Gabriel stood at the corner of his vision, but Bruce wouldn’t give him attention. He was going to finish the gazebo and get the hell out of there. It was only when Gabriel went inside that he realised he’d cut the beam the wrong way. He was going to be there longer than he thought.
Chapter Five
Even if she’d slept most of the day, Gabriel still didn’t want Sofia to go to the theatre. He’d kept his mouth shut while he helped her struggle to get ready for work at The Page Turner, waiting for her to realise that she needed to take the day off. He took no joy in it. He would have preferred her to wake that morning feeling good and heading off to a job she loved. She eventually gave up and returned to bed. When it came time to get ready for the theatre, he figured they’d go through the same process, except he’d offer the helpful suggestion that maybe she shouldn’t go that evening.
She proved him wrong.
She showered and dressed, gathered up her sketchbook and pencils in her bag and was ready to go. She steadfastly ignored his look of disbelief while waiting for him to drive her to the theatre.
‘Are you sure about this?’
‘Mijo, it’s taken me an hour to get ready. If I wasn’t sure, I would have stopped before I’d put my makeup on.’
He drove her to the theatre.
The sun was in its decline as they approached, but not yet low enough to douse the theatre in shadows and force the lights to switch on. In this golden hour, the theatre shone, the red of the brick melding with the reflective shine of the amber light. Those windows made the building, they’d have to stay. The terrace on the second floor couldn’t be lost either.
He swore at himself. He would never, ever, design the redevelopment. A few sketches were as far as he’d get.
He parked as close to the main entrance as possible, then ran around to help Sofia out of the car. She’d fallen asleep on the short ride. He could take her home and carry her to bed. Or he could just drive for a while, the two of them together. But she roused and pumped out an anaemic smile. He opened the door and she held her manicured hand for him to take and raised herself out of the car. Determined as ever. He couldn’t take her home now.
With small, shuffling steps, they ascended the ramp to the front door. A slight chill danced off the river at the bottom of the embankment and drew his eye to the swing bridge connecting the theatre to the cafe and the town centre. How many times had he crossed it as a teenager? How many times had he gone back and forth to visit his mother while she worked? How many times was that just an excuse to see Bruce?
He and Jason were always hanging around, crushing hard on the redhead. Bruce must have known what they were thinking, what they both wanted. He couldn’t ignore it once Jason made his move. He’d only done it because Gabriel had wanted Bruce so much it hurt. And Bruce had fallen for Jason’s precision attack and suffered the consequences. After their argument earlier in the day, the wounds Bruce had inflicted still wept.
‘You will stay during the rehearsal, won’t you?’ Sofia pulled Gabriel out of his despondency.
‘Of course, where else would I go?’
If she needed anything, he wanted to be right by her side to get it for her.
‘Well, you know Brachen, always something to see and do.’
He laughed. That was true—some festival, some book signing, some gig—but he’d seen enough Japanese avant-garde pipe music to last him several lifetimes. ‘I’m happy to stay with you.’
They entered the foyer, its green carpet having seen better days, the wood panelling a cheap relic. Photos from the theatre’s past hung on the walls. He kept his eyes forward as they entered through the theatre doors. Sofia leaned on him as they descended the stairs to the sixth row in the stalls. They were early, despite Sofia’s pace, but as soon as they sat down people entered from the stage and through the doors behind them.
The director, Lexi, was one of the first, followed by Hamish the stage manager, both locked in a heated exchange until Lexi saw them and stopped. She ignored the still-talking Hamish and hurried down the stairs at the front of the stage to greet Sofia. She tapped her teeth with a French manicured nail. Maybe Lexi’s worry would make Sofia see sense and she could tell her not to come in until she was better.
She’s going to get better.
‘Sofia, dearest, what are you doing here?’ She bent down, took up both her hands and kissed her on each cheek. ‘Bruce said you weren’t well.’
‘Just a bit of a turn, but I’m healthy enough to be here. I need to finish these sketches.’
‘Are you sure? I don’t want you to get any worse.’
‘You know me, Lexi. I feel better just by being here.’
Lexi chewed her lip.
Come on, tell her to go home.
Sofia patted her hand. ‘Honestly, there’s nothing to worry about. I want to see how it’s getting on.’
‘If you’re sure …’
Gabriel stiffened. ‘Is it going to be a long rehearsal, Lexi?’
‘Oh, Gabe! Hello, sorry, I didn’t notice you there. I was just so worried about Sofia. How are you doing?’
‘I’m fine. The rehearsal?’
‘Yes, umm … well that
