A hot blush was burning her cheeks now, not just because of what he was saying but because of how he was looking at her.
“I’m just lucky I was able to make a career in a business that lets me travel,” she said.
“Don’t do that. Don’t downplay it.” His gaze was steady and serious now, the light in his eyes turning into something more intense. “You wanted to make a great life and you knew that wouldn’t happen by accident.Youhad tomakeit happen. And you did. Don’t downplay it. Be proud of it, Gaby.”
She wanted to look away but couldn’t. She was proud of the career she’d built, but in a quietly reserved way she kept to herself. Her travels satisfied her and that was enough. She’d never felt the need to impress anyone.
Peter’s words moved her. His obvious admiration for the life she’d built and his enthusiastic support for it left her a little undone.
“Thank you, Peter.”
Their gazes remained locked and that moment Gaby had feared was suddenly upon her and she had to work very hard to resist the temptation to reach across the table and squeeze his hand.
Not just because she wanted to show how much his kind words meant to her but because she wanted to feel his fingers against hers and conjure again, if only for a moment, how it had felt to be seventeen and holding Peter’s hand as they lay beneath the hot summer sun on Blackberry Hill and sharing their dreams for the future.
The waiter appeared to clear their plates and the moment, and the dangerous temptation, vanished. Gaby sipped her wine and steered the conversation towards safer terrain—the main courses when they arrived, questions about Peter’s school responsibilities and his family and anything else she could think of.
Agreeing to have dinner with Peter had been a mistake, she realised.
This wasn’t just two old friends catching up on the old days, at least not for her. The attraction she felt to him only got deeper with every extra minute spent in his company. She’d tried to tell herself that it was natural to feel at least some flicker of attraction to him because they’d been so in love as teenagers. That sort of attraction and emotion was bound to flare up again in the wake of their unexpected meeting.
But it wasn’t just fond recollections of teenage lust that she was feeling.
As she looked across the table at Peter, the attraction she felt was to the man he was now. Her memories of the boy he’d once been only deepened the new emotions that were raging inside her.
There’s nothing wrong with what you’re feeling, her mind whispered.You were attracted to Peter back then and so why wouldn’t you be attracted to him now? And if he feels the same way…
She stopped the thought in its tracks. Was she really about to convince herself that a quick fling might be on the cards here?
The idea was ludicrous.
Not because she was against the idea of quick flings. Her life of constant travel meant short-lived affairs were a natural part of her life.
The reason it was ludicrous was because to even imagine such a thing with Peter somehow tainted her memories of the sweet summer affair they’d shared as teenagers.
And it was also ludicrous because, while she was sitting here across the table from him in the restaurant debating all this inside her own head, Peter was probably just happy to repay her favour at the school careers fair before calling it a night.
She had the pair of them locked in some steamy fling for the remainder of her time here in Hamblehurst, while Peter was almost certainly thinking of no such thing.
The wine had gone to her head, she decided.
The sooner they finished their meal and went their separate ways the better. Spending time with Peter Bailey had turned out to involve a lot more than just a cheerful walk down memory lane.
Instead, she’d veered into a dangerous cul de sac and it was time to get out of there before she hit the dead end.
13
Peter paidthe bill and left a generous tip for the waiter. He helped Gaby into her coat, happy to see that it had dried while they’d been eating and would keep her warm for the walk home.
Well, assuming she wanted to walk home. During dessert and coffee, Peter had detected a restlessness about her, as if she was eager to leave but too polite to say so. She’d covered it well enough, but he couldn’t escape the notion that she was keen to bring their evening together to a close.
He’d probably bored her senseless. It stood to reason that a woman who led an amazing life like Gaby did wouldn’t really want to hang around with someone like him.
She travelled the world and worked in some of the most fantastic hotels and resorts to be found.
He was a high school maths teacher who still lived in the small market town where he’d grown up.
Talk about chalk and cheese.
