Chapter 11
Giada leaned back on her seat and watched the magnificent scenery slipping by. Provence was even more gorgeous in real life than on the postcards her mother used to collect. Gabriel had chosen a panoramic drive so they were passing through pretty villages and deserted country roads surrounded by untamed nature.
She turned to Gabriel.
A smiled tugged at his lower lip.
Was he glad that they’d left the mansion? It certainly seemed so. Giada had been thrilled when he announced this morning that their discovery trip could start immediately, given the postponement of Aurélie’s engagement.
She’d feared that Gabriel would consider driving her around as an obligation. A promise he’d made to her, which he didn’t want to back out of. But looking at his face, he was enjoying himself.
He shot her a side-glance and his smile widened. His gaze was back on the road in a second, but Giada’s face heated. She didn’t want him to think she was staring at him, even though it was obvious that’s what she was doing.
Quick, a casual and light topic for a conversation.
She cleared her throat. “This is a paradise for bikers, huh?”
He nodded, turning the wheel to the left. “It really is. When I turned eighteen, Jean-Pierre and I did a big bike tour, climbing up these hills and rushing down.”
So much for a light topic.
The unexpected mention of Jean-Pierre brought back the conversation with Gabriel’s cousin from last night and her stomach churned. Giada had consciously removed the talk from her mind. She didn’t want to contemplate whether Jean-Pierre had told her the truth. She had even less desire to confront Gabriel about why he’d lied about his break-up with Aurélie.
What right did Giada have to ask such questions anyway?
Also, she didn’t want to know the answer. The fact that Gabriel had proposed to Aurélie meant that he still must have feelings for his ex. Who could forget a woman whom he asked to marry that quickly?
No, no. It’s better to remain in the dark about this. Especially after the night spent in Gabriel’s arms.
At the memory of his body against hers, her skin got covered in goose bumps. Of course, he’d only been looking for comfort and protection. He couldn’t know that his closeness ignited fire in her veins. That she’d spent the night dreaming wild and magical fantasies of him.
If he knew, he would’ve never asked her to share a bed.
She sighed. At least now they were away from his family. They could act like simple friends. Even if Giada’s chest hammered each time he looked into her eyes.
She knew this feeling well; she could deal with it. It had accompanied her throughout her youth.
“Is everything okay, Giada?”
Gabriel’s voice jarred her out of her reverie. “Oh, yes. Sorry. I was completely absorbed by this enchanting view.” She hurried to tear her gaze away from his masculine cheekbones.
They were driving through cobbled streets with golden-stone houses.
“Where are we anyway?” she asked
Gabriel pointed at the GPS. “It’s Gordes, one of France’s most enticing villages, if you ask me. We aren’t far from the rugged landscapes of the Luberon Regional Nature Park and those extensive lavender fields you wanted to photograph.”
Giada’s eyes widened. “Wait, this is Gordes? Can we stop here? I want to see its château. This place has inspired artists like Lhote, Chagall, or Vasarely.”
Gabriel chuckled. “If you say so, I believe it. I’m not an expert on art history like you are. I mostly visited this town for its fun music festival.”
He parked the car and they got out to amble through the picturesque roads toward the mountaintop where the 16th-century castle stood.
Giada’s head turned from left to right, her eyes bouncing around to take in as much of the town’s charm as possible. It was easy to imagine that such a place could serve as muse to painters.
Her glance fell on a particularly old building with walls covered in a bright magenta-colored bougainvillea. The magnificent plant climbed towards the sky like some surreal giant monster.
The image of a new sculpture flashed in her mind. Yes, if she used a mélange of textures she could achieve a similar effect. She had promised Nathalie and Greg, her two colleagues in the atelier, that she’d be back with some new projects after her holiday. They were quite upset that she was leaving for so long, just when their gallery, Oneiros, was gaining fame in the art circles, and they all needed to keep up the momentum by being fully present.
Gabriel put his hand on the small of her back. “Shall we continue? Or do you need another few minutes?”
