Wind Chime Point

6



“So, why does Gabi want me to meet her father?” Jimmy asked Wade when they were on their way to Cora Jane’s. “It’s kinda weird. It’s not like I really know her.” He gave Wade an impish grin. “Unless she thought I was hotter than you and wants to date me. Maybe she needs his permission.”

Wade frowned at the teen’s impudence. “Not even a tiny bit amusing, kid.”

Jimmy’s grin merely spread. Eventually, though, he said, “But you do know what this is really about, don’t you? How come you won’t tell me?”

“Because this was Gabi’s idea. She should fill you in,” Wade explained patiently. “And you can stop speculating and pestering me now, because we’re here.”

He pulled into a driveway already crowded with cars, then was relieved to spot Boone getting out of the one just ahead of him.

“Hey, Wade,” Boone said, walking over to shake his hand. “Jimmy, how are you?”

“Fine, Mr. Dorsett.” He glanced at all the cars, then asked, “Is this a big party or something?”

Wade grinned. “Jimmy thinks he’s the only one who’s been left out of the loop on what this is all about.”

Boone patted the teen’s shoulder. “You’re not alone, pal. Nobody’s told me a thing, either. Emily called a half hour ago and asked me to show up. I came as soon as I’d dropped B.J. off at the soccer field.”

At Boone’s words, a sinking sensation settled in the pit of Wade’s stomach. “Soccer? The same team my nephew Bryce is on?”

“I think so, yes,” Boone replied. “Uh-oh, were you supposed to be there? B.J. gave me permission to skip this one. The kid will do anything for Emily. Plus, since we’re mostly in Los Angeles, it wouldn’t have been fair for him to get any playing time.”

Wade was only half listening as he took his cell phone out of his pocket and hit speed dial for his sister. “This is bad,” he told Boone as he waited for her to pick up. “I was expected there. You all better head on in. Tell Gabi I’ll be there as soon as I deal with this. I have some ruffled feathers to smooth out.”

“Where the devil are you?” Louise grumbled before he could say a word. “Chelsea, get down from there right this second. Peter, go grab your sister.”

Wade winced. “Are you at Bryce’s game?”

“Yes, and you’re not. Didn’t you promise me you’d be here to help me corral these kids? My husband conveniently had an emergency appendectomy to perform. Right now, I’d happily trade places with him.”

“I’m sure the patient would be delighted about that,” Wade said. “Then you could sue yourself for malpractice.”

“Bite me,” she said cheerfully. “How soon will you be here?”

“Sorry. I have to bail. And just as a reminder, I never promised to be there. You just take it for granted that I will be.”

Dead silence greeted the remark. Well, it was silent except for the sound of Jason wailing.

“You did not just say you’re bailing on me,” Louise said at last.

“I’m afraid so. Something came up.”

“Something more important than helping your sister and saving your nieces and nephews from certain catastrophe?”

Wade chuckled despite the hot water he knew he was in. “Now you’re just being dramatic. Those children aren’t in any danger with you. You just like having someone around who doesn’t judge you when you talk about them as if they’re little brats, which they’re not, by the way.”

Louise sighed heavily. “You’d better have a really, really good excuse.”

“A date,” he said, knowing he was opening up a can of worms, though it was the only excuse likely to satisfy his sister.

“Details,” she commanded, clearly intrigued.

“Not likely,” he responded. “Besides, you need to be keeping a close eye on those kids you claim are running amok. Talk to you later.”

“Yes, you will,” she said, a dire note in her voice. “Or I will hunt you down.”

“Duly noted,” he said. “Love you. See you soon.”

“If you abandon me again, I’m going to take away your uncle privileges,” she threatened. “My house tomorrow for Sunday dinner. We’re eating at one.”

“I’ll be there,” he promised, then sighed. He was fairly certain the pot roast would come with a healthy serving of uncomfortable questions.

* * *



Gabi couldn’t help herself. Since she’d left Jimmy answering her father’s gently probing questions, and her grandmother, sisters and Boone were handling lunch, she kept drifting toward the door to check on Wade. She didn’t want to eavesdrop on his conversation, but the somber expression on his face worried her.

“Problems?” she asked, stepping onto the porch when she saw that he’d disconnected his call and stuffed his phone into his pocket. He joined her, dropping a kiss on her cheek. The gesture was casual, brotherly even, but it sent a spark sizzling along her nerves. The reaction was so startling, she barely heard what he was saying.

“What?” she said, shaking off the disconcerting moment.

