Walker suggested Gabi made coffee and everyone took a breather. Gabi looked relieved to be finally able to do something to help. Walker scrolled his phone for dehumidifiers and sent links to Isabella, to point her in the right direction.
‘These will speed up the drying process,’ he said, and she nodded her thanks, a worried frown on her face.
Over coffee, Isabella voiced the problem out loud.
‘That room will take days to dry out and weeks to get repaired. So, for the time being, the spare room is out of action.’ Walker watched Gabi bite her lip, waiting.
‘We’ll just have to keep the bed in here for you, Gabi,’ Isabella said, motioning to the space in the front room where they’d positioned the bed frame, between the sofa and the television. They all looked at it. Walker watched Gabi shake her head, big brown eyes dark and serious.
‘I can’t do that to you,’ she said decisively. ‘I’ll get a hotel.’
‘No way! You’re not supposed to live alone until you’re fully recovered. You said that yourself. You need help.’
Gabi looked like she wanted the ground to swallow her up.
‘Me living in your front room like Grandpa Joe inCharlie and the Chocolate Factoryis never going to happen, Isabella. I know you mean well, but it wouldn’t work. I’ll get a hotel.’
The silence deepened as neither woman backed down. Walker cleared his throat.
‘What about one of the girls?’ he suggested. ‘Rosie and Wren have a spare room. And there’s Amber?’
He saw the quick lift of Gabi’s chin. The hope on her face.
‘I’ve met them all– briefly– last year,’ she said.
‘That could work. . . I could certainly ask,’ Isabella said thoughtfully. ‘Give me a minute. I’ll put it on the group chat.’ Walker saw Gabi cross her fingers and tuck them in the oversized pocket of her dressing gown.
A second later the phone rang, and Isabella answered with a hopeful ‘hello’. She listened intensely for a few seconds, then broke into a grin and put the phone on speaker.
‘It’s Amber,’ she said, sinking on the sofa beside Gabi and holding the phone between them. ‘And she’d love to have you.’
Gabi clapped her hands in delight. Leaning into the phone, she said, ‘Hi, Amber, thanks so much!’
Amber’s voice came through sing-song happy, as though she were already smiling.
‘Gabi, girl, I’ve got a spare room on my ground floor with your name on it. And I’ve got a downstairs bathroom– what with it being an old house– so you won’t need to worry about stairs.’
‘Which is a much safer scenario,’ Etienne chipped in, pointing at Gabi’s boot.
‘I’d pay rent,’ Gabi said.
‘No, you would not,’ Amber replied.
‘I’d stock the fridge,’ Gabi suggested.
‘You haven’t seen how much Jayden eats yet,’ Amber chuckled, reminding Gabi about her ten-year-old son.
‘I’d pay the bills then,’ Gabi tried again.
‘You could do something more valuable than that, actually,’ Amber said. ‘You could do a bit of childcare for me?’
Gabi’s face fell. ‘I haven’t got any experience. . .’ she said with a grimace.
‘Oh, don’t worry, Jayden is ten. I’d just need you to be there when he gets home from school. I’m normally at the restaurant until about five.’
Gabi’s face lit up and she clasped Isabella’s hand in hers.
‘I could definitely do that,’ Gabi said. ‘I’ll time my physio and gym around him.’
