He looked down the hall towards the gate. Passengers handed over their boarding passes and disappeared down the gangway.
All this time he’d been striving for this – why? Something clicked in his mind. His father had always made him feel like his work was second-rate. Inferior. But he was proud of his shows. He loved making reality TV. This movie was all about impressing his father. Trying to scrape a couple of emotional crumbs from a man who thought his work was distasteful rubbish.
He turned and dashed through the terminal. He’d made a terrible mistake. Would he be too late?
Charlie shivered. The rain came in slowly over the Mediterranean, sheets of drizzle coming closer.
The grey, choppy sea splashed erratically on the shore of the deserted Nervi beach. The cold sand chilled her skin though her trousers and she hugged her knees to her chest. She knew she should find shelter before the rain hit, but somehow she couldn’t bring herself to move.
It had only been a few months since she’d last seen this beach, but the scene couldn’t have been more different. All the joy and sunshine had dissipated, just as it had gone from her life. Sadness consumed her. She couldn’t even be bothered to pull the hood over her head when the first patter of rain landed.
Nothing that you don’t deserve.
The vision of Gabe’s shocked and angry face never left her. That look of disdain when he’d discovered her identity, and what she had done. Day and night, it haunted her.
But what did she expect? He’d trusted her and she’d lied to him. She couldn’t blame him for despising her, for never wanting to see her again.
Hot tears mingled with the droplets of icy rain.
At least here there wasn’t a horde of reporters following her every move. Instinctively, she looked up and down the beach. It’d be just her luck to discover the paparazzi had managed to track her down.
A lone figure walked up the beach towards her, buffeted by the strong winds. He had something in his hand but it didn’t look like a camera.
She returned her gaze to the sea. The gusts swept the grey and white foam from the tops of the waves. She crossed her arms and rested her forehead on her knees. The scene was too depressing to look at any longer.
‘Beautiful day.’
Charlie jerked her head up. She blinked raindrops from her eyes, but her ears did not deceive her.
‘Gabe?’
‘Yes, my beautiful girl.’
He sat down next to her and placed a bottle of prosecco and two glasses between his feet. He placed his arm around her shoulders.
‘Gabe, I’m so sorry . . .’ she started. She had to swallow hard to stop the wracking sobs she’d held in check so long.
He gently rubbed her arm. ‘You have nothing to apologise for. I understand now. I understand everything. I just hope it’s not too late. Can you forgive me?’
She looked into his eyes. ‘Forgive you? What did you ever do except support me, encourage me and show me how to live?’ She wiped her eyes. ‘And what did I do in return but deceive you every single day?’
‘That’s over now. I understand why you did it and you were right. I would have treated you differently if I’d known who you really were.’ He pulled her closer. ‘Fifty million dollars is a little intimidating for any normal person.’
‘Well, you don’t have to worry about that anymore. I’ve been disinherited. So, if I were you, I’d run a mile. I’ve got absolutely nothing.’
He put his hand under her chin and tilted her head towards him. ‘You have me.’
‘Oh, Gabe—’
He smothered her words with his lips – the sweetest kiss of her life. He held her for what seemed a lifetime. The rain poured down in heavy sheets and still she didn’t want to move. To break the moment.
‘Come on,’ he said, pulling her to her feet. ‘Let’s get off this miserable beach and have a drink. I’ve a few things to discuss with you.’
He led her up the beach towards the town.
‘First, there’s the offer of hosting your own national cooking show in prime time on Channel Four.’
Charlotte froze. ‘Really?’
‘Second, there’s another on my desk to host a regular cooking segment on Good Morning Britain.’
Charlotte’s pulse raced. ‘I can’t believe it. Doesn’t everyone in Britain hate me?’
‘Hate you? Charlie, you’re the hottest media personality in the country right now. The amount being offered for an exclusive TV interview is going up by ten thousand a day. I need to get you home and have you look at some of these offers.’
Charlie shook her head in amazement.
‘But I think it’s this proposal you should really accept,’ he said. Gabe took both her hands and dropped to one knee in the sand.
‘Charlie, will you marry me? Then we can be absolutely certain of your identity. Charlie Grenville. Has a lovely ring to it, don’t you think?’
Charlotte fell to her knees beside him and threw her arms around his neck.
‘Yes. Yes. Yes!’
Gabe held her close and Charlotte knew she had discovered her place in the world.
By Gabe’s side.
Forever.
Acknowledgements
To all my friends at Romance Writers of Australia who gave me so much support, guidance and generosity – thank you.
Thanks also to all my friends and family who read my drafts in particular Kerstin Robertson, Marijke van Klinken, Lee Purdie and Emma Hoole and to my critique partner, Joanne Dannon.
A big shout out to my lovely editors, Carol George and Sarah Fairhall. I’m so incredibly grateful to you for making my writing dreams come true.
To Mum and David, who read every word of every draft, I appreciate so much all you do for me and in return I provide lots amusement with my hilarious typos. And Toby, your admin support is vital.
And as always, to Rose, you are and always will be my writing inspiration.
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