Giada flinched. She didn’t realize she’d stopped in front of the house. How long had she been standing there immobile? “Oh, sorry, Gabe. I just had an idea about a new project. Look at these large, vibrant bracts surrounded by these simple waxy flowers. And the contrast with the faded bricks. I can already see a new constellation for Oneiros.”
Gabriel chuckled. “You’re so cute when you speak in your language.”
Giada’s cheeks heated and her eyes flicked to his. “Jeez, thanks. I didn’t mean to bore you.”
“You didn’t. I knew you’d love this village. That’s why I brought you here. You’ll see, Aix will be just as mind-blowing. I booked our hotel there for tonight.”
Giada’s chest warmed. She still couldn’t believe Gabriel decided to ditch his family to show her around. “I’m so happy about this trip. It’s very nice of Noëlle to let you travel around when you were supposed to be spending time with her.”
Gabriel’s jaw tightened and a flustered glint filled his eyes. “Well, yes. Mémère understands that I want my girlfriend to experience my second home at its best form.”
Giada sighed. “Right, your girlfriend. At least here we don’t have to keep pretending. Isn’t it a relief?”
She tried to keep her voice even, but it still sounded too throaty. As much as she was glad about not having to keep up appearances, there was a part of her soul that ached for those fleeting intimate touches that they were supposed to exchange in front of the others.
If she did the same things now without the prying eyes of his family, Gabriel would wonder why she was acting weird.
Gabriel wiped his forehead in a theatrical gesture. “Phew, yes, you took the words from my mouth. I think only Aurélie wasn’t pleased with our departure.”
“Aurélie?”
Giada’s neck muscles tightened. When had he spoken to her? Giada hadn’t seen Gabriel’s ex after the dinner.
Gabriel nodded. “She intercepted me this morning while you were packing.”
Giada wrapped her arms around herself. Suddenly the afternoon sun seemed colder. “And what did she tell you? Did she say why they postponed the engagement?”
Did she tell you she wanted to get back together? Did you accept?
Luckily she managed to swallow back these last two questions before they made their way to her tongue.
Gabriel shrugged. “No, she didn’t, but she was on some kind of mission. I could tell.”
Giada relaxed. At least for now, Gabriel wasn’t returning to his ex. “Oh, really? What makes you say that?”
Gabriel scratched his chin. “She was unusually friendly.”
“She’s always friendly—with you. It’s only the rest of the world that doesn’t seem to be worth her attention.”
Gabriel chuckled. “Oh, come on now. Aurélie wasn’t always that bad. Sure, she has her moments, all in all, but she’s a good person. Confused but harmless.”
Why did he have to defend his ex? And why would he label her “confused”? Confused about what?
There was a time after their breakup when Gabriel didn’t try to make excuses for Aurélie’s hostile stance when Giada or her brother complained about her. Was it only bitterness due to her refusal? Maybe now that there was a glimmer of hope that she might not be marrying his cousin…
Giada clenched her teeth a
nd forced her spiraling thoughts to stop. She was having a conversation with Gabriel, for crying out loud. Getting sidetracked wasn’t healthy and would surely give her away.
She took a few short breaths hoping to settle her heartbeats to their normal cadence. “Yes, Aurélie’s okay. It’s your cousin who needs to deal with her, right?” She tried to add a short, carefree giggle but it sounded like a wheeze of a lung-diseased old man, so she stopped. “By the way, what if the engagement is set for after we’re supposed to be back home? I’m not sure I can extend my stay here any longer.”
Would he say he would stay anyway?
Gabriel didn’t seem startled by her question. He only shrugged. “Then we miss their engagement party. It’s not like we didn’t try, right?”
Giada narrowed her eyes. “Didn’t you say it was crucial that you participate, and with a date? Isn’t it your grandmother’s wish?”
Gabriel’s expression hardened. “Mémère isn’t very considerate of my wishes, so…she’ll just have to live with it.”
