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“She’s crazy.”
“Maybe—but it fits.”
Gabriel was scowling now, and Iris cursed herself for the dip in Gabriel’s mood. Looking for something to distract his thoughts away from Laure and Pierre, she nodded toward the walled garden. “Are you thinking of making a start on that?”
She’d meant it as a joke, so she was surprised when he nodded.
“Yes, actually.”
“Really?” Iris couldn’t keep the relief from her voice, not because the garden might finally be restored, but because it would give Gabriel something to focus on. “That’s great.”
“Not that I’ve got any idea where to start.”
“We can get someone to help.”
Gabriel shook his head. “I want to do it myself. I need to do it myself.” He pushed to his feet. “I’m going to phone Beth, then I’ll call Pierre.”
Iris watched him leave, his long denim-clad legs striding up the path toward the house. Would having Pierre to worry about take hisfocus away from Charlie Ingram? Or would Charlie continue to overshadow everything, even Gabriel’s best friend—even her? She tilted her face toward the sky, barely noticing the warmth of the sun on her face.
She had a lot to think about.
7
Gabriel paced his study, waiting impatiently for Beth to answer his call. It was new this, his inability to sit still, a reflection of his state of mind, which churned restlessly night and day.
“Hey Dad!” His computer screen juddered, then settled, and Beth was there, tanned and smiling, her hands busy plaiting her hair into a long dark snake that hung over her right shoulder.
Finally able to sit, he sank into his desk chair. “It must be your day off,” he said, noting her red bikini top. “How are you? All good?”
“All good,” Beth confirmed, securing the end of her hair with an elastic and flipping it behind her back. “And yes, it’s my day off.”
Gabriel caught sight of himself in the tiny rectangle on the screen and wished he’d thought to run a comb through his hair before calling her. “Are you doing anything nice?” he asked, raising a hand and smoothing it down.
“I’m going to the beach with Rosa now, and later we’re taking the bus to Thessaloniki with some of the other volunteers to see a bit of nightlife.”
Immediately, a whole set of scenarios flew through Gabriel’s brain—the bus crashing on the way to Thessaloniki, Beth’s drink being spiked, Beth becoming stranded after an argument with the others, Beth missing the last bus back and being offered a lift by a stranger. He didn’t voice any of these worries, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to fully relax until he received a reply to the casual message he’d send tomorrow morning, asking Beth if she’d had a good time.
“Sounds good,” he said, wondering, not for the first time, if he would be as obsessed with Beth’s safety if he and Iris had had more than one child. Or would he just have three, or four, or five times the amount of worry? He searched for the names of some of the dogs in Beth’s care. “And how are Loki and Penny and Goldie and Homer?”
While Beth brought him up to date, Gabriel searched her face, listening carefully to the cadence of her voice for any sign that she was anything less than happy and healthy. She talked animatedly, gesticulating with her hands, laughing as she recounted something that one of the volunteers had said. Reassured, his eyes roamed around the screen, taking in the white-painted walls of the tiny room she shared with Rosa, where photos of friends and family made a colorful collage. He picked out the photo of him and Winston, another of him and Iris, saw the messy tangle of duvets on the wooden-framed beds, just visible behind Beth, and felt his body relax. Everything was as it should be.
“And how are you, Dad?” Beth asked. “Were you and Mum still asleep this morning? I couldn’t get hold of either of you.”
Gabriel shook his head. “Laure is here.”
“Cool! I didn’t know she was coming to stay. Was it a last-minute thing? How is she? Is Pierre there too?”
Despite himself, Gabriel smiled at her rattled-off questions. “Yes, not bad and no,” he said, making Beth laugh.
“Mum must be pleased to have Laure staying for a while. How is she? Mum, I mean?”
“She’s fine. She’s sorry she missed your call. You can speak to her after.”
“It will have to be another time, I’m afraid. Rosa is waiting forme.” She paused, looking at him mock-severely. “You didn’t answer my question about howyouare.”
“I’m good.”
“Hm.” Beth didn’t seem convinced. “You’re going to need to find something to do, Dad, something to keep you busy, especially now that Laure is there,” she added, laughing again. “You’re going to need to escape.”
