by Clare Revell
“I can’t afford anything off this menu.”
He took a deep breath. “OK, let’s just get something straight here.”
The maître d’ came back over with the grape juice. He opened the bottle and poured two glasses. “Are you ready to order?”
“Do you trust me?” Gabe asked. As Dawn nodded, he glanced at the menu. “Then we’ll have the coquilles St. Jacques grillées et minestrone de palourdes to start with, please. We’ll order the rest in a few minutes.”
“Very good, my Lord.”
Gabe waited until the man was out of earshot before he looked at Dawn. “Yes, this place is horrendously expensive, but it has two Michelin stars so it would be. And, I asked you, therefore I’m paying. So pick whatever you want, and I don’t mean salad either. Unless you want a side salad then you can.”
“What did you just order?”
Gabe smiled. “Grilled scallops with a clam minestrone. But I can order something else if you’d rather.”
“It’s fine, I’ll try anything once.” She frowned at the menu.
“Their steak is to die for, which as Blake says is rather a waste. I’m going to have my usual, which is the canette rôtie, cuisses confites, jus au porto, et pommes mousseline with the oeufs à la neige for dessert.”
“I have no idea what any of that means.” She lowered her voice blushing again. “I don’t speak French.”
Gabe leaned forward and whispered. “Not a problem. That translates as roast duck with crispy legs, beetroot tatin and port sauce with mashed potatoes. With floating islands for dessert.”
“Sounds good to me,” Dawn whispered.
“OK.” Gabe sat back and raised his voice to a normal level. He beckoned over the maître d’ and placed their orders.
Dawn tilted her head. “So, keeping with this being direct theme…it is good to know you’re a Christian.”
Gabe reached for his glass and swallowed before answering. “I’m a sinner saved by grace,” he said honestly. “I fail Him on a daily basis, but serve Him as best I can nonetheless. I wish I could say I’m perfect, but that isn’t going to happen this side of Heaven. And maybe one day I’ll find a job serving in the church on a Sunday that I can do—my acting career tends to get in the way of serving on communion or the welcome team. It plays havoc with the rotas.”
The starters arrived, and he reached across the table and took her hand to say grace. “What about you? Do you serve in the church at all?”
“I help out in the crèche once a month with the under threes.”
He picked up his fork. “Sounds like a busman’s holiday to me.”
“Nah. I just love the babies, and I’m on the flower rota which I also organize.” Dawn looked at her plate, as if unsure where to start.
He frowned. “Flower rota?”
She grinned. “Yeah. The flowers don’t just appear from nowhere each week. There are a whole team of us that take it in turns to do them. Maybe I should add you to it. Just dump a bunch of flowers in a vase once every six months. I can easily slot your week around your filming schedule, if you want that is.” She prodded the scallop with her fork trying a small piece.
“OK, I think I could do that.” He watched her screw her nose up. “Not a scallop fan?”
“No.” She put her fork down. “Sorry.”
“Do you want something else?”
She shook her head. “Just to see you eat all of them.”
He laughed. “Evil woman.”
“Aye, that’s me in a nutshell.” She scraped her three scallops onto Gabe’s plate.
“I might let you have one of my potatoes in exchange, but you’re not getting one of my floating islands.”
Dawn pouted. “Then I want the wafer that comes with your coffee at the end of the meal.”
“You drive a hard bargain.” But it was worth it to see her eyes light up. “Hang on. Aren’t I the one doing you the favor?”
She laughed. “Too late now.”
Gabe sighed. “Fine, you can have the wafer thing.” He kept the smile to himself. He never had liked wafer biscuits.
8
Gabe walked up the path, a bunch of roses in his hand. This time he’d chosen lavender ones. Mandy in the florist had teased him about becoming a regular customer and had taken great delight in pointing out that lavender meant love at first sight. This he already knew. He’d researched roses and colors on the Internet before leaving home and picked lavender deliberately.
