“What is it?” he snapped impatiently when he answered.
“Always a pleasure to hear your voice, Dad,” she said, not even attempting to keep the sarcasm from her voice.
“Gabriella?”
“Yep, it’s me. I’m probably the only one of your daughters who dares to interrupt your work.”
“Did you call for something specific or just to make a point about my sins as a parent?” he inquired.
“Actually, for once, I’m not calling to judge you. I need your help.”
For an instant, stunned silence greeted the remark. “That’s a first,” he said eventually.
“I hope that means you’ll take it seriously, then.”
“Of course I will,” he said impatiently.
“I’m staying over at Grandmother’s,” she announced. “Emily and Samantha are here, too.”
“Why?” he asked, a worried note creeping into his voice. For once he sounded more concerned than exasperated that something inconvenient might be about to disrupt his life. “Is your grandmother sick?”
“No, we’re making plans for Emily’s wedding,” she said, figuring that was the least controversial explanation she could offer. “Since President’s Day weekend is this week, could you drive over? At least for a day?”
“I seriously doubt your sister wants my input on her wedding,” he countered.
“She might like sharing her plans with you, though,” Gabi said. “Be an interested dad for once. Couldn’t you do that?”
After a lengthy pause, he finally said, “I’ll drive over Saturday morning. Is that all?”
“I need you to bring an open mind with you,” she added. “There’s a young man I want you to meet.”
“Someone you’re seeing?”
“No, someone I just met today.”
“I don’t understand.”
“You will,” she promised. “I think he’s going to remind you of someone.”
“Who?”
“You,” she replied softly. “See you on Saturday, Dad.”
She hung up before he could have second thoughts and take back his promise to come.
“What are you up to?” Cora Jane asked, studying her intently.
Gabi glanced up at her. “You heard?”
“Enough to know that you’ve reached out to your father,” Cora Jane confirmed.
“I’m hoping Dad will dig deep into that heart we all suspect him of having and maybe give a helping hand to a kid who needs it,” she said.
Cora Jane regarded her worriedly. “Oh, honey bun, are you sure about this? Are you really ready to see your father right now?”
Gabi knew what she was really asking—was Gabi ready for her father to realize she was pregnant and start making judgments. “It’s not about me,” she said. “That kid deserves a break, and I think I know a way to make it happen. Dad’s company gives some scholarships for qualified kids. They start taking applications around this time of the year. Usually the applicants are high school seniors, but I think under the circumstances I can convince him to make an exception for Jimmy. Dad has the ability to make this happen for that boy.”
Cora Jane shook her head. “You’ve always been an optimist where your dad’s concerned. You’ve seen the good in him, even when he’s done his best to hide it from all of you.”
Gabi shrugged. “I’m not sure if I’ve even had a glimpse of it,” she admitted. “But he is your son, Grandmother. Nobody raised by Cora Jane Castle could possibly be all bad.”
Cara Jane chuckled at that. “You may be giving me too much credit.”
“I guess we’ll see on Saturday, won’t we?”
And at the same time, she’d be able to face the risk that her father would turn his back on her for the mess she’d made of her life. At least by forcing the issue here and now, she’d be surrounded by people who loved her and didn’t judge her.
If Sam Castle disowned her for making a mistake, well, it would only sever a tie that had never been very strong to begin with. Maybe it was time she knew once and for all if she could ever forge a real relationship with her father, or if she, like her sisters, was destined to have him on the fringe of her life forever.
5
“Dad’s coming over on Saturday?” Emily repeated skeptically. “You called him and he actually said he’d come?”
Gabi shrugged. “He said he would. I told him you were here and we were making wedding plans.”
“And that was enough to drag him out of his office? I don’t believe it,” Emily said flatly. “So, what? Am I supposed to ask for his opinion on the flowers?”
Gabi exchanged a look with Samantha, then chuckled. “Maybe you should ask him to pay for the wedding,” Gabi suggested. “After all, he is the father of the bride. That would be the traditional thing to do.”
Emily’s jaw dropped. “You think I should ask Dad to pay for the wedding? Seriously?”
“Why not?” Samantha said. “He’s lucked out so far. Three daughters and this is the first wedding to come along. Gabi and I have saved him a fortune.”
An expression of wicked delight passed across Emily’s face. “It would serve him right, wouldn’t it?” she said, a glint of amusement in her eyes. “Boone and I intended to pay for everything ourselves, but it would be worth it to see the look on Dad’s face when I hand him the bills for the dresses and the flowers and the caterer. Do you suppose he even knows how to write a check? Mom always paid the bills.”
“Stop it,” Gabi scolded. “Somebody’s been paying them since Mom died. Dad’s not incompetent, just distracted.”
“He’s so distracted, it’s a miracle he’s not been living on the street, if you ask me,” Emily retorted. “I guess that scary, efficient assistant of his stepped up after Mom died. What’s her name? I always called her the guardian of the gate.”
“Her name is Miriam and she’s actually very nice,” Gabi said, thinking how often it had been Miriam, not her father, who’d been there to take the sting out of some slight at school. “And she probably did step in to make sure Dad’s life continued to run smoothly after Mom died.”
“I always wondered if there was something more between them,”
