“Uh-oh, did I come at a bad time?” Samantha asked as she hesitated in the doorway.
“Separation anxiety,” Wade said succinctly. “I took Dani over to day care after lunch.”
“Oh, boy,” Samantha murmured, crossing the room to give her sister’s shoulder a comforting pat. “Sweetie, it’s okay. She’s in good hands.”
“I know that,” Gabi said, her voice choked. She sniffed and blotted at her face with a fistful of tissues. “I just don’t like it. I miss her.”
“Well, of course you do,” Samantha said. “But just think of the work you’ll be able to get done with all this peace and quiet.”
Gabi burst into tears again. “I hate peace and quiet.”
Samantha smothered a smile. “But you love work,” she reminded her. “And look at that desk of yours. I’ve never seen such a disorganized mess in my life.”
Gabi glanced at her desk, her eyes widening in obvious dismay as she took in the sorry sight. “What has happened to me?”
“You became a mom,” Wade said. “And despite the way your desk looks, you have this place running like clockwork. No one could have done a better job, especially with juggling the demands of a baby.”
Gabi looked from Wade to Samantha, then managed a watery grin. “Are you two double-teaming me?”
“Something like that,” Samantha said. “We both want you to see this change as a positive thing. It’ll even be good for Dani to socialize a bit.”
“She’s an infant,” Gabi scoffed. “How much socializing is she likely to do? She already gets passed around like a football when you and Emily are around. Even Jerry likes to take a turn holding her up in the air till she giggles. Grandmother swears the baby is the real draw for him these days, not her at all.”
“Then Dani will get to rest up from all that undue attention while she’s at day care,” Wade countered.
Gabi rolled her eyes. “Okay, I can see you’re going to manage to put a positive spin on any concern I express, so I give up. No more tears. I will be brave.” She gave Wade a defiant look. “But I am going to pick her up early today just to be sure she isn’t traumatized by the separation.”
“If anyone’s been traumatized, it’s you,” Samantha suggested.
“Do you really want to toy with my emotions right now?” Gabi challenged. “I’m on edge and trying to make the best of things, but it won’t take much for me to snap.”
“Got it,” Wade said, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “I told the day care people you’d be by in an hour.”
Gabi gave him a startled look, then laughed. “No wonder we’re such a good match. You know me so well.”
Wade turned to Samantha. “Try to keep her from leaving before the hour’s up, okay? I already consider it a coup that she didn’t follow me over there and retrieve the baby the second my back was turned.”
“Will do,” Samantha promised, settling into a chair.
Gabi sighed when Wade had left them alone. “This is killing me,” she said unnecessarily.
“I can see that,” Samantha said. “It will get easier, or so they say.”
Gabi didn’t look convinced. “If I’m going to last a whole hour, I’m going to need a distraction. Why are you here? You obviously didn’t know about Dani going to day care, because I just arranged that this morning.”
“Actually I have a little crisis of my own,” Samantha told her.
Gabi instantly looked alarmed. “What? Is it Ethan? Work?”
“My life,” Samantha replied.
“Ah, the easy stuff,” her sister said. “Tell me.”
Samantha drew in a deep breath. “You already know that work hasn’t been going that well. I had a talk with Dad the other night and he helped me to see things more clearly.”
“Dad did that?” Gabi said incredulously. “Our dad?”
“One and the same,” Samantha said, smiling at Gabi’s stunned reaction. “You should have been there. He was surprisingly insightful. I actually got a hint about the man Mom fell for all those years ago.”
“Astonishing.”
“It was, actually. Anyway, he said the time to quit something is when you no longer feel the passion and drive that brought you to it in the first place.”
Gabi’s expression turned thoughtful. “I think he’s right about that,” she said slowly. “That’s exactly how I knew it was time to forget about fighting for my job in Raleigh or even going back there to look for something else.”
“I hadn’t drawn the parallels, but I can see that now,” Samantha said. “So you get where I am.”
“I think so. Months ago you were getting tired of battling for bit parts and being ignored by your agent.” She studied Samantha. “But I thought that had changed.”
“It did for a little while, thanks to all that PR buzz you stirred up. The new agent seemed to be energized. Now, though, I think he’s hit a wall, too.”
“We can do the PR again,” Gabi said eagerly. “It was fun.”
“You have enough on your plate,” Samantha argued. “Besides, it’ll be a never-ending battle. I can’t let you bail me out every time my career hits a snag.”
“Are you sure about that? Because I don’t mind. I really don’t. I’m happy to do whatever I can for you. If I can’t put my skills to use for family, then what good are they?”
“You need to stay focused on this place,” Samantha countered. “It should be more than enough professional challenge for you. And with Wade and Daniella, you have the balance in your life you always needed. I’m not going to be the one who shifts that balance till it’s out of whack again.”
“Sweetie, making a few calls and sending out some press releases is not that demanding.”
Samantha laughed. “Don’t minimize what you do. I know just how hard you worked to get that buzz going last time.”
“Okay, okay, your mind is made up,” Gabi concluded, relenting. “So, what’s next?”
“I was thinking about something earlier when I stopped by the
