Wind Chime Point

9



Cora Jane had heard all about Gabriella’s dilemma from Emily, but at the moment she had another crisis to deal with. She wanted to do what she could to see to it that there were no obstacles standing in Jimmy Templeton’s way should he win that scholarship. If that gave her a chance to size up Ethan Cole and make sure he was the right man for Samantha, so much the better.

What she truly wanted was to see the two of them together, but when she’d suggested to Samantha that she accompany her to the clinic, her granddaughter had begged off as if she’d rather eat dirt. She’d been so adamant in her response, Cora Jane knew she was definitely on to something, at least on Samantha’s side. Rumors of that old crush hadn’t been exaggerated.

“Well, she certainly shot you down,” Jerry said, regarding Cora Jane with amusement as Samantha all but ran from Castle’s.

Cora Jane chuckled happily. “She did, didn’t she?”

“Which makes you more determined than ever, I’m sure,” he said, then gestured toward the bowl of crab soup in front of her. “Finish that, or you’re not going anywhere. You need sustenance if you’re going to do all this meddling.”

She ate a bit more of the soup to wipe the concerned frown off Jerry’s face, then said, “I haven’t been wrong so far, have I? Emily and Boone will be married by summertime. Gabi and Wade are getting closer.”

“Both of those things might have happened even if you’d stayed out of it,” Jerry suggested.

“You tell me how. With all that bad blood between them, Emily and Boone were almost never in the same city, much less the same room. Gabi and Wade had never once crossed paths till I brought them together,” she said, then amended, “Well, I did have a little help from Boone with that, albeit unwitting help. He had no idea what I was really up to, at least not at first.”

Jerry held up his hands. “I stand corrected. You’re a master puppeteer. And now you have a new mission.”

“Two, as a matter of fact. I need to get Ethan on board with helping out Jimmy’s father with his rehab.” She pushed aside the remainder of the soup, ignoring Jerry’s disapproval. “I should get over to the clinic before he leaves. I want to catch him today.”

Jerry heaved a resigned sigh. “Okay, then, let’s go.”

She regarded him with surprise. “You’re coming, too?”

“How are you going to get there if I don’t? I drove you in to work this morning, and Samantha just left with your car.” He gave her a worried look. “You didn’t forget all that, did you?”

“Oh, stop with your worrying. My memory’s fine. I just have too much on my mind.”

“Of course you do,” he said wryly. “All these sneaky shenanigans of yours take up a lot of brain space.”

She gave him a look that would have daunted a lesser man. He only smiled, even as she warned, “If you’re not prepared to help, you can wait in the parking lot.”

“Believe me, I can’t wait to see how you manipulate this situation,” he retorted. “I’ll be right by your side.”

She wasn’t sure that was the attitude adjustment she’d hoped for, but it would have to do. “That’s good, then. It’ll be good to have your impressions of Ethan. I know he’s a fine man and a fine doctor, but is he the right one for Samantha?”

“You’re admitting to doubts?” he said, his expression incredulous.

“I’m admitting it won’t hurt to have a man’s perspective. A lot’s happened to Ethan. The injury he suffered serving in Afghanistan could have left scars far beyond the physical ones.”

“He lost a leg, Cora Jane. He’s entitled to a few bitter moments.”

“I know that. I also know he hasn’t been seeing anyone since his fiancée left him. Could be there’s a reason for that. Maybe he’s too bitter for a relationship. That’s not what I want for Samantha. I know she comes across as confident and sure of herself, but she’s an actress, after all. That’s what she wants people to see. She’s taken a lot of hits, things haven’t always gone the way she wanted them to. She needs a man who’s strong and compassionate, not one who’ll drag her down.”

Jerry nodded. “I’ll be sure to take along my checklist.”

Cora Jane frowned at him. “You’re not taking this seriously enough.”

“How can I? Falling in love is not an exact science. Lord knows if it were, I’d have picked someone a whole lot easier and less complicated than you.”

Despite the very evident frustration in his voice, Cora Jane chuckled. “Maybe so, but you’re stuck with me now.”

