Wind Chime Point

17



Wade had been working with Tommy Cahill on a new oceanfront home for the past week. He’d also been keeping a close eye on Jimmy, whose usual exuberance and impudence were nowhere to be found. After several days of giving the kid his space and hoping Jimmy would come to him, Wade tired of waiting.

The kid had left the house, walked over the dunes and was standing by the ocean, his hands shoved in his pockets, his shoulders slumped. He could have been the poster boy for teenage angst and dejection.

Wade walked up beside him. He kept his gaze straight ahead, waiting some more.

“Hey,” Jimmy said eventually.

“Hey, yourself.” When Jimmy added nothing, Wade asked, “Everything okay?”

Jimmy shook his head. As Wade studied his expression, there was no mistaking the worry in Jimmy’s eyes.

“Want to talk about it?”

After a long silence, which Wade patiently waited out, Jimmy revealed, “I haven’t heard anything about the scholarship. Mr. Castle said I should be hearing soon.”

“And did he tell you what he meant by soon?” Wade asked, knowing that what seemed like soon to an adult could seem like an eternity to a kid whose future was on the line.

“I thought last week, but I didn’t get a letter or a call.”

“Have you spoken to Mr. Castle? He could probably tell you if there’s been a delay or if you’re being a little too anxious.”

“I don’t want to bug him,” Jimmy said, then hesitated before adding in a voice barely above a whisper, “And maybe I don’t want to know.”

“Ah,” Wade said, seeing the real problem. “You’re scared this means you’re not getting the scholarship.”

Jimmy gave him one of those disbelieving looks that all kids had mastered by their thirteenth birthday, if not before. “Well, duh! It’s a real possibility, you know? But I’ve kinda started counting on it. I know that’s a dumb thing to do, because the odds are against me. There are probably a hundred kids who deserve it way more than me.”

“But we’ve all told you that you have a good chance, so you let yourself believe,” Wade concluded, wondering if they’d done him a grave disservice to get his hopes up.

Jimmy nodded. “Crazy, huh? I mean a little while back I didn’t think I had any chance at all of going to college, so this at least gave me some hope. I should be grateful, not acting like a big baby.”

“You’re not acting like a big baby,” Wade said, fighting to hide a smile. “You’re acting like a young man who wants this really badly.”

“It’s just that it’s my big chance,” Jimmy said earnestly.

“I know,” Wade said, putting a hand on his shoulder. “And whatever happens, I believe with everything in me that things will work out for you.”

“I suppose,” Jimmy said, his tone still dejected.

“It’s entirely possible,” Wade suggested, “that they send out the rejections first. Not hearing could actually be a good thing.”

“You think?” Jimmy asked, seizing at the faint hope Wade had tossed out.

“It’s possible. What I do know is that worrying about it won’t make things happen any faster.” Wade decided a change of topic was in order. “How’s your dad doing with rehab?” he asked, hoping he’d picked the right subject, one that would elicit a positive response.

Jimmy’s eyes immediately brightened. “He’s doing great. The doctor said he can go back to work pretty soon, and Tommy’s talked to him and promised to put him on his crew as soon as he’s ready.”

“That’s fantastic!” Wade said. “Why don’t you focus on that for now? You’ll have these other answers soon enough.”

“I guess,” Jimmy said. He glanced at Wade. “Thanks, man. Not just for the talk, but for all of it.”

“Not a problem. I’ll always have your back, okay?”

Jimmy grinned. “Hey, you need any help with Gabi?”

Wade laughed. “Thanks all the same. I think I have that covered for now.”

“You sure about that?”

Wade wasn’t a hundred percent sure of anything where Gabi was concerned, but he was a lot more optimistic than he’d once been.

“I’m sure,” he said. “You’ll be the first person I call, though, if I do need backup. Like you’ve said before, she’s crazy about you.”

“Awesome,” Jimmy said, giving him a fist bump, his good mood obviously restored.

Wade watched him take off for the house, then smiled. Whatever happened down the road—for him or for Jimmy—they’d handle it. He believed that with everything in him.

* * *



Gabi was startled when Louise called on her cell phone at midmorning and invited her to meet for lunch.

“I can ask Meg and Sally to join us, if the prospect of spending time with me scares you,” Louise said.

“I’d like to think we’re past any problems or misunderstandings,” Gabi told her. “Sure. I’d love to have lunch.”

“Great. I’ll bring along all those lists I told you about on the phone the other night. They’re still up-to-date, thanks to the unexpected arrival of Jason. Mommy’s little surprise, as I like to call him.”

Her flip remark startled Gabi. “Wade had me thinking you’d wanted a big family.”

“There’s big and then there’s five,” Louise said, her tone wry. “I thought four was plenty, but sometimes we just don’t know what life has in store for us.” Then she suggested they meet at noon at the Seaside Café. “Will that work for you? I know you help Sally out most mornings.”

