“We will,” Beth said.
“I wish we could be there,” Archie said. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you run.”
Knowing he was being cheeky, Hannah laughed. “Believe me, you’d remember if you had.”
Beth glanced over at something off screen. She nodded. “Sorry, Mum, but we’ve got to go. Dad’s just told us to hurry up.”
“Well thank you for ringing.”
“You do know we’re proud of you for doing this, Mum, don’t you?” Archie said.
“Because you should,” Beth added.
“I do.” If she was honest, she was proud of herself.
Taking in her children’s sincerity, Hannah didn’t know if it was that, the race, the upset she’d experienced of late, or a mix of all three, but she suddenly felt overwhelmed and tears threatened her eyes.
Hannah made sure to smile, doing her best not to let Beth and Archie see her distress. “Now go on,” she said to them. “Enjoy Paris.”
CHAPTER45
“Just send the letter through and we’ll deal with its contents.”
Pacing up and down in the back garden, in the space of one phone call, Gabe felt the weight he’d been carrying around lift.
“We’ll talk more once I’ve established what we’re dealing with.”
“Brilliant,” Gabe said. “And thanks for speaking to me on a Saturday. It’s much appreciated.”
“No problem. I was working anyway. Besides, any friend of Quentin’s is a friend of mine. I’ll be in touch, yeah?”
“Look forward to it.” Ending the call, Gabe took a deep breath and exhaled. A part of him wanted to mark the occasion. It was, after all, the end of a sorry era. But how could he do something positive when underneath it all he felt anything but. The only person he’d want to celebrate with regardless was Hannah.
Heading back inside, he glanced over at the kitchen counter where Kate’s letter continued to lay unopened. Thanks to Quentin’s contact, whatever was in it was now in the hands of Washington, Greenway, and Forbes. From that moment on, he had no reason to see Kate ever again. Anything she had to say, she could say via the solicitor he’d just instructed. Grateful to his mate for recommending him, Gabe made a mental note to buy Quentin a pint the next time he saw him.
Putting his phone in his shirt pocket, Gabe knew as far as Hannah was concerned it was too little, too late. Of course, Hannah had every right to view him as the lowest of the low, but the last thing Gabe had wanted to do was hurt her. Moreover, as much as he wanted to put all the blame for Hannah’s upset on Kate, he knew he couldn’t. Rather, he should have been honest about his situation from the start.
Gabe frowned, wondering why he’d acted like such an ostrich and buried his head in the sand. When it came to his and Kate’s relationship, he shouldn’t have left it up to Kate to decide when they got divorced, he should have taken control. Heshould have filed for it, and a long time ago.
“Sorted?” Roger asked, as he entered the room.
“Finally,” Gabe replied.
“Good lad.” Roger checked his watch. “Does this mean we can leave now? Hannah’s race’ll be getting underway soon.”
“You head off,” Gabe replied. “I’m not going. She won’t want me there.”
Roger frowned. “You don’t know that.”
Gabe scoffed. “You didn’t see her face when Kate turned up.”
“I’ll never understand what you saw in that woman.”
As Roger shook his head in disdain, the last thing Gabe needed was anI told you so.“Not helpful, Dad.”
“So, that’s it, is it? You’re just giving up on Hannah?” Roger asked. “She doesn’t get an apology, an explanation, the chance to slap you in the face for being so stupid?”
Knowing he more than deserved a slap, Gabe recalled the ignored phone calls he’d made and the unanswered messages he’d sent. There were so many, he was on the verge of looking like a stalker. “She doesn’t want to speak to me.”
