Wind Chime Point

21



“I don’t like it,” Cora Jane said when Gabi had filled her, Jerry and Wade in on the reason behind Paul’s visit. “You may have gotten rid of him just now, Gabriella, but the fact that he came here in the first place strikes me as a red flag. Who knows when he’ll have second thoughts again? Maybe decide he can’t live without you?”

“Not a consideration,” Gabi said flatly.

“Okay, then, can’t live without claiming his daughter,” Cora Jane said. “It’s impossible to know what motivates a man who’s used to getting whatever he wants. He could decide being a family man would be an excellent career move.”

“I agree,” Wade said as he set a platter of burgers on the kitchen table that Cora Jane had set. “You need legal advice, Gabi. Talk to Louise. If this is beyond her expertise, she can at least point you toward someone who can make sure you and the baby are protected.”

Though Gabi wanted to believe they were both overreacting, she couldn’t deny that it would be smart to make sure the law was on her side. “I’ll talk to Louise,” she promised. “But could we drop this for tonight? I don’t want to get indigestion. I’ve been looking forward to this cheeseburger for days.”

Jerry put his big, comforting hand over hers. “Put this out of your mind. Something tells me that man came here just to swagger around with his big demands, so he could silence some last shred of conscience that’s been bugging him.”

Gabi smiled at Jerry’s insight. “See, that’s why I love you. You saw what I saw.”

“The man might be an arrogant jerk, but he can still cause trouble,” Wade cautioned them both.

“Which is why I will see Louise,” Gabi stressed again. “Now, enough!”

“Okay, on to happier things,” Cora Jane said with determined cheer. “Your sister called. Samantha was hoping to talk to you.”

Gabi frowned. “Is everything okay?”

“I said happier things, didn’t I? It seems those little items you managed to plant in a couple of gossip columns started some buzz in the right places. She has three auditions this week. One of them is for a recurring character on a prime-time show being shot in New York.”

“That’s fantastic,” Gabi said, jumping up and getting her phone. “I need to call her back. I want to hear every detail.”

Wade touched her arm. “After you’ve eaten,” he said quietly. “You were starving when we headed over here and, thanks to Paul’s impromptu visit, that was a couple of hours ago.”

Her initial reaction was to chafe at being told what to do, but the real concern in his eyes kept her silent. She sat back down and took another bite of the perfectly cooked cheeseburger before meeting his gaze.

“You do know that if this weren’t so delicious, I’d have ignored you,” she told him.

He laughed. “Absolutely, but I had to try. Sometimes you forget you’re not the only one you need to think about.”

Cora Jane smiled as she listened to him. “You’re going to be a wonderful husband and father, Wade.”

Gabi nearly choked on her food. After clearing her throat, she started to say something, but her grandmother silenced her with a look.

“I’m just saying what I think about Wade,” Cora Jane said firmly. “I didn’t say a thing about you.”

Wade chuckled. “That’s right. Who knows how many women might recognize these extraordinary skills of mine and vie for the chance to march me straight to the altar?”

Though he was joking, his words gave Gabi a pang. She didn’t want some other woman being the beneficiary of his tenderness and caring. And yet that was exactly what she was risking by dragging her heels and not jumping into the relationship he so clearly wanted with her.

She dared to touch his cheek, even knowing it was an open declaration in front of Cora Jane and Jerry. “All those women,” she said solemnly, “they’ll have to fight me off first.”

Cora Jane gave an immediate whoop at her comment, but it was the stunned expression in Wade’s eyes that really got to her.

“You okay with that?” she asked, even as she wondered if she’d gone too far, too fast—not for his peace of mind, but for hers. Sure, she’d had an epiphany just now when she’d stacked Wade’s attributes up against Paul’s less than stellar character, but she hadn’t envisioned leaping into a full-blown relationship just yet.

Wade’s smile spread slowly. “More than okay, darlin’. More than okay.”

Then, she thought as relief spread through her, she was more than okay, too.

* * *



Wade all but dragged Gabi out of the house after dinner and headed straight for the pier at the edge of the yard, either looking for privacy or with the intent of shoving her into the chilly water.

