Falling for the Secret Millionaire (13 page)

* * *

Nicole's mum and Jessie helped out at weekends and evenings, when they could. One evening, it was just the three of them working together, so Nicole ordered pizza when they stopped for a break.

‘So when are you going to tell us?' Jessie asked.

‘Tell you what?'

‘About Gabriel,' Susan said.

‘He's my neighbour, in business terms, and we have mutual interests. It's made sense for us to work together,' Nicole said.

Jessie laughed. ‘And you're telling us you haven't noticed how gorgeous he is?'

Nicole couldn't help it. She blushed.

‘So how long has this been going on?' Susan asked.

‘Um.' She'd been thoroughly busted.

‘You might as well tell us now,' Jessie said. ‘You know we're going to get it out of you.'

Nicole sighed and told them about how she'd met ‘Clarence' on the Surrey Quays forum and he'd turned out to be Gabriel. ‘So the man I thought was my enemy was actually my friend all along.'

‘But you're more than friends?' Jessie asked.

‘Yes.'

‘He's a nice guy. Not like Jeff,' Susan said.

‘Definitely not like Jeff.' Jessie hugged her. ‘You seem happier, and I thought it was more than just the job. I'm glad. You deserve life to go right for you.'

* * *

At the end of a day when Nicole had spent close to fourteen hours painting—and her arm ached so much she barely had the strength to clean her brush—Gabriel called in to the cinema.

‘I wondered what you felt like doing tonight.'

‘I don't think I'm fit for much more than a hot bath and then crawling into my PJs,' she said.

‘I was going to suggest cooking dinner for us.' He paused. ‘You could have a bath at my place while I'm cooking—and I'll drive you home afterwards.'

This felt like the next step in their relationship, and Nicole wasn't sure if she was quite ready for that. Her doubts clearly showed in her expression, because Gabriel stole a kiss. ‘That wasn't a clumsy pass, by the way. It was the offer of a hot bath and cooking for you because you look wiped out.'

‘Thank you—I'd appreciate that. But I'm covered in paint.'

‘I could collect stuff from your place first. Or I could cook at yours, if you don't mind me taking over your kitchen,' he suggested.

‘You'd do that?'

‘Sure—and then you can eat dinner in your PJs. Which is again not a come-on,' he said, ‘because when you and I finally decide to take the next step I'd like you to be wide awake and enjoying yourself rather than thinking, oh, please hurry up and finish so I can go to sleep.'

She laughed. ‘You,' she said, ‘are a much nicer person than you like the world to think.'

‘Well, hey. I don't want people to think I'm a pushover, or negotiating contracts and what have you would be very tedious.'

‘You're still a good man, Gabriel.' And maybe this wasn't just business to him; maybe he really did like her, she thought. He'd talked about taking the next step. It meant another layer of trust: but from what she'd seen of him she thought she could trust him. He wouldn't let her down like Jeff had.

* * *

In the end he made a chicken biryani for her in her kitchen while she soaked in the bath. ‘I would normally make my own naan bread rather than buying it ready-made from the supermarket,' he said, ‘but I thought in the circumstances that you might not want your kitchen being cluttered up.'

‘It still tastes amazing. I don't cook much,' she admitted.

‘Lack of time or lack of inclination?' he asked.

‘Both,' she said.

‘I love cooking,' he said. ‘It relaxes me.'

She smiled. ‘Are you going to tell me you bake, as well?'

He raised an eyebrow. ‘I wouldn't rate my chances against a professional but I make a reasonable Victoria sponge.'

‘You're full of surprises,' she said.

‘Is that a bad thing?' he asked.

‘No, because they're nice surprises,' she said.

Which told him that she'd had a nasty surprise from her ex at some point. She still wouldn't open up to him, but Gabriel hoped she'd realise that he wouldn't hurt her—at least not intentionally.

Georgygirl had been important to him. But Nicole was something else. The way he felt when he was with her was like nothing he'd ever experienced before.

It couldn't be love—could it?

He'd never been properly in love in his life.