He rang the bell. A vision in mint green stood before him. The satin dress clung in all the right places, and he swallowed hard. He’d never seen such a vision of beauty. Her dark skin glowed. The color of the dress suited her perfectly.
“You look amazing,” he said finally.
“Hi, yourself.” Her perfect smile made her glow even more if that were possible.
“Hi. I got you these.” He held out the roses.
Dawn took them and inhaled deeply. “Thank you, but you shouldn’t have. You bought me some yesterday.”
“I wanted to.” It was a pitiful excuse, he knew that, but he had this overwhelming desire to do things right and according to his research, flowers and dates went hand in hand.
“I’ll put them in water. Will you come in?”
“Just for a moment. We need to head off.”
Dawn looked past him, and her eyes widened as she saw the car. “A limo?”
“And driver,” he said. “But it does mean I avoid driving in London, which I hate doing with a passion.”
“I don’t blame you.” She headed into the kitchen and put the flowers in the same vase as the yellow roses from the day before.
Gabe followed in her wake and stood behind her, admiring her figure and the way the dress flowed around her as she moved. He brushed his fingers across the back of her neck tucking in the label that was sticking up. Her skin was soft and smelled of shower crème and perfume.
She wriggled her shoulders. “That tickles.”
“Sorry. Your label was showing. You look lovely.”
She smiled. “Thank you. I didn’t know what to wear. I’ve never done anything like this before. A friend recommended this dress and where to get it.”
“Your friend has very good taste.” His hands paused a moment. “You bought the dress especially for the premiere?”
“I could hardly go in jeans,” she said.
“The color really suits you.”
“Thank you.”
He glanced at the clock on the kitchen wall. “We should go. I can’t be late for this, and the traffic can be horrendous at times.”
Dawn reached for the mint green jacket on the back of the chair.
He helped her into it. It molded tightly to the top of the dress, emphasizing her already curvaceous figure. His reaction surprised him. He didn’t have time for a relationship. He liked his bachelor status, but something about her made him long for more.
She glanced at him, a questioning look on her face. “Is this all right? I wasn’t confident enough to go sleeveless, even though the girl in the shop said I should do.”
Gabe realized she’d mistaken his admiration for doubt and took her hand. His fingertips slid over her skin before he kissed her fingers softly. “You look perfect.” He led her to the car.
Peters got out and opened the passenger door for her.
Gabe suppressed his grin as Dawn’s eyes just got wider.
“Wow,” she whispered, sitting down.
Gabe settled beside her and fastened his seatbelt. “I guess I just take all this for granted now. But like I said, not my first choice tonight.”
The closer they got to London, the quieter Dawn became. Gabe looked at her in concern. “Are you all right? Not car sick?”
“Not since I was seven. I’m just a little nervous. I don’t know what to expect tonight.”
“Have you seen these on the TV?”
Dawn nodded. “Yeah.”
“It’s that from the other side of the barrier. It’s kno
wn as working the red carpet. There are lots of people, camera flashes, and questions being tossed at you. Autographs to sign, fans want photos. Once we get inside the cinema there is a champagne reception, a lot of people being super nice to each other, and then we go watch the film.”
“Cameras?”
“Plenty, film crews and journalists. I’ll have to do several interviews.”
“And me?”
“All you need to do is stand there, look beautiful and ignore them. I’ll hold your hand so you don’t get lost, but I may need it back to sign things.”
Terror flashed briefly in her eyes. “Umm, but won’t that send…”
He tilted her head. “What’s scaring you?”
“I don’t know. Not sure if it’s the crowds, cameras, or…”
“Or?” He paused. “Being seen in public with me?” She glanced away, and he knew he’d nailed it. He squeezed her hand. “It’s OK. I don’t bite.”
“Good.” She didn’t turn around, but kept staring at the busy London streets through the tinted windows of the limo.
“Dawn, I need to ask you something. Last week, during the storm, did I go too far?”
She finally turned, her eyes wide. “Too far?”
