Second Chances (73 page)

The rest of the weekends in January seemed to rush by.  Every moment had been spent making the apartment a home.  The walls were painted in a variety of warm natural tones.  A dark taupe graced the walls in the living room. 
The chandelier in the dining room had been replaced by a brushed nickel one with decorator shades from the Bombay Company.  The dining room set finally arrived from Pier One Imports, with seating for eight. 

Rebecca and Kyle’s room was nothing short of spectacular, with the room done to look like clouds during the day, but glowed from the light of planets, the moon, and stars at night, even the bedspread.  It was a happy room, reflective of its inhabitants.

Couches from the Pottery Barn faced each other on opposite sides of the fireplace.  A faux fur throw and pillow on each made the couch even more inviting than normal.  And on the marble hearth beside the fireplace stood the enormous pot from Brazil, which just appeared one day, addressed to Isabella.  But Gabriel’s favorite piece in that room was a black and white photograph Isabella had taken of River Walk that had been enlarged and framed to hang over the fireplace and disguise the television behind it.

By far, Isabella’s favorite room would have to be the bedroom.  Strange that it happened to be the most private room in the place, yet also the one she gave the most attention to.  The room would become her ultimate present for Gabriel: his Moroccan paradise, a place that could be masculine enough for him in her absence, yet warm, inviting, and most importantly, romantic enough for the two of them to enjoy together.

The walls were painted an earthy sage shade.  The curtains were a magnificent satin sand.  And the comforter set had been created of jacquard paisley in linen, basil, plum, and maroon, accented in gold tones.  There were layers of pillows, and their beloved Egyptian cotton sheets, in a thread count higher than Isabella previously knew existed, in every shade that matched the comforter waiting in the linen closet.  Every detail had been well thought.  Aside from the linens, her only major purchase for the room would be the lounger, large enough for two.  In this deep plum chair, she envisioned snuggling with Gabriel every chance she had.

When at last every room appeared to be complete to her satisfaction, a date that also coincided with the last weekend in January, a weekend that Jack had the children, they decided to invite all of Gabriel’s friends over for dinner.  No one had seen the place since Isabella began decorating it nearly a month ago. 

Dinner was nearly ready, the table was set, the candles lit, and fresh flowers accented every room.  Gabriel and Isabella hugged each other as they gazed around the apartment.  And suddenly Isabella was overcome with the desire to photograph it before their guests arrived.

The lighting was perfect.  And as she readied her camera, she realized that this place had all the makings of a layout in one of those architectural digest magazines.  She could almost see it.  She smiled as she snapped shot after shot, capturing each room from every angle imaginable.  She even stole into the kids’ room to record how neat and pristine it could be in their absence.

Gabriel watched her work, beaming.  He had never really seen this side of her before.  Isabella positively glowed.  She moved around the room smoothly, gracefully, completely focused on the task at hand.  And it pleased him greatly to think that he might have something to do with it.  She was so absorbed in snapping pictures, she didn’t even notice as Gabriel locked the door to the kids’ room behind them. 

The door
bell signaled the arrival of their guests.  It became readily apparent that they didn’t expect the apartment to be completed, as their jaws dropped upon entering the foyer.  Gabriel appreciated their reaction.  It compared to the one he wore every time he entered his apartment.  His look expressed not only how much he appreciated the beauty of his surroundings but also,
I can’t believe this place is mine
.  He had lived in amazing quarters all his life, yet this would be the first one he truly had ownership over.  And together, he and Isabella had made it a home.  He felt proud of that fact, yet his friends reacted as Isabella had anticipated.

“Wow,” Eric remarked as they traipsed into the living room.  “This place is beautiful.  Not what I expected, but very...elegant?”

“Thank you,” Gabriel murmured, as he smiled at Isabella while she placed the finishing touches on dinner in the kitchen.  “Bella has a knack for this.  Doesn’t she have excellent taste?”