But he liked being with Nicole. With her, he could be truly himself. The problem was, could she trust him enough to be completely herself with him?

* * *

‘Tonight,' Gabriel said, a week later, ‘we're going to see the stars.'

‘That's so sweet of you, but there isn't long until the cinema opens and all the dark sky spots are way up in Scotland or near the border.' She wrinkled her nose. ‘I'd love to go with you, but I can't really take that much time off.'

‘Actually, there are places in London,' he said, ‘right in the city centre. And tonight's the night when Mars is at opposition.'

‘The closest it gets to the earth and it's illuminated fully by the sun, so it's at its brightest—hang on, did you just say there are dark sky places in the middle of London?' she asked, surprised. ‘Even with all the street lights?'

‘There's an astronomy group that meets in the middle of one of the parks,' Gabriel said. ‘I spoke to the guy who runs it and he says we can come along—they have an old observatory and we'll get a turn looking through the telescope. So we get to see the stars tonight—but we don't have to travel for hours, first.'

‘Gabriel, that's such a lovely thing to do.' She kissed him. ‘Thank you.'

‘You've been working really hard. You deserve a little time out and I thought you'd enjoy this,' he said.

The observatory was exactly as she'd imagined it to be, with a rotating dome and an old brass telescope. Just as Gabriel had promised, they had the chance to look through the telescope and see some of the features of Mars—and the moon, too.

Nicole loved it, and she loved walking in the park hand in hand with Gabriel afterwards. ‘I'm blown away that you've taken the effort to do this for me,' she said. Jeff had never indulged her love of the stars, saying it was a bit childish. ‘I feel a bit guilty that I haven't done anything for you.'

‘Actually, you have,' Gabriel said. ‘You've made me feel better about myself than I have in years—and I have some idea now of what I want to do in the future.'

‘Such as?'

‘I need to work it out in my head,' he said, ‘but you're the first person I'll talk to about it.'

She grimaced. ‘Sorry. I was being nosey.'

‘No, you're my partner and it's nice that you're interested. Some of the women I've dated have only been interested in the depth of my bank account.'

‘I hope you don't think I'm one of those.'

‘Given how much hard work it is to persuade you even to let me buy you dinner,' he said, ‘I know you're not.'

‘So why did you date them?'

‘I guess I was looking for someone who understood me. The problem was, the nice girls were wary of me—either they'd heard I was a wild child as a student, or they saw me as this ruthless businessman in the same mould as my dad. And the others weren't interested in understanding me.'

‘So you're a poor little rich boy?'

‘Yes.' He batted his eyelashes at her. ‘And I won't make a fuss if you decide to kiss me better.'

She laughed. ‘That's the worst chat-up line I've ever heard.'

‘It was pretty bad,' he admitted.

She smiled. ‘I'll kiss you anyway.' And she did so. Lingeringly.

* * *

Over the next couple of weeks they grew closer, falling into a routine of having dinner together most nights, and then Gabriel would take Nicole home and they'd curl up on her sofa together, holding each other close and talking.

‘So do I ever get to see the bat cave?' Nicole asked.

‘Bat cave?' Gabriel asked, looking puzzled.

‘You've been to my flat. Yours is clearly the bat cave—top secret.'

He laughed. ‘Point taken. I'll make dinner there tonight.'

His flat was in a very modern development, with a balcony running along the length of the building, and all the rooms faced the river.

‘Bathroom,' he said, gesturing to the various doors as they stood in his small lobby, ‘my bedroom and en-suite, main bathroom, living room, guest room.'

Like her flat, his had floor-to-ceiling windows, but his rooms were much bigger and so were the windows. Nicole adored the views.

The kitchen was just off the living room, and was about ten times the size of hers. It was clearly a cook's kitchen, with maple cupboards, worktops, and flooring. At the end of the living room, next to the kitchen, was his dining area; there was a large glass table with six comfortable-looking chairs. Three of the walls were painted cream, but the wall by the dining area was painted sky blue and held a massive painting of a stylised fish.

It looked like a show flat. And yet it also felt like home; the sofas looked comfortable, and she noticed he had the most up-to-date television.