“If you suddenly intend to have your way with me, I have to tell you this is not the best place,” Gabi told him, amused by his eagerness to get her alone. “This old, weathered wood has splinters and the bench isn’t much better.”

He gestured for her to sit, then began to pace. When he continued to say nothing, she grew concerned. Had she gone too far earlier? Had she inadvertently turned a game into something too serious?

“Something on your mind, Wade?”

He slowed then and looked directly into her eyes. “What was going on in there earlier?”

“Going on?” she asked, though she knew perfectly well what he meant. She needed to buy time, scrambling to protect these fragile new emotions she’d only tonight recognized for what they were—a prelude to solid, enduring love, the kind she’d never allowed herself to imagine finding.

“Have you suddenly decided you’re ready for a relationship?” he asked, as if he couldn’t quite believe it was a real possibility.

“Yes,” she said at once, then tempered her response in the interest of complete candor. “More or less.”

“Now that’s reassuring,” he said dryly. “Exactly what every man dreams of hearing. So, was this sudden decision because of Paul’s unexpected visit? Are you starting to think if you and I get serious, we can present a united front to a judge or something?”

Gabi stared at him in dismay. “Are you crazy? That never crossed my mind. Paul has nothing to do with this. Well, other than the fact that he made me see what an incredible man you are. I believe Jerry’s right. He came over here, postured for a bit, and will never be seen or heard from again.”

“Then that leaves what? You can’t tell me you had a sudden epiphany over burgers and decided you were madly in love with me.”

Gabi knew she shouldn’t, because he was so obviously worked up over this, but she smiled. “Maybe I did,” she said softly. “Not because you made a great burger, though.”

His gaze narrowed. “Why, then?”

Since it was her fault they’d ventured into previously forbidden emotional territory, she owed him honesty. It was hard to admit, though, that she’d been half-crazy with jealousy there for a minute.

“Was it because I mentioned all those other women?” he asked, looking bemused by the possibility that an innocent remark had accomplished what all his other efforts had failed to do. “Did I make you jealous, Gabriella?”

Gabi sighed. There it was. “A little, yes,” she said, then added hurriedly, “but it was Paul who clinched it. You probably owe him.”

Wade didn’t look especially pleased by that. “How so?” he asked, his expression dark.

“I finally saw him for who he really is tonight. It made me realize what a close call I’d had and how incredibly lucky I am to have found you. And then you went and mentioned all those other women recognizing what a catch you are.” Blushing, she admitted, “It kind of freaked me out.”

He stared at her, his expression incredulous. “You really were jealous? Of women who don’t exist?”

“Maybe just a little,” she said. “I just knew I didn’t want you to be with those women.”

His lips quirked at that. “Really? You think I should be with you?”

“Yes, at least compared to them, if that makes any sense.”

His laugh carried over the water. “It does make a crazy kind of sense if a woman is crazy in love and just starting to figure it out. Any possibility that could be the case?”

Though she hated confessing the unexpected turn her emotions had apparently taken, she nodded. “Could be.”

Now his whoop mirrored Cora Jane’s earlier.

“You don’t have to get arrogant and smug about it,” she grumbled. “It’s still not a sure thing. I think pregnancy has used up a lot of my brain cells. I might not be thinking clearly.”

“Oh, but you are,” he said confidently. “There is no turning back now, Gabriella.”

He pulled her up and into his arms, seemingly oblivious to the very evident reminder that she had belonged to another man not that long ago. This time when he kissed her, she held back nothing. And despite the dizzying sensation that caused, she knew one thing with absolute certainty. She’d never been in safer, more loving arms.

* * *



“I’m telling you this situation has the potential to get really ugly,” Louise told Wade when he stopped by her house the day after he and Gabi had finally, inevitably declared themselves to be a couple.

“Obviously Gabi filled you in on what the baby’s father had to say when he turned up here yesterday,” Wade said, taking a sip of sweet tea.

“Yes, and it scares me to death. He’s unpredictable, Wade.”

“Don’t you think you can fight him and win?” Wade asked her, worried on Gabi’s behalf. “Can he rescind that piece of paper he signed?”

