Wind Chime Point

19



The box of shattered glass was beginning to get to Gabi. It had been weeks, and she had absolutely nothing to show for her efforts. Sally had been patient and encouraging, but Gabi was so frustrated, she was wondering if this whole idea hadn’t been crazy. She’d even expressed that on occasion, but no one had suggested she quit.

Except her father, of course.

Just last night he’d sounded completely mystified by her ongoing insistence on exploring some artistic side of her nature she’d never once mentioned growing up. His exasperation with her refusal to return to Raleigh and her high-octane career was plain.

“You had a good job, Gabi, important work,” he’d said. “You’re giving it up to do what? Paint on glass?”

“To make something beautiful,” she’d retorted. Would wind chimes save the world the way some of the research being done in Raleigh might? Of course not. But they brought beauty and innocent pleasure into people’s lives in the same way other art forms did. She thought that shouldn’t be dismissed so readily.

“If you insist on doing this, do it in your spare time,” he’d argued. “Everybody needs a hobby.”

“Do you?” she’d asked, amused that a man who worked 24/7 would even dare such a comment.

“Well, no, but most people have one. I’m sure that Wade fella could convert one of the bedrooms in your town house into a little workshop for you right here in Raleigh.”

“Even if I hadn’t already listed the town house with a Realtor, I’d need the spare bedroom for a nursery,” she reminded him.

“You put the town house up for sale?” he asked incredulously. “Are you crazy? In this market? You’ll lose a bundle. Gabriella, you’re not thinking clearly. Call the Realtor and put a stop to this.”

“Absolutely not. I may not be sure of much, but I am selling the town house.”

“But where will you live?” he asked, as if housing options were limited to a precious few square miles in Raleigh.

“I’m planning to stay at Grandmother’s, at least until the baby comes,” she’d responded patiently. “Then I’ll find my own place out here on the coast.”

“You’re going to regret this,” her father predicted, his own patience obviously past its limits.

For the first time in her life, Gabi hadn’t been crushed by his words or his judgmental tone, though today as she was tossing out yet another failed attempt—an unrecognizable hodgepodge of colored glass—she couldn’t help wondering if it had been a mistake to reject her father’s offer to help her find another job. Last night, though, her pride had kicked in and she’d told him emphatically that he was wrong.

She glanced once more at the box of shattered glass, proof positive that she wasn’t the artist she wanted to be just yet, and shrugged. Even if her father wasn’t wrong, that was okay, too. She’d have reached for something that had the potential to touch her soul.

“Sally, do you feel as if you’re wasting your time working with me?” she asked.

“I like having you around,” Sally responded.

“Not exactly what I asked,” Gabi told her, wincing at the artist’s carefully chosen words. “Can you see even a glimmer of talent?”

“Let me turn this around,” Sally replied. “Are you ready to quit?”

“Not exactly, but I am frustrated. I’m not seeing much progress. I mean, in my mind’s eye I can see exactly what I want to create, and I think the designs are pretty good. Then I start working with the glass and...” She shrugged. “Not so great.”

Sally smiled. “Self-doubt is part of the process for any artist. Show me an artist who doesn’t harbor any doubts, and I’ll show you someone whose ego is wildly inflated and not necessarily based on talent.”

Gabi grinned. She knew those types, too. She wondered what Wade would have to say about all this, but he’d been making himself scarce lately. He hadn’t called after she’d ignored his first few messages. Nor had he been dropping by Castle’s, according to Cora Jane, who was clearly miffed by that. Obviously he’d taken Gabi seriously when she said she needed time to sort through all he’d told her about his relationship with Kayla and that much-anticipated baby who hadn’t been his biological child.

Over the past few days, she’d really started missing him, and today with all these doubts swirling around in her head, she regretted that she couldn’t simply call and bounce these worries off him. She respected his insights.

Well, she thought, there was really no reason she couldn’t call. He wasn’t the one who’d needed space, after all. She had. And right now, she didn’t want it anymore. Maybe that was selfish, but she decided to go with her gut and make the call.

He answered on the first ring. “Hey, Gabi,” he said, his tone cautious. “What’s up?”

“I was wondering if you could come over to Cora Jane’s for dinner tonight?”

“Is this her idea or yours?” he inquired suspiciously.

“Mine. She’s actually going to a movie with Jerry tonight. I’m cooking, for better or for worse.”

He chuckled at that. “Want me to bring takeout?”

She sighed. “It seems rude to invite you to dinner and then expect you to supply the food, but it might be smarter.”

“Italian, Chinese, something from Boone’s? What’s your pleasure?”

