Hannah had thought she’d never see the day when Carl committed for a second time. Experience had taught her he wasn’t the marrying kind. Telling herself that Monica must be one special lady, Hannah entered the kitchen in a bit of a daze.
Sat at the dining table with Gabe, Aunt Dorothy looked up. “Everything all right?”
“Carl’s just informed me he wants to get married,” Hannah said.
Gabe scraped his chair back. “Shall I go and start setting up the treadmill?” he asked, as if such a conversation was none of his business.
“No,” Hannah replied. “Please. Finish your tea first.”
Sitting back down again, Gabe’s discomfort was obvious.
“How do you feel about that?” Dorothy asked.
“To be honest, I’m a bit shocked,” Hannah replied. “Not about the proposal, as such.” She recalled the day Carl had taken Beth and Archie to France. “He had something on his mind a couple of weeks ago. He wanted to talk to me back then, but in the end decided not to.”
“Then what is it? Because something’s bothering you.”
“He’s hired a catamaran. With a crew. For a couple of days.” Hannah glanced around the room, taking in her beautiful but bargain-because-needs-must possessions. “How much money does that man have?”
Dorothy laughed. “What do Beth and Archie think?”
“About Carl’s wallet?”
“No, the proposal.”
“They don’t know yet. Carl didn’t want them blurting it out without speaking to me first.” Hannah shrugged. “I can’t see it being an issue though. By all accounts they get on well with Monica.”
“It was good of him to let you know,” Dorothy said.
“I suppose.” Hannah scoffed. “Although knowing Carl, he’ll have expected a few dramatics on my part. As his ex, I’d of course be jealous.”
“Maybe I should go and come back later,” Gabe said, his discomfort increasing. “You’ve obviously got stuff to talk about.”
Hannah let out a laugh. “Not at all.” She dismissed his concern with a wave of her hand. “Really, his engagement isn’t an issue. Carl and I have been divorced since forever.” She thought for a moment. “I suppose if I’m truthful, I’m feeling a bit jealous. I can’t imagine anyone wanting to charter a boat for me.”
“Really. Ishouldleave you to it.”
Appreciating Gabe’s concern, Hannah took a deep breath. “Believe me, everything’s fine.” Putting all thoughts of glamorous sailing vessels out of her mind once and for all, she rose to her feet. “Although you’re probably right about this treadmill of yours. We should get it sorted.”
After helping to bring it in from the car, Hannah sat on the sofa arm watching Gabe assemble the running machine. Studying him, she questioned how he managed to continue looking handsome despite his concentration. Whenever Hannah had cause to focus like that, it invariably involved screwing up her face and sticking her tongue out.
She took in his mass of dark hair and half-tempted to reach out and run her hands through it, she wondered what Gabe’s story was. That’s if he had one, she supposed. Gabe had said so little about himself, it was hard to tell. He most certainly knew more about her than she did him. Unsurprisingly so, Hannah reasoned. Thinking back to when she’d collided with Gabe’s bike and her subsequent meltdown, Hannah couldn’t deny she’d overshared somewhat.
She sighed as Gabe continued to work, glad of his help. Technical, physical, emotional, whatever needed sorting out, Hannah usually had no choice but to get on with it herself. She thought back to the day Dorothy had arrived, remembering what her mum had said about how, instead of running around after everyone else, Hannah should enjoy being the recipient for a change. For once, her mum had been right. Although on the downside, getting her head into gear once the kids were back and life returned to normal wasn’t a challenge Hannah looked forward to.
Gabe suddenly stopped what he was doing. “What?” He’d clearly felt Hannah’s eyes on him.
“I’m just admiring your concentration.”
Seeing him shake his head and get back to it, Hannah felt guilty for not being truthful with Gabe earlier. She hadn’t lied when she said she was fine with Carl asking Monica to marry him. But she hadn’t been one hundred per cent honest either.
It wasn’t Carl’s announcement that bothered her; Hannah genuinely wished Carl and Monica well. There were just so many changes taking place and Carl’s engagement plan was yet something else Hannah had to deal with. Liv, Mel, Carl, they were all moving on in their lives. Things for Hannah, on the other hand, remained stagnant.
“Penny for them,” Gabe said.
Snapping out of her reverie, Hannah had been so lost in her own thoughts she was surprised to see the treadmill ready to go. She indicated his handiwork. “I was thinking I can’t wait to get started.”
Gabe rose to his feet. “Then let me talk you through the various settings, and you’ll be good to go.” Turning his attention to the LCD screen, he explained what Hannah needed to know.
