“Oh, I’m sure there will be some holdouts,” Sally said. “They don’t call artists eccentric for no reason. But personally I think it’s a fantastic idea, and I agree Gabi is the perfect person to pull it all together. She’s organized. She can spread the word. I love it, Wade. I really do.”
She gave him a knowing look. “Not that there’s even a tiny bit of self-interest behind this for you, right?”
He could feel the heat climbing up his neck. “I want her to stick around,” he said simply. “This could make that happen.”
“If you need my help selling her on the idea, let me know,” Sally said. “Frankly, I think she’s going to jump all over this, and I think you’re part of the reason. Her heart’s here, Wade, because of family, sure, but also because she has feelings for you. I’ve seen it every time your name comes up. She may not be ready to admit that to herself yet, but she will if you give her time.”
Wade gave her a hug. “Thanks. You won’t say anything to her, will you?”
“Absolutely not,” she promised. “This is your sales pitch to make.”
Wade nodded, grateful for her insights. Sally had offered exactly the kind of encouragement he needed. Now he just had to figure out the right approach to take with Gabi to sell her. He had a feeling this was his best shot to grabbing everything he wanted. If she turned her back on this, it was entirely possible he’d have to face the prospect of losing her.
19
The box of shattered glass was beginning to get to Gabi. It had been weeks, and she had absolutely nothing to show for her efforts. Sally had been patient and encouraging, but Gabi was so frustrated, she was wondering if this whole idea hadn’t been crazy. She’d even expressed that on occasion, but no one had suggested she quit.
Except her father, of course.
Just last night he’d sounded completely mystified by her ongoing insistence on exploring some artistic side of her nature she’d never once mentioned growing up. His exasperation with her refusal to return to Raleigh and her high-octane career was plain.
“You had a good job, Gabi, important work,” he’d said. “You’re giving it up to do what? Paint on glass?”
“To make something beautiful,” she’d retorted. Would wind chimes save the world the way some of the research being done in Raleigh might? Of course not. But they brought beauty and innocent pleasure into people’s lives in the same way other art forms did. She thought that shouldn’t be dismissed so readily.
“If you insist on doing this, do it in your spare time,” he’d argued. “Everybody needs a hobby.”
“Do you?” she’d asked, amused that a man who worked 24/7 would even dare such a comment.
“Well, no, but most people have one. I’m sure that Wade fella could convert one of the bedrooms in your town house into a little workshop for you right here in Raleigh.”
“Even if I hadn’t already listed the town house with a Realtor, I’d need the spare bedroom for a nursery,” she reminded him.
“You put the town house up for sale?” he asked incredulously. “Are you crazy? In this market? You’ll lose a bundle. Gabriella, you’re not thinking clearly. Call the Realtor and put a stop to this.”
“Absolutely not. I may not be sure of much, but I am selling the town house.”
“But where will you live?” he asked, as if housing options were limited to a precious few square miles in Raleigh.
“I’m planning to stay at Grandmother’s, at least until the baby comes,” she’d responded patiently. “Then I’ll find my own place out here on the coast.”
“You’re going to regret this,” her father predicted, his own patience obviously past its limits.
For the first time in her life, Gabi hadn’t been crushed by his words or his judgmental tone, though today as she was tossing out yet another failed attempt—an unrecognizable hodgepodge of colored glass—she couldn’t help wondering if it had been a mistake to reject her father’s offer to help her find another job. Last night, though, her pride had kicked in and she’d told him emphatically that he was wrong.
She glanced once more at the box of shattered glass, proof positive that she wasn’t the artist she wanted to be just yet, and shrugged. Even if her father wasn’t wrong, that was okay, too. She’d have reached for something that had the potential to touch her soul.
“Sally, do you feel as if you’re wasting your time working with me?” she asked.
“I like having you around,” Sally responded.
“Not exactly what I asked,” Gabi told her, wincing at the artist’s carefully chosen words. “Can you see even a glimmer of talent?”
“Let me turn this around,” Sally replied. “Are you ready to quit?”
“Not exactly, but I am frustrated. I’m not seeing much progress. I mean, in my mind’s eye I can see exactly what I want to create, and I think the designs are pretty good. Then I start working with the glass and...” She shrugged. “Not so great.”
Sally smiled. “Self-doubt is part of the process for any artist. Show me an artist who doesn’t harbor any doubts, and I’ll show you someone whose ego is wildly inflated and not necessarily based on talent.”
Gabi grinned. She knew those types, too. She wondered what Wade would have to say about all this, but he’d been making himself scarce lately. He hadn’t called after she’d ignored his first few messages. Nor had he been dropping by Castle’s, according to Cora Jane, who was clearly miffed by that. Obviously he’d taken Gabi seriously when she said she needed time to sort through all he’d told her about his relationship with Kayla and that much-anticipated baby who hadn’t been his biological child.
Over the past few days, she’d really started missing him, and today with all these doubts swirling around in her head, she regretted that she couldn’t simply call and bounce these worries
