Chapter Three #2
Shorn of the usual bantering, light-hearted tenor of their conversations, Gabriel heard the utter seriousness in his own voice with surprise. Despite the strong ties of friendship that bound them, there were certain lines that had never been crossed.
He was intensely private when it came to really talking about himself and what motivated him. He’d carried the scars of his childhood in silence for years and had never shared them with anyone.
Not even with Jennifer.
To do that would have meant exposing a vulnerable side to him he would always refuse to indulge. To be vulnerable was to open yourself up to the possibility of pain. He had seen how damaged his mother had been when she had handed herself over to a man who had abused her trust in him.
He had known the pain of hope being destroyed when he had gone on that unauthorised trip to see his father, only to find a stranger who wanted nothing to do with him.
Control over your life was everything because it protected you from being hurt.
The silence stretched between them, and Gabriel scowled.
‘You’re looking at me as though I’ve just told you I’m about to grow wings and fly to the moon,’ he said.
‘I’m shocked you could be so cynical, Gabriel.’
‘Why?’
‘Because…’
‘My father walked out on us when I was a toddler,’ he told her abruptly, a spontaneous response to the startled incredulity on her face at what he had said.
‘He left my mother in mourning for a marriage that she had seen lasting a lifetime. He’d exploited her for her money, and I’m not sure she ever recovered from that betrayal.
She certainly never looked for another relationship.
It wasn’t a great example of the power of love.
In fact, it was a terrific example of what to avoid when it comes to trusting another human being to have your back. ’ He gave a cynical laugh.
‘Your dad… I’ve never asked and you’ve never said. He never really kept in touch with you and your mother, did he? How is it that in all the years we’ve known each other, you’ve never talked about him?’
‘There was never anything to talk about. The man disappeared without a backward glance.’ Gabriel hesitated. She was right. He’d never opened up to her about that slice of his past, but now…
He shook his head, shedding the fuzzy temptation to keep talking.
‘But,’ Jennifer continued softly, ‘divorce, sadly, is something that’s very common. It doesn’t mean that you have to lose your faith in love and marriage.’
‘This is a pointless conversation. You need to drop it.’
His jaw clenched because he could see that his coldly harsh response had stung her. He raked his fingers through his hair and shifted uncomfortably. He’d forgotten about the glass of wine in front of him, but now he swallowed some and looked at her over the rim of the glass.
Her long, untamed brown hair was swept over one shoulder.
She was strikingly attractive, had a face that spoke of intelligence, kindness and wit.
A face and a personality that could suck you in if you weren’t careful, but friendship or no friendship, he wasn’t about to go soft round the edges and start searching for a shoulder to cry on.
More than that, there was a certain sexiness there. He felt a sudden, unaccustomed reaction to something he’d always, consciously or unconsciously, blocked out. Her physical appeal.
‘You’re curious about my lack of faith in love,’ he drawled. ‘I could ask you the same thing.’ He smiled so that the atmosphere between them could get back on track. ‘You’re a catch, Jen, so why are you still single?’
Jennifer could read his intent, could follow the softening of his tone as he attempted to steer them away from suddenly turbulent waters.
His sharp response had hurt, for some reason.
A lot. It had also roused her curiosity.
There had been something there, a darkness in his voice that had stirred her interest in ways she wouldn’t have predicted.
Her curiosity felt dangerous. He felt dangerous. Unsettling.
‘Prince Charming,’ she responded teasingly, picking up his cue and going with it, ‘is currently proving elusive. Maybe he can’t find his trusty steed.’
But he had a point. Why was she still single?
It was nice that he was polite enough to call her a catch, when his definition of a catch wasn’t a very tall brunette who didn’t think twice about arguing with him, but she was attractive.
She knew that. So why did every guy she’d ever dated eventually prove disappointing?
‘However,’ she added stoutly, ‘that doesn’t mean that I’m like you. I want to settle down and have babies and make my mum a granny.’
‘Which is perfect.’
‘Sorry?’
‘You and I are on completely different pages when it comes to our expectations in life. Yes, maybe there’s a chance I’ll settle down one of these days—and maybe sooner rather than later in view of everything that’s happening right now—but…
and this is a big but…if I do, it’ll be with a woman who doesn’t want what I’m not capable of giving. ’
‘You mean love and romance?’