“Pizza,” she said at once. “And salad. I’ll pick up some ice cream for dessert.”

“What time?”

“I’m heading home now from Sally’s. I’ll probably try to sneak in a half-hour nap, but any time you’re ready after five would be good. I’m not sure what your work schedule is like these days.”

“I’m wrapping things up with Tommy in the next hour or so. I’ll clean up, pick up the food and be there by five-thirty, most likely.”

“Perfect. Thanks, Wade.”

“No thanks necessary. I’m glad you called.”

“Just like that?” she asked, amazed yet again by his accepting nature. Paul would have been in a snit for a week if she’d ignored even one of his messages. “After the way I treated you the last time I saw you?”

“Just like that,” he said. “You needed time. I respect that. See you in a couple of hours.”

Gabi disconnected the call and looked up to see a grin on Sally’s face. “The man really is a saint,” Gabi told her.

“A saint on a mission, I’d say,” Sally replied.

“A mission?”

“He wants you, girl. You do know that, right? I mean, if you don’t get that much, then you’re not half as bright as I’ve been giving you credit for being.”

Gabi sighed. “I just don’t want to hurt him. Louise has been afraid of that all along and now I am, too.”

“Wade’s a big boy,” Sally reminded her. “He’s taken his share of knocks. Clearly he doesn’t think you pose a threat to his serenity. Maybe you should trust him on that.”

Gabi smiled. Maybe she should.

* * *



“How did you know you were good at carving wood?” Gabi asked Wade as they sat on the porch at Cora Jane’s later that evening with the sound of wind chimes in the air.

Wade grinned at the plaintive note in her voice. Thanks to his recent conversation with Sally, he knew exactly where she was coming from.

“I’m still not a hundred percent sure,” he admitted. “Each time I touch a new block of wood, I wonder if I’ll find the art inside.” He glanced her way. “You’re thinking too much about the mistakes.”

“Well, of course I am,” she responded irritably. “I do not have one single wind chime to show for all the hours I’ve been at this. There were one or two that were okay, but I don’t want to settle for okay.”

“Hours, huh?” Wade said, his tone dry. “Talk to me when you’ve been at it for months.”

She frowned at his attitude. “At some point I do need to turn this into a living or give it up.”

“No starving-artist lifestyle for you?” he teased.

“Hey, even you have a backup plan. You’re doing all that custom cabinetry to pay the bills.”

“And you have a severance package, plus you’ll have some money from the sale of your house, and you can always work at Castle’s. You and the baby will never starve.”

She shook her head. “The severance package won’t last forever and, as my father lovingly pointed out last night, the town house isn’t likely to bring in big bucks. I’ll be lucky to get the equity I have in it back. As for Castle’s...” She shuddered. “Short-term, sure. As a career goal, not so much.”

Wade gave her a considering look, wondering if she was ready to hear the idea he’d run past Sally. “I actually have some thoughts about something you could do, if you’re interested in hearing them. I don’t want to suggest that I don’t have any faith in your artistic talents, though.”

She smiled. “Believe me, after today I am more than ready for any ideas. I hate admitting I failed at anything, but I am very close to conceding defeat on that front. It’s been fun and satisfying in some ways, especially getting to spend all this time with Sally, but mostly it’s been frustrating.”

“Maybe because you expected too much too soon. Should you give it more time?”

“I’m not going to walk out of Sally’s studio tomorrow,” she said. “But I wouldn’t mind exploring some other options. What’s your idea?”

“I’ve been thinking we need an artists’ consortium, cooperative, whatever,” he began, taking her at her word. He described the kind he had in mind, one where the artists would have their own workshop spaces. “I’d take a space for my carvings. I ran this by Sally recently, and she said she’d be interested, too. I think a gallery in which artists not only display their art but have room to work would be a real draw out here. I think people are as fascinated by the process as they are by the finished products. And the chance to meet the artist before buying his or her work could easily increase the value, too. With your organizational skills, you could pull this together, and with your PR skills, you could draw a lot of attention to it. Plus, I think you get the artistic spirit and could work with a lot of temperamental people.”

She smiled. “Like you and Sally?”

“Hey, we’re probably saints in comparison to some you’ll run across.”

Gabi’s expression turned thoughtful. “It’s actually a really interesting concept,” she conceded. “It’s definitely the kind of fresh new challenge that I could sink my teeth into.”

The first faint hint of excitement in her voice told Wade she was already hooked. He waited as she mulled the idea over. “You really think a working gallery could draw artists and customers?” she asked. “Any proof of that?”