He put his arm around her shoulders and pressed a warm kiss to her cheek. “I surely am.”

To her shock and immense satisfaction, it didn’t really sound as if he were complaining.

* * *



As soon as Cora Jane explained the situation with the Templetons and the opportunity that might be coming Jimmy’s way, Ethan jumped on board without a single instant of hesitation.

“I’ll see that Rory gets the rehab he needs,” he promised. “And we’ll work out payments he can live with. If this accident happened on the job, shouldn’t workmen’s comp have kicked in?”

Cora Jane shrugged. “I honestly don’t know the details. I just know that he hasn’t been able to do the rehab, so going back to work has been out of the question. Whatever income he has these days, it’s not nearly enough. Jimmy’s been doing his part to keep the family afloat financially, but his heart’s in this biomedical research the way my Sam’s is. You should have heard the two of them. I swear that boy was as up-to-date on the latest journal articles as Sam was.”

Ethan grinned. “He sounds like an amazing kid. I’m happy to do whatever I can to help.”

Cora Jane beamed. “I just knew I could count on you, Ethan. You were great when we brought B.J. in here after he’d cut himself, and Boone has always spoken so highly of you.”

“Boone’s a good friend,” Ethan said, regarding her suspiciously as if he feared where she might be heading.

“I’m real pleased that he and Emily have finally worked things out,” Cora Jane said.

Ethan merely nodded, clearly waiting to see what she really had on her mind.

“And you? I was real sorry to hear about you and your fiancée. She wasn’t a local girl, was she?”

“No, we met in college. She was from Durham.”

There was no mistaking the icy tone that accompanied the terse response.

“And you’re not involved with anyone at the moment?”

A surprising smile tugged at Ethan’s lips. “Cora Jane, where are you going with this? My social life isn’t really any of your concern.”

“I just hate to see a handsome professional man sitting on the sidelines,” she said easily.

“I’m perfectly comfortable on the sidelines, thank you.” He gave her a pointed look. “And I know all about your tendency to meddle. Boone has filled me in. If you’re even thinking about getting involved in my life, don’t.”

Beside her, Jerry chuckled. “I think that’s clear enough, Cora Jane. Let’s go before he decides that helping Rory Templeton is going to come at too big a price.”

“One thing has nothing to do with the other,” she said indignantly, then studied Ethan worriedly. “You know that, right?”

“I know that. Don’t worry. Rory will get his rehab.”

Cora Jane gave a satisfied nod. “Okay, then. We’ll be on our way. Stop by the house sometime, Ethan. We’d love to see you. Or come by Castle’s, maybe for lunch one day. It’ll be my treat.”

“That’s a generous offer, Cora Jane. Maybe I will.”

As she and Jerry walked back to his truck, she allowed herself a smug smile. “That went well,” she said.

Jerry didn’t seem nearly as certain of that. “You really think so?”

“Well, of course it did. He’s going to help Rory, and one of these days he’ll drop into Castle’s. I’ll make sure Samantha waits on him, and we’ll be off to the races.”

Jerry shook his head. “Darlin’, I love your optimism, but that man is not going to set foot in Castle’s unless he comes with an armed guard. He knows what you’re up to.”

She faltered ever so slightly at his conviction. “You think so?”

“Oh, he may not know you have Samantha in mind, but he knows you have someone waiting in the wings. He wants no part of your scheme. He made that plain.”

“But he’d be perfect for Samantha. Don’t you think so? He’s a fine man. Steady and honorable. Quick to lend a hand.”

“And not looking for a serious relationship,” Jerry reminded her.

Cora Jane waved off the comment. “No man thinks he wants a serious relationship until the right one comes along,” she said confidently.

Jerry sighed heavily. “No matter what I say, you’re not going to let this go, are you?”

“Of course not. I intend to see all my girls happily settled.”

“And yourself?” he asked. “What do you want for you?”

She linked her arm through his. “I already have everything I need.”

