He watched her go. Ordinarily he’d have offered her a lift back to the hotel, but he could tell she was in no mood to accept anything from him right now. He walked slowly towards the house.
Just before he reached the terrace his grandmother came from behind one of the flower borders. He remembered telling Luke he wouldn’t be long. ‘I’d better get back to help with the work at the hotel. I’ll see you later.’ He leant forward and kissed her on the cheek. ‘I’ll put it right somehow.’
‘I hope so,’ his grandmother said. ‘Daisy is a lovely girl and I think she’s hiding a lot of pain inside her. I’d hate for her to get hurt.’
He didn’t argue.
She stroked his arm. ‘Don’t look too forlorn,’ his grandmother said, accidentally smearing hiselbow with earth from her trowel. ‘I’m sure she’ll give you time to try and explain what’s going on between you and Bella.’
‘Nothing is going on, Nan.’
‘I’m not the one you need to persuade of that. Daisy is.’
He walked towards his car and, on the drive back, thought about the beautiful woman who had been his childhood sweetheart and who he’d split up from a year before meeting and falling in love with Daisy. Bella was kind and beautiful, if impulsive, and she’d always hold a special place in his heart, but he’d never love her like he loved Daisy.
Arriving at the hotel, he smiled at Fi across the reception desk. She didn’t smile back. Word didn’t take long to get around this place, he mused. He hurried through to the back of the hotel to his father’s wood-panelled office and sat down.
‘Bloody fool,’ he murmured, resting his elbows on the mahogany desk and lowering his face into his hands.
‘Am I disturbing you?’ Bella asked from the doorway.
He jumped, glanced up and shook his head. ‘No, it’s OK,’ he said. ‘Come in.’
She walked in, her long tanned legs disappearing into a pair of khaki shorts. ‘Has this got anything to do with me speaking to Daisy yesterday?’
Bella sat down. She knew him far too well for him to get away with any denials.
He sighed. ‘I’m afraid so.’
She crossed one leg over the other and rested her hands on her knee. ‘Have I made things difficult for you?’
He stared down at the blotter on the desk. ‘Maybe. I was going to tell Daisy, but hadn’t quite got round to it.’
She rested her hand on his forearm. ‘Sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything. Maybe I had a spark of jealousy for a second,seeing you so relaxed and happy with her. Do you want me to speak to her?’ She smiled. ‘I’m sure she’ll be OK once she understands the full picture.’
‘No, I think I’d better do it.’
She stood up and sat on the edge of the desk next to him before reaching out her arm and stroking the side of his face with her right hand. ‘Poor baby,’ she murmured, just as the door opened and Daisy looked in.
Gabriel heard her gasp and looked up. Bella turned and pulled her hand away from his face as he stood up and called after Daisy. ‘Wait, Daisy,’ he shouted, as the door was slammed in his face.
‘Damn, that was crappy timing,’ Bella said, looking concerned.
‘Sorry, I’m going to have to go after her,’ he said. He reached the door, but before leaving he remembered that Bella had asked to come in and see him. ‘Is there something you want to speak to me about?’
She shook her head. ‘Nothing that can’t wait,’ she said, waving for him to go.
He couldn’t tell which way Daisy had gone, so ran through to reception first and asked Fi, ‘Did Daisy come this way?’
Fi shook her head. ‘No, why?’
‘Nothing,’ he said. ‘But if she does please tell her that I need to speak to her, urgently.’
‘Will do,’ she said.
He turned and ran through to the back of the hotel, heading for her room. He knocked, calling for her to open up. One of the waitresses popped her head out of her door. ‘She’s not there,’ she said, smiling when she saw it was Gabriel. ‘I can come and help you look for her, if you’d like.’
‘Thanks, but that won’t be necessary,’ hesaid, heading out of the hallway, down the stairs and out to the gardens.
