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‘Uncle Zan-Zan, tell Mum that isn’t fair.’ The little girl folded her arms. ‘I think I should have one, too.’
Zander grinned, and as both children ran towards him he scooped Heidi up. ‘You’ll have to manage without, Heidi. How about I play a game with you later?’
Heidi squealed with laughter as he tickled her, and nodded. ‘Hide and seek, Uncle Zan-Zan—and Monopoly. Please.’ Turning, she looked across at Gabby. ‘Are you Gabby?’
Gabby nodded.
‘Are you Uncle Zan-Zan’s girlfriend?’
‘Yes, sweetheart, she is—and, now, enough questions. We need to go inside.’
With that, Julia swept everyone towards the front door, and minutes later they were inside. Unlike Zander’s apartment, the house had a lived-in feel and a definite sense of personal taste. Gemma clearly favoured bold abstracts and warm wooden flooring. The hall held a collage of family photographs in black and white, and for a sudden moment Gabby felt a sense of aloneness, a stab of emotion that she acknowledged as envy.
Before she could dwell further, she saw Laura Grosvenor heading towards her. ‘Gabby, how lovely to see you. You look fantastic—positively glowing! The sun has done you both good and I love your dress.’
‘Thank you.’
Gabby returned the hug and again emotion swelled inside her—a sense of being an outsider looking in. She wanted this—the clear affection that existed in this family, the easy camaraderie, the jokes and the banter. Yearning tugged inside her, but she blinked it away. One day she would find Mr Right and she’d create this—have children, laughter, family holidays, Christmases with a turkey large enough to feed an army.
Once they were all seated around the large wooden table in the state-of-the-art kitchen, Gemma grinned at Gabby. ‘OK. So tell us all about Sintra. Was it fantastic?’
‘It was absolutely amazing,’ Gabby said, and now there was no need to act her part. All she had to do was tell the truth. ‘Magical, in fact.’
‘We even went surfing.’ Zander held his arms out and gestured for applause. ‘Gabby and I caught our first waves.’
‘No way.’
‘Yes, way.’
‘And how many hours did he spend on his laptop or talking to the office?’
‘None,’ Zander said.
‘Definitely no way.’
‘Yup. Gabby will vouch for me.’ Zander was relaxed, his arm around her shoulders, and she felt a bubble of happiness because for a moment she truly felt she belonged.
‘It’s the truth. And he even came home early from the office yesterday to meet me.’
‘In that case we all need to drink to you, Gabby.’ Gemma rose to her feet and lifted her glass. ‘To Gabby, who has achieved the impossible. Cheers!’
And when Gaby saw the look of happiness on his mother’s face, she understood why Zander had initiated the whole illusion.
The hours flew by. They ate a delicious simple home-cooked lasagne and a green salad, followed by a sumptuous cake that Gemma happily admitted was from the local patisserie. A boisterous game of hide-and-seek ensued, followed by a fiercely competitive game of Monopoly. Then the children were allowed to watch a film whilst the adults sat on the circle of sofas in the enormous living area.
‘So,’ Gemma said. ‘Have you bought a dress for the wedding yet?’
‘Not yet,’ Gabby said and smiled. ‘But that’s not important—it’s your dress that everyone will be interested in.’
Gemma shook her head. ‘You wouldn’t believe the fuss—all because Alessio can drive a car fast.’
Zander laughed, ‘That is a master understatement.’
‘Pah!’ Gemma waved a dismissive hand. ‘Anyway, the point I was making is that the dress has been a massive drama. Loads of designers want the job! One up-and-coming woman—Hannah Colter—even sent me a free sample dress. Not a wedding dress, but it’s beautiful. Actually—’ she looked Gabby over with a critical eye ‘—it would be perfect for you.’
‘I couldn’t possibly...’
‘Yes, you could. Hannah would be stoked at the publicity. Just come and look.’