“Actually today’s the perfect day for it,” Gabi responded. “Sally wants me to bring a couple of orders into town, so I’ll just time those deliveries accordingly.” She glanced over at Sally for confirmation. Sally nodded.

As soon as Gabi had disconnected the call, Sally asked, “Another step in the peace process between you and Louise?”

“I think so,” Gabi said.

“You do know it wasn’t really about you, right?” Sally asked. “Since her mom died and her father retired and moved away, Louise is even more protective of Wade. He took it real hard when his wife and the baby died.”

“Of course he did,” Gabi said. “That’s totally understandable. From what I’ve heard, she was his childhood sweetheart.”

Sally frowned at the characterization. “Something like that,” she said, suddenly evasive.

“Hold on a second,” Gabi said. “Are you saying they weren’t a couple from way back?”

Sally regarded her guiltily. “Gabi, I am so sorry I got into this. I try my best not to gossip and it’s not my place to be talking about this. It’s just that I like you and it seems the story might be a bit more complicated than anyone’s told you. I am not the right person to fill in the blanks, though. Ask Louise, if you want, or better yet, talk to Wade. It’s his story to share.”

Judging from Sally’s tone, Gabi had the distinct impression that it was a story she very much needed to hear. Not from Louise, though. That would be too much like sneaking around behind Wade’s back. She needed to hear it from him, because if it in any way affected the bond he seemed to have formed with her, it could change everything. She’d worried for a while that his real attachment was to the baby, not her. Cora Jane had tried to allay that fear, but was it possible Gabi had been right all along?

* * *



After his conversation with Jimmy, Wade had driven out to Sally’s studio, where he’d just missed Gabi. When he’d heard she was meeting Louise in town, his blood had run cold. He wanted Gabi and his sister to be friends, but the accelerating pace of their friendship was just a little scary. He didn’t entirely trust Louise to keep her promise about staying on good behavior.

It was twelve-fifteen when he walked into the Seaside Café and spotted the two of them huddled together over a table strewn with yellow legal pads and papers. They had iced tea at hand, but no food.

He grabbed an extra chair from a nearby table and put it between them, finally catching their attention. Gabi smiled, but his sister frowned suspiciously.

“What’s up, Wade? Why are you here?” Louise asked.

“Am I intruding on a private business conference?” he inquired lightly, his gaze on Gabi.

“Absolutely not. Louise is just sharing some of her research with me. It’s going to save me a ton of time,” she said happily.

He nodded. “That’s great.”

“Don’t you usually take your lunch to work?” Louise asked, clearly not pleased by his unexpected appearance.

“Usually. Today I didn’t. I drove out to Sally’s, intending to ask Gabi to go to lunch with me. Sally pointed me in this direction.” He studied his sister with a narrowed gaze. “What’s with the attitude? Did you have something on the agenda besides a friendly chat with Gabi?”

“Of course not,” Louise said huffily. “I promised you those days were behind us. I promised Gabi, too, for that matter.”

“We’re fine, Wade,” Gabi assured him. “But I’d love it if you could stay. I’d like your input on some of these day-care centers. Louise said you’ve done renovations in a couple of them.”

Pushing his concerns about his sister’s intentions aside, he took the notebook Gabi was holding out and glanced over the list.

“Okay, aside from the fact that it strikes me as absurd to be looking for day care months before the baby even arrives, I’d say this one is the best-run facility I’ve been in.” He pointed to the third one on the list, knowing full well it was where Louise had sent her own children.

Gabi nodded. “That’s what Louise said, too.”

“This does make me wonder if you’ve decided to stay here permanently,” he said, trying to keep a hopeful note out of his voice.

“If it works out, yes,” she said at once.

“Works out how?” Louise asked, her gaze narrowing. “You mean with my brother?”

“Louise!” Wade said sharply.

“Well, it’s a fair question,” his sister retorted.

“No, this is all about me,” Gabi said. “And finding work that will fulfill me. As much fun as I’m taking lessons from Sally, I’m a long way from convinced that I have a future in the wind-chime business. And I absolutely do not want to take over Castle’s and run it, even though I know it would thrill Cora Jane if I would.”

“So if you don’t find this satisfying work, you’ll what? Go back to Raleigh?” Louise asked with another pointed look at Wade.

Gabi shrugged, clearly not ready to commit. “I’ll just have to see.”

“Stop nagging the woman, Lou,” Wade ordered. “We’re getting way ahead of ourselves. I know how you like to plan every last little detail of your life, but these decisions are months away from needing to be made.”

Louise sighed and sat back. “Point taken,” she said, though she didn’t look particularly happy about it.

