Читать книгу Wind Chime Point - Sherryl Woods, Sherryl Woods - Страница 11

5

“Dad’s coming over on Saturday?” Emily repeated skeptically. “You called him and he actually said he’d come?”

Gabi shrugged. “He said he would. I told him you were here and we were making wedding plans.”

“And that was enough to drag him out of his office? I don’t believe it,” Emily said flatly. “So, what? Am I supposed to ask for his opinion on the flowers?”

Gabi exchanged a look with Samantha, then chuckled. “Maybe you should ask him to pay for the wedding,” Gabi suggested. “After all, he is the father of the bride. That would be the traditional thing to do.”

Emily’s jaw dropped. “You think I should ask Dad to pay for the wedding? Seriously?”

“Why not?” Samantha said. “He’s lucked out so far. Three daughters and this is the first wedding to come along. Gabi and I have saved him a fortune.”

An expression of wicked delight passed across Emily’s face. “It would serve him right, wouldn’t it?” she said, a glint of amusement in her eyes. “Boone and I intended to pay for everything ourselves, but it would be worth it to see the look on Dad’s face when I hand him the bills for the dresses and the flowers and the caterer. Do you suppose he even knows how to write a check? Mom always paid the bills.”

“Stop it,” Gabi scolded. “Somebody’s been paying them since Mom died. Dad’s not incompetent, just distracted.”

“He’s so distracted, it’s a miracle he’s not been living on the street, if you ask me,” Emily retorted. “I guess that scary, efficient assistant of his stepped up after Mom died. What’s her name? I always called her the guardian of the gate.”

“Her name is Miriam and she’s actually very nice,” Gabi said, thinking how often it had been Miriam, not her father, who’d been there to take the sting out of some slight at school. “And she probably did step in to make sure Dad’s life continued to run smoothly after Mom died.”

“I always wondered if there was something more between them,” Samantha said.

Gabi frowned at the suggestion. “While Mom was alive? No way. Dad could barely spare enough attention for his wife and kids. He didn’t have time for another woman. Besides, Miriam must be close to seventy by now, so she’s at least ten years older than Dad.”

“But he did spend an awful lot of time at the office,” Emily countered.

“Okay, enough,” Gabi said impatiently. “Dad has his issues, but infidelity isn’t one of them. I’m as sure of that as I am that the sun will come up tomorrow. You seem to forget that rigid moral code of his.”

“Ah,” Samantha said, her expression turning worried. “You mean the one that’s going to find your situation intolerable?”

Gabi nodded. “That’s the one.”

Emily seemed to share Samantha’s concern. “Gabi, why are you forcing this now? Samantha said you weren’t willing to turn to Dad for help in finding a new job because you didn’t want him to know about the pregnancy. What changed?”

She explained about Jimmy Templeton. “I saw a chance to help.”

Emily’s eyes brightened. “And a way to impress Wade,” she concluded.

Gabi frowned at the suggestion. “This has absolutely nothing to do with Wade. He introduced me to the boy, that’s all.”

“And is he, by any chance, going to be bringing him by here to meet Dad?” Samantha inquired, her own smirk firmly in place.

Gabi uttered an expletive. “I need to call Wade, don’t I? I was so busy worrying about getting Dad over here, I completely forgot about arranging for Jimmy to be here.”

“Notice she’s going to call Wade, rather than call Jimmy directly,” Emily commented smugly.

“I notice,” Sam agreed.

“You two are so annoying,” Gabi muttered. “If you weren’t my sisters, I doubt I’d have a thing to do with you.”

“Sweetie, are you really sure you want to insult the two people who will be here to have your back when Dad shows up?” Emily inquired.

“Point taken,” Gabi said at once. “Do you think I should have Jimmy here when Dad walks in the door or later?”

“Definitely later,” Samantha said.

“But he might not say anything about me being pregnant with Jimmy and Wade here,” Gabi said hopefully.

“Or he’ll explode, and the prospects for Jimmy will get buried in the fallout,” Emily said. “I vote for later, too.”

Gabi could see what her sisters were saying. “I’m guessing Dad will get an early start and be here by ten. I’ll suggest Wade and Jimmy come for lunch around twelve-thirty,” she decided.

Emily nodded. “After delivering your news and my wedding bills, we should have Dad revived by then, for sure.”

Gabi frowned at her. “Not amusing.”

Samantha laughed. “But sadly, probably accurate.”