“He could certainly try and, in the right circumstances, he just might win. I’m not saying he could take custody from her, but he could definitely win visitation with his child unless there’s some overwhelming reason to declare him unfit.”

“And that’s what you told Gabi?” he said, regretting he hadn’t gone to Cora Jane’s looking for her, rather than stopping off here first. She must be freaking out.

Louise nodded. “I also told her she might be wise to grant him limited visitation, rather than trying to cut him out of the baby’s life. It would be one thing if she wanted to put the baby up for adoption and give her a clean start, free from ties to her birth parents, but now that she intends to keep the baby, it’s a whole new ball game.”

“Lou, you didn’t see this guy. He wasn’t over here throwing his weight around because he gives two hoots for that baby. Whatever his motivation, it wasn’t about love for his child. If someone told him he had to care for a child, I can almost guarantee he’d pass out cold...or hire a nanny so he never had to set eyes on the kid.”

“That doesn’t necessarily make him a bad father figure. After all, single fathers do work. So do single moms. Or even married couples who both work. They all have to make responsible arrangements for their children.”

He frowned at her. “Whose side are you on?”

“Yours, at the moment. If Gabi actually hires me, I’ll be on hers, of course.”

“I’m not the one who needs a lawyer,” he reminded her.

“No, but you do need someone looking out for your interests. You’re getting more invested in this woman and this baby by the minute.”

“No news there,” he said, seeing no reason to debate the point. “In fact, when the timing is right, I have every intention of marrying her and treating this child as if it’s my own.”

Louise’s expression turned sad. “That’s what I’m worried about. The baby isn’t yours, Wade. This little girl belongs to another man, who could claim at any moment that he wants a role in the baby’s life. It’s not like it was with Kayla where the dad was completely out of the picture.”

He scowled at her. “Do you think I’m too stupid to figure out the difference?”

“Of course not. I just know what a soft heart you have. I don’t want it broken again.”

Despite his frustration, Wade smiled at the fiercely protective note in her voice. “Aren’t you the one who once made a speech to our folks about being allowed to make your own mistakes, that it’s part of being an adult?”

She smiled ruefully. “Well, yes, but that was me. This is you. I want so badly for you to be happy and to have everything you deserve.”

“And Gabi’s the woman who can accomplish both of those things,” he assured her. “I know it, Lou. That’s not to say there won’t be bumps in the road. They’re part of life. And maybe Paul will turn out to be the biggest, pain-in-the-ass pothole of all, but it doesn’t scare me. The only thing that scares me is the thought of losing Gabi.”

Louise regarded him with surprise. Obviously she hadn’t been prepared for such an ardent declaration. “You really are in love with her, aren’t you?”

“Head over heels,” he confirmed.

She nodded slowly. Though there was still worry in her eyes, she said, “Then we’ll do whatever it takes to minimize the damage this man can do to her, the baby and to you.”

“Thank you.”

And if worse came to worst and Gabi had to share custody with Paul, he’d find some way to make that work out for all of them, too. After all, if Gabi had once had feelings for him, misguided though they might have been, surely Paul couldn’t be all bad.

* * *



It was a surprisingly warm day, even for mid-March, so Wade had left the garage door rolled up while he worked on his latest carving, a blue heron made from the last piece of driftwood he’d found washed up on shore. He heard a car slow, then stop outside. When he glanced up and saw Sam Castle standing in the doorway, his jaw dropped.

“Hello, sir,” he said, unable to keep a note of caution from his voice. “What brings you by? Gabi didn’t mention you were coming for a visit.”

“She doesn’t know I’m here,” Sam said, walking in without an invitation and wandering through Wade’s studio. After pausing to study several carvings, he stopped beside Wade. “I thought we should talk.”

Wade frowned at his somber tone. “About?”

“Gabriella and this insane notion she’s gotten in her head about making wind chimes. I’ve tried talking sense into her, but she’s not listening. I have a feeling you’re behind that.”

“I think you’re wrong about that,” Wade said. “I haven’t tried to influence her. And you’re not entirely up-to-date. She actually has new plans.”

Sam’s expression brightened. “She’s coming back to Raleigh?”

“No, sir, but you’ll need to ask her to fill you in.”