Wade managed to steer the conversation onto more general turf, and the rest of the meal passed without incident. Still, there was no mistaking Louise’s eagerness to take off as soon as they’d finished eating. That alone suggested he’d been smart to intrude on this little get-together of hers. While she might not overtly try to sabotage the relationship, he imagined she could plant seemingly innocuous little seeds of doubt that would come back to haunt him.

As soon as she’d gone, Gabi looked at him curiously. “What was that about?”

“What?”

“You were borderline rude to your sister,” she accused.

“I just don’t think this was the innocent little get-acquainted lunch she might have led you to believe.”

“What do you think it was?”

Trying to put his suspicions into words without sounding like an idiot was trickier than he’d imagined. “A reconnaissance mission?” he suggested.

“To learn my deep dark secrets?” Gabi asked, barely suppressing a smile.

“Learn yours? Tell you mine?” He shrugged. “Hard to say, but it struck me as a bad idea either way.”

“Since there’s not much about my life that you don’t already know, I think we can dismiss that as a real concern,” she said. She looked him directly in the eyes and asked, “How about yours? Are you hiding anything from me?”

The way she asked the question made him wonder if someone hadn’t already planted a few seeds of distrust in her head.

“You know exactly the kind of guy I am,” he said, though he couldn’t seem to keep a defensive note out of his voice.

“I certainly thought so,” she agreed.

He frowned at her phrasing. “Have you changed your mind?”

“Tell me more about you and Kayla,” she suggested bluntly.

Wade was completely thrown that she would go there. He thought he’d given her as much information as she needed. Had somebody aroused her suspicions that he hadn’t completely leveled with her? Who would do that? And what would they reveal?

“Any particular reason?” he asked, hoping he didn’t sound totally paranoid.

“Curiosity,” she claimed. “She was your wife, Wade. She was carrying your baby when she died. Isn’t it natural for me to want to know more about her, about the kind of marriage the two of you had?”

Even though Wade didn’t entirely buy it, he didn’t want to create a problem where none existed by being evasive. “You know the basics. I was crazy about her. She got pregnant. We got married, but she died before the baby was born.”

“And you were devastated?”

He frowned at any hint that he might not have been. “Of course. Has someone told you otherwise?”

“No. And believe it or not, I really don’t listen much to idle gossip. You’ve never given me any reason to believe you haven’t been completely honest with me.”

“And yet, I get the feeling you don’t entirely buy that I’m being honest now,” he said, heat rising in his voice despite his best effort to keep his temper under control.

Her gaze clashed with his. “Sorry, but you’re sounding an awful lot like a man who’s holding something back. Since I’ve all too recently dealt with a man who turned out not to be very candid, I’ll admit I don’t like it.”

Wade regarded her with shock. “You’re comparing me to that guy? What’s his name? Paul? Seriously?”

Even though he knew he was holding out on her, the idea that she would lump him in with that reprehensible jerk appalled him.

“I don’t deserve that,” he said bitterly. He was on his feet before she could respond. “I guess Louise was right about one thing. Coming here today was a really bad idea.”

He tossed some bills on the table, then took off.

“Wade!”

Though her voice carried to him, he ignored it. That was a lot easier than ignoring the guilt that was suddenly eating at his insides.

* * *



Gabi was still fuming as she left the Seaside Café and drove over to Castle’s. She stormed into the kitchen, poured herself a glass of tea, forced a smile for Jerry, then settled into the booth generally reserved for family. Two seconds later, Cora Jane appeared.

“How’d you even know I was here?” Gabi grumbled. Though she’d sought refuge right here under her grandmother’s nose, she’d hoped for a little longer to sort out her thoughts before having any conversation with the very perceptive Cora Jane.

“Jerry called me from the kitchen and said you rolled through there looking like a storm cloud,” Cora Jane said. “I have to say he got it about right. What’s on your mind?”

“Men!” Gabi said emphatically.

Cora Jane’s lips curved, but to her credit she managed to fight the smile and win. “Any particular man?”

Gabi drew in a deep breath and told her what had happened at lunch. “I was just trying to get things out in the open and he went crazy.”

“Crazy? Or was he just offended because you made it seem you didn’t trust him?”

“Well, I don’t trust him now, after he got all weird on me. What on earth is he hiding?” She gave Cora Jane a plaintive look. “Do you have any idea?”

“Not a glimmer,” Cora Jane said. “And I’m not the person to be asking.”

“That seems to be the general consensus, but the person with answers isn’t talking.”

“Give him some time to settle down, honey bun. If there’s something to tell, I have every faith that Wade will open up when he’s ready.”

“But I’m ready now,” Gabi protested. “I’m starting to like him, to let him in. What if that’s a huge mistake?”

“Does it feel like a mistake?”