‘Precisely that.’
‘Lucky girl. Does that person actually exist, Gabriel? If you do a survey, I think you’ll find that most women want the full package. Love, romance and stars in their eyes.’
‘If you do a survey,’ Gabriel responded wryly, ‘I think you’ll find that the promise of limitless money would trump everything else.’
‘You’re so cynical.’
‘Yes, I am, and this is why you’re the only woman who could make this charade happen, Jen.
We understand one another. You know who I am, and you understand my limitations.
You could pretend to be my fiancée knowing that it’s an illusion, something to build my mother’s spirits and give her a reason for living.
Once she’s in a good place, she’ll be mentally strong enough to deal with our eventual break-up and, like I’ve said, she’ll be happily bolstered by the notion that I’m at last on the right track when it comes to settling down. ’
‘You make it sound so easy, Gabriel.’
‘Because it is.’
He leaned towards her. Jennifer frowned at him, lost in her thoughts. She reached out, poked one finger against his chest and gently pushed him back.
‘You’re not giving me room to think.’
‘Good.’
‘How would this play out if I were to go along with your crazy scheme? Wait…what did you say about a vineyard?’
‘You’re on board,’ Gabriel said with relief and satisfaction.
‘I…’
‘Good. You’re doing the right thing.’
‘Well…’
‘Yes, I mentioned a vineyard. Tuscany. Beautiful this time of year. The plan would be for us to go there, the three of us. I could check out the vineyard, my mother would get a much-needed opportunity to relax, and we could put on a good pretence of a couple in love away from nosy neighbours and prying friends.’
‘You’ve really thought about this.’
‘I’m a great believer in due diligence.’
‘And where do we stay while you’re checking out the vineyard?’
‘The vineyard I’m interested in buying is on its last legs and attached to a rundown estate manned by an elderly couple.
Their son isn’t interested in taking it over, and they haven’t got the funds to propel it into the next league.
Good grapes, apparently, but not properly encouraged. We stay there. On site.’
‘We stay there…on site…why do I feel as though the roller-coaster ride is picking up speed?’
‘I admit I’ve sprung this on you, Jen, and I can’t thank you enough for agreeing to do this with me and for me. It means a lot. We can return to how I financially show my appreciation in due course. For now, I can run through the basics so that we know how to play things.’
‘There’s no need to financially show me any appreciation,’ Jennifer said distractedly.
She was in a daze, following the logic of his arguments while questioning why something so dubious could also make so much sense.
Francesca was on cloud nine, and that was a good thing.
Yes, in due course she would be disillusioned because the so-called engagement would eventually be called off, but by then…
wasn’t Gabriel right? She would be resilient enough to take it on the chin, especially if she knew that her son was finally appearing to be invested in dumping his playboy lifestyle?
She would never know that any relationship he had going forward might not be a love match, but did that matter?
Who was to say that a transactional relationship wouldn’t outlast one that began with two people fancying themselves in love?
And as for their friendship? Nothing would change. If anything, wouldn’t it deepen? He was right when he’d said that their dreams and hopes when it came to their own personal aspirations were very, very different.
They were conditioned to be two people whose relationship could never stray into anything other than friendship because they looked at life through different eyes.
When it came to phoney engagements, they were a match made in Heaven.
One day, when they were both happily married to other people, they would probably joke about it.
Nothing would be lost, and they would be doing a terrific thing for his mother who, yes, truly risked going rapidly downhill because everyone knew that stress could undermine recovery.
In fact, stress could literally be a killer.
Would Jennifer ever be able to live with herself if Francesca’s health suffered because Jennifer refused to go along with Gabriel’s well-intentioned plan, which had its roots in love and respect and a desire to do the best for his mother?
Also, Francesca had been so good to her own mother over the years. She would never know for certain, but Jennifer was sure that money had been lent years back that had enabled her mum to repel creditors banging on the door when mortgage repayments couldn’t be made during the pandemic.
Wouldn’t it be downright selfish of her to refuse to play ball?
‘Tell me what you’re thinking.’
Jennifer blinked and came back down to Planet Earth.