‘Home cinema?' she asked.

He nodded. ‘But watching a film at home on your own isn't quite the same as going to the cinema with a group of friends. I think what you're doing to the Electric Palace is brilliant because you get the best of both worlds—all the comfort and all the social stuff as well.'

‘I hope so.' The only thing Nicole couldn't see in the room was a desk. ‘So you don't work at home?'

‘The guest bedroom's my office,' he said. ‘Though there is a sofa-bed in there if someone wants to stay over.'

He held her gaze for a moment. Would he ask her to stay over tonight? she wondered, and her heart skipped a beat.

She kept the conversation light while he cooked lemon chicken with new potatoes and she made the salad. But when they were lying on his sofa later that evening, he stroked her face. ‘Stay with me tonight?'

She knew he didn't mean her to stay in the guest room. It meant spending the night in his bed. Skin to skin with him.

The next stage of their relationship.

Another layer of trust.

It was a risk. But the man she'd got to know over the last few weeks was definitely something special. Someone worth taking a risk for.

‘I have a spare toothbrush,' he added.

She kissed him. ‘Yes.'

And in answer he scooped her off the sofa and carried her to his bed.

* * *

A couple of days later, Nicole had some great news.

‘My ceiling guy can fit us in,' Patrick said. ‘The job he's working on has run into a bit of a legal wrangle, so he's got some spare time.'

‘But doesn't he have a huge waiting list?' Nicole asked. ‘Shouldn't he be seeing the next person on his list instead of queue-jumping me?'

‘Probably,' Patrick said, ‘but I've kept him up to date with what's happening here and he's seen the ceiling on your website. He says it's not a massive job—and also I think he fell in love with the stars and wants to be the one to work on it.'

‘Got you,' Nicole said with a grin. ‘Those stars really seem to do it for everyone.'

‘I can't believe you've got all these people pitching in, too. I thought it was going to cost you an arm and a leg in overtime to get this done in your timeframe, but it's not.'

‘No, but I do need to thank them. I'm going to have a board in the foyer with the names of everyone who's helped, and I'll unveil it on the opening night.'

‘That's a nice idea.'

‘I couldn't have done it without them,' Nicole said simply, ‘so the very least they deserve is a public thank you.'

The person she most wanted to thank was Gabriel—for believing in her, and for being supportive. She just needed to work out how to do that.

‘There is one thing,' Patrick said. ‘Work on the ceiling means everything has to stop, because we can't do anything in that room until—'

‘—the lead paint is gone,' she finished. ‘Actually, that might fit in nicely.'

‘Taking a holiday?'

‘Sort of.'

She did some checking online, then called Gabriel. ‘Is there any chance you can clear your diary for the next couple of days—preferably three?'

‘Why?' he asked.

‘That's on a need-to-know basis,' she said. ‘I just need to know if it's possible.'

‘Give me five minutes and I'll call you back.' He was as good as his word. ‘OK, it's possible, but only if you tell me why.'

‘It's a research trip. I could do with your views.' It wasn't strictly true, but she wanted to surprise him.

‘All right. I take it that it's not in London, so do you need me to drive?'

‘Nope. I'm borrowing a car. And I'll pick you up tomorrow at ten.'

It was a bright purple convertible Beetle, and Gabriel groaned when he saw it. ‘You're going to tell me this is cinema-related because this is an update of Herbie, right?'

‘I hadn't thought of that, but yes.' She grinned. ‘Get in.'

‘I thought you said my convertible was showing off?'

‘Yeah, yeah.'

‘So where are we going?'

‘Road trip,' she said. ‘Do you want to be Thelma or Louise?'

He groaned. ‘This isn't going to end well.'

‘Oh, it is. Trust me.'

She drove them down to Sussex, where she'd booked a couple of nights in an old fort overlooking the sea. She had a cool box in the back of the car filled with picnic food from a posh supermarket's chiller cabinet, and the weather forecast was good. This would be three days where they didn't have to worry about anything—they could just be together, relax and enjoy each other's company.