‘Hey...’ he said, his throat suddenly parched as he gazed at her.
Come on, Gabe.
He could do better than that. Only right now he couldn’t—her beauty had caught his breath. Dressed in jeans and a dark red top, with her sleeves pushed up, chestnut hair pulled back with two clips he’d swear she must have borrowed from Cathy, she looked gorgeous.
‘Why are you here, Gabe?’ A small shake of her head. ‘Sorry. That was rude. Would you like tea or coffee?’
He followed her gaze to the small kitchenette in the corner of the room, where again there was a feeling of cheer generated by the way Etta had combined clutter with clever use of space. Pots and pans hung from a handy contraption to the left of the sink. An array of fun mugs hung on hooks. A cork board was littered with notes and memos. The sofa held a collection of cushions, presumably collected from various holidays, and stacked tables made the small area feel like home.
‘I’m fine.’
‘OK.’
Another silence and he realised he was procrastinating because of fear—pure and simple. Time to get on with it.
‘How have you been?’
‘Good. You?’
‘Yup. Good. Where’s Cathy?’
‘Sleepover at Martha’s.’
‘So how come you’re still in London?’
Etta took in an audible breath. ‘I was going to get in touch with you. I was just waiting until...’ Her voice trailed off. ‘That doesn’t matter. You’re here now. I did what you suggested. I put my trust in my bond with Cathy and I let her meet her dad. She loathed him.’
There was a wonder in her voice, along with pride.
‘Apparently he turned on the charm and at first it worked. Then he had a go at me and Cathy went nuts in my defence. He unravelled after that. Cathy says her curiosity is satisfied and she never wants to see him again. He was so angry he went out, got drunk, ended up assaulting someone, and is now back behind bars. I know he’ll always be a danger, but both Cathy and I will keep seeing Max for martial arts training, and we’ve decided to live our lives. So thank you—you showed me that I could face up to Tommy and, most important, trust Cathy. That means the world to me.’
Pride and admiration filled him that Etta had been so brave, along with a feeling of satisfaction that she now knew and believed in her bond with Cathy and could lead her life untainted by fear.
‘Don’t thank me. You did it—you were the one brave enough to carry it through.’
‘What about you? Your turn. Have you told your family about Matteas?’ Her voice was brittle, her arms still folded.
‘Yes. My parents do think I should consider standing aside if he comes up to scratch.’
‘What do you think?’
‘I’m not sure. That’s why I’m here. I was hoping for your input.’
Etta’s forehead creased in puzzlement.
‘But I wondered if you’d mind coming back to Derwent Manor to discuss it.’
Gabe held his breath, the weight of hope that she would agree heavy in his chest.
‘Now?’
‘Yes. I’ll drive you back later.’
Etta hesitated, and then nodded. ‘Give me a minute to check in with Cathy.’
* * *
Ten minutes later Etta locked her apartment door, her mind whirring with an entire gamut of conflicting emotions, overridden by the megabuck question: what was Gabe doing here?