He gave her a tolerant look filled with unmistakable devotion. “Good answer, my darlin’. Good answer.”

* * *



When Wade finally dropped Gabi off at Cora Jane’s, the house was dark even though there was a car in the driveway.

“Samantha? Grandmother?” Gabi shouted as she started inside, flipping on the kitchen light.

“Out here,” Samantha responded.

Gabi glanced across the porch and saw her sister settled into a rocker with what looked to be a margarita in hand.

“Uh-oh, bad day?” Gabi asked.

“Nothing that unusual,” Samantha said, her voice filled with resignation. “I was up for a part in a series pilot being shot in New York. I didn’t get it.”

“Oh, Sam, I’m sorry,” Gabi said, worried by her sister’s dejected tone. “There will be other parts.”

“Do you know how many times I’ve had to tell myself that?” Samantha asked. “It’s wearing pretty thin.”

“But you can’t give up,” Gabi told her. “Acting was always your dream.”

“But when do I accept that my career isn’t really going to get off the ground? I’ve been a working actress, sure, but I’ve spent more time waiting tables, bartending and being a hostess in a restaurant than I have actually acting. That’s not what I signed on for. Maybe it’s time to call it a day.”

“And do what?” Gabi said, working to hide her shock.

Samantha laughed, but it was definitely forced. “Now that is the million-dollar question.” She glanced at Gabi, then lifted her drink. “I hear your day was about as confusing as mine.”

“You heard about Dad and my job?”

Samantha nodded. “I did. What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to turn it down,” Gabi said.

Samantha sat up a little straighter. “Seriously? Won’t Dad go ballistic?”

“More than likely.”

“When do you plan to tell him? I’m guessing you haven’t, because you don’t have that shell-shocked look that comes from having him cut you into little pieces for not living up to expectations.”

“I haven’t quite worked up the courage,” she admitted.

“Is that because you’re not sure you’re making the right decision?”

Gabi shook her head. “No, I’m sure about this. I just don’t know if I’m ready for all the aggravation, especially when for a few shining hours the other day, Dad was on my side.”

“That was definitely a long-awaited Hallmark moment,” Samantha agreed.

Gabi glanced over at her. “We’re quite a pair, aren’t we?”

“Indeed,” Samantha said. “At least Emily seems to have her future all mapped out. She’s got the job of her dreams out in Los Angeles, and Boone found a way to drop everything here and be right there with her.”

“Boone’s a rare man,” Gabi said.

“So’s Wade,” Samantha said slyly.

Gabi nodded. “Yes, he is.”

Samantha’s eyes widened. “Wow! No argument?”

“How could I argue with that? He was there for me this afternoon. Amazingly, he never once pushed me to do what he wanted. He just poked and prodded till I figured out what I wanted.”

“How do you see this playing out?” Samantha asked. “Between you and Wade?”

“It is way too soon to even think about that,” Gabi said. “Maybe I know that going back to my old job is not the answer for me, but the rest of it?” She shrugged. “Not a clue. And until I have my life under control, I can’t even think about dragging anyone else into it. The only other human being I have to consider right this second is my baby. Deciding what to do for my child has to be a top priority.”

“So, you’re still considering adoption?” Samantha asked, her tone surprisingly neutral given her past opposition to the idea.

“It just makes so much sense under the circumstances,” Gabi said, but even she could tell there was no enthusiasm for it in her voice.

Samantha reached over and touched her arm, then waited until Gabi met her gaze. “But you want to keep the baby, don’t you?”

Tears filled Gabi’s eyes as her hand instinctively covered her belly. “Yeah, I do.”

“Then do it,” Samantha urged. “You can handle being a single mom, Gabi. You’ll have the whole family’s support, and something tells me you’ll have Wade’s if you want it.”

Gabi held up a hand. “It’s not fair for me to rely on him. It’s just not. Maybe later, once I have my own life under control—”

Samantha interrupted. “Is Wade going to stand by patiently while you get to that point?”

Gabi admitted to herself that she’d wondered the same thing. To Samantha she said only, “I guess we’ll see.”

