“I could show you the one that’s available,” he offered now.
Kathy’s eyes lit up. “I’d love to see it.”
“But don’t you think it’s a little too far out?” Gabrielle said, still feeling that a move that had turned out to be so right for her might be very wrong for Ted and Kathy. “The neighborhood is still in transition. It’s not what you’re used to.”
“But it’s on the way up, not down,” Ted countered. “I noticed that as we were driving over.”
“But you should be thinking of buying, not pouring your money into rent,” Gabrielle said, not sure exactly why she was fighting the idea of having these two lovely people as neighbors when they were clearly enthusiastic about the prospect.
“Right now all the property we like is out of our price range. I’d rather rent someplace like this for a while, so we can build our savings,” Kathy said. “Ted, let’s go look.”
“I’ll stay here,” Gabrielle said, watching as Paul led them away. He and Ted were already exchanging ideas for further development of the neighborhood. Astonishing, she thought as she watched them go.
She was in the kitchen when they came back. Kathy’s face was alight with excitement. “It’s wonderful,” she enthused. “The second bedroom will be perfect for a nursery. We’re going to talk about it some more, but I think we’re going to take it.”
She hugged Gabrielle. “I have to get home and put this soccer kicker inside me to bed, but thank you so much for inviting us over tonight. It’s been far too long since we’ve seen you. It would be fantastic to have you and Paul for neighbors.”
“Yes,” Gabrielle said, feeling numb at the speed with which events seemed to be taking place. Decisions had been made tonight she hadn’t been consulted on and couldn’t begin to understand.
It wasn’t until all the guests had left and Paul was stretched out on the sofa that she had a chance to think about her reaction to the prospect of having Ted and Kathy living downstairs.
“Come sit with me,” Paul said.
“I want to get some of this mess cleaned up.”
“It can wait. I want to talk to you.”
Sighing, she went to join him. He pulled her down into his lap, his arms around her waist. The increasingly familiar sense of belonging crept over her as she leaned back against his chest.
“I thought the evening went well,” he said, his fingers idly stroking her stomach.
“Yes.”
“Why so down, Gaby? I thought you’d be gloating. It all worked out, just the way you expected it to. I like your friends. You like mine. Nobody was standing in judgment of anyone else.”
“It was all very civilized,” she agreed testily.
“I thought it was better than that. People actually seemed to be having fun. Our lives are blending together.”
“I suppose.”
He kissed the back of her neck. “Then what’s the problem?”
“How can you rent that apartment to Ted and Kathy?” she blurted finally. “It’s all wrong for them.”
“How do you figure that? They want two bedrooms. It has two bedrooms. They want a moderate rent. I’m asking a moderate rent. The garden even gives them a place for the baby to play.”
Unexpected tears welled in her eyes. “How terrific for them,” she said.
“Gaby! Don’t you want them here?” He sounded confused and dismayed. “They’re your friends. I thought you’d love the idea of having them nearby.”
“It’s not that,” she said, recognizing that she was babbling incoherently, but not sure exactly what the real problem was.
“That was supposed to be your apartment,” she said finally.
She heard Paul’s sharp intake of breath. “I see. I didn’t realize you were so anxious for me to move downstairs.”
“It’s not that, either.”
“Are you upset because I just assumed you’d want me to stay up here with you?” he asked patiently.
“No. It’s… it’s the garden.” The minute she’d said it, she felt absolutely ridiculous, but she knew it was the truth. She loved that garden. She’d been waiting for the day in the spring when it would be blooming just beyond their living room window.
“What?” Paul said, clearly baffled.
“I wanted the garden to be ours.”
“It is ours.”
“No. It will be theirs.”
“Did you want us to move downstairs? Is that it?”
She smiled shakily. “Silly, isn’t it? I guess that is what I wanted. We worked on that apartment together. I picked out the paint and the Formica for the kitchen. I sanded those floors. I thought of it as ours.”
“But you worked so hard to decorate this one. I guess I thought you’d rather stay here. I can always tell Ted and Kathy that this is the one for rent.”
“That’s dumb. This is a perfectly wonderful apartment and you’re right, we have gotten it fixed up just the way we wanted it…except for the tub in the kitchen, that is. And Kathy shouldn’t have to climb all those stairs.”
“Does that mean it’s okay with you, if we rent to them?”
“Yes.”
His fingers stroked even more possessively across her abdomen. “I’m glad it matters to you where we live,” he said softly. “But the main thing is, we’re still going to be together. I have to admit that we got past a big hurdle tonight.”
Yes, she thought, allowing herself to indulge in a feeling of contentment at last. That was one thing that had come out of tonight. They were together, bound more inextricably than ever.
“I had a talk with your friend Theresa,” she told him. “She wants to pay me to help her decorate her place.”
“That’s great. Are you going to do it?”
“I thought it might be fun. At least it’ll keep me busy until I finally decide what I want to do.”
“Maybe this is what you should be doing with the rest of your life,” he suggested slowly, as if trying to gauge her reaction. “You enjoy it. There’s a need for it.”
“Don’t be silly. The is just a one-shot deal. It’ll keep me from going crazy until I find real work.”
“Maybe,” he
