Chapter Thirteen

The bolt tumbled in the lock, and Taka pushed the door open in front of her.

“Welcome home.”

Home. If only that were the case.

He picked up her bag and ushered her inside. Gabby turned in the entryway, admiring the timberwork of the floors. The warmth of the colors he’d used on the walls was so welcoming.

When they’d driven into his driveway, she’d been impressed with the house being half hidden behind aged trees. She hadn’t noticed that the last time she’d been here. But then again, it had been nighttime. It was so pretty up here. The house itself was nestled away amongst beautiful firs and oaks. The paintwork of white and blue lent it a relaxing and friendly atmosphere, almost as if it were inviting her in. She had said as much to Taka, and he’d seemed inordinately pleased with himself.

“The room you’re in is straight down the hall, past the lounge and on your left,” he said.

Gabby turned and walked in the direction he said. She caught a glimpse of the lounge room through the large doorway as she passed it. She came to the door of the room he’d indicated and walked through.

Gabby stopped. She turned to him as he approached. “I’ve taken a wrong turn.”

Taka glanced at her. “No. You’re in here. I’ll just put your bag over there on that chest, and you can unpack when you feel like it.”

Gabby frowned. “But this is your room.”

The large, black, futon-style bed sat on a raised platform in the center of the left wall, its thick comforter a rich red. The obvious Japanese influence was a highlight of the room, from the framed Manga prints on the wall, to the sliding doors that she assumed led to the bathroom and closet. On the other side of the room was a set of beautiful French doors.

Taka sat the overnight bag down on the chest.

“Yeah, this is my room. You’ll be in here for your stay. I’ve already moved out my clothes and the stuff I’ll need into one of the other rooms just across the hall.”

Gabby turned and faced him, her hands on her hips. “No.”

Taka pushed open the French doors, a fabulous cool breeze lifting the hair around her jaw. He turned back to her. “No, what?”

“I’m not taking your room.”

He grinned at her from across the room. “Oh yes, you are.”

She frowned at him. “Give me one good reason I should take your room when you’re the one who has to get up and go to work. It’s too much of an imposition. I’ll just take my things into the room you were going to use and sleep there.”

Taka simply shook his head at her, something that annoyed the hell out of her.

“I’m afraid not. For one, I’ve taken a week off. Two, there’s no bed in there—just an air mattress, and you’re not sleeping on that. You had major surgery only a few weeks ago. It’s not suitable, regardless of how quickly you’ve healed. None of the other rooms even have beds yet. This one is so comfy you won’t want to get out of it. Besides, you get the amazing view.”

He gestured to the doors he’d just opened, and she gasped. It was gorgeous. Gabby stepped closer to get a better look. Through the branches of the trees you could see the water. She’d be able to lie in bed and look straight out the doors to a sparkling bay.

“Everything you need is here. You have your own bathroom and veranda space if you want to sit and relax. You don’t even have to see me if you don’t want to. I want you in here.”

She stared at him—she knew that look. She wasn’t going to change his mind anytime soon. Her shoulders relaxed, and she sent him a resigned smile.

“Okay. Thank you.”

Gabby moved closer and wrapped her arms around his waist. His arms wound around her.

“No problem.” He held her tight for a moment before pulling away and stepping back. “Would you like the fifty-cent tour to see what else I’ve done?”

She nodded up at him, confused by his sudden retreat. He wouldn’t ask her to come home with him if he didn’t want her here, so the reaction threw her. “I’d like that.”

Taka took her by the hand and led her back through the house. She could see what he meant about the other bedrooms. They were renovated beautifully, but there wasn’t a stick of furniture in them. The camping mattress Taka had set up for himself looked decidedly uninviting.

She’d have to do something about that.

She stepped into the lounge room. Wide and airy, a double set of bi-fold doors opened out onto the renovated deck. When pushed back, they would open up the whole wall to the deck and outdoors. Drawn toward them, Gabby’s fingers itched to touch the smooth timber framing. The distinctive scent of the oiled cedar filled her lungs as she pushed them open.

“I thought you’d like that.”

Gabby turned to Taka, smiling. “I’ve always had a thing for decks and timber. It’s just so tactile. And the smell…it reminds me of home.”

“That’s why I bought up here. It doesn’t feel like you’re stuck in a city. It can get so hectic at the hospital sometimes. It’s nice to come back to a place that feels like home. Somewhere removed from all that.”

Gabby considered him quietly. “Are you happy?”

His eyes registered his surprise at her question. “Where did that come from?”

Gabby shrugged. “I don’t know. I get this vibe from you sometimes. It must be hard, being here without your family.”

That he’d been prepared to marry a woman he said he didn’t love screamed at Gabby how lonely he really was. He’d told her some of the details during her daily checkups in hospital.

Taka pushed himself off the arm of the sofa where he’d been sitting and sent her a crooked smile. “I miss them heaps. I always will. But if I want the career I have, I need to be here. I can’t pass up on the experience I’m gaining. My department head is the country’s leading cardio specialist. I have a unique opportunity to really get ahead. It helps that Matt’s here, and now you. Although, sometimes I wonder if it’s a mixed blessing. Some days I’d swear he has ADHD.”

“He’s always been like that. You wouldn’t want him any other way,” Gabby said with a grin.

“No. Probably not. At least he’s seeing someone now. This is the longest he’s gone out with anyone in years. They’ve actually made it past three weeks. She’s had a great effect on him. Slowed him down a little. But I still think he has more hours in his day compared to us mere mortals.”

Gabby shook her head. “The man’s a serial dater. I don’t know where he gets it from. He hardly has time to learn their names before he’s off and running. I can’t believe you two are so different when it comes to women.”

Taka’s eyes lit up with suppressed humor, his lips pressed firmly together to stop his grin overtaking his face.

“I’m more for quality over quantity, Gab. Relationships are like a fine wine—you just can’t rush a good thing.”

Gabby’s laughter filled the room. “Well, if you look at it like that, I must be a really good thing—because I’m going so slowly, I’m gonna go backwards!”

“Gabby, nothing comes close. You’re like a rare red. One you want to savor.” Taka’s gaze intensified, and the humor draining from his eyes was replaced by something she couldn’t define.

Gabby blinked, thrown for a moment by his comment. Then she realized that he was diverting her from her inquisition. She crossed her arms.

“So, you are happy?” she asked with a raised brow, refusing to be sandbagged by him veering off the subject. She walked over to him.

Taka gazed at her, his expression carefully neutral. Wary. “Almost.”

Gabby tilted her head to the side as she looked up at him. “That’s rather ambiguous. I take it you mean you are lonely? We’ll have to find you a girl, then, won’t we?” She grinned at him to cover her hope that maybe she had a chance to be that girl.