There was some intense sadness in his tone.
She stepped closer to him and took his hands. She ignored the butterflies that seemed to assault her skin as she placed her fingers on his. “Gabriel, what did you speak about with Noëlle last night?”
His eyes flicked to their interwoven fingers, and he wiggled his hands free. He backed up to the wall of the house, so that the bright flowers pressed against his silhouette.
Giada’s heart dropped. Was he annoyed by her touch? Wasn’t he the one who called for her last night?
He rubbed his palms, as if trying to rid them of some unpleasant sensation. His voice was soft when he spoke. “Giada, I have a confession to make.”
“A confession?”
Gabriel stared at his shoes. “Yes. I haven’t been honest with you or Giordano.”
Giada gasped. “Gabe, what are you talking about?”
Was he going to speak about Aurélie? Or did it have something to do with Noëlle?
Gabriel slowly raised his chin, and when his eyes met hers, he licked his lips. “I didn’t need a date for Aurélie’s engagement party. There was another, more important, reason I decided to fake a relationship in front of my family.”
Giada frowned. “And what’s that?”
Gabriel took a big breath as if he was about to make a big revelation. “It’s because of my dad.”
“Your dad? What does he have to do with this?”
Gabriel pressed his lips together and jammed his hands in his pockets.
Giada held still. She knew that talking about his father was always a delicate topic for Gabriel. So delicate that he rarely ever mentioned him, unless he really had to.
He blew out his cheeks. “He’s in debt. Again. This time, however, he borrowed money from the wrong people. The kind of people who will stop at nothing to get back at him.”
Giada’s throat tightened. This was something she didn’t expect to hear. Not that it was surprising. Gabriel’s father had been into gambling and drinking when they were younger, and she never assumed that he’d have the strength to stop. But she didn’t realize the situation had gotten so out of hand.
“Why didn’t you ask for Giordano’s help? He could talk to our uncle. His private investigation firm could dig up something equally bad on your dad’s lenders. Maybe stuff that would keep them silent.”
Gabriel snorted and shook his head. “No way I’m dragging Giordano or Mr. Biagi into any of this. It’s bad enough that I need to save my father.”
“But how do you intend to save him by pretending to be with me in front of—” She stopped. Didn’t Gabriel always say that, in his grandmother’s eyes, a man was no man till he had a family of his own? So that was Gabriel’s plan. He wanted to appease Noëlle by showing off a girlfriend, and then ask his grandmother for a loan on behalf of his father.
Quite a longshot.
Noëlle was carrying an obvious grudge against her son. Not without reason, of course.
Gabriel nodded. “I thought if Mémère saw that I was becoming the man she hoped for, then she’d be inclined to grant me part of my inheritance ahead of time. But my calculations were wrong. Mémère thinks my dad should pay for his own mistake. She refused to pay for him.”
Giada chewed on her lower lip. “How much money are we talking about?”
She had a small sum set aside that she was planning to invest in her gallery’s new flooring. Would that be sufficient?
Gabriel gave out a dry chuckle. “Sixty thousand.”
Giada’s jaw dropped. “What? How did he manage to accumulate that much debt?”
Gabriel’s mouth twisted into an expression of disgust and he peered at the sky. “He went to the casino every night and played high-stake poker games for the past few months. Or at least, this is what my mother told me. Father didn’t get into details. He just commanded me to make things right.”
Giada grabbed Gabriel’s hand. She didn’t care if he felt uneasy from her touch. She needed to get his full attention.
His gaze darted to hers.
“Gabe, you’re not a boy anymore. I know your father used violent methods that you’d rather forget and…” She hesitated. She didn’t want to stir up his childhood memories. “What I want to say is that you’re an adult now. You’re not responsible for your father’s mistakes. Maybe Noëlle is right on this. You should, for once, let him find his own way through the mess he has caused.”
Gabriel swallowed. “I would, if it wasn’t for my mother. She’s innocent. Her only fault is that she married an addict and was never strong enough to leave him.”
