Page 4
He’d been away, investigating a case in Dorset, and the weather had been clear and bright the whole five days he’d been out of London. It seemed unfair that things had taken such a grim turn his first day back.
The broken gutters of the old Victorian Gabriella lived in caused a torrent of water to fall in a sheet down the front of the house, and as he watched, one of the pipes on the side of the house actually came loose and leaned away from the wall.
A spout of water was visible where it had previously been attached to the gutters along the roof line.
Gabriella had complained about the level of maintenance on the house before, but the unforgiving weather really showed how bad it was.
James began digging around on the front passenger side of the car, leaning over the console to look for his umbrella, and when he gave up, frustrated that it was missing, he noticed a tall teenager tucked under the eaves of the house next to Gabriella’s.
He looked cold, miserable, and like he was waiting for someone.
Poor bastard.
Given his lack of an umbrella, James got out of the car, shrugged out of his raincoat, and used it to cover his head and shoulders as he ran for the front door.
It was so swollen with the rain, he thought it was locked before he managed to force it open. He stepped inside, shaking his coat out before fighting the door closed again, and found Jerome stopped on the stairs, watching him with amusement.
“Mr. Detective.” Jerome walked down toward him.
“Jerome.” James shook his hand, then laughed as Jerome showed him a complicated fist bump.
“Has part of the house fallen off?” Jerome asked him. “I thought I heard something break off a few minutes ago.”
“The down pipe on the side of the house detached from the gutters,” James said. “Happened just as I pulled up. It’s hanging off the wall.”
“Ah, so nothing too serious, then.” Jerome glanced down the ground floor passageway that led to Mr. Rodney’s flat. “I was going to take Mr. Rodney to the club for dinner, but I don’t think that’s a good idea in this weather.”
“I’ll take you,” James offered. “Gabriella and I are going out to dinner, but I can easily swing past the club and drop you both off on the way.”
“Magic.” Jerome grinned. “I’ll get Mr. Rodney together and meet you here.”
James drew in a deep breath, and smelled the scent of freshly baked bread. He knew the source would be Mr. Rodney’s flat, and that Gabriella must have made it when she came home from work.
His stomach grumbled as he carried on up the stairs. He’d had lunch, but he couldn’t remember now what it was he’d eaten.
The muted sound of jazz came from behind a door on the middle floor, and for the first time he realized he’d never met a middle floor tenant.
He reached the top landing and Gabriella’s door opened before he could even get close enough to knock.
“I heard you coming up the stairs,” she said, and threw her arms open to give him a hug.
He pulled her close and kissed her.
He had always loved traveling to other towns and counties to help with an investigation, but this was the first one he’d been sent on since he and Gabriella had gotten involved with each other, and he had missed her more than he had been prepared for.
“How are you?” He didn’t let her go, holding her close to him as he looked down at her.
“Happy you’re back,” she told him.
He bent his head and pressed his lips just behind her ear, suddenly sorry he’d offered Jerome and Mr. Rodney a lift, because all he wanted to do now was maneuver Gabriella into her flat and show her exactly how happy he was to be back.
“I offered to take your friends to the club on our way to dinner,” he said, still holding her close.
She brushed a kiss to his jaw. “That was very sweet of you.”
He sighed and stepped back. “Let’s go then.”
Because the longer he held her, the less inclined he’d be to let her go.
