“Everything’s here with the house and this job lined up. But it’s just us and his cat, Mars. I need to get back to him to make sure he’s okay. If there’s flooding, I don’t know if he can get out.”

Gabriella closed the book and put it on the sofa next to her, then turned to face me. “Where does he live?”

“Why?”

“I know this village like the back of my hand, plus I know everyone. If he lives in an area that floods, chances are I know someone who can get him out.”

“Do you know anyone with a boat?”

She raised her eyebrows.

“Stupid question,” I muttered. “He lives a few houses down from me on Bramble Lane.”

Her brow furrowed for a moment. “Which end? The one near the park or the one near the Fox and Hound?”

“Fox and Hound end,” I replied, referring to the hotel whose property our end of Bramble Lane backed onto.

She shook her head. “You’ll be fine. It can be a bit dicey down by the park, depending on whether the river bursts its banks, but it was low before this storm so even they’re probably fine. I can’t ever remember your end flooding, though.”

A flicker of relief sparked in me. “Are you sure?”

“Do you want me to see if someone can check in on him? My best friends’ parents own the hotel, and I’m sure either Adelaide, Eva, or their father won’t mind running down.”

My stomach tightened. “You would do that?”

Confusion flashed in her eyes, and she tilted her head to the side. “Of course. If you’re worried, one of them will go and make sure he has everything he needs and make sure the cat is fed.”

CHAPTER TEN – GABRIELLA

I’d never seen a man look quite as perplexed as Miles did right now.

Actually, that was a lie. Men tended to look this confused while attempting to find a woman’s g-spot, but that wasn’t the point here.

“You look as though I’ve just presented you with a sudoku book written in Chinese Mandarin,” I quipped, trying to lighten the heavy mood. “What’s wrong?”

He tilted his head. “Why would you do that? For me?”

Ah.

Here we go.

I clasped my hands in my lap and looked down at them. A churning feeling turned my stomach, and I swallowed the lump of emotion that was lodging in my throat. I wasn’t one for confrontation. In fact, I steadfastly avoided it. It made me all kinds of uncomfortable to the point my eyes itched like I had hay fever.

Yet, here I was.

About to tackle confrontation head on.

Like an adult.

Go me.

“Look, Miles. I know you don’t like me.” I turned so I was facing him and stared at the side of his head. “Honestly, I’m not sure why. I don’t know if I’ve done anything to offend you at any point or if you’ve found my questions annoying, or if you just don’t know me enough to like me. No matter what you think of me, you should know that I’m not a horrible person. I don’t like to see anyone hurt or worried, and that includes you, regardless of how you may feel about me. You’re clearly terribly worried about your grandfather and would feel better if someone checked on him, and I can make that happen. I see no reason for you to worry unnecessarily, and if your grandfather does need help, he can get some.”