Sebastian sat silently, surveying the room, absorbing every detail.  Matty spoke before Sebastian even had a chance to open his mouth.  “Well, it’s just not what I would have expected.”

“How so?”  Gabriel asked confused.

Matty searched for the words to explain his comment.  This time Sebastian interrupted.  “He means that this is no bachelor pad, no chick magnet.  This place looks like an old married couple lives in it.”  His eyes stopped on the kid’s door.  He rose from the sofa and walked over to open it.  The handle wouldn’t turn.  “What are you hiding in here?”  He asked suspiciously.

Gabriel glanced out into the kitchen, but Isabella had her back turned and the water running as she rinsed the pasta in the sink.   “Nothing,” he responded too quickly, “just some storage.”  He glanced over at Ben who looked down at his lap.  No doubt Ben knew precisely what Gabriel hid.

The evening ended with all of them going out dancing in Montreal.  Gabriel commented on the experience the next day at breakfast.  “I had fun last night.  And you?”

Swallowing the pancakes she had in her mouth and wiping with a napkin, Isabella answered, “Yes.  I love your friends.  I think we all get on well together.”

He nodded in agreement.  “You know we can’t always do that.  We spend a lot of time in the apartment just waiting to go to bed when the kids are here.”

A lump formed in Isabella’s throat.  Was he tiring of the children already?  Were they keeping him from the single life his friends seemed to relish?  She laid her fork down, folded her hands in her lap and waited expectantly for what he would say next.

“How do you feel about a nanny?”  He blurted out the question, barely pausing in between bites.

Isabella stopped breathing momentarily, then swallowed.  “What do you mean?”

“Well, I love having you here all the time, but some times I would like to take you out in the evenings.  There is always a ballet, or opera, or play, or concert, or something going on.  Once in a while I would like us to get all dressed up and go.  To do that, we would need someone to take care of the kids.  I would like to hire a part time nanny.”  He leaned back and folded his arms across his chest, anticipating her first argument.

In truth, the thought had never occurred to her.  She was not used to having money, being able to hire someone to stay with the kids so they could go out and have fun on a regular basis, but still one concern did arise in her mind.  “Could we wait to go out until I tuck the kids in?  Seven thirty is still early, right?”

Knowing how she cherished the time spent with her children, Gabriel smiled at her question, and chuckled at her naive innocence.  “Yes, my Bella,” he began kindly.  “We can wait at least until then.  How about if I have you interview the candidates?  No one knows Rebecca and Kyle’s needs like you, right?”

Sometimes Isabella truly loved having her space during the week.  It made it easier to surprise Gabriel.  She smiled to herself marveling at how different this relationship was from all those in her past.  Finally, she experienced the true joy of the unexpected and basked in the unplanned.  And now in
her own small way, Isabella would try to reciprocate for everything Gabriel had done for her. 

On Monday, while the kids were at school, she developed the pictures of Gabriel’s apartment and shared them with Christopher.  “What do you think?”  She asked breathlessly.  She was pleased with how well they had turned out, but wanted the unbiased and honest appraisal of her boss.

“This is some of your best work yet,” he said admiringly.  “You truly care about this place.  It is visually stunning.”  He studied the proofs in silence for a moment.  “So, do you have any plans for them?”

This was what she really wanted Christopher’s opinion of.  “Well,” she began, biting her lower lip, “I thought I might try to have them published in Architectural Digest as a surprise for Gabriel.”

He nodded in agreement.  “And,” he said sternly, “You must keep a copy for your portfolio.”  She smiled.  “I’ve seen such growth in you the last six months, Isabella.  You are incredibly talented and versatile.  You can do anything you want.  Now you just have to show that to potential clients.”

During the remainder of the week, Isabella developed her favorites and sent them out to the magazine she hoped would be interested in them, and then several others Christopher suggested.  Now the waiting game began, but with Gabriel in her life there were always pleasant distractions to keep her occupied.