* * *

Wade listened with growing amazement as Gabi issued her invitation to lunch and explained the reasoning behind it.

“Are you serious? You think your dad could get Jimmy a scholarship?” he asked.

“The company offers a few every year. I’m familiar with the criteria. Granted, I don’t know everything about Jimmy’s situation, but he seems to me like the perfect candidate.”

“Is the decision up to your father?”

“No, but his opinion carries a lot of weight.”

“This is a huge risk,” Wade said, unable to conceal his concern.

“What do you mean?”

“If I understand you correctly, you haven’t really talked this over with your dad. You have no idea how he’s going to react. What if it goes badly, and we’ve gotten Jimmy’s hopes up?”

To her credit, Gabi didn’t automatically dismiss his concern. “Here’s how I see it. Right now, Jimmy has zero chance of achieving his dream. This scholarship could change that. Isn’t it worth it to at least try? In the end, if he isn’t chosen, he’ll be no worse off, but he stands to get everything he ever wanted, if he is.”

“Well, it’s definitely not up to me to decide,” Wade said. “I’ll run this by him, see what he wants to do. Like you said, it could be the opportunity of a lifetime. I knew you were coming up with some sort of scheme when you met him the other day. I could practically see the wheels turning in that brain of yours.”

“I didn’t want to say anything until I knew if I could at least get my father over here. He’s not always available.”

Wade heard the sad undercurrent in her voice and assumed she wasn’t just talking about a busy timetable. “I’ve heard he doesn’t have the best relationship with you and your sisters,” he admitted. “Boone’s mentioned it.”

Gabi sighed. “Boone’s exactly right. I’ve tried the hardest to change that, but even I have my limits. This is going to be an interesting visit for me, too.”

“Why?”

“He doesn’t know about the baby,” she said.

“Holy cow!” Wade muttered, then asked, “Don’t you think that’s a lot to lay on him right before you ask him for a favor?”

Gabi was extraordinarily quiet for a very long time. Finally she admitted, “To be honest, I think this is kind of a test, to see if he’s ever going to step up as my dad.”

“That’s quite a test, especially for a man who hasn’t been that involved in your life up till now.”

“I’m thinking of it as indoctrination by fire. Emily’s going to drop the bills for her wedding in his lap, too.”

Wade was starting to view the whole lunch invitation as a disaster waiting to happen. He understood Gabi’s desperate need to clarify whether she could count on her dad, but he didn’t think Jimmy needed to be caught up in all the likely drama.

“Gabi, I get what you’re trying to do here, for Jimmy and for yourself. I’m just not sure you’ve taken into account how bad things could get. Do you really want to put a teenager you barely know in the middle of that? It could be asking a lot of him.”

She hesitated, then said, “I guess I never thought about what might happen if Dad reacts badly to all this stuff coming at him at once.”

“Don’t you think you’d better consider it?”

“I knew there was a reason I called you, rather than talking directly to Jimmy myself. You’re so blasted calm and reasonable.”

“I’m not sure, but somehow it doesn’t sound like you mean that as a compliment,” he responded. “How about this, though? I’ll give Jimmy a heads-up, make sure he’s available. Then I’ll stop by around noon and we’ll decide if it makes sense for him to join us. Would that be okay?” Left unsaid was that he would be there for backup, if things didn’t go so well and Gabi needed a shoulder to cry on.

“A much better plan,” she acknowledged, albeit with a grudging note in her voice.

Wade smiled. “Okay, then. I’ll see you tomorrow. And, Gabi?”

“Yes.”

“I truly hope your dad steps up the way you want him to, not just for Jimmy’s sake, but for yours.”

“Thanks.”

As he hung up, Wade’s only regret was that he wouldn’t be there when Sam Castle first walked in the door and discovered his daughter was pregnant. How he handled that moment was going to set the tone for everything that followed.

* * *

Gabi walked into Samantha’s room on Saturday morning wearing the dress her sister had bought for her date with Wade. She glanced in the mirror, then turned to Sam.

“How bad is it? Can you tell I’m pregnant?”

“Sweetie, you’re what? Almost five months along? It definitely shows.”

“But how closely does Dad ever look at us, really? He might not notice,” she said hopefully.

“Trust me, even Dad will notice,” Samantha insisted.

“Maybe I should change.”

Samantha shook her head. “You can’t hide it with a baggy shirt. Dad may be oblivious to just about everything, but he’s going to notice you’re carrying a child. Isn’t that the point, anyway?”

