A Blind Fall

prologue

There was nothing more appealing than an outdoor feast, accompanied by loved ones. The weather was lovely, not hot or cold, just perfect for a lunch on the patio, near perfectly, manicured lawns. The food was scrumptious and for one with anomaly appetites for a woman, she was rather enamoured with it.

Tearing into a nicely grilled piece of chicken, she hummed in delight as the crunchy meat made noises in her mouth as she chewed. There was something about how the chef in Mountain Green put together his recipes. Something heavenly, well thought out and carefully mixed. It was creativity at its very best.

Pierre, the man behind the wonderful, finger-licking creations, had been brought in from France by Archibald Mayor, her best friend's father, bless his heart. His children, Rose her best friend who was engaged to the love of her life, Warren and together they were three months pregnant, and Leon, Gabrielle's object of infatuation or was it love? They couldn't care less for a foreign, professional chef. Food was food. But with Archibald around, who shared her love for amazing delicacies, she relished the exquisite treats.

The man barely said a word during meals, which Gabby understood, although everyone else teased them both of their gluttony. As Rose and her fiancé stood a few feet away, in an embrace, Gabrielle and Archibald unabashedly worked to clean off everything edible on the table. How come she wasn't obese?

She frowned at the thought, her mouth full. Most probably, and every indication of his preference of willowy women proved it, Leon didn't pay her mind, over her well... weight? Perhaps? Not that she was overly large, in fact she wasn't large. But she was far from skinny, with her natural breast full and a backside to boot. She did harbour a bit of almost chubby cheeks. Almost. She wasn't plump really, was she?

She snuck a glance at the far end of the lawn, where Leon stood, a hand shoved in his jeans, the other one tossing pebbles into the manmade lake but quickly turned, heat flooding her cheeks. He was so handsome and confident even dressed so casually in denim and a t-shirt. So what devil had possessed her to think he'd settle for a woman like her?

But she was beautiful, wasn't she? Gorgeous even. Other men had complimented her, Oscar Sylvester being one among the many. The man, albeit an arrogant brute, had this thing about him, an aura he emitted, attracting her to him like iron fillings to a magnet. The same thing that had rooted her in place those many months ago when he brought his large hands to cup her breasts in the elevator. A foreign ache nudged her sensitive areas, just by the mere memory of it.

It was about the same thing about the daredevil that had left a tingly, moist between her thighs, that time. Gabrielle was too deep in her reminiscence to notice when someone sunk in the empty chair next to her.

"That sure looks good." Rose's compliment on...the food? brought her from her stupor.

Gabby smiled at the other woman who eyed the grilled chicken cautiously. "Tastes good too," she assured galvanizing into serving a plate for her friend.

And she was already whining about it. "I can do that myself, Gabby. Surely, you know I'm just pregnant not diagnosed with some deadly disease. And_"

"There!" Gabby beamed, completely ignoring Rose's complains. "That's even better. We need to take care of you and baby."

The woman merely snorted before carefully testing a piece of chicken. Gabrielle watched her nod before she dug in for more. "Hmm," she hummed chewing with enthusiasm. After swallowing, she turned to Gabrielle with a serious, meaningful expression. "So, what's your plan?"

"Plan?"

"Yes, plan." Rose reiterated.

What was her plan? And what plan about what? With a shrug, she said, "I don't know. I guess I'll stick around until...well, I don't know." She sighed soundly.