“My nephew has a soccer game,” he explained patiently. “I’m usually there. I forgot all about it until Boone mentioned something about dropping B.J. at the field.”

The butterflies already doing a dance in her stomach turned into rambunctious, fluttering birds. Big ones. “Oh, dear, do you need to go?”

He squeezed her hand. “Not a chance. Lou has already heaped a boatload of guilt on me. Tomorrow she’ll throw a few more zingers my way. Same old thing. I’m used to it. Getting to yank my chain is one of her favorite things. Besides, she’s starting to take my presence for granted. It’s a bad habit, more than likely for both of us.”

Gabi frowned. “Do you do this a lot? Bail on the kids, I mean?”

“Absolutely not,” he said, his indignation plain. “In fact, that’s my point. I’m over at that house almost every afternoon providing backup for her while she settles down after work and gets dinner on the table. Even the most dedicated uncle deserves an occasional break. My mistake today was not giving her a heads-up. Usually her husband’s at the games, but he’s a doctor and had an emergency call. Since she can’t yell at him, I got the brunt of today’s lecture.”

Gabi relented. “It’s nice, though, that she can count on you,” she said, wondering who she’d be able to count on if she did decide to keep her baby.

It was all well and good for her grandmother and sisters to promise backup, but Emily was in Los Angeles, Samantha in New York and her grandmother here in Sand Castle Bay. Obviously they wouldn’t be dropping by to babysit if she returned to her life in Raleigh and a new demanding job. A high-paying job, she reminded herself. She could afford a nanny or the best day care in town, if it came to that, she decided with a sigh of relief.

Wade regarded her curiously. “What was that for?”

“Just mentally solving a problem. Sorry.”

“Care to share?”

“No need. Just thinking, though, that Louise is lucky to have you around.”

“I’ll always be here for her,” Wade said. “I like her kids. I’ll be honest, though. When Jason came along, about a year after my baby would have been born, I had a little trouble at first. Louise already had four fantastic children, and I’d lost my one and only chance for a baby. It didn’t seem fair. It took me a while to accept that life isn’t always fair and that none of it was that baby’s fault, or Louise’s. I still feel bad that I steered clear for a while.”

Gabi liked that he had an actual flaw, one he could acknowledge. Up to now he’d seemed almost too good to be true; such a vast improvement over Paul, it made him a little too attractive.

“It sounds to me as if you were just being human,” she told him. “We all feel resentful from time to time. At least you saw that you were being unreasonable and made peace with them.”

Wade nodded toward the house. “Speaking of family dynamics, how’s it going in there?”

“Surprisingly well,” she admitted. “Dad didn’t keel over when he found out I’m pregnant. He actually offered to pay for Emily’s wedding, albeit the suggestion had come from Grandmother. And he was openminded about talking to Jimmy. I stayed with them for a few minutes, long enough to see that the second Jimmy realized what my dad does in the biomedical field, he had a million questions.”

Wade shook his head. “Does that kid astonish you every time he opens his mouth? He’s really something.”

“Dad’s clearly impressed. When I came to look for you, they were actually discussing some journal article Jimmy said he’d read online. There’s not a doubt in my mind that Dad will do everything in his power to see Jimmy gets one of those scholarships. In fact, I wish he’d shown half as much interest in my career.”

Wade frowned at that. “He didn’t?”

Gabi shook her head. “Not to belabor the point, but I did everything I could think of to impress him, to follow in his footsteps, not as a biomedical guru, but working in the industry. He was oblivious. He wouldn’t even help me get a job at his company after graduation, even though I was more than qualified.”

“Why would he do that?” Wade asked.

“He said it would be awkward, that it would be perceived as nepotism.”

“I’ll bet that hurt.”

“It did,” she admitted. “Now, though, I get it. What if he’d been the one who had to fire me because I got pregnant? Can you imagine?”

“Do you think he would have?”

“Not a doubt in my mind,” she said instantly, then hesitated. “Though he didn’t react the way I’d expected him to when I told him I’d lost my job. He almost seemed to be on my side.”

“Sounds as if the dad gene kicked in,” Wade said.

Gabi smiled. “That was exactly it. It sure wasn’t what I’d expected, given our history.”

“So, what’s next?” Wade asked.

“Lunch should be ready any minute,” she told him.

He smiled. “I meant for you. How’s that plan of yours coming along?”

Gabi sighed. “It’s not. To be frank, I haven’t got the first clue about my next step.”

“I had a feeling that’s what you were going to say,” Wade said.

“Why?”