“I guess I just wanted a chance to break the news to him, not throw it in his face the second he walks in the door.”

“Then you should have called him when you found out, or when you were first fired,” Samantha told her. She stepped closer and gave Gabi a hug. “No matter what, it’s going to be okay. You have me, Emily and Grandmother firmly in your corner. And Wade will be here, too.”

“Not at first,” Gabi said, almost regretting that she hadn’t asked him to come by earlier. He had an amazing knack for steadying her. She found it annoying sometimes, but mostly it was comforting.

Suddenly she was struck by a terrible thought. “Oh, no. What if Dad takes one look at Wade and thinks he’s the father? What was I thinking? He’s liable to punch him in the nose.”

Samantha’s barely controlled chuckle erupted into full-blown laughter. “I know it’s not really funny, but can you imagine Dad punching anyone?”

Gabi chuckled, unable to envision it. “Well, this could send him over the edge. Who knows? We’ve never tested him quite like this before. I wonder if he has any idea how lucky he’s been all these years. Not a one of us has ever gotten into serious trouble.”

“Something tells me if Dad does lose it, Wade can handle the situation,” Samantha reassured her. “He’s so smitten with you, he’d slay dragons for you, if need be.”

“Wade’s not smitten,” Gabi said. “We talked about it. We’re just friends.”

Samantha rolled her eyes. “If that lets you sleep at night, fine, but I know what I know. So does Emily. So does Grandmother.”

Gabi’s nerves took another jittery bounce. “Please do not make me any crazier than I am already, okay?”

The sound of a car turning into the gravel driveway had her going perfectly still. “Dad?” she whispered, swallowing hard.

Samantha peeked out the window. “Breathe,” she advised. “It’s just Emily. Let’s go downstairs so we’re ready to present a united front when Dad does get here.”

A half hour later when Sam Castle walked in through the kitchen door, Emily deliberately stepped in front of Gabi.

“Hey, Dad. Thanks for coming.” She stepped closer and kissed his cheek, drawing a look of surprise.

“Well, sure,” he said. “Gabi said you’re making wedding plans.”

“I am,” Emily said, beaming at him.

“Want some coffee, Dad?” Samantha asked, also pressing a kiss to his cheek.

He regarded her with suspicion, but nodded. “Is your grandmother around?”

“She’ll be here in a few minutes,” Samantha said. “She had to deal with a crisis at the restaurant, but she called and said she was on her way home.”

He accepted the cup of coffee that Samantha thrust into his hands and was about to sit at the kitchen table when he caught a glimpse of Gabi, who’d been standing with a chair in front of her.

“Gabriella?” he said, his voice thick with shock. He glanced from one sister to the other, then back at her. “Are you going to have a baby?”

Gabi stepped out from behind the chair. “I am,” she said cheerfully, though there was no mistaking the nervousness behind her admission.

Sam blinked hard, then sat down. “You...are you...who’s...?”

Gabi did her best to hold his gaze. “I’m about five months along. I’m not married. I’m not getting married. The father’s no longer in the picture. In fact, I got the papers just yesterday legally relinquishing his parental rights.”

“What the hell?” Sam blustered. “Is the man crazy? What kind of coward walks away from his child and the mother of his child?”

“I sent him away, Dad,” Gabi said. “Anything else would have been a disaster. He didn’t want this baby. He didn’t want me.”

Sam frowned at her announcement. “But, Gabriella, the man has responsibilities.”

“I’ll manage on my own,” she assured him.

“What about work? How are you going to manage that demanding job and being a single mother?”

Gabi gave him a rueful look. “Not a problem. I no longer have a job.”

He was starting to look a little pale, as if his head were reeling. “You quit your job, too! What were you thinking?”

“She didn’t quit, Dad,” Emily said. “They made it impossible for her to stay.”

“When did this happen?”

“A couple of weeks ago,” Gabi admitted.

At that, color returned to his face, though this time it was a worrisome shade of red. “Why didn’t you call me?” he demanded, his tone indignant. “I could have made some calls, straightened out this mess.”

“It wouldn’t have helped,” she told him.

“Are you looking for another job? Is that what this call of yours was really about? Did you want my help?” The questions poured out as he tried to make sense of what was going on.

Gabi shook her head. “No, Dad. I really did call to ask you to help someone else.”