“When I kissed you. Only you didn’t respond and pulled away pretty quickly.”
“Oh…” She paused. “Direct as ever. No, you, ummm…” She stumbled over the words uncertainty oozing from her. “You just took me by surprise, that’s all.”
“So if I were to, say kiss you again at some point, you wouldn’t object.”
She shook her head slowly.
Gabe allowed himself a smile. The car slowed, and the window between them and the driver opened.
“We’re here, sir.”
“Thanks, Peters.” Gabe took a deep breath. He waited until Peters opened the door before getting out. Then he offered Dawn a hand and helped her from the car. To say she looked shell shocked was an understatement. “Smile,” he whispered. “Don’t let them know how scared you are. And just stay right beside me.”
He squeezed her hand firmly as he began to walk, slowly working the carpet. All around him fans screamed his name, cameras clicked and whirred. It was a crazy mix of autographs, photos, and interviews. He was constantly aware of Dawn hovering and didn’t let her out of his sight. He posed for pictures giving the fans and journalists what they wanted.
Finally, they reached the steps, and he headed into the cinema itself. He glanced around, panic filling him because Dawn was nowhere in sight.
“I’m right here,” she said from his right.
“Good,” he whispered. He gripped her hand tightly. “Now we mingle and be polite because you never know who you might meet here. It could be some big film producer scouting for the next blockbuster movie.” He took a glass of champagne from the tray and offered it to Dawn. When she shook her head, he chose juice for them both instead.
“Gabriel, glad you could make it.”
“Roger, wouldn’t miss it for anything.” He smiled at the short balding man in front of him. “Dawn, this is Roger Cameron, the director. Roger, this is a friend of mine, Dawn Stannis.”
Roger nodded and then moved onto the next person.
“Don’t mind him,” Gabe said. “He’s always like that. Unless he’s working in which case he’s the most focused person you’ve ever met.”
Dawn clung to his hand as he moved around, chatting to people. She responded when spoken too, but all in all seemed like a fish out of water. The only time she seemed to relax was during the actual film itself when no one could see her.
As the lights came up and applause rippled around the room, he turned to her. “What did you think?”
“I enjoyed it. Very different to the book, but you were pretty faithful to the character.”
“I tried to be.” He frowned. “You look shattered.”
“I am. It’s been a long week.”
“Then let’s slip out the back and take you home.”
“What about this reception you have to go to?”
He grinned. “Meh. I’d rather not. I have to be on set in Derby tomorrow.” He pulled out his phone and sent Peters a text. “He’ll meet us around the back. We can slip out that way.” He took her hand and walked with her to the rear exit.
He wasn’t surprised when Dawn fell asleep on the way home. He slid an arm around her holding her securely. A desire to protect and nurture the woman sleeping beside him welled up within him, taking him by surprise. Along with an intense feeling of overwhelming love.
~*~
Dawn finally reached her seat in church on Sunday having been stopped by over a dozen people on the way in who asked about the premiere. They’d seen her on the TV or in the paper and wanted to know if she’d enjoyed it. Some even asked how long she and Gabriel had been seeing each other. She simply smiled, explained they were just friends, and moved on.
Just as the service started, Gabriel slid into the seat next to her. “Hi,” he whispered.
She replied just as they stood for the first hymn, not sure if she were relieved or not.
At the end of the service, he turned in the seat to face her. “I owe you an apology.”
“Oh?”
“Blake rang me and told me about the press coverage. Apparently you and I made the front pages in the Headley Cross Gazette. And the local TV news, too.” His cheeks colored faintly. “Not to mention the Internet. That’s why I’m here, to apologize in person. I’m due back tonight as I’m on set tomorrow.”
“It’s fine. You did warn me after all. At least, I hope it’s fine. I haven’t been into school yet. Are you busy for lunch? I’ve made plenty if you fancy coming back to mine. Unless your mother is expecting you.”
