Tommy nodded. “That’s what margins for error are all about. I never give a customer a schedule without building that in. Since the hurricane, with renovations and repairs going on all up and down the coast, I allow even more cushion. I work with great subcontractors, but they’re all busier than ever right now.”
Wade turned to the young man. “I owe you, Jimmy. Later this week we’ll pick a day and your lunch will be on me. I’ll take you to Castle’s. Best burgers on the beach.”
“Not that the food is the attraction for you,” Tommy taunted, a grin spreading across his face. “I heard Gabriella’s back in town.”
“She is,” Wade confirmed. “But I doubt she’ll be at the restaurant that much.”
Tommy looked surprised. “I thought Cora Jane put her granddaughters to work over there the minute they hit town.”
Wade wasn’t about to explain. He said only, “Not this time.” He glanced at his watch. “Now I really do need to hit the road. See you tomorrow. I might be a little later than today. I have another project that could take some time first thing in the morning.”
Since Tommy knew Wade would never blow a deadline for him, he merely nodded. “See you when you get here.” He looked a little more closely at Wade and grinned. “You seem awfully eager to go. Hot date?”
Wade felt himself coloring. “Just dinner and a movie with a friend.”
“A female friend?” Tommy pressed. “Gabi, maybe?”
“No comment,” Wade replied emphatically, hoping to end the guesswork.
Tommy seemed to consider the remark telling enough. “Thought so,” he said. “It’s about time, if you want my opinion.”
“Which I don’t,” Wade retorted. No more than he’d wanted his sister’s or anyone else’s.
His attraction to Gabriella might be the first step on the road to recovering from his grief, but he had a hunch given her pregnancy, this particular road he’d chosen was going to be a bumpy one. In the past twenty-four hours since he’d first laid eyes on Gabi’s baby bump, he hadn’t allowed himself even a second to consider just what a huge mistake getting involved with her might be. He’d been worried about her fragile emotional state, not his own. That, he suspected, would come later.
* * *
Gabi looked at the pitiful wardrobe of loose pants and T-shirts spread out on her bed and sighed. She couldn’t go out with Wade looking like a refugee from a thrift shop. Maybe it wasn’t a date, but she had more pride than that. Why hadn’t she brought anything fancier with her from Raleigh?
Because she hadn’t anticipated being seen in public any more than necessary, she reminded herself ruefully. Now not only was she going to be on display, tonight was going to be perceived as a date no matter how cleverly she or Wade tried to spin it.
She looked at the assorted pieces hoping to spot some combination that hadn’t occurred to her before, but the sad truth was, even if she’d brought along everything in her closet back home, nothing would fit anymore. Who’d have thought a tiny little baby could have such an effect on her figure so quickly?
“Ah, just as I suspected,” Samantha said, coming into the room again, this time without even bothering to knock.
“Whatever happened to the concept of privacy in this family?” Gabi grumbled.
Samantha merely grinned. “We’re sisters. We have no boundaries. Besides, you’re going to be very glad I’m here.”
“Really?” Gabi said skeptically. “Why is that?”
“Because I’m about to save the day,” Samantha told her, tossing a shopping bag onto the bed.
Gabi eyed the bag from a boutique with interest. “For me?”
“Of course. And maybe a little bit for Wade,” Samantha added with a twinkle in her eyes. “Open it.”
Despite the worrisome reference to Wade, Gabi seized the bag and peered inside, then drew out a simple A-line dress with a deep V-neckline. It was a shade of blue just slightly deeper than her eyes. She recognized at once that it had the potential to be stunning with her coloring.
“It’s too soon for maternity clothes,” Samantha said, explaining her choice. “And there’s not a huge selection to choose from close by, but this is loose-fitting.” She grinned. “And trust me, with that neckline, nobody’s going to be paying attention to your baby bump.”
She gestured toward the bag. “There’s more. Keep looking.”
Gabi retrieved a lacy bra and a matching pair of thong panties. She lifted a brow. “Seriously?”
Samantha laughed. “Hey, I told you I kept Wade in mind while I was shopping. The man’s tongue will be hanging out.”
“Wade Johnson will never lay eyes on these panties or this bra,” Gabi said firmly, though her cheeks heated at the thought.
“Maybe not tonight,” Samantha conceded. “But I predict the time will come when you’ll be very happy to have on sexy underwear.”
“Sure. Maybe in about seven months,” Gabi said. “Or after this experience, possibly a whole lot longer. Men, in general, are not real high on my trustworthiness scale right now.”
“Please, please allow room for an exception,” Samantha advised. “You might be reeling right now, but keep your heart open.”
“And my legs clamped permanently shut,” Gaby countered. Still, she leaned down and hugged her sister. “Thank you so much for thinking of this. I was starting to panic.”
“Hey, Emily and I will always have your back,” Samantha said. “That’s what sisters do.”
And these days, Gabi had never been more grateful for that.
* * *
Given his late departure from the renovation site, Wade was running close to a half hour late by the time he got to Cora Jane’s. Samantha opened the door and gave him a pitying look.
“Not a good way to start,” she whispered under her breath as she let him in.
Wade’s eyes, though, were on Gabi, who seemed to be regarding him with a malevolent look. She’d obviously put some effort into getting ready, but at the moment, she was seated at