“But the bottom line is you want her to keep hanging around over here so she’ll be close by, don’t you? I’ve seen the way you look at her.”

“If you’re suggesting I’m attracted to her, then yes. If you’re saying you think I’d try to keep her away from doing anything she wants to do wherever she wants to do it because of that, you’re flat-out wrong. I just want her to be happy. She wasn’t happy when she got here. I don’t think she’d been happy for a long time.”

Sam looked surprised by that. “She loved that job. She excelled at it.”

“And it was killing her,” Wade countered. “You know why? Because she’d worked so hard for so long, all to impress you, and it never worked.”

“But I was proud of her,” Sam said, clearly shaken by Wade’s direct, uncensored words.

“And you told her that frequently? Ever?”

The older man looked chagrined. “No.”

Wade nodded. “That’s what I thought.”

“All of that’s beside the point,” Sam argued. “She’s too good at what she does to be wasting her talent trying to be some kind of artist. Who does that?”

Wade made a pointed survey of his workshop. “Well, I do, for one.”

Sam looked vaguely taken aback. “You make your livelihood from this?”

“This and custom cabinetry,” Wade told him. “Last year I earned more as an artist than I did from the cabinet work.”

“But you haven’t walked away from your nuts-and-bolts job, have you?” Sam asked, his expression triumphant. “That’s all I’m saying. If Gabi wants to do this as a hobby, more power to her. But she shouldn’t walk away from a lucrative career to dabble, especially not now with a baby on the way.”

“Sir, no disrespect, but Gabi has a very good head on her shoulders. You should know that. It’s why she’s made some changes in her plans. I’m sure she’s considered this new goal from every angle. Give her some credit.”

Her father regarded him with frustration. “You’re not going to help me make her see sense?”

“Not if your idea of sense is to go back to the life she was leading before, which was sapping all the energy out of her.”

“I should have known,” Sam said, shaking his head. “You’re living in a dreamworld, the same as she is. My mother’s no better. I’m sure she’s had a hand in persuading Gabriella to stay in Sand Castle Bay. Nothing would please her more than to hand off that albatross of a restaurant to one of the girls.”

“You’re wrong again,” Wade said. “Cora Jane has made it plain that she would love having Gabi and the baby close by, but she hasn’t once tried to influence her. Rather, she’s been supportive of Gabi finding her own way. That’s what I’ve tried to do, as well.”

Sam ran his fingers through his hair. “Gabi was the most ambitious of all my girls, the most like me. I just can’t see how she could make such a radical change without being pressured.”

“Well, I can assure you that she hasn’t been,” Wade told him. “And since you came to me, I feel there’s one thing I’m entitled to say. It seems a little late for you to decide to play the all-knowing daddy. There were a lot of years when she needed that from you and didn’t get it.”

Sam flushed at the harsh words, but rather than lashing back, he merely nodded. “I’m trying to make up for that now,” he said simply.

“Then a word of advice,” Wade said. “Focus on what Gabi wants and needs, not what you think is best for her. That’s all I’ve tried to do. I’ve just encouraged her to explore her options. I haven’t once told her what she ought to do.” He held the older man’s gaze. “Just a thought.”

He wondered, though, if a man with Sam Castle’s success and arrogance was capable of leaving Gabi free to make her own choices and her own mistakes.

“There’s something else we need to talk about,” Sam said.

Something in his tone alerted Wade that this could be an even touchier topic. Only one subject he could think of fell into that category.

“Is this about Jimmy?”

Sam nodded, his expression filled with regret. “He’s not getting the scholarship. He was on the short list and I lobbied for him, but there were just too many candidates with sterling credentials. The committee had to make a tough decision, and Jimmy didn’t make the cut.”

Wade heaved a sigh. Though the news wasn’t entirely unexpected, it was disappointing. “He’s going to be devastated.”

“I know,” Sam said. “I’ve had a couple of conversations with him recently, so I know how much he was counting on this. I tried to keep him from getting his hopes too high, but at that age, it’s hard to accept that rejection is a possibility.”

“He knew,” Wade said. “He discussed it with me. He was afraid that not hearing anything meant he wasn’t going to get it. He’s prepared for bad news.”