Gabe shook his head. “She doesn’t know I’m here. Spur of the moment decision when I woke at five this morning; hence me very nearly being late for church. Lunch at your place would be lovely, thank you.”
Jonathan appeared at the end of the pew. “Morning Dawn. Mr. Tyler.”
Dawn glanced up. “Hi, Jonathan.”
Gabe stood. “I’ll go and get the car. Meet you out the front in five.” He eased out of the row.
Jonathan sat beside her. “I saw the pictures in the paper and on the TV. Are you and he an item?”
“No,” Dawn said. “He needed someone to go with and he asked me. He…he has this whole Hollywood playboy image going on anyway.”
“Maybe he’s just a good actor.”
“It’s more than that,” she said quietly. “I’m just not sure who the real Gabe Tyler is.” She picked up her bag. “Anyway, see you at work tomorrow.”
She headed outside and across the one way street to wait for Gabe. He had two sides to his personality—the playboy and the lord. The flirt and the snob. She wasn’t sure she liked either, so why did she keep putting herself in his way? Aside from the very obvious attraction?
Was she that shallow?
Gabe’s red sports car pulled up to the curb, and he leaned across opening the door for her.
“Thank you.”
He checked the road and pulled away. “I’m assuming you don’t mind leaving your car here all day?”
“I walked this morning,” she said. “It’s not far, and it was a nice morning.”
He nodded. “So, you know about my family, but I know very little about yours.”
“My parents live in Salisbury. Dad works in IT, and Mum is a housewife. She does a lot of visiting for the church they go to. Other than that, it’s just me. My best friend, Jonni, is the sister I never had. We did everything together until we got jobs at different ends of the country. We speak on the phone a couple of times a week, but it isn’t the same.”
Gabe stopped at the lights, his fingers drumming on the wheel. “Do you really think I’m just a playboy?”
Her stomach sank. “You heard that?”
“Yeah.” His voice was quiet, his shoulders taut.
“I…” She paused. “It’s just you
were so different on the red carpet almost flirting with some of the fans. And at dinner the other night, you were all lord of the manner. I just don’t know which is the real you. Or are you just so good at acting, the real you doesn’t exist?”
The bloke in the car behind hooted, and Gabe waved as he headed through the green light.
Dawn glanced in the mirror at the driver behind, and shuddered. He seemed familiar, as if she’d seen him somewhere before, but she couldn’t place him in one specific place. It was his eyes and expression more than anything.
“I do exist,” Gabe said. “I have to be so many different things to so many people, I guess sometimes I get lost and do forget who the real me is.”
“I guess so.”
“But I promise, with you I’ll always be direct.”
Lunch didn’t take long to finish. Dawn looked at the plate of cauliflower cheese and shepherd’s pie and carrots in front of Gabe and apologized. “I’m sorry it’s not anything fancy or a roast.”
“Don’t be.” He inhaled deeply as he made short work of it. “It’s a combination of all three my favorite foods. We don’t get this at home, so this is a lovely change.”
Dawn handed him the dish for seconds, grinning as he piled his plate high again. “So tell the cook to make it. It doesn’t have to be a la carte all the time does it? Besides, I thought it was your house now, and the staff had to follow your orders.”
He paused, his fork half way to his mouth. “You have such a fresh outlook on things.”
“It’s just normal for me. I live on easy stuff like this. Curries, pies, fish, chips. Salad in the summer.”
Gabe winked. “Wanna be my new cook?”
Dawn screwed her nose up. “I’m lousy at following orders. You tell me to make spaghetti bolognaise, and you’ll end up with liver and onions.”
He grinned. “I love liver.”
“Yuk. Liver is disgusting. You’re most welcome to it.” She rose and picked up the empty plates, took them to the sink, and started running the water.
Gabe stood. “Can I wash up?”
She looked at him in mock shock. “Do you know how to wash dishes?”
Gabe flicked soap suds at her. “Actually, I had to learn for a role I did once. In a soap opera. It took hours and hours of practice to perfect it.”