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To get over it

‘I don’t need to He’s’ Polly searched for the right word ‘He’s co family’ She could hear the wistfulness in her own voice and cringed ‘They’re really supportive and loving, like yours if you multiplied your family by three, the noise level by ten, added in a host of toddlers and moved to France’

‘Just like my family, then’

‘Yours was the happiest, ether family I knew until I met the Beaufils,’ Polly admitted

‘So he has the family you alanted,’ Clara said shrewdly ‘I still don’t see the problem’

‘He was ill, really ill in his teens and it nearly killed his parents’ Polly winced as she pictured the pain in his dark eyes ‘I don’t knohether he really bla so much pain I think it’s a mixture of both Throw in a first love who died in her teens and you have one emotionally mixed-up man’

‘We all have our scars, but ht person’

‘That’s just it’ Clara had got it ‘I’ht person, Clara Gabe needs someone who understands him, someone with the patience to wait for him, to help him Me? I have a business to run, a baby on the way I have no idea how a functioning family works I can’t help him! He deserves better’

Clara didn’t say anything for a long ot up and picked up the paintbrush ‘It’s a lot, I agree,’ she said ‘But you’ve never backed down fro before If you think you and he have a chance, if you think it o for it But, Polly, if you’re backing down out of fear, then you’re letting yourself down and you’re letting Gabe down Be sure before you let him walk away’

He still had a key in his pocket but using it just didn’t feel right Not with her car parked outside and the s flung open

A part of Gabe had hoped that Polly was out, working athered his stuff and left again leaving no trace

Taking a deep breath, he pressed the doorbell How hard could this be? After all, they saw each other every day at work They sent es It was all fine

Polite Formal Fine

There was a pause and then the sound of light footsteps running down the stairs before the door was pulled open

‘I left it open for youoh!’ Polly stepped back, her eyes huge with surprise ‘You’re not Clara’

‘Non,’ he agreed

‘She was just here, helping ht, I assumed’ Her voice trailed off