“It didn’t until about an hour ago,” she said. “Now I have to wonder. All along I’ve thought his life was an open book, same as mine. Even when Sally hinted that might not be true, I didn’t entirely believe her.”

Cora Jane frowned. “This started with Sally?”

Gabi nodded. “She made an offhand comment, then immediately regretted it.”

“You so sure about that?”

Now it was Gabi’s turn to frown. “Meaning?”

“Was it a slip of the tongue or did she mean to stir the pot? How well do you know this woman?”

“Sally’s not like that,” Gabi protested, certain of that much at least.

“Do you know for a fact that there’s never been anything between her and Wade? Could she be a tiny bit jealous?”

“No,” Gabi said emphatically, then started to wonder. Did she really know that? Had Louise maybe tried to set them up at some point? It was something she might do. But would Sally deliberately try to sabotage the attraction between Gabi and Wade? Gabi honestly couldn’t see that. Sally had been pretty direct about not being interested in a relationship these days. Still, maybe those remarks had been for Gabi’s benefit, to keep her from guessing at an attraction that hadn’t worked out.

“Well, I can settle that much,” she told Cora Jane, taking out her cell phone and calling the artist. Confrontation might not have resolved much with Wade, but hopefully it would clear the air with Sally before Gabi started imagining nefarious schemes where none existed.

“Gabi, everything okay?” Sally asked at once.

“Can I ask you kind of an off-the-wall question?” Gabi said.

“Sure.”

“Were you ever involved with Wade?”

“What?” Sally said, her tone incredulous. “Never. Why on earth would you ask? Did he or Louise say something to suggest that we dated?”

“No.”

“Well, as good-looking and sweet as he is, I have no intention of getting involved with anyone at this moment,” she said, repeating her familiar refrain. “I’m just getting my own life on track.” She hesitated, then asked, “Is this about what I said to you earlier? Are you worried that I had some kind of ulterior motive?”

“I’m ashamed to say it crossed my mind,” Gabi told her. “Wade showed up and things got a little complicated over lunch, so now I’m second-guessing everything.”

“Well, that’s one worry you can put out of your mind. My only concern is for you. And I’m not even suggesting anything awful about Wade, just so you know. I’m just saying it sounds as if there are details you don’t have, that’s all. He’s a good guy, Gabi, quite likely even better than you realize.”

“Thanks, Sally. I hope I didn’t offend you.”

“No offense taken,” she assured Gabi. “I actually appreciate that you asked me directly, rather than making assumptions that could have hurt our friendship.”

“I’m glad I called, too,” Gabi told her.

“See you tomorrow, then.”

Gabi sighed as she disconnected the call. “Now I’m more confused than ever,” she told her grandmother. “This big-deal secret is apparently something that turns Wade into a hero, not a jerk. If that’s the case, why not just tell me?”

Cora Jane smiled. “Because it’s obviously something Wade doesn’t like to talk about but that Sally thinks you ought to know. Looks to me as if you’ll have to practice a little patience until he’s ready to talk.”

“Have you ever once put patience on any list of my virtues?” Gabi inquired, exasperated.

“Nope, but now seems as good a time as any for you to get a little practice.”

“Can’t I just hunt Wade down and persuade him to talk to me?”

“Did he seem as if he was in a talking mood last time you saw him?”

“No.”

“Well, then, that’s your answer. This is one time when you need to listen to your grandmother.”

“I always listen to you,” Gabi claimed.

“And then do whatever you please,” Cora Jane noted, then glanced up. “Besides, it doesn’t look as if you’re going to have to wait all that long for answers.”

Sure enough, Wade was striding across the dining room, a determined glint in his eyes. His expression softened as he greeted Cora Jane with a kiss. Then he met Gabi’s gaze.

“Can we talk?” he asked.

“You’re in the mood now?” she asked, unable to keep the snarky note from her voice.

“Gabriella!” Cora Jane scolded.

Wade merely grinned. “It’s okay. I gave her a rough time earlier. She probably didn’t deserve it.”

“Probably?” Gabi repeated with indignation.

“Okay, you didn’t deserve it.”

“Thank you,” Gabi said. “And maybe I was a little bit at fault, and I am sorry for earlier and for my attitude just now. Being snippy is not the best way to mend fences.” She frowned slightly. “You do want to mend fences, right?”

He nodded. “That’s what I was thinking when I spotted your car outside.”

“Then I’ll leave you two alone,” Cora Jane said. “I’ll bring your pie and some iced tea, Wade. In the meantime, play nice.”

Gabi smiled at the admonishment. She hadn’t heard it in years. It had usually been directed at the more rebellious Emily. Gabi had always played nice. It was the trait that had gotten her ahead in the business world. She’d played nicely, but always to win.

Now she’d have to see if it could get the answers she wanted under these circumstances.