Gabi saw the sparkle in her big sister’s eyes and smiled. “I’m glad. I told you all you needed was a little buzz.”
“Well, it remains to be seen how long it lasts, but I do have a callback for another part next week.”
“What about the prime-time series?”
“The recurring role went to someone else, but they did give me a couple of small parts in upcoming episodes. The writers said they’d keep me in mind when they’re developing scripts for next season.”
“That’s fantastic,” Emily enthused. “Sounds like this was just the shot in the arm your career needed.”
“We’ll see,” Samantha said. “I’ve had runs like this before that went nowhere.”
“This is a discouragement-free zone,” Gabi declared. “Only good thoughts allowed here. You have work. Emily’s getting married. I’m having a baby, and this art studio project is catching fire.”
“And you have Wade dancing attendance,” Emily teased.
Gabi smiled. “That, too.” Suddenly she frowned and glanced around the room. “Why are the windows closed in here? It’s getting stuffy. It’s gorgeous outside. Let’s let in some fresh air.”
“You’re probably just having a heat flash or something,” Samantha said hurriedly. “I’m actually a little chilly.”
“Yeah, me, too,” Emily said.
Gabi regarded them oddly. “A pregnancy hot flash? Are you kidding me?”
“I’m telling you, it’s chilly in here,” Samantha repeated, pulling her sweater more tightly around her to emphasize the claim.
“Okay, that’s it,” Gabi said. “If you don’t want the windows open, then I’m going downstairs for something cold to drink.”
She left the room before they could stop her.
Before she was halfway down the stairs, she heard Emily holler, “Gabi, bring me up some bottled water, too, okay?”
Since she’d shouted it as if she wanted to be heard in the next county, Gabi could hardly pretend not to have heard the request. “Sure. Samantha, do you want anything?”
“No, I’m good,” she said, though she sounded as if she weren’t that far behind Gabi when she spoke.
Gabi stepped off the bottom step, turned into the living room and was overwhelmed by shouts of “Surprise!”
She halted in shock and was almost trampled by her sisters, who were, in fact, right on her heels.
“Is this for Emily?” she asked in confusion, then spotted the pink decor and all the baby shower paraphernalia.
“Are you surprised?” Samantha asked, putting an arm around her. “We really, really wanted it to be a surprise.”
“Surprised?” Gabi repeated. “I’m in shock.”
Cora Jane stood by the table of gifts, beaming. Meg, Sally and even Louise were grinning at her. Since her circle of friends was still small, Jerry and Wade were here, too, though Jerry looked decidedly uncomfortable, as if he’d much prefer being in the kitchen cooking up the feast for the occasion.
“I can’t believe you all did this,” she whispered tearfully.
“I’ve been planning it since the second I found out you were pregnant,” Samantha said. “If all else failed, this was going to be my last-ditch attempt to convince you that you have to keep this baby. Thank goodness it’s just a full-fledged celebration now.”
“Isn’t it early to be having a baby shower?” Gabi said, even as she gravitated toward the gifts, eager to see what the beautiful packages held.
“Actually, we’re all agreed that your due date was miscalculated,” Louise said. “I have some experience in this area.”
“Some?” Meg said wryly. “I’d say five babies qualifies as more than some.”
“Bottom line, we didn’t want to wait, especially since Emily said she could get back here this weekend,” Samantha said. “Now, since I know you’re always starving, food first, then presents. Jerry’s been slaving in the kitchen since dawn.”
Gabi’s eyes widened. “Since dawn? What about Castle’s?”
“I closed it down for the day,” Cora Jane said.
“But you never close down the restaurant,” Gabi protested. “And it’s spring. There are tourists.”
“Not a one of them’s as important to me as you and this baby are,” she replied emphatically. “And I’ll close it down again for Emily’s wedding.”
“But the employees,” Gabi protested, feeling guilty about causing them the loss of a day’s pay.
“They got paid. So, now they owe you for an unexpected day of paid vacation,” Cora Jane said. “I’m sure the next time you stop by, they’ll be circling you like anxious little hummingbirds to make sure there’s nothing you need. I would have invited them today, but they’ve already been making their own plans to throw a shower.”
“Grandmother!” Samantha protested.
“They never intended it to be a surprise. Not a one of them can keep a secret.”
“And apparently neither can you,” Emily teased her.
Cora Jane gave her a miffed look. “I kept this one, didn’t I? Don’t be disrespectful.”
“Okay, enough,” Jerry said. “Let’s eat!”
After a meal that was too much even for her, Gabi was settled regally in a chair while her sisters brought presents to her. The tiny outfits earned plenty of oohs and aahs, but it was Wade’s gift that brought stunned silence.
“I’m lousy at wrapping, and this was a little too cumbersome, anyway,” he said, then left the room. When he returned, he was carrying an exquisite, handcrafted cradle with frolicking bunnies carved into the headboard.
“Oh, Wade,” Louise whispered when Gabi couldn’t even gather her composure to speak.
“It’s the most beautiful cradle I’ve ever seen,” Gabi finally managed to whisper, her voice thick with tears. There was no mistaking the love he had put into every detail. “Thank you so much. What made you think of the bunnies?”
“Other than the dozen times you mentioned how much you’d loved the Beatrix Potter books?” he said wryly.
She touched the beautifully soft pink liner that had been chosen with such care to complement the cradle’s design. Tiny bunnies danced across that fabric, as well. “Where did you find this? It’s perfect.”
He grinned sheepishly. “I had a little help with that. I asked Meg where to look.”
“I was flying blind, though,” Meg said. “He refused to tell me anything other than that he wanted something with bunnies and he wanted it to be pink.”
