Sally patted her arm. “Wild guess,” she admitted. “The color clued me in more than the design.”
“So, what do you think?”
“Great concept, but a little tricky to pull off on your first attempt at a solo project.”
Up to now, Gabi had only worked for the past week on following Sally’s step-by-step instructions and only on the simplest designs. Her results had been less than stellar, but even so, Sally had encouraged her to start trying to find her own style.
Gabi sighed heavily, her mood as dreary as the cold winter rain falling outside. “I’m beginning to have my doubts about all of this,” she muttered.
Sally merely smiled. “Do you have any idea how much glass I blew through when I started? Come on, girl. Mistakes don’t matter. It’s not trying that’s the kiss of death.”
As a pep talk, it was about as effusive as Sally ever got. Still, Gabi had come to appreciate her gentle nudges and determinedly optimistic outlook. Even her harshest criticism was couched in language meant to encourage. If she was going to be an apprentice to someone, Sally had been the perfect choice.
Gabi drew in a deep breath. “Okay, then, let’s talk about the basics. Does the design have any merit?”
Sally grinned. “It’s terrific,” she said, clearly not feigning her enthusiasm. “Wish I’d thought of it myself.”
“Seriously?”
Sally’s expression instantly sobered. “I will never lie to you, Gabi.”
“So, I just need to work on the best approach for executing it,” Gabi concluded. An idea came to her. “Is there any more of the green glass?”
Sally nodded, clearly pleased by her shift in attitude. “Over there. There are several shades of green, in fact,” she mentioned casually.
“Ah, an honest-to-goodness hint,” Gabi teased. “I thought you were determined to make me figure out every little thing on my own.”
“What can I say? Sometimes I can’t resist.”
Sally went back to her own project, and Gabi gathered the material she needed to give hers another try. She was about to start cutting the glass, when there was a tap on the door, followed immediately by Meg stepping inside. Then, to Gabi’s shock, she spotted Louise right on her heels.
“I brought company and lunch,” Meg announced. “Louise stopped by the shop just as I was leaving to drive out here, and we decided to surprise you both with sandwiches.”
“And cupcakes,” Louise added cheerfully as she regarded Gabi with a hesitant smile.
“You’re goddesses,” Sally said, whipping off her goggles and clearing a space at a table. “Grab some stools. Since it’s such a crummy day outside, there’s no point in trying to traipse over to the house. We can eat right here.”
This whole visit was definitely a turn of events Gabi hadn’t expected.
“You three know one another?” she asked
“Louise helped us get all our business paperwork done,” Meg said. “If you ever need an attorney, she’s the best around. She tells me you’ve already met.”
Gabi nodded. “We have.”
“And got off to a very bad start,” Louise said with a directness that stunned Gabi. “Actually, I begged Meg to bring me along today so I could apologize.”
Her words clearly caught Sally and Meg’s interest.
“How so?” Sally asked.
“It’s up to Gabi to fill you in on the details, if she wants to,” Louise said discreetly.
“I think we should put it behind us,” Gabi replied, determined to do just that, and not only for Wade’s sake. If Louise was friends with these two women she’d come to admire, then Gabi wanted to give her another chance on her own merits.
Obviously picking up on Gabi’s desire to put the subject behind them, Meg studied her, then said, “I swear your baby bump has doubled since the last time I saw you. How are you feeling these days?”
“I’m good,” Gabi said. “But I do need to find an obstetrician here. I drove over to my old one in Raleigh the other day for my routine checkup and picked up my records.”
“Mine is great,” Louise told her. “Believe me, Zack compulsively checked out all of her credentials before he allowed me to walk into the office when I was first pregnant with Bryce. She’s delivered all five of my kids.”
“Now that’s a recommendation!” Meg said.
“It sure is,” Gabi agreed.
Louise pulled a piece of paper from her purse, glanced at her cell phone, then jotted a note. “Here’s her name, number and the office address. Tell her I sent you.” She hesitated, then asked, “Maybe I shouldn’t ask this, but are you still considering adoption?”
Though it wasn’t something she would have brought into the open in front of Meg and Sally herself, Gabi found she was actually relieved to have the subject out there. It helped, she supposed, that this time she didn’t detect disapproval in Louise’s voice. Nor was there any sign of it in Meg’s eyes or Sally’s. Instead, she saw curiosity, perhaps even a hint of sympathy.
“I’m still considering all my options,” she told them. She met Louise’s gaze directly. “It’s getting harder and harder to think about giving up my baby.”
Louise nodded in understanding. Now there was no mistaking the relief in her eyes. “I only asked because Dr. Hamilton can help with adoption if you do decide to go that route. So can I, if you make a final decision that it’s the way you want to go. She and I have handled a couple of private adoptions that have worked out well.”
Gabi couldn’t hide her surprise. “Really?” she asked, but then it dawned on her that Louise’s initial reaction hadn’t been to the idea of adoption, but to a woman in her brother’s life giving away her baby after he’d lost his own child.
Louise smiled as if she could read Gabi’s mind. “Seriously,” she replied solemnly. “Sometimes it is the best choice for everyone. Sometimes not. I only want people to be certain. Otherwise, it can lead to heartache.”
Gabi nodded. “And that’s exactly why I’m still thinking about this. I don’t want to live the rest of my life with regrets. I
