Chapter Fifty-Seven
Gabi
Gabi woke to find herself held fast against Walker’s body, his arm slung over her, heavy in his sleep.
Fatboy Jim was curled in front of her, head under his paw, and she didn’t dare stretch for fear of disturbing one or the other.
Instead, she sank back into the pillow, luxuriating in the softness of the bed, the weight of Walker’s arms, the rhythmic purr of the cat.
She felt a smile lift her cheeks. Did she want to run home?
No. Did she regret any of the intimacy they’d shared?
She waited for the pang of cringe to hit her, but it didn’t.
No. What she did feel was ever so comfy, ever so relaxed and ever so happy.
It could be the result of a night of the best sex of her life, but she knew it was more than that. It was the connection between them that made every touch mean something more. It felt like a new adventure and coming home all at once.
Her phone went off at exactly the same time as Walker’s. He threw an arm towards the bedside table to reach it as she did the same. Fatboy Jim stretched and stood, padding off the bed with a thump.
Girl Gang WhatsApp group
Isabella: Meatballs on me at Tutto Mio today.
Gabi: Sounds messy.
Isabella: Haha. Come at 1 p.m. I’ve saved us a table. The guys are coming too, so Gabi, you can come with Walker.
Gabi: Already have.
Isabella: TMI!
Amber: You go, girl.
Walker and Gabi both read their messages and typed their responses before simultaneously dropping their phones to the bed. She turned to him and they faced each other on the pillow.
‘Meatballs for lunch then?’ he said. His hair was tousled, his chin already rough with stubble. He looked completely edible himself.
‘As long as you’re my breakfast,’ she said, pulling him closer.
Isabella and Etienne were already seated in the corner, holding hands beneath the table, talking quietly with their heads close together, when Gabi and Walker arrived.
The long table was beautifully laid with little ceramic vases of fresh red tulips, set with gorgeous mismatched cutlery and water glasses of different colours.
It felt very odd to be walking without crutches, Gabi noted, as she made her way across the restaurant. Her leg felt bare in the warm air, although strangely, her whole body felt naked, exposed in a way it never had before. It felt like everything was brand new.
‘Come sit here,’ Isabella called, pulling out the chair next to her.
Gabi slid in and kissed her cousin, who whispered in her ear, ‘I want to know everything.’ Gabi thought about the last couple of hours with Walker and the bed they’d left, and blushed.
Maybe she wouldn’t be sharing quite everything.
The things that man could do were probably covered by the official secrets act.
If they weren’t already, then they should be.
She smiled as Walker took the seat next to her, glad he hadn’t chosen to sit opposite her – that would have been too far away.
The noise levels suddenly increased as Wren, Rosie and Riley arrived with Amber and Jayden.
‘Kids this end!’ Rosie called and they laid claim to the end of the table, saving two seats for Reggie and George, who arrived next with Fox and Alex.
But then Jayden spotted Gabi and dashed to her end of the table to put his arms around her and squeeze her tight.
Gabi, her face tickled by his hair, squeezed him back in surprise and looked at Amber.
‘He’s been worried about you,’ Amber said as she pulled out a chair.
Gabi lifted his chin with her finger so that he could lip-read as she spoke. His dark brown eyes were clouded with concern.
‘I’m fine, Jayden. You know me! Always up to tricks!’ He grinned in response and nodded, looking relieved, before returning to the kids’ corner.
‘Gabi!’ Wren called. ‘How are you?’
‘I can’t believe you almost drowned!’ Rosie said.
‘Good news your leg is all mended now, though,’ Amber said, pouring herself a hefty glass of wine and passing the bottle over.
The table was alive with conversation, everyone talking over each other and laughing.
The kids played thumb wars. Nonna popped out from the kitchen to kiss Gabi’s cheeks and exclaim over the events of the day before, then kiss Walker on both cheeks and thank him for saving one of her favourite granddaughters.
Eventually, the meatballs arrived and everyone tucked in.
Isabella grasped the moment and leaned close to her cousin.
‘So, what’s going on with you two then?’ Isabella asked quietly as Walker talked to Alex on his other side.
Gabi had known it was only a matter of time. But what to say? She shrugged and blushed and then laughed. Isabella raised an eyebrow inquisitively and leaned closer.
