk to you in there.’
I smiled, unable to respond in any other way to his remark.
‘You will be able to once the work’s done. That’s my thinking behind it. Opening it all out, and making it a more sociable space.’
‘It’s going to look fantastic. You’ve really got great vision, you know, Holly.’
‘You haven’t seen the results yet.’
‘Not of this, no. But it sounds amazing, and I have seen what you can do in the bedroom.’
‘I beg your pardon?’ I looked up.
Gabe’s eyebrows were raised and there was a massive grin on his face. ‘That came out wrong.’
‘I should hope so.’
‘Although … maybe that’s something I should know. You know, just to make sure this whole thing is authentic.’
‘Nice try,’ I said, reaching for some fresh ham and tomatoes to put in the sandwiches. ‘But I’m pretty sure your parents are not going to be asking anything quite that personal.’
He grinned. ‘Don’t bet on it.’
‘Then I’ll just have to rely on you to be chivalrous and steer the conversation in another direction.’
‘I guess I could be chivalrous.’
‘If you’d be so kind. And just FYI, even if all this were real—’ I made a circular motion with the knife that sort of encapsulated the two of us ‘—I would still not be talking aboutthat.’
‘Bit of a prude, huh?’ he asked. Thanks to the black eyes, it was hard to make out his expression.
‘Not at all.’
‘That sounds promising.’
‘Oh, be quiet,’ I said and this time his laugh told me everything his eyes couldn’t.
Chapter 15
‘Hey mate!’ Gabe greeted Bryan whose body was wiggling so madly, he was practically folding himself in half. ‘Hello, you. He behaved himself?’
‘As always. We had a walk in to the village, and stopped for a cup of tea and a dog treat at the doggy-friendly café by the harbour, then strolled back along the beach and afterwards someone had a snooze.’
‘And what did Bryan do when you were snoozing?’ Gabe asked, grinning as he emerged from his crash helmet and began shrugging off his bike leathers.
‘You’re such a wit.’
‘So I’ve been told.’
