“In a minute,” Sam said, keeping him in place. “The scholarships being offered by my company aren’t the only ones out there.”
“Sure, but it’s too late to try for anything else,” Jimmy said despondently.
“You don’t have to apply for this one,” Sam told him. “It’s already yours.”
Jimmy lifted his head, looking as if he hardly dared to hope. “Seriously? How come? Did you show my application to somebody else?”
“I didn’t have to,” Sam told him. “I’d already seen it.”
“You!” Jimmy said, clearly shocked.
Gabi was equally stunned, but the smile spreading across Cora Jane’s face told her she hadn’t imagined what her father had just said.
“Good for you, Sam,” her grandmother said approvingly.
“But I can’t take your money,” Jimmy protested, though he looked as if it was killing him to say no. “It would be wrong.”
“There is nothing wrong with accepting help when it’s freely offered,” Cora Jane told the teen adamantly.
“And if you feel strongly about it,” Sam told him, “we can always think of it as a loan, though I’d prefer to consider it a scholarship for a very deserving and promising young man.”
“Maybe I could pay you back,” Jimmy said, finally allowing himself to consider the possibilities. “It might take a long time, though. I know it’s a lot of money.”
“Money well-spent,” Sam said. “And here’s another possibility. We could even structure it so you’d come to work for me as a paid intern for a year or two in return for the scholarship. Whatever it takes to make you comfortable. I want this opportunity for you, Jimmy.”
Sam looked deep into Jimmy’s still-troubled eyes and sought to further reassure him. “Son, you’ve earned this chance. And the fact that you want to pay it back in some way is just one more example of the kind of young man you are, one who’s worthy of getting a decent break. Please let me do this for you.”
“I don’t know,” Jimmy whispered, then glanced over at Wade. “What do you think?”
“I think it’s the opportunity of a lifetime,” Wade told him.
“But my dad—”
“Your dad wants the very best for you,” Wade told him. “Talk it over with him. You’ll see.”
“And I’ll sit down with him, too,” Sam said, then stressed, “This is not charity, Jimmy. This is an investment in the future of my field. I expect great things from you.”
A slow grin spread across Jimmy’s face as he finally allowed himself to seize on the hope right in front of him. “You won’t regret this, Mr. Castle. I swear you won’t.”
“I’m as sure of that as I’ve ever been of anything,” Sam replied.
Gabi crossed the room and impulsively hugged her father. “I’ve never been more proud to be your daughter,” she whispered. “You did a good thing here tonight.”
“I couldn’t let that boy down,” her father said simply. “I just couldn’t.” He held her gaze. “And I hope I don’t let you or your sisters down ever again, either.”
It was the first time he’d ever made such a promise. Gabi knew if he’d made it before, she’d have had difficulty believing in it, but tonight, after what he’d done for a boy who needed his help, she did.
* * *
Emily took one look at Gabi’s expanding waistline, put her hands on her hips and griped, “Well, there’s no way to do a dress fitting with you this weekend.”
“Thank you so much for reassuring me about my blimplike proportions,” Gabi retorted as she fingered the gorgeous material of her bridesmaid dress. “You know exactly how pregnant I am. The baby’s due in less than two months, which as you may recall was exactly the reason you postponed your wedding date till later in the summer. Don’t start hassling me now.”
Emily grinned, turning to Samantha. “Are these pregnancy hormones talking? She’s awfully cranky.”
“And still in the room,” Gabi replied irritably. “And getting less and less inclined to throw you a bridal shower by the minute.”
Samantha laughed openly. “It’s so much fun having sisters,” she said. “We’re always so compatible.”
“Speak for yourself,” Gabi grumbled. She’d been like this for a couple of weeks now, ready to take offense at anything and everything, exhausted most of the time and eating ravenously. The secret longing she’d had to be one of those pregnant women who glowed with good health and carried their babies like little basketballs in their tummies didn’t seem to be panning out. She waddled and she hadn’t seen her feet in days. She’d finally given in and gone to a salon for a pedicure.
Amazingly, Wade seemed as attracted to her as if she’d fit the magazine cover stereotype of maternal bliss. He still claimed she was beautiful and never seemed to tire of rubbing her shoulders or even her swollen ankles. In fact, she wished he were here right now to massage away the tension this entire conversation was causing in her shoulders.
“She’s thinking about Wade, isn’t she?” Emily asked, again as if she weren’t in the room.
“How can you tell?” Samantha asked, studying her.
“Sappy expression,” Emily said. “When did that happen, by the way? Last time I was here she was still holding him at arm’s length.”
Gabi scowled at the pair of them. “Since you seem content to talk around me, I think I’ll go downstairs and get something to eat.”
“No!” Emily said, even as Samantha stepped in front of the door to block her way.
Gabi scowled at them. “What is going on with the two of you? You’re acting weird. I don’t buy for a second that you came back this weekend for more dress fittings.”
“Not just fittings,” Emily insisted. “Grandmother has an endless list of wedding details she wanted to run past me.”
“And I came just to thank you in person for giving my career a much-needed boost,” Samantha said. “I’ve had two parts recently. Neither was exactly star-status, but at least I was working again. Both of the casting directors mentioned the blurbs they’d seen in the paper,
