Chapter 6
The night sky was clear and filled with stars as Peter turned the corner onto Foxglove Street and headed towards the house where Gaby’s Aunt Jill lived. The brisk fifteen-minute walk from his flat had helped calm his nerves, which had been jangling all day long in anticipation of seeing Gaby again.
Before leaving home, he’d spent a ridiculous amount of time debating which shirt to wear, whether to opt for a tie or not, whether dress trousers or relaxed chinos would be best, whether he ought to wear a smart blazer or keep it casual.
He’d groomed himself in front of the mirror for what felt like ages, trimming his beard and adding product to his hair and splashing aftershave on his neck, before deciding he’d probably used far too much hair product and far too much aftershave and almost flinging himself into the shower to rinse it all off and start again.
Eventually he’d come to his senses and put a stop to the madness and forced himself to leave the house and just get on with it.
As he neared Gaby’s aunt’s house, he told himself to relax and enjoy what would be a simple evening out with an old friend.
He also reminded himself of the man who’d been waiting for Gaby in the car yesterday morning, a man she was almost certainly involved with, judging by the unhappy expression on his face when Peter had been talking to her outside the café.
The upshot was that Peter could smarten himself up as much as he wanted to, but at the end of the day this wasn’t a date.
It was a friendly catch-up with a woman he hadn’t seen for years, a woman who was not only probably already romantically involved with someone else, but who was only visiting Hamblehurst for a short time.
Which meant this was all about perspective. And having perspective meant not letting his imagination get the better of him.
At the front gate, Peter paused to adjust the collar of his coat and settle his nerves.
He glanced up at the starry night sky and was glad it wasn’t raining.
The cold autumn weather was perfect for a walk across Hamblehurst to the pub and the chance to ease into conversation before they sat down together.
Peter rang the doorbell. When it opened and he saw Gaby, he was glad he’d opted for smart over casual.
She wore slim black trousers and a silky blouse in a rich amber colour that matched the burnished tones in her hair, which fell over one shoulder in a twisted braid. The gold necklace and gold hoop earrings she’d chosen to wear gave her skin a rosy glow.
The smile at her lips made her light up, just like it had all those years ago when they’d been kids. With the light spilling out from the hallway behind her, she looked almost ethereal.
“Hi Peter, it’s great to see you,” she said.
Peter blinked and fought to find the words to reply. “Hi Gaby, it’s great to see you too.” Echoing what she’d said was about all he was capable of.
“Let me grab my coat and I’ll be ready to go.”
She vanished back inside the house. Peter took the opportunity to pull himself together. If they were going to enjoy this evening out, he had to get over being struck dumb by how Gaby looked and start acting like a sensible adult.
“Peter Bailey, how nice to see you after all this time.”
He glanced back inside the house and saw Gaby’s Aunt Jill shuffling along the hallway on a pair of crutches.
“Hello, Ms Young. Gaby told me about your operation. I hope you’re doing okay.”
“As you can see, I’m on the mend. How are you doing?”
“I’m good, Ms Young.”
“Oh, for goodness’ sake, call me Jill. You’re not a teenager anymore. Not that you had to call me Ms Young back then either. Still, I always appreciated a young man with good manners. Gaby said you’re a teacher now?”
“That’s right, at the secondary school. I teach maths.”
“Good for you. That’s a worthy calling.”
Gaby reappeared wearing a tailored teal coat that looked amazing on her.
Peter found himself gaping yet again, watching as she hooked a bag over her shoulder and kissed her aunt goodbye.
It was only the wry smile on Jill Young’s face as she caught his dumbstruck expression that made him snap out of it.
“Promise you’ll phone if you need me,” Gaby said to her aunt as she stepped outside.
“Oh, stop worrying about me and go out and have a good time,” Jill said and waved them off. “See you again soon I hope, Peter.”
“Take care, Ms Young, er, Jill.”
Jill chuckled and closed the door. Peter and Gaby stepped through the front gate and Gaby glanced back at the house as they began walking along the pavement.
“I came here to help my aunt after her surgery but the woman is a force of nature,” she said. “I haven’t done much more than potter around the house and do a bit of cooking for her.”
“I’m sure she loves having you visit, no matter whether you’re doing useful things to help her.”
“It’s nice spending time with her.” She looked across at him and smiled. “And it’s nice having the chance to spend time with you too, Peter. It really was a huge surprise to run into you yesterday.”
“I’m glad you’re able to come for a drink. I wasn’t sure if you would.”
She held his gaze as they walked, her eyes searching his. “Why wouldn’t I?”
“Well, you’re here to spend time with your aunt and coming out with me means time away from her. And…”
“And?”
“It’s been a long time since we were… together.” He trailed off again and glanced her way, wanting to see her face and her reaction. Even in the dark, he saw the blush that coloured her cheeks.
Was that blush caused by embarrassment at their teenage love affair, a relationship which probably seemed foolish and na?ve to her now? Or did the memories of that summer together make her ache for those innocent days, the way they made him ache?
Stop thinking like that, he warned himself. In fact, just stop thinking full stop.
“You’re right, it’s been a long time since we were together,” Gaby said. “But that means we’ve got a lot to catch up on, right?”
Her easy reply made Peter relax a little. They were two grown adults who were more than capable of navigating a catch-up over a drink without overthinking things or having to forensically examine what they’d once meant to each other.
And if he could just get his heart to stop thrashing around inside his chest every time he looked at her, he might even enjoy the evening.
“I can’t wait to hear about all the travelling you’ve done,” Peter said as they turned off Foxglove Street and onto the high street. “I bet you’ve got some amazing stories to share.”
“I bet you do too.”
“My stories will take about five minutes to summarise, so it’s all on you to keep us entertained after that, I’m afraid.”
