Finding Isadora(99)

“Uh, yeah.” She shot me a frantic look.

“Janice,” Gabriel said, “I know Isadora has told you the situation. You’re her best friend, part of her family. Whatever I tell her she’ll pass on to you anyhow, so you might as well hear this. God knows, we could use a fresh perspective.”

I realized I was smiling. He’d just met Jan, but he accepted her because she was my best friend. There was no way I could stop myself from reaching for his hand and gripping it. “How did it go, Gabriel?”

He threaded his fingers through mine and I felt that vital Gabriel-force flowing from his body into mine, an elixir far more potent than wine. “Surprisingly well. Better than I expected. We actually talked, for the most part civilly, for almost three hours. Can’t remember when that last happened.”

“Did he tell you about last night, with Eric and Caroline Winston?”

He nodded. “Said he had a good time, told me all about the boy. I’m impressed with what he’s doing.”

“Did you tell him that?”

His eyes met mine, twinkling. “Yeah, I did.” Then he laughed. “Should have seen the expression on his face.”

“Tell me.”

“Shock. Then disbelief, like he was replaying my words to see if he’d heard right, not misinterpreted. And then…”

I squeezed his hand, and he cleared his throat and finished, “He seemed pleased.”

“He wants you to be proud of him. It means a lot.”

He cleared his throat again. “So then we talked about the test, and what we’d do—”

The DNA test. “Gabriel,” I broke in urgently, squeezing his hand. “I haven’t told Janice that part.”

She leaped to her feet. “Look, this stuff is private. I shouldn’t be here.” She tossed me a strained smile. “Izzie will decide what I can and can’t hear, and tell me later.”

Gabriel nodded. “Makes sense.” He rose with his usual effortless grace and held out his hand. “It’s been good meeting you, Janice.”

“You too, Gabriel.”

Unlike the first time they’d shaken hands, this time they held the grip for a long moment. Finally, Gabriel said, “Any words of advice?”

She dropped his hand. “Uh… I guess, that caring for someone else shouldn’t have to mean that you forfeit your own happiness.”

He nodded thoughtfully and I felt her words resonate inside me.

“And, uh,” she said, “follow your hearts.”

Hearts. I knew Gabriel had one—a wonderful one—but I wasn’t sure he believed it himself.

After she’d gone, the tension level in the room notched up several degrees and I began to panic. “I should do the dishes.”

“Sure. I’ll help.”

The two of us in my tiny kitchen? There wasn’t enough room to move around without touching.

“On the other hand, Pogo needs a walk.”

“Okay,” he said easily. “Where’s his leash?”

I felt safer when we were outside, even though Gabriel’s arm brushed against mine. “Tell me more about your talk with Richard.”

“I told him I didn’t care what the damn test said. As far as I was concerned, he’d always be my son.”

My heart filled. For Gabriel, that was a major breakthrough. “And?” I said softly, my voice husky with emotion.

“He gave this funny little smile. Then he said that, if I’d said those same words a week ago, he’d probably have rejected them. Not believed me. But I guess this test has got both of us thinking. He said…” He cleared his throat. “He actually said he may have been too harsh on me. That I hadn’t always been such an awful father.”

I smiled, hoping I’d had something to do with helping Richard realize that.

“So,” Gabriel went on, “I said that was generous of him, and I knew I’d f*cked it up badly. But that didn’t mean I didn’t care. And he said he was coming to realize that.”

He stopped suddenly, catching my hand to stop me, too. Pogo whined disapproval, but we both ignored him.

“This is your doing, Isadora,” Gabriel said. “He told me he’d been talking to you, that you’d helped him see things differently. And if it wasn’t for you, I’d never have said those things to him. Hell, I’d never have suggested dinner. I’d have let him slide away.”

I shook my head. “I don’t think you would have. He means too much to you.” I smiled to ease the tension. “It might have taken you a little longer, though. Men can be pretty thick about this kind of stuff.”

He smiled briefly. “Especially me. Thank you, Isadora. I’m getting my son back, because of you.”

I bit my lip. I was so happy for both of them, and yet I still wanted Gabriel.

Pogo whined again and I let him pull me forward.

Gabriel fell in beside me, our hands still linked. “I don’t want to lose him again.”

“I don’t want that either.”

“I know you don’t.”

We were both quiet as we walked the last couple of blocks to English Bay. The beach was almost deserted under a starry sky, and I let an excited Pogo off his leash. “I shouldn’t do this, but he loves it so much, and he always comes when I call.”