Though he knew she was intentionally heaping on the guilt, Wade still flinched at the direct hit. He’d always taken his responsibilities as an uncle seriously. The last time he’d stayed away had been after Kayla’s death, and he’d seen the toll it took. He should have remembered that.
“I’m so sorry. I honestly didn’t give a thought to what my staying away would do to them. After the last time, I should have. It won’t happen again. If I can’t stop by, I’ll at least call to speak to them.”
As Louise took the chicken from the refrigerator and readied it for the oven, she seemed to be weighing something carefully before she spoke. Wade had a hunch he knew what was coming.
“Are you still seeing Gabi?” she asked, her tone carefully neutral.
“Yes.”
“How’s it going?”
“I like her,” he said simply. “More and more all the time.”
“How does she feel?”
He shrugged. “I think I’m making progress.”
A frown crossed her face. “And that’s enough for you? Some kind of maybe progress?”
“For now, yes,” he said emphatically, hoping to dissuade her from pursuing the topic before their detente could be destroyed.
She drew in a deep breath, then gave a little nod. “Then I’ll try again,” she said. “If she’s important to you, I need to make more of an effort.”
Wade studied her. “What does that mean exactly? You’ll invite us back to dinner?”
“No, I was thinking maybe she and I could get together for lunch sometime. Just the two of us.”
“Oh, no,” he said at once.
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t entirely trust you not to warn her off,” he replied candidly.
She gave him a gentle punch in the arm. “Give me some credit. I’m a little more trustworthy than that. And I have been duly chastised for my past behavior, so I’ll observe the boundaries.”
“You’re not always quite so trustworthy when you’re on a mission,” he said. “And when you’re convinced you’re in the right.”
“The mission’s changed,” she told him. “It’s now about getting to know Gabi for myself, not about running her off. If you truly care about her, then she must have a lot going for her. I want to see that side and not just all the red flags.”
“You promise?” he inquired doubtfully.
“Cross my heart,” she said, sketching an exaggerated sign across her chest.
He deliberately caught and held her gaze. “Okay, then, but if I get wind of so much as a hint that you’re trying to cause problems, you and I will have big-time issues.”
“Understood,” she agreed. Without looking away, she added, “If this woman really is the one for you, I just want it to work out. I love you. I want you to be happy. You deserve it.”
He pulled her into a hug. “Thank you. Now let me spend a little time with the rug rats before dinner.”
“Just don’t give them that candy I know you have in your pocket,” she said.
Wade regarded her with surprise. “How’d you know about that?”
“I know you. You always have a bribe handy. Why do you think those children love you so much?” She waved a finger under his nose. “After dinner and not one second before.”
He laughed. “Yes, ma’am.”
“I’ll be watching,” she warned.
“Never doubted it for a second.”
But, he thought, as he joined the kids, how seriously could one little piece of chocolate hurt their appetites? He’d just have to make sure they all brushed their teeth before they came to the table.
* * *
When Gabi got back to Cora Jane’s, she found Samantha packing, her expression grim.
“What’s going on?” she asked her sister.
“I’m heading back to New York first thing in the morning,” Samantha said, her tone surprisingly flat. “My agent called. I got a part in a commercial that’s shooting in a couple of days.”
Gabi studied Samantha’s expression more closely. “Then why don’t you look happier?” she asked with candor.
“Because it’s a slight secondary role,” Samantha responded. “If you blink, you’ll miss me completely. I was up for the lead.”
“Oh,” Gabi said softly. “I’m sorry.”
Samantha sank down on the side of her bed. “Don’t be sorry. This is just the way it is. I probably have to learn to accept it.”
“Meaning?”
“That once you hit a certain age, it’s going to be harder and harder to get into commercials, unless I want to start auditioning for things meant for seniors like absorbent panties or denture adhesive. There’s a big market for older actresses these days, but I’m caught somewhere in the middle.”
Gabi wasn’t sure which surprised her more, trying to imagine her thirty-five-year-old sister in a commercial aimed at seniors or the bitterness in Samantha’s voice. Probably the latter, since in all these years she’d never before heard that kind of defeated attitude coming from her perpetually upbeat sister. She had no clue what to say to try to bolster her spirits. Acting was too far from her area of expertise. She had no idea if the bumps in the road were to be expected, something that was likely to pass, or if this was the pattern Samantha could expect from here on out.
She was struck, though, by a sudden idea. “Maybe I could help,” she said, trying to work it out in her head before she said more.
Samantha stared at her. “Help how?”
“You have an agent,” she said slowly.
“Obviously.”
Gabi met her gaze. “But do you have a publicist?”
“Are you kidding me? I can’t afford to hire a publicist.”
“What about one you wouldn’t have to pay, namely me? I’ll bet I could plant your name in a few columns, get a little bit of a spotlight shining on you. That could help, couldn’t it?”
“It couldn’t hurt,” Samantha said, her expression thoughtful. “Do you have time to do that?”
Gabi laughed. “Sweetie, I have nothing but time. I’ll get my hands on the New York papers, start looking online to see what sort