Gaby laughed and the sound of it took him back all those years to the summer they’d shared and how much he’d loved to hear her laugh.
He’d loved it so much that he used to store up dumb jokes and amusing observations to tell her, just so he could hear the rich warmth of her laughter and know he’d been the cause of it.
You told yourself to stop thinking, he told himself again. At the very least, stop thinking stuff like that.
“You’re underselling yourself, Peter. I’m excited to hear about your teaching job and how your family is doing.”
“In that case, I’ll happily bore you senseless with all that stuff.”
She laughed again and looked around her as they passed the high street shops that were shuttered for the night. “Even when everything is closed, this is still such a pretty place. I’d forgotten how nice everything is in Hamblehurst. You’re lucky to live here.”
“I am lucky and I know it. English village life isn’t for everyone, but I love it.”
“Did you always know you wanted to move back here after university?”
Peter nodded. “My family is here and I like living near them. They drive me nuts, obviously, but that’s what they’re supposed to do. I’ve got six nieces and nephews now to keep me busy, too.”
“Wow, that’s fantastic.” She looked a little awestruck at this. “Six?”
“Three nephews and three nieces. And my sister is expecting her second baby now, too.”
“Your little sister has a kid already? And another on the way? I can’t believe it! In my head, she’s still only ten years old.”
“Hey, in my head she’s still only ten years old, too. Me and my brothers had some adjusting to do when she waltzed into our parents’ house one day when she was only twenty-one and announced she was getting married to her boyfriend and having a baby. It’s a wonder we didn’t kill the guy.”
Gaby laughed, long and hard this time. Peter fought against the stupid pride he felt that he’d been the one to make her laugh.
“Have you got photos of your nieces and nephews? I’d love to see them.”
“Only about a thousand of them. You’ll regret asking.”
Her smile was luminous. And being with her again felt so good. After only a few minutes together, their conversation came as easily as it did fifteen years ago.
It was time to remind himself that she belonged to someone else.
“When we crossed paths yesterday outside the café, I wondered about the guy you were with,” Peter said. “Is he your boyfriend or partner or whatever?”
Gaby looked blank for a long moment. “What guy are you talking about?”
“The guy who was waiting in the car outside the café.”
Her blank look turned to puzzlement and then an expression of amused understanding crossed her face. “Oh God no, he’s not my boyfriend. That was Harry Goodwin. I only met him yesterday.”
“Oh, right.” Peter let this sink in. “He, uh, looked a bit unhappy while we were talking.”
Gaby laughed and shook her head. “If he looked unhappy, it’s because he was in the middle of a big crisis at work.
His family owns some hotels and restaurants around the area and while I was in the café I happened to overhear him talking about how they had a huge staffing emergency at their hotel.
I felt bad for him and introduced myself and offered to help manage the big function they were hosting.
That’s what I was rushing off to do yesterday when you and I met, and if Harry looked unhappy it’s because he really needed me to get in the car so he could drive me to the hotel and save him from having to figure out how to manage the function by himself. ”
Peter listened to her explanation and the pieces slotted into place. He felt a huge surge of relief that Gaby wasn’t involved romantically with the guy he’d seen in the car and then reminded himself that it was stupid to feel that way.
It didn’t change what this was—nothing more than a get-together for a drink with someone he used to know.
“That was really nice of you to offer to help, especially when you didn’t even know him,” Peter said.
“I’ve been in the exact same predicament myself often enough to know how it feels,” Gaby said. “Managing hospitality events isn’t easy and when you throw in a staff shortage, things can quickly fall apart. I was happy to help him get out of a tight spot and keep his guests happy.”
Her offer to help this Harry Goodwin guy was generous and selfless and knowing she’d jumped in to assist a total stranger reminded Peter that she’d been that way when they were kids too. The years hadn’t changed her essential nature. She was kind and good-hearted and Peter liked that about her.
“So, you’re not, er, with anyone right now?” he asked. He couldn’t help it. If she wasn’t involved with this Harry Goodwin bloke, maybe she was involved with someone else. He wanted to know, one way or the other. He had to know.
“No, I’m not involved with anyone,” she said. “Are you?”
“No, me either.”
They slowed their pace and looked at each other. The moment felt important somehow, as if in sharing this information they’d also revealed some deeper truth about themselves.
Or maybe that was just his imagination playing tricks on him.
Peter was the first to break their gaze. He pointed to the pub further along the cobbled lane he’d led them to. Music and noisy conversation drifted out as people came and went through the doors, and the place was lively with the Sunday evening crowd enjoying themselves inside.
“I hope this is okay,” Peter said.
“It looks great,” Gaby replied. “And popular, too.”
“There’s usually a free table somewhere inside.” He held the door for her and when she walked past him he caught the scent of the warm and citrusy perfume she wore and saw the way the braid over her shoulder exposed the milky smooth skin at the back of her neck.
Peter forced himself to look away from that sweet spot on her neck and refused to allow himself to inhale the intoxicating scent of her perfume and focused instead on finding a table for them in the busy pub.
And then he fled to the bar to buy their drinks. He needed a minute to get himself together.
Maybe having this drink with Gaby wasn’t such a great idea after all. So far, all they’d done was walk to the pub and his mind was already scrambled. If he’d known this would happen, he might never have asked her out in the first place.
Peter allowed himself an amused chuckle as he queued at the bar. He was kidding himself and he knew it. From the moment they’d crossed paths yesterday, he could never have done anything other than ask her out.
And now an evening in Gaby’s company lay ahead and he planned to enjoy every second of it while it lasted. They had years to catch up on and old memories to remember and Peter wanted to be there for all of it.
Assuming he didn’t make a prat of himself and scare her off before they even finished their first drink.