“Because all this focus on Jimmy was clearly a way to avoid dealing with your own situation.”

Gabi was about to argue the point, but then realized she couldn’t. Not really. “You’re probably right. I did see a chance to help someone who really deserves it. It was a situation I actually thought I might be able to control, while my own?” She shrugged. “Not so much.”

“And control really matters to you?”

“Of my life? Sure. What about you? Don’t you like to know where you’re headed, what you need to do to get there?”

“Not really. I tend to take things a day at a time, especially the past couple of years. I got hit upside the head with a lesson in what really matters. I also learned the hard way how little control we really have over those things.”

Perplexed, she studied him, wondering how he could possibly live with the uncertainty. “But what drives you?”

Wade laughed. “I suppose I’m not driven, not the way you mean. I don’t have huge ambitions. What I do have are things I love to do and a lifestyle that allows me to do them.”

It was a laid-back concept that was totally alien to her. “I don’t understand.”

“Because you’ve always had a plan,” he teased, then added quickly, “And that’s not necessarily a bad thing.”

“But you say it as if it is,” she accused. “Structure’s important to me. The past couple of weeks since I left my job, the lack of structure and focus has almost driven me crazy. I don’t know what to do with myself, so I do nothing.”

“Maybe that’s what you need to be doing right now,” he said.

“Nothing?”

“Exactly. Sometimes the best way to hear what’s going on deep inside yourself is to be very quiet and still.”

“You must not do nothing the way I do,” she said in frustration. “I have about a million voices yelling at me to get busy, and not a one of them so far telling me what it is I should be doing. I need to sort through all that noise and make that plan. I should be updating my résumé, making lists of companies where I could inquire about jobs, start networking again.”

“If you know all that, why aren’t you doing it?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “I guess I’m not ready. Or I’m afraid they’ll all have the same reaction to me being pregnant.”

“Or maybe it’s not what you really want anymore,” Wade suggested quietly.

Gabi frowned, genuinely shocked by the suggestion. “What?”

He grinned. “A scary thought after all that careful planning for so many years, huh?”

“Of course it’s what I want,” she insisted, though there was no mistaking the defensive note that had crept into her voice. She recognized that as a clear sign she wasn’t as sure of herself as she wanted to be.

“Then why haven’t you printed out the résumés or made those calls?”

“I’ve been...”

“Busy? That’s not what you said.”

She scowled at him. “Who needs a shrink when you’re around?”

He laughed. “Just throwing out a few things for you to consider. I don’t know you that well. Maybe I’ve gotten it all wrong.”

“You have,” she said flatly. “In fact, first thing tomorrow, I’m going to come up with a new plan.” She nodded in satisfaction. “There, you see. I have a manageable goal and a timetable.”

“Good for you. I’ll look forward to hearing all about it. Now we probably need to go inside and see how things are going between Jimmy and your dad.”

“Sure. Right,” she said, her tone disgruntled.

Wade stopped her just before they went inside. “No reason to be upset, okay? You will figure this out.”

“Of course I will,” she said with a confidence she was far from feeling. She would figure it out, because this baby was coming and she had no other choice.

* * *



As people drifted into Cora Jane’s kitchen to fill their plates for lunch, Wade pulled Jimmy aside.

“How’s it going? Are you enjoying yourself?”

Jimmy’s eyes lit up. “This is totally awesome, man. Do you know who Sam Castle is? He’s, like, this icon in the biomedical field. Like the Bill Gates or Steve Jobs in that world. And you’ll never guess what he told me.”

“What?” Wade asked, though he had a pretty good idea.

“His company offers scholarships to outstanding science students. Even though I graduated last June, he says there are extenuating circumstances and he’s sure I can qualify.”

“That would be incredible,” Wade said. “That’s what you want? To go away to college and study to work in this field?”

“More than anything,” Jimmy admitted. “I just never thought it could happen. Even before my dad’s accident, I knew there wasn’t enough money for me to go to a major university. Junior college, maybe, but that’s not enough to land a really good job in this field.”

Wade couldn’t help wondering if money was so tight, how the Templetons would manage if Jimmy was no longer providing that little bit of extra income. As if the teen had read his mind, Jimmy’s expression fell and he muttered a curse.

“I can’t go, can I?” he said, disappointment etched on his face. “Not even if I win this scholarship? My family needs the money I bring home every week.”

“If you get the scholarship, you will go to school,” Wade said decisively.

“But Mom and Dad are counting on me,” Jimmy protested, looking crestfallen. “I can’t just bail on them.”