“How do you feel about the possibility of losing him if it takes too long for you to figure things out?”

“I haven’t let myself think about that,” Gabi declared. “I have more than enough pressure to deal with as it is.”

But amazingly, for the first time, she could almost view that with excitement rather than dread. Perhaps it had taken closing the door firmly on the past to allow her to open the next one, which could lead to all the possibilities.

* * *



“Unca Wade, do you like that lady who was here with you?” Chelsea asked, her expression serious but not half as somber as Louise’s as she awaited his reply.

“Gabriella is a very good friend,” he confirmed, deliberately keeping his tone neutral.

Eight-year-old Bryce wandered into the living room with a can of soda. Not known for mincing words, he inquired, “How come Mommy doesn’t like her?”

Louise flushed at the comment. “Bryce Carter, I never said I didn’t like her,” she corrected hurriedly. “What I said was, I have some reservations about the situation.”

Wade had a hunch that his nephew had interpreted her remarks exactly right. “You do know that I’m a grown man who’s perfectly aware of the pros and cons of getting involved with a woman under these circumstances?” he said, holding his sister’s gaze.

“I’m not so sure of that,” she replied, her big-sister I-know-best frown firmly in place.

“I am,” he countered, lifting Chelsea into the air until she squealed. “You need to leave it alone.”

“How can I?”

“Find a way,” he said firmly, glancing from his niece to his sister. “And next time we’re all together, you might also find a way to lose the attitude. You made everyone uncomfortable on Sunday.”

Louise looked vaguely chagrined. “That’s what Zack said. Since he’s usually oblivious to the undercurrents in a room, I figured it must have been bad.”

“It was,” Wade confirmed. “Mother would have been appalled.”

Louise laughed. “Who are you kidding? Mother would have done a cross-examination that would make me look like a novice. Did you not hear her when I brought Zack home the first time? It’s a wonder the man ever asked me on another date.” She grinned. “Of course, the fact that he did earned him a huge number of points for courage in my book.”

Her expression sobered. “You do know I only want the best for you. I don’t want to see you hurt again. What happened with Kayla and the baby twisted you in knots.”

Wade sighed. He certainly couldn’t argue with that. And Louise didn’t even know all of it. If she did, she’d lock him in a closet until Gabi—and the danger she represented—left town.

Just then his cell phone rang. Caller ID showed it was Gabi. “I need to take this,” he said, setting Chelsea down, then walking out onto the deck.

“Hey, there,” he said quietly. “How are you doing? Any second thoughts?”

“None,” she admitted. “I think I’m a little shocked by that.”

He smiled. “And I think that just proves you made the right decision. Have you told anyone else yet?”

“Just Samantha.”

“And?”

“She agrees with you that I’m doing the right thing.”

“You do know it’s not about her approval or mine, though, right?”

“No, it’s about how it makes me feel, and I feel surprisingly good. Relieved, in fact. And excited. Maybe I needed this offer, maybe I needed the vindication that what happened was wrong, in order to move on.”

“That makes sense.”

“Are you in your workshop now?”

“No. I’m at Louise’s, spending time with the kids.”

“And your sister? Has she given you an earful about steering clear of me?”

“She’s tried,” he said. “I told her to butt out.”

“Maybe you should listen to her. I’m not exactly a great bet right now.”

“My decision, sweetheart. I’m not budging.” If the occasional second thoughts popped up, he’d just go right on tamping them down.

“I probably shouldn’t admit this, but I find that surprisingly reassuring.”

Wade chuckled. “Whoa! That may be the most encouraging thing I’ve ever heard you say. I think I’m getting a swelled head.”

Gabi chuckled, just as he’d intended.

“You probably shouldn’t let it go to your head,” she warned. “I seem to have a lot of very capricious mood swings. Who knows what tomorrow might bring?”

“I’ll take my chances. What’s on your agenda for the rest of the night? Are you going to call your father and break the news?”

“No, I thought I’d save that for morning. I’d like to get a good night’s sleep without his criticism echoing in my head.”

