“There they are,” Roger said. His face lit up as he spotted a grouping of pink T-shirts.
Following his dad’s gaze, Gabe clocked Dorothy sat in a deckchair with her knitting resting on her lap. Quentin was with her, and forced to squint, Gabe felt sure he recognised the third person in the group. “Of course. Mel’s photo,” he said, pleasantly surprised.
With no sign of Hannah, Mel or Liv, Gabe took a deep breath to compose himself. He felt a mix of nervousness and hope. Nerves because there was a good chance Hannah would soon tell him to go away and never come back. Hope because Russel had clearly turned out to be a good guy and not a baddie. If that didn’t tell Hannah things weren’t always what they seemed, then nothing would.
“Gabe!” Dorothy called out. Dropping her knitting into her bag, she rose to her feet and stepped forward to hug him. “I’m so glad you came.”
“Me too, mate. Liv would’ve been fuming if you hadn’t.” Quentin laughed as he hugged Gabe. “I’d have never heard the end of it.”
Dorothy encouraged Russel forward. “Gabe, this is Russel. Russel, Gabe.”
Gabe shook Russel’s hand. “Good to meet you, at last.”
“Likewise.”
“And this is Roger,” Dorothy said. “Who makes the best risotto on the planet.”
Gabe checked his watch. With not much race time left, he addressed the others. “They should be coming into view soon.”
Quentin grew excited. “I think Liv and Mel are heading this way now.” He nodded toward the woodland’s edge, where two bright pink T-shirts could be seen in the distance. He put his hands either side of his mouth. “Come on, Liv!” Quentin shouted.
Russel joined in. “Almost there, Mel.”
Gabe put his fingers to his lips and whistled, and along with the rest of the group, raucously cheered them towards the finishing line.
Mel and Liv looked elated yet shattered as they made their way along the final stretch. Crossing the line, they hugged each other and when one of the race organisers stepped forward to put their medals around their necks, Mel and Liv jumped up and down to celebrate their win.
“Well done, babe,” Quentin said.
As Mel and Liv approached, Liv broke into a run and jumping into Quentin’s arms, she wrapped her legs around him. The two of them kissed long and hard.
Gabe watched Quentin spin Liv around, while Russel took Mel’s hand and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. Gabe felt a pang of jealousy, knowing the way things were between him and Hannah, she wouldn’t appreciate either gesture from him.
“Am I glad that’s over with,” Liv said, her feet back on terra firma. “Please tell me we've beaten Francesca.” Her eyes widened in anticipation.
Aunt Dorothy shook her head. “Afraid not. She came through about ten minutes ago.”
“You mean she took her medal and left? She didn’t stay to cheer the rest of us in?” Liv scoffed. “How’s that for team work?”
Mel glanced around the group. “No Hannah yet?” Realising they’d won the bet, she looked from Liv to Dorothy. “You know what this means, don’t you.”
Gabe frowned, wondering where Hannah could be. He put a hand up to protect his eyes from the sun as he focused on the racetrack, but she was nowhere in sight. “I hope she’s okay.”
“She’ll be fine,” Roger said, not looking quite as convinced as he sounded.
“I hope she hasn’t got lost,” Mel said.
“I must admit, I’m surprised she’s not here yet,” Dorothy said. “I know from her training sessions she can run faster than this.”
Gabe continued to stare into the distance. “Do you think we should phone her?” Without waiting for an answer, he pulled out his mobile and clicked to call. “That’s strange,” he said, as the ringtone continued. “She’s not answering.”
“Maybe she doesn’t have signal,” Mel said, hopeful.
“Maybe.” Gabe finally let his hand drop and he turned to the others. “I think I’ll have a wander. Just to put my mind at ease.”
CHAPTER49
Hannah tried to remain dignified as she hobbled along. The number of runners passing by might have dwindled to dribs and drabs, but they continued to overtake. Hannah forced herself to look cheerful with every enquiry into her welfare, encouraging each good Samaritan to carry on withoutheror worry. However, trekking along the woodland trail with an injured ankle and a makeshift crutch was both embarrassing and painful.