His mom’s pale and tired face flashed through Giada’s thoughts. Margaret Roche always gave Giada the impression of being more of a skeleton with a human soul than a flesh and blood person. She was never able to protect Gabriel from her husband’s brutal behavior. The countless bruises on Gabriel’s back when they used to play together were clear signs of her weakness, but Giada knew that Margaret loved her son dearly.
“Isn’t there a way to change your grandmother’s mind?”
Gabriel squeezed her hand. “You’re so sweet, Giada. You should be upset with me for convincing you to come to France under false pretenses. Instead, here you are, brainstorming about solutions.”
His firm touch seared, and nearly had Giada swaying.
How could she tell Gabriel that she wasn’t angry? The fact that he wanted her to help him because of his father, was far better than assisting him to make Aurélie jealous. “I could never disapprove of what you do, Gabriel. I—” She swallowed. She realized that letting out the words she wanted to say would be a colossal mistake. “We’re friends, aren’t we?”
“Yes. We are. Friends.” The richness of his voice sent shivers down Giada’s spine.
His pupils dilated and an undecipherable expression settled into his gaze.
Why was he staring at her like that?
Their hands were still touching, and she was suddenly aware of their increased physical proximity. Why did his tone ripple through her like a sensual caress? Could Gabriel feel this charged air between them?
Gabriel blinked and released her fingers. “Wow, I managed to set a great mood for our discovery of Gordes, didn’t I? What do you say if we put these gloomy topics aside and go to see this château?”
Giada jerked and took a step back.
She’d been imagining things, as usual. Gabriel’s cheerful baritone was proof that she’d misinterpreted the situation.
She pointed at the road curving toward the castle. “Good idea. It’s getting late. Let’s go then.”
She didn’t even wait for Gabriel to move but bolted forward. For the rest of the day she was only going to have eyes for Provence’s beauty.
But as she looked at the restored walls of the castle, grey dots danced on the edge of her vision, in a color dangerously similar to Gabriel’s irises.
Chapter 12
Gabriel pulled out his cell phone and scrolled through
his messages without really looking at the screen.
Giada was taking her time to get ready, which was quite unusual. When they were teenagers, it was often Giordano who occupied the bathroom longer, while Giada and he were already outside waiting.
Was she putting special effort into her look because they were eating out together?
No, this was a silly thought. A fruit of his desperate mind. He shouldn’t expect Giada to have the same confusing emotions for him as those that plagued his heart. She was probably just relaxing and enjoying the hotel’s large shower.
Gabriel had booked a trendy little spot for them close to Cours Mirabeau, Aix-en-Provence’s beating heart. It cost far more than he had planned to pay but he wanted to dazzle Giada. To make her feel that coming to France with him wasn’t a mistake. She deserved a beautiful vacation and Gabriel was going to give it to her, no matter what.
Maybe he could’ve saved the money for his father. But Gabriel didn’t have enough to pay off Michel Roche’s debts. No, his few bucks were better spent making Giada happy. He had to accept that this time he wasn’t going to clean up his father’s mess.
His best option was to convince his dad to go to jail. At least then, he’d be safe from his shady friends. His parents’ house could be sold to pay for a big chunk of his father’s debts. He would just need to find accommodations for his mother. And he might be able to use a few months of his salary after he returned to the fire station to cover the rest of the money.
He froze mid-thought. The idea of being a fireman again came so naturally. His ribcage didn’t feel like it was smashing against a giant rock, and his temples weren’t throbbing.
How did that happen?
Was it an effect of his talk with Giada? Or rather the night spent with her? After all, it was the first time since the accident that he’d actually slept without any nightmares.
His phone vibrated.
Gabriel peeked at the screen. Giordano. Gabriel pressed reply and lifted the phone to his ear.
“Hi, Gio.”
Saving The Brother's Best Friend (Gems 0f Love Book 4) Page 8