“I’m sure there are ways to take a lighter load, maybe work part-time to help out,” Wade said.

“Not if I’m going to get good grades so I can keep the scholarship,” Jimmy protested.

Sam Castle obviously overheard him, because he stepped closer and put a hand on Jimmy’s shoulder. “Don’t worry about your folks,” he reassured him. “We’ll figure something out. The fact that they’re your top priority makes me more certain than ever that you’re the right person for one of these scholarships.”

“That’s right,” Cora Jane said, joining them. “When a young person demonstrates such a sense of responsibility toward their family, that should be rewarded. Don’t you even think of walking away from this opportunity if it comes your way. We’ll all work together to find a way to make sure your family has whatever they need.”

“They’re not going to take charity,” Jimmy warned, looking as if he hardly dared to hope there might be a solution. “Dad wouldn’t allow it.”

“And we’ll see to it that they’re not made to feel that’s what they’re accepting,” Cora Jane told him. Her expression brightened. “The only thing keeping your dad from getting back to work full-time is his injury, right? And not being able to do all the rehab that’s necessary?”

Jimmy nodded.

“I think I know just the person who can help with that,” she said.

“Ethan?” Boone suggested, overhearing her.

Cora Jane nodded. “Exactly.”

Jimmy’s eyes lit up. “You think Dr. Cole might be able to help him find a way to do that rehab?”

“There’s not a doubt in my mind,” Cora Jane said. “I’ll speak to him first thing Monday morning.” She patted Jimmy’s hand. “And don’t you worry. He’ll make it so your dad can pay what he can afford when he’s able to pay it. The important thing is to get him well enough to work again.”

Wade regarded her with astonishment. “Are you some kind of an angel, Cora Jane?”

She laughed at that. “Not likely.”

“You sure about that? It seems to me you’ve come up with a couple of miracles today.” He glanced toward Gabi and her sisters, who’d joined their father at the table and were all talking at once about wedding plans. Sam Castle looked surprisingly content despite the likely expense of their lavish ideas.

“Sometimes the best way to get the things you want in life is simply to ask,” Cora Jane said, following the direction of his gaze. “Maybe it’s time you started asking for a few things you’d like to have.”

Wade shook his head. Gabi was nowhere near ready to hear what he wanted. First she needed to figure out who she was without her work to define her. He had no idea how long it would take for that to happen, but once it did, he’d be around if she had room for a man in her life.

In the meantime, he might have an idea or two about ways to prod the process along.

* * *



“Can you believe how well today went?” Gabi asked. Happily exhausted, she was stretched out across her bed with Samantha in a chair nearby. “It was like something out of a dream. Dad here and being all dadlike. Jimmy getting a real chance at the future he wants. Emily getting her fantasy wedding.”

“And you with Wade looking at you as if he’d never seen anyone so beautiful,” Samantha chimed in. “Quite the ego boost, if you ask me.”

“Stop that. Wade’s being a good friend. That’s all.”

Samantha laughed. “That line is getting very old, especially when all evidence points to something else going on. I saw the look on your face when he kissed you.”

Gabi frowned. “Wade never kissed me, not that way.”

“You mean he didn’t plunder your lips like a man who’s thoroughly besotted?” Samantha teased. “Is that what you want him to do?”

“No. And all he did was kiss me hello, on the cheek. It was hardly passionate.”

“No, it wasn’t,” Samantha agreed. “But you looked as if your knees were about to give way, just the same.”

“I did not,” Gabi protested, though she could feel the heat climbing into her cheeks at the blatant lie.

“It happened again when he left,” Samantha taunted. “I watched.”

“Have you turned into some kind of sick voyeur?” Gabi snapped irritably.

“Nope, just an interested third party,” Samantha responded, clearly not offended by the insult.

“You need a life,” Gabi told her.

“So I hear, almost daily, from Grandmother, as a matter of fact.”

Gabi sat up. “Seriously? Grandmother’s starting to get pushy about your lack of a love life?”

“Unfortunately, yes. To be honest, I thought I was safe for a while or I wouldn’t have shown my face here right now. I thought it would take a lot longer before she was satisfied that both your life and Emily’s are under control.” She grinned. “Apparently, though, she thinks she can take her foot off the gas where you’re concerned and turn her attention to me.”

Gabi was intrigued. “Any thoughts about who she intends to push in your direction?” She glanced at the football jersey her sister was wearing and chuckled. “Or do I even need to ask? She has ideas about you and Ethan Cole, doesn’t she?”