“Absolutely,” he said at once. “I’ll give you a couple of places you could check out online, get an idea of how they’re run, what they offer. Some even offer classes, I think. I know how you love to do your research. I’ll write them down for you before I leave. At least it’ll give you a starting point.”

“It would bring my interest in local art and my real professional training together, wouldn’t it?” she said excitedly.

“And if I did my work there at least a couple of days a week, it would be something we could do together.”

Gabi looked taken aback. “You mean a partnership?”

He grinned at her incredulous expression. “Just the first I have in mind for us,” he teased. “We’ll talk about the more important one another time. I’ll give you some time to get used to this one first. I don’t want you weighing too many different pros and cons lists all at once.”

He laughed at her astonished expression. One of these days she’d finally catch on. Sometimes the very best things in life couldn’t be planned the way Gabi wanted them to be. They simply happened when they were meant to. Thank heaven patience was one of his greatest virtues.

* * *



Captivated by Wade’s idea, Gabi stayed home the next day and spent the morning on the internet. She did a bit of research for her planned crusade for Samantha, then turned to a search for artists’ cooperatives. She found more than she’d anticipated. Some had an amazing internet presence in addition to a physical location. The more she read, the more excited she became.

One downside struck her, but it was personal. She liked Meg Waverly. She wondered if Meg and other local shop owners would view the launch of something like this as a betrayal, as unwanted competition both for stock and for customers. Only one way to find out, she decided, grabbing her purse and heading out the door.

Feeling more energized than she had in days, she walked briskly into town and arrived at Sea Delights just as Meg was giving last-minute instructions to Lily for the afternoon.

“I should have called,” Gabi apologized, “but I took a chance that I could catch you. Are you in a hurry? Do you have someplace you need to be?”

“Out of here,” Meg said wearily. “I feel as if ten busloads of tourists hit all at the same time this morning. That almost never happens, so I was here on my own. I am beyond ready for a break.”

“Lunch?” Gabi suggested.

“Why don’t I grab some bottled water and then we can ride over to the ocean and sit on the pier?” Meg suggested instead. “I love listening to the waves rolling in. That’ll calm me down, and in no time I’ll actually be able to have a civilized conversation with you.”

“Works for me,” Gabi said eagerly. “I haven’t been there in ages.”

Meg was silent driving over. Once she’d parked, they joined the crowds of fishermen and tourists on the recently built pier. They found a bench closer to shore where they were in less danger of being snagged by a fisherman’s line and sat down, turning their faces up to the sun as waves crashed below them.

“This feels so good,” Meg murmured. “I almost feel human again.”

Gabi understood exactly how she felt. “I can’t imagine why I haven’t done this more often. I suppose it’s because this pier hadn’t been built when I was here for the summers I spent with Cora Jane, and after construction was completed, I was in and out of town too quickly to drive over and just plain relax like this.”

“I honestly think I can feel my body unwinding,” Meg said, then took a sip of water. She turned to Gabi, a grin on her face. “By the way, I’ve been wondering when I was going to see you.”

“Oh?” Gabi said, perplexed by the knowing glint in Meg’s eyes.

“Oops!” Meg said, her expression guilty. “Maybe I’m getting ahead of myself. Why don’t you tell me why you wanted to see me?”

“Last night I was talking to Wade about an idea he had,” Gabi began. As Meg’s smiled broadened, she guessed, “You already know, don’t you?”

“Wade mentioned it to Sally, but swore her to secrecy. She mentioned it to me, then swore me to secrecy. As you can see, I’m far better at secrets than she is, because I haven’t said a word to a soul.” At Gabi’s lifted brow, she added, “Okay, maybe because it was only last night when Sally filled me in.”

“So, what do you think?” she asked Meg.

“I love the concept,” Meg said readily.

“You’re not against the competition?” Gabi asked.

“Why would I be? I don’t view it that way. People who come here to visit a place like that will fall in love with some of the shops already here, as well. I think it will be a win-win for all of us, especially if you’re spending all the money and time on advertising and PR. It’s one more way to sell the area as a destination.”

Gabi grinned, finally allowing her excitement full rein. “I was really hoping you’d feel that way.”

“Then you’re intrigued by the concept?” Meg asked. “You might agree to do it?”

“I have a lot of thinking still to do, but I definitely think I’m more suited to doing something like this than I was to making wind chimes, much as I might love them.”

“And how does Wade fit into this decision, if you don’t mind me asking?”

Gabi thought carefully before answering. “I think working closely with him will be great.”

Meg rolled her eyes. “Definitely not what I was asking.”

