She settled her back against the window seat, facing him. Their legs lay parallel between them.
‘Why do you think you don’t deserve it?’ Gabi asked quietly. Walker shrugged as if it was obvious.
‘I’m not as good as people think I am.’
She watched a ripple cross his face. Regret? Anger? Shame?
‘Well, the town thinks you are,’ she said.
‘They don’t know me, do they? They only know the job I do.’
‘Which is pretty damned heroic,’ she said. ‘Walking into fires to save people, Walker. You can’t just dismiss that.’
It hit her for the first time, that he did that out of choice. He didn’t do what he did for personal gain, like she did. He did it to help other people. If her stunt went wrong, it just ended badly for her. If his efforts went wrong, other people died. It was a brave job to do, no doubt about it. But he wasn’t having it. Any of it. He closed his eyes as if to block her out.
‘That’s what I’m paid to do.’
‘But what about all the stuff you do for free?’ Gabi tried again, leaning forward and putting her hand on his knee, shaking him gently to get his attention. He lifted his eyes, but they were doubtful.
‘Like the tray you made for me? To make sure I could move things around safely with my crutches. . .’
He pulled a face as if it was nothing.
‘And the fact that Rosie told me you do all the smoke alarms at their house and maintain them every year.’
He shook his head to dismiss it.
‘And you lent Etienne the money to bring Alex home.’ Isabella had told her that the year before. He sniffed.
‘That’s just money.’ He sighed. ‘Who cares about money?’
Gabi flinched at that. Was he commenting on her? Because he was right. Everything she did was for money; the bigger the cheque, the better. Because it bought her independence and made sure she could always sort out her own problems. Fix her own roof, pay her own mortgage, look after herself. That was important to her. Always had been. But it obviously wasn’t to him. She thought for a moment.
‘I saw you making sure Riley had her crash helmet at the park, before she went roller skating.’ He shifted in his seat, but she pressed again on his knee. ‘And I know you help Reggie with his school projects every month. I’ve heard about your school project winning Tyrannosaurus Rex with the acrylic nails.’
‘That’s just helping out a friend,’ he said. ‘Anyone would do the same.’
He was wrong. Not everyone would do the same.
‘That’s not true,’ she said fervently. ‘Not true at all, Walker.’
He lifted his eyes and she could see that he wanted to believe her. Her hand flexed on his knee, pressing home her words.
‘You help everyone at every opportunity. Whether you’re getting paid for it or not.’
She saw his shoulders drop, some of the tension leave him. ‘It hasn’t always been that way, though.’
‘Maybe not. But not even you can be perfect all of the time. You’re a good man, Walker McBride.’ She smiled and saw the flicker of a smile light his face. It gave her a little lift inside, to see his mood brightening. She poked him with one finger.
‘Come to think of it, you even carried me home once.’
He gave her a full-on grin this time and nudged her leg with his.
‘I might have had ulterior motives that time.’ Eye contact at last. And the glint in his eye made her tummy flip.
‘Hmmm,’ she said. ‘What happened to those ulterior motives then?’ Their eyes were both playful now. She flicked her tongue over her lower lip and watched his gaze drop to follow it.
‘Thought I’d put you off with the nightmare.’ The sounds of the party next door echoed through the walls. Gabi was more aware of the beat of her pulse now as it quickened.
