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She’d forgive him anything, but she still wished he hadn’t done it. If Gabriel wanted to indulge in emotional risk-taking it was up to him. She preferred not to.
‘And so you came all the way to Mexico. Couldn’t it have waited until I got home?’
‘Probably. But you know I can’t resist a grand gesture.’ He took off his sunglasses, and the look in his eyes belied the joke. Gabriel was deadly serious.
‘I’m not in the mood for any grand gestures, Gabriel. All I want at the moment is to get this to work.’ She picked up the motor. ‘Since I’ve just taken this out of the refrigerator, you’ll understand that I can’t offer you a cold beer.’
He grinned. ‘Warm will be fine.’
Clara got to her feet, walking into the kitchen. Why had she mentioned beer? But now that she had, she could do with one herself. The length of time that it took to drink it would be a convenient measure for the time she’d give Gabriel to say whatever he had to, before she sent him on his way again.
The beer turned out to be reasonably cool still, and she handed him a bottle, sitting down next to him. Levering the cap off hers, she passed him the bottle opener. He flipped off the cap, tipping his bottle towards hers.
‘Cheers.’
‘What did you come for, Gabriel? It wasn’t the beer.’ He seemed different. More assured, as if he’d found his place in the world, and liked it a lot better than the one he’d inhabited before.
‘I’ve been talking to my father. He’s changed his mind about my taking the company over when he retires.’
‘What?’ Clara started guiltily. ‘He’s disinheriting you?’
Gabriel chuckled. ‘Yeah, I suppose he is, really. By agreement, though. I told him how I felt and he told me that I was an idiot. I accused him of not listening and we both thumped the table for a while. We’ve decided that having a board of directors appoint a CEO is a perfectly good way forward.’
Clara couldn’t help grinning. ‘So you worked it out.’
‘Yes. I dare say there will be a bit of shouting before we manage to fine-tune all the details, but my mother’s relieved that the door slamming is now a thing of the past. I’ve been seeing a counsellor too, to talk about trauma issues.’
He was serious about this. Gabriel wanted to change and he didn’t do anything by halves.
‘That’s good, Gabriel. Really good.’
‘I stumble every day. I’ve fallen flat on my face a few times...’
‘I know you can make it.’ Sweat trickled down her spine. The realisation that Gabriel was turning into the kind of man who might be able to offer love, but that it was too late for him to offer it to her, made her want to cry.
‘I have a plan.’
‘You? A plan?’ Clara almost choked on her beer.
He shot her a reproving look. ‘I don’t know how this thing with my father is going to turn out, or quite what’s going to emerge from my counselling. Everything could change, or nothing.’
That sounded a bit less as if Gabriel had undergone a personality transplant. ‘So the plan is to go with the flow?’
‘No. The plan is to love you. Truly and unfailingly, whatever else happens. I don’t ask anything of you, other than that you try to love me, but before you give your answer, you should know what you’re taking on.’
His hand was trembling now. Gabriel was the bravest person she knew, and capable of taking the boldest of steps, but this had the power to break him.
Clara took a deep breath. She believed him. He’d always been true to his word.
‘I...love you too.’
‘You do?’ He seemed almost surprised.
‘I loved you from the moment I saw you. I just couldn’t trust enough to take a chance on you. And I was wrong.’
‘Then you’ll stay with me? Take whatever life gives us?’
‘Yes.’ Clara flung her arms around his neck, hanging on tight. ‘Come inside. The water for the shower has to be pumped, and it never gets very hot. And there’s an old brass bedstead, which creaks.’