Gabi laughed. “I know, and if I had an answer to your real question, I’d tell you. The good news, though, is that this project could give us time to figure things out. It takes off the pressure.”

“Does he know you’re giving this serious consideration?”

“Of course. I promised him I would.”

“Have you considered how it would work? Would the artists own it? Would you? Who’s going to find the right location? Rent the spaces?”

“All things on my list to discuss with Wade and figure out,” Gabi said. “Any thoughts?”

“Well, as much as I like the idea of something owned by the artists, I have a hunch it would be impossible to get them to agree on which toilet paper to stock, much less the big decisions. My gut tells me, if you have the financial capability, you ought to start this as your own business and simply let them rent spaces to show their works or studios where they could do their painting, sculpting or whatever. If you also run the gallery, that would entitle you to a cut of sales, as well.”

“Good points,” Gabi said. “I can understand how operating this kind of business by committee could be tricky. Wade and Sally are both reasonable people with some business background, but I suspect there are artists who aren’t especially business oriented.”

“Oh, honey, you have no idea,” Meg said. “They walk through the door of my shop all the time with the most outrageous ideas about pricing. If some of them had their way, I’d sell their pieces without taking any cut at all. If they won’t listen to reason, I send them away, even if I’d kill to have something of theirs on display. If you can deal with them, more power to you.”

Meg turned to study her. “Have I scared you to death with all these warnings about artistic egos?”

“Not at all,” Gabi assured her. “I’m actually getting excited. All these ideas are starting to bounce around in my head. I’ll sit down later and try to organize them into some sort of plan. In the meantime, what’s going on with you? How’s your daughter?”

Meg immediately frowned. “Now you’ve gone and spoiled my hard-won serenity,” she said with a dramatic sigh. “I swear that girl could test the patience of a saint. When she’s not dragging home the most inappropriate boys in her class just to torment me, she’s not coming home at all and I get to spend my evening tracking her down. She must think I’m part bloodhound, because she makes it all but impossible. When I finally do corner her, she acts like my sole goal is to ruin her life.”

“You’re making me start to wish I were having a boy,” Gabi admitted.

“I don’t know that they’re any less of a worry, just different,” Meg said. “I talk to other moms, and we all seem to be at the same stage, praying that we can get through the teen years with our kids in one piece and preferably not in jail.”

Gabi thought of Jimmy and how different he was from the teens Meg was describing. “Do you know Jimmy Templeton? He graduated last year. He wasn’t able to go to college because his family needed him here, but he’s mature, responsible and smart, not at all like what you’re describing. Of course, maybe he cleans up his act around Wade and me, but we both like him a lot. In fact, my dad’s trying to help him get a scholarship.”

“The name’s not familiar, but I’m a comparative newcomer to the area and Analeigh’s a couple of years younger. She’s a junior this year.”

“One of these days when the weather’s warmer, maybe I’ll throw a barbecue at Cora Jane’s and invite Jimmy and you guys. I think he could be a good influence. I’m not suggesting a blind date, just that he’s the sort of responsible kid that might offer her a different perspective.”

“I’m ready to try anything,” Meg said with evident frustration. “I’m certainly not getting through to her. I thought it would be easier here, but I guess kids are kids wherever they are, and if the opportunities for getting into trouble exist, any kid can find them.” She gave Gabi a chagrined look. “Please don’t get me wrong. She’s not a terrible kid. She’s just testing the limits and my last shred of patience.”

Gabi regarded her with sympathy. “Something tells me one of these days you’ll look back on this period and laugh about it, especially when she’s all grown up and turns out to be just like her mom.”

“I’m not entirely buying that, but I live to be proved wrong,” Meg said, her tone heartfelt. “And now I’m starved. Do you still have time to grab a late lunch?”

“Absolutely. Breakfast was a very long time ago. Baby and I are more than ready for a big juicy burger, though I will probably settle for a nice healthy salad.”

“Good thing,” Meg said, “since I intend to take you to a cute little vegetarian place run by a friend of mine. You’re not going to find any burgers on the menu, but the food is excellent and healthy.”

“Lead me to it,” Gabi said, following her back to the car.

A glance in the car’s mirror showed her with bright patches of color in her cheeks and windblown hair, but she felt better than she had since arriving at Cora Jane’s. She finally had a plan for the future that made real sense, one that she could envision turning into that fulfilling career she truly wanted. That it blended her professional talents and the artistic leanings of her heart made it even better.

As for Wade and what might be ahead for the two of them, well, that might be coming together, too. She just had to get past these nagging doubts that she was filling in for the woman he’d lost.