Coming Home to Wishington Bay by Maxine Morrey

Author:Maxine Morrey [Maxine Morrey]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollinsPublishers
Published: 2019-04-15T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

‘Table for four. For Holly,’ I said, one hand resting on the lip of the little lectern Ned had installed at the front of the restaurant for his staff to greet customers at.

‘Oh, hi! I’m Sophia. It’s so nice to meet you. Ned and Carrie are always talking about you.’

‘Oh dear!’ I half laughed, hoping that one of their stories wasn’t my lack of love life or this could get very awkward, very fast.

‘No, it’s always lovely. Don’t worry.’ She smiled. ‘But I’d better stop chattering and let you get to you table.’ She made an oops face and began leading us through the restaurant to a table away from the door but with a fantastic view of the sea. ‘Is this one OK?’

‘It’s perfect! Thank you.’ I knew this was the best table in the house, and Ned had let it be set aside for his sister. I really ought to go and see him to say thank you. And of course, ask if he could extend his wonderful kindness to going along with our charade. ‘Is he in the kitchen? I’ll just pop in and say hello,’ I said, exchanging a quick look with Gabe who gave me an almost imperceptible nod of understanding and I began to rise from the seat again.

‘Oh, don’t worry. Ned asked me to let him know when you were here so he could come out and say hi.’

‘It’ll be quicker for me to just nip in,’ I said, trying not to panic. I could hardly give my brother the heads-up when he was stood at the table. ‘He’s obviously going to be busy and—’

‘Here he comes now.’ Sophia smiled. ‘I’ll leave you to chat and look at the menus and will pop back in a few minutes to take your drinks order.’ She left, passing Ned on the way who said a few words to her. I lowered myself back into my chair, the smile fixed on my face, my mind spinning on how I could transmit the knowledge my brother needed before he got to the table. Oh God, this was going to go wrong before it had a chance to go right, and then Gabe’s parents would find out it was all a big farce, which would upset them and in turn Gabe. I felt my stomach twist at the thought of any of these people being upset. I already liked them … some of them a little more than others.

I pushed my hair back as Ned approached the table and caught Gabe’s glance. His smile was soft, and his face relaxed. Completely the opposite to how I felt. As I lowered my hand back onto my lap, he reached across and took it, the touch gentle with the faintest of squeezes. How was he not panicking? He leant over and whispered in my ear.

‘Remember to breathe.’

I looked up, my face close to his now, my gaze meeting his. ‘Breathe,’ he said again, softly. I nodded, the world around me disappearing for a moment as all I saw, heard and felt was Gabe.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.