Cora Jane remained surprisingly quiet, allowing Gabi time to think. When the silence dragged on, rather than filling it with advice, she stood, poured herself a cup of herbal tea, then sat back down, waiting expectantly for Gabi to pick up where she’d left off.
“Sometimes I worry that Wade’s attracted to me because of the baby,” she admitted at last.
To her regret, Cora Jane didn’t immediately argue the point.
“I suppose it’s natural to wonder about that since he lost his wife and baby not all that long ago,” her grandmother said thoughtfully. “But have you considered the fact that he was hanging around here with his eyes glued to you back in August before you got pregnant?”
“He was here because you kept dreaming up jobs for him to do,” Gabi reminded her. “I’m not sure we can base anything on that.”
“Well, I happen to know for a fact that those jobs took days longer than they needed to, and that, missy, was because of you. Thank goodness I wasn’t paying him by the hour.” She shook her head. “I think you can put that worry out of your head. It’s you Wade cares about. I believe the baby is just an unexpected blessing to him.”
Her grandmother’s insight reassured her to some degree, but Gabi wasn’t quite ready to let go of the possibility that Wade saw her—and the baby—as a way to fill a huge emotional void in his life.
“Well, maybe there was a little chemistry on his part back then,” she conceded, not even trying to hide her skepticism.
“But not on yours?” Cora Jane asked, clearly amused. “Don’t think I didn’t notice how hard you worked to keep your eyes off him. You were not immune, Gabriella, and if you say you were, I’ll call you on the fib.”
Gabi blushed under her gaze, but didn’t dare argue.
“And that standoffish behavior of yours was all out of some misguided sense of loyalty to Paul, I imagine,” Cora Jane added. “If he hadn’t been in the picture, well, I think things might have heated up pretty quickly.”
Much as she wanted to save her pride, Gabi could hardly deny that Cora Jane was probably right about that. She’d honestly thought she was in a relationship back then, but it hadn’t kept her from sneaking the occasional peek at the very sexy Wade, who was underfoot wherever she turned. With Emily and Samantha tormenting her about him, it had been all but impossible to ignore the man.
“Okay, so maybe there was a little chemistry back in August,” she conceded. “It didn’t go anywhere.”
“Because you worked hard to make sure he knew you weren’t available,” Cora Jane said. “That didn’t stop him from coming by here just about every afternoon after you’d gone, hoping I’d spill some little snippet of news about you.”
She smiled. “And, of course, I got a good look at his face the day you reappeared here, very obviously pregnant. He looked as if Christmas, which was long past, had come around again especially early and just for him.”
“You’re exaggerating,” Gabi said.
“Am I? How long did it take him to ask you out once you’d told him you were no longer with Paul? Five minutes, maybe? Ten? No more than that. Does that sound like a man who’s the least bit put off by you being pregnant? I’d say it’s a man who’s seen an opportunity and seized it. I respect a man like that.”
Samantha scowled at her. “It is really exasperating to have an unrepentant spy in the family.”
“Maybe so, but I take my role seriously,” Cora Jane said, grinning. “Look, honey bun, I’m not saying you have to marry the man tomorrow. I’m just saying you should open your heart to the possibilities, just the way you’ve opened it to a new direction professionally.”
“I’m barely out of a relationship with the baby’s father,” Gabi argued.
Cora Jane waved her hand dismissively. “You can call that whatever you want, but it wasn’t a relationship in my book. I think Paul’s behavior since you found out you were pregnant is proof that I’m right about that.”
Gabi could hardly argue the point. “Okay, I’ll think about what you said,” she promised.
“Fair enough. Now what’s your next step?”
“I’m hoping to speak to that gift store owner tomorrow. The cashier said she’d have her call me.”
Cora Jane immediately looked flustered. “Oh, my goodness, I got sidetracked when you walked in the door and forgot to tell you. She did call. Her name’s Meg Waverly. She says she’ll be happy to give you the information you want. She needs to know if you preferred one style of wind chime over another, since she buys from several local artists. Just give her a call tomorrow on her cell phone or stop by the store around ten. She’ll be there to open.”
Gabi took the slip of paper from her grandmother and glanced at it. There it was in black and white, the contact information for someone who might guide her into the next phase of her life.
How astonishing was that? And maybe just a little scary, since now she’d have to make good on all these pie-in-the-sky dreams she’d been expressing today.
12
Wade had been avoiding his sister for a couple of days now. He knew that sooner or later he’d have questions to answer, but right now he simply wasn’t up for the aggravation. Louise clearly didn’t approve of his relationship with Gabi, and he was tired of defending himself.
What he didn’t expect was to find his brother-in-law on his doorstep when he got home from dropping Gabi off at Cora Jane’s after the dinner at Boone’s Harbor. Zack’s medical practice and hospital rounds usually kept him tied up until early evening, but then he hightailed it straight home. Wade frowned when he saw him. If Zack was here at this hour, he had to be on some sort of