Sam looked skeptical. “You ever known a nineteen-year-old kid who’s really prepared for bad news, especially news that’s going to ruin his chances at the bright future he deserves?”

“Jimmy’s taken a lot of hits in his young life. He may be more prepared than most,” Wade said.

“In a way, that’s what makes this even harder. The kid could use a break,” Sam said, sounding genuinely dismayed. “It’s killing me that the news isn’t what we’d hoped for. Though I wanted to talk to you about Gabriella, I also wanted to drive over here today so I could talk to Jimmy in person. I didn’t want this news coming from somebody he’s never even spoken to before.”

Wade regarded him with surprise. “That’s very kind of you.”

Sam shrugged. “I’ll admit it, the boy got to me. He reminds me of someone else—me when I was his age. Gabi mentioned it herself when she first told me about him.” He met Wade’s gaze. “Which is why I want to fund his education myself.”

The statement left Wade openmouthed with shock. “You’d pay for him to go to college? Why?”

“Because he deserves this chance, and I have the means to give it to him. I know I wasn’t always the best father to my girls, but I have an opportunity to help this boy. Maybe that’ll make up for some of the things I didn’t do in the past. A little karmic balance or whatever they call it.”

Wade smiled hearing Sam Castle, a man dedicated to scientific pursuits, talking about karma.

“Now, here’s the big question,” Sam said. “Do I tell him I’m behind this or let him think he won the scholarship or even just tell him I’ve found a different scholarship for his education.”

“You tell him the truth,” Wade replied without hesitation. “Not so you can take the credit for saving the day, but because the truth will eventually come out, and he needs to know it now, from you. What you’re doing is incredibly generous. He should know that.”

“Okay, that’s the quick, easy answer and I agree on almost every level,” Sam said, “but you know this family. You know Jimmy. Are they going to think it’s charity and dismiss it out of hand?”

Well, hell, Wade thought, surprised by Sam’s perceptiveness. That was a real concern. He gave it the consideration it deserved.

“I think it depends on how you handle it,” he said eventually. “Give Jimmy the option of paying you back.”

“I don’t want his money,” Sam protested. “I don’t want him to leave school saddled with debt.”

“Not even if that’s the only way he’ll accept the offer?” Wade asked. “Run this by Gabi, but I think I’m right. I think this is the only way Jimmy will accept your help.” He smiled. “Of course, when the time comes and he’s some rising superstar in the biomedical field, you can always turn down the payments he sends you or put them into a scholarship for another young student who shows promise.”

Sam grinned. “I like the way you think. That’s what I’ll do. I think I’ll call my mother and see if we can pull together a little gathering at the house for tonight. We’ll turn this into a celebration. You’ll be there, of course.”

“I wouldn’t miss it,” Wade told him. Not only did he want to see Jimmy’s face when he got the news, but he wanted to be there in case Sam decided to start something with Gabi over her decision to stay here on the coast.

“By the way, sir, before you go, there’s something I need to discuss with you,” Wade said impulsively, hoping this would be the most persuasive argument yet against Sam trying to get Gabi back to Raleigh. “From what you said earlier, it’s clear you already have some idea that I’m in love with your daughter.”

To his surprise, Sam actually looked taken aback. “I knew you were close, but this hardly seems the time...”

“Which is why I haven’t pushed her too hard,” Wade agreed. “But I do plan to ask her to marry me when the time is right. I’d like your blessing for that. I also thought you might find it reassuring to know she wouldn’t be giving up everything to stay here. She might be gaining more than she loses.”

For an instant, Wade thought Sam might argue, but then a smile spread across his face. “I have the feeling you’re absolutely right about that,” he said. “I may not know you well, young man, but I like what I’ve seen. I like how you’re looking out for my daughter and for Jimmy and even my mother. I doubt I’ll have any say over whatever decision Gabi makes, but I think she’d be doing just fine if she does choose you.”

For a visit that had begun on a contentious note, Wade thought it had turned out pretty well. Of course, he might be busy lining up all his ducks, but he had a hunch Gabi was still a long way from being ready to align hers in the same row.