Free Broken Souls by Beth Ashworth Page B

really plan anything for this impromptu trip, because I wasn't anticipating a call that my sister had been involved in an accident. I left Milan with nothing but my passport and the clothes on my back.” He used his hand to gesture at the overly crinkled and dirty suit he was wearing. “I didn't really think my accommodation through either, but I decided to just make my way here because I have to start thinking about getting Gabby’s affairs in order. There’s so much that I don’t want to think about yet; like how I’m going to go forward with Gabby’s share of the dental partnership, the funeral arrangements, her possessions. I don’t really know where to start, but, if I’ll be a nuisance then I’ll quite happily check into a hotel?” He turned away and opened the latch on the door without waiting to hear her answer.
    “ No,” Ashley squeaked.
    He held open the front door and turned towards her. “No?”
    “ You can stay here if you want? I mean, you have every right to want to stay in your sister's flat after all,” she blurted, a hopeful gleam in her eye. “I mean, I could even take you to go and meet the partners if you want?”
    At this point, Ashley didn’t register that she would be introducing Marco to the man she was currently dating. Instead, she merely thought of herself and the opportunity she had been presented with to get closer to him.
    The worry that he was just going to leave her after the funeral unsettled her somewhat. She didn’t like the idea of him walking out of her life and never seeing or speaking to him again. After all, regardless of the budding friendship they had grown over the years, the main connection between them had always been Gabby.
    Marco’s eyes drifted towards the rustic looking leather sofa in the small living area, then back to Ashley's face. “I’d like to stay,” he murmured with a gentle smile. “And I will take you up on your offer of introductions, but I’m afraid that I can’t do today or tomorrow.”
    “That’s fine. Just let me know when you want to go.”
    “I will. Thanks, cara. ”
    Ashley didn't say anything as Marco stepped into the corridor and closed the front door behind him. She waited for a few minutes to ensure that he had moved away and was out of earshot before she let out her deep exhale.
    At least he was going to be around her while he made arrangements for the funeral. She was grateful that she was going to have him by her side as a support barrier to lean on. He didn’t know it yet, but his presence was going to be invaluable.
    “Right, where did I put the spare bedding?” she mumbled, casting a glance towards the airing cupboard in the hallway. It was the Pandora’s Box in their flat; the place where anything and everything was kept. She didn’t like to venture into it without a strategy. It was almost like a game of Jenga. If she moved one item incorrectly then the whole lot would come tumbling down around her.
    Storage was the one thing that she and Gabby had always found to be a problem with their little flat. It ended up that they were paying through the nose for their location as oppose to the building itself, so they had to make do with the poky two bedroomed flat situated in the up and coming North Greenwich area.
    In recent years, the borough of Greenwich had been ever changing. With new developments springing up all over the place, and businesses fighting for prime space along The Thames, it was the perfect location for two young and career driven girls such as Ashley and Gabby.
    With the dental practice only a short bus ride away in Central Greenwich, and the rest of London easily accessible via the Jubilee Line on the Tube, the decision in picking the poky flat that they now called home hadn't been a difficult one. Despite the creaking floorboards, the aging kitchen and the practically prehistoric bathroom, Gabby had been able to see past the decorative flaws to see the building for what it really was... quirky,