‘Sex?’ Isabella asked.
‘Obviously,’ Gabi said.
‘Feelings?’ Isabella prompted.
‘It seems so . . .’ Gabi admitted.
‘Love?’ Isabella whispered.
Gabi took a swallow of her wine and could feel Isabella’s eyes boring into her, waiting for a response.
‘How would I know?’ Gabi shot back, thinking of the way she felt around him.
The pull in the pit of her stomach when he touched her.
The swell of her heart when he looked at her.
The feeling that she was on the high board every time their eyes met.
Was that it? Was that love? How would she know?
She’d never experienced it before. It was probably just a severe case of holiday romance combined with the best sex of her life.
Isabella took her hand on the tabletop and squeezed.
‘You’ll know,’ she said gently. ‘When you feel it.’
Gabi squeezed back.
Lunch lasted for most of the afternoon. The kids played around the table while the adults poured more wine.
Nonna joined them for desserts and rum liqueurs.
Toby popped in with Jesse, who was up for the weekend from London.
They only meant to say hello, but ended up staying for a drink.
Space was made for them, more chairs found from somewhere, and soon the table was crammed to bursting with chat and laughter.
Walker put his arm around the back of her chair and pulled her closer.
Full and happy, she leaned against his side, tired from the last couple of days but more content than she could ever remember feeling before.
‘We should do this on the first Sunday of every month,’ Isabella announced, raising her glass to the table.
‘The meatball meet-up,’ Amber said.
The idea went down a storm, everyone clinked glasses and the children cheered with spaghetti sauce-stained faces. Gabi’s stomach tugged as she realised she would potentially not make the next one.
Gabi’s phone rang and she pulled it from her bag under the table. Her heart sank as she saw the international number.
‘Sorry . . .’ She excused herself, pushing back from the table to take the call.
Walker glanced at her with a smile before leaning his head towards Alex to talk.
She accepted the call and put her other finger in her ear to hear more clearly.
The call was remarkably clear. The casting director might have been standing in the next room, rather than in California.
She recognised her West Coast drawl immediately as the woman managed to sound like they were already best friends.
She apologised for calling on a Sunday but the company needed to get contracts signed and sealed and she was pleased to say she’d be emailing Gabriella’s over that minute for her signature. Gabi’s heart stopped in her chest.
Usually, a new job was like a shot of adrenaline, as though she were standing on the edge of something, waiting to jump.
It wasn’t the money – although the money was always good – that drew her on.
It was the adventure, the drama, the challenge.
New people, new places, new skills to be learned.
No expectations or obligations – all she had to do was her job. It felt like a fresh start every time.
So why was this one not igniting that same excitement? Particularly given that it sounded like it had the potential to be the biggest movie she’d ever starred in.
‘So, I guess the last thing we need to check, Gabi,’ the director said, ‘is whether you will be bringing family with you if you came to America for six months? We would just need to know so that we can start looking for your accommodation.’
And there it was. She’d be on her own again. Normally, the words didn’t faze her. She was used to it, so why this sinking feeling?
Maybe she’d lost a bit of confidence with the broken leg.
The vulnerability she’d felt, everything she’d been through, had certainly shaken her.
But, even if she wasn’t jumping for joy at the moment, she knew this was what she wanted.
To get back to her old life. Honeybridge had worked its magic and she was healed – so it was time to jump back in.
She mentally kicked herself and refreshed her smile.
‘No,’ she said. ‘It would just be me.’
The woman continued, talking about having located the best physio in town for Gabi’s recuperation and welcoming her to the team before she signed off and hung up. Gabi felt like she’d been hit in the stomach as she let her phone fall back to her side.
She walked back to the table feeling strangely numb, like she was outside of her own body. She was leaving Honeybridge. She was leaving Walker.
‘Everything okay?’ Walker asked as she slipped back into her seat. She reached for a glass of water and drank it down in one.
‘What is it, Gabi?’ Isabella asked. ‘You look pale.’
Walker took her hand, his face creasing with concern and she made herself look at him squarely. ‘Tell me,’ he said quietly.
‘I got the job in America,’ she said. ‘I leave next Sunday.’