“I doubt it’s any coincidence his name came up today,” Samantha conceded. “It’s not the first time she’s mentioned Ethan, then waited for me to react.”

“And do you? React, I mean? I know you had a huge crush on him years ago, but it’s been eons since you’ve crossed paths.”

“He didn’t even know I was alive back then,” Samantha said. “I doubt it would be any different now. I’m sure he has women flocking all around him, now that he’s a war hero and a hotshot doctor to boot.”

Gabi wasn’t so sure about that. “Is that what Emily says?” she asked skeptically. “Boone and Ethan are close. She probably knows the full scoop on his love life.”

“I am not asking Emily about Ethan,” Samantha said. “It’s too pathetic.”

“What’s pathetic about trying to find out if the man is available?”

“It was a high school crush,” Samantha reminded her. “Shouldn’t I be long over it by now? Shouldn’t I have some other serious relationship in my life, instead of a string of not terribly fulfilling affairs?”

“But you don’t,” Gabi reminded her. “And if you won’t even see Ethan, how will you know if the crush died a natural death years ago, or if there’s something to be rekindled?”

“You can’t rekindle something that never was,” Samantha said.

Gabi noted that she was arguing semantics, rather than facing the real issue of her feelings. That told Gabi quite a lot.

“He was older,” Samantha continued, clearly determined to make her point. “He didn’t know I existed. Could we drop this, please? It’s not even worth discussing.”

“I can drop it,” Gabi agreed readily. “Grandmother? Not so likely. If she’s got this particular bit in her mouth, you, my dear sister, are in serious trouble. Take it from me. She has good instincts and the persistence of a pit bull.”

Samantha grinned at last. “Meaning you and Wade don’t stand a chance, either.”

Gabi winced. “I was afraid you might put that spin on what I said.”

“It is the natural conclusion to be drawn from your comment,” Samantha said a little too gleefully.

Yeah, Gabi was afraid of that, too. She hated the thought of Samantha, Emily and Grandmother being right about the two of them, almost as much as she wondered what it would be like to have a man as rock solid as Wade in her life.

“I don’t know why all of you think he’s right for me,” she said with exasperation. “He’s annoying. He thinks he knows me. He keeps pushing all this nonsense about me not really wanting to go back to the life I had.”

Samantha regarded her with surprise. “He said that?”

“He did,” Gabi said indignantly. “Can you believe it?”

“Interesting,” Samantha said. “I think he might have a point.”

Gabi scowled. “He does not have a point. The man barely knows me. I don’t think we had one single conversation that lasted more than a minute when I was here last August.”

“Which gave him lots of time to observe you,” Samantha suggested. “And we all know he rarely took his eyes off you. Sometimes it’s these quiet ones who have fantastic insights. You probably ought to listen to him, or at least think about what he’s saying.”

“And what?” Gabi asked incredulously. “Not go back to Raleigh? Not go back into public relations?”

“I don’t know,” Samantha responded. “After all, you did choose that particular path in order to prove something to Dad. Did you truly love the work?”

“Of course I did. I doubt I’d have been any good at it if I wasn’t fiercely dedicated and excited about it.”

“Or determined to show Dad he’d made a mistake,” Samantha suggested slyly. At Gabi’s indignant huff, she held up a hand. “Okay. I know that, in the end, the decision has to be yours. I’m just saying if you’re ever going to change directions in your life, now could be the right time.”

Gabi thought she was crazy. “Now? When I’m expecting a baby and have just told the father I don’t want his support? Come on. If I decide to keep my child—and I’m not saying that’s what I’ve decided to do—don’t you think I should be looking for the best possible job in a field in which I have outstanding credentials?”

“And go back to working eighteen hours a day while a nanny raises your baby?” Samantha asked gently.

That question brought Gabi up short. She knew what it was like to be neglected by a workaholic parent. She and her sisters had had their mom to balance things, but who would her child have? A well-paid nanny? How could that be fair?

She sighed heavily. “I’m going to bed,” she told Samantha.

“It’s not even nine o’clock,” Samantha said, looking surprised. “Are you okay?”

“I need to get up early.”

“Why? You’re not even thinking of going back to Raleigh tomorrow, are you?”

“No, but I need to start making some plans first thing in the morning and I want a clear head.”

Samantha smiled. “Ah, yes. I was wondering when the yellow legal pads were going to come out.”

“And now you know,” Gabi told her.

She just wished she had even the tiniest clue what the first item on her list ought to be.