“Makes sense,” Wade said.

“What about you?”

“I’ll be here a little longer, then take off for home. I found this incredible piece of driftwood on the beach the other day. I want to figure out what’s inside it.”

“I assume you’re talking about the form it might take when you carve it, not that you expect to find treasure.”

“That is treasure,” he corrected. “If you were an artist, you’d understand.”

“I almost do,” she said, her tone turning thoughtful. “Way, way back I remember sitting on Grandmother’s porch with a set of paints she’d given me. I wonder if those paintings are still around here.” She laughed. “They were so awful.”

“You sure about that?” Wade asked. “How old were you?”

“Twelve, maybe thirteen, I think.”

“Maybe they were just the work of an untrained eye,” he suggested.

“And unskilled hands,” she countered. “I’m telling you, nothing I painted was recognizable. It was the most frustrating experience of my life.”

“So even then, you didn’t want to do something if it wasn’t perfect,” he said. “No allowances for trial and error?”

“Pretty much,” she agreed.

“Find the paintings,” he encouraged. “I want to see them.”

“No way. You’re a real artist. These were the childish works of a total amateur.”

“Every artist was an amateur the first time they drew something,” he said.

“I know what you’re trying to do,” she said accusingly. “But we’re not going to discover that I have some hidden talent as an artist, I can assure you of that.”

“Then let me ask you this,” he said. “How did you feel when you did those paintings?”

“Frustrated and annoyed,” she said without hesitation.

Wade laughed and gave up. So maybe she wasn’t going to discover that she could be another Grandma Moses. “I’d still like to see them.”

“Why?”

“Because I didn’t know you back then. It’ll give me a clue about what you were like.”

“You’d probably get more information from letting Cora Jane tell you stories about how I misbehaved.”

“Trust me, she’s already filled me in,” he admitted. “Just about the only thing your grandmother hasn’t done is show me a baby book with you lying there naked on a bearskin rug.”

“That picture doesn’t exist, thank God,” Gabi said. “But if you really want some insight into that era of my life, maybe I will let you look through one of my yearbooks sometime. Not sophomore year, though. I was pretty pathetic.”

“It’s hard to imagine you ever looking pathetic.”

“Imagine glasses, straight hair and acne. The epitome of a high school geek.”

“No way.”

“Oh, yes. I was a charmer. Samantha was the beautiful one. Emily was the bubbly one. I was the serious student dedicated to making my father proud, not that he noticed.”

“What changed?” he asked. “You said that was your sophomore year.”

“I met a boy, of course. He didn’t know I was alive, but thanks to Samantha’s efforts, I traded the glasses for contacts, got a decent haircut and with the help of a very skilled dermatologist my skin cleared up. I even went on a date or two, though never with the boy who’d caught my eye.”

“Was he here?” Wade asked, prepared to find him and cut his heart out.

“No, in Raleigh.” She fell silent. “You know, I think that was the best part of summer for me. When I was here, there was no pressure to be with a boy like there was in high school. I met plenty of them, of course, at the restaurant, but we hung out on the beach as a group. There was always a crowd. I never felt weird about not being paired off.”

“I’ll bet I would have fallen for you even back then,” Wade said.

She chuckled. “Maybe I should let you see that sophomore yearbook, after all. I doubt you’d be so sure of that then.”

“Try me,” he said.

“Maybe I will. Good night, Wade.”

“Talk to you tomorrow.”

As he disconnected the call and turned to go inside, he saw his sister standing just inside the door, blatantly eavesdropping.

“Not a word,” he warned quietly. “Not one single word.”

“Not even if I’m scared to death for you?”

“Not even then,” he said.

What he didn’t dare admit was how scared he was for himself. Contrary to what his sister might think, he wasn’t totally blind to the obstacles in his path. Nor was he oblivious to the comparisons to his past with Kayla. He was just choosing to ignore all that, because at heart he was an optimist. He couldn’t let himself believe that happiness would be snatched away twice.