Sam sat back in his chair, his expression stunned. “I honestly don’t know what to say. If your mother were here, she’d know.”

Emily gave him a pitying look. “That’s always the way it was, right, Dad? We were Mom’s problem. You had better things to do.”

“That’s not fair, Em,” Samantha said, quick to jump to his defense.

Gabi could see the scene deteriorating. “Okay, this isn’t the time for that discussion.” She met her father’s gaze. “I’m sorry about this, Dad. I know it’s an embarrassment.”

“Stop that!” Emily said indignantly. “Don’t you dare apologize to him. It’s not about Dad. This baby is nobody’s embarrassment. It’s a blessing.”

“Amen to that,” Cora Jane said, letting the screen door slam shut behind her as she entered just in time to hear the exchange. “Sam Castle, this is your first grandchild we’re talking about. Now, I expect you to get on board and give your daughter the support she’s entitled to expect from her father.”

Sam stared at Cora Jane with a shocked expression. “I’m not judging her, not for a single second. If I judge anyone, it’s the son of a gun who put her in this situation.” He drew in a deep breath, then turned to Gabi. “What can I do to help?”

Gabi blinked back tears at the sincerity behind the question. “You really mean that? You’re not furious with me?”

Though he looked visibly uncomfortable, he opened his arms to her. “Never, baby. Never,” he said as she launched herself into his embrace. “It must not have seemed that way all these years, but we are a family. I’ll do my best by you, whatever you need.”

Gabi found herself weeping in her father’s arms as her sisters looked on with unmistakable shock.

“Well, now, that’s much better,” Cora Jane said eventually. “Honey bun, why don’t you go and wash your face. I imagine Wade will be here shortly, along with that young man you wanted your father to meet.”

Gabi felt her father tense.

“Wade? He’s not...” Sam asked.

“No, absolutely not,” she said hurriedly. “Wade’s a friend who’s been incredibly supportive since I got over here last week. He introduced me to the teenager I want you to think about helping, but Jimmy won’t be here right away. We wanted things to calm down before we dragged him in the door.”

“Okay, then,” Sam said, visibly relaxing. He patted her damp cheek. “Why don’t you run along the way your grandmother suggested? I need to ask Emily what I can do to help with the wedding. I brought my checkbook.”

Emily’s mouth gaped at that. She whirled on Samantha. “Did you warn him?”

“Not me,” Samantha insisted.

“Or me,” Gabi chimed in.

Cora Jane shrugged, her expression sheepish. “I might have reminded him that parents usually paid for their daughter’s wedding.”

“And thank goodness she did,” Sam said. “Otherwise, I imagine it would have been one more thing to add to the list of mistakes I’ve made with you girls. I know there’s a ledger somewhere with all your grievances listed in it. I also know it’s likely I earned every one of them. Maybe I can finally start getting a few things right.”

Emily came over to poke him in the arm, her expression filled with suspicion. “Who are you, and what have you done with our father?”

For the first time since he’d arrived, the tension in the room seemed to ease. The laughter that erupted wasn’t forced. In fact, for that one shining moment, Gabi looked around and thought maybe, just maybe, they were going to pull off being a real family, complete with the involved, caring dad they’d always dreamed of having.

* * *

Cora Jane looked around her living room with satisfaction. Today had gone more smoothly than she’d first imagined possible when she’d realized Gabi had pressured her father into coming over for the day. Of course, she’d taken it upon herself to call Sam herself and warn him it was time to step up and do the right thing. She hadn’t mentioned Gabi’s pregnancy, just the little tidbit about wedding expenses, then advised him to arrive with an open mind and heart.

“You need to hear what they’re saying for once and not start making judgments the instant you walk in the door,” she’d said.

Naturally he’d reacted with his usual impatience. “Mother, what the devil are you trying so hard not to say?” he’d blustered. “I don’t have time for word games and innuendo.”

Cora Jane hadn’t issued a lot of ultimatums with Sam, especially as an adult, but she issued one now. “You listen to me, son, you will make the time for your daughters. These young women lost their mother. I’ve stepped up and done the best I can by them, but that doesn’t make up for you. They need their father in their lives, and you’re going to be there. Understood?”

“I am in their lives,” he’d protested.

“Oh, really? When was the last time you saw them? Christmas day, unless I’m mistaken. When was the last time you called? Never, I imagine.”

Somehow she’d managed to get her point across, or at least that was how it seemed at the moment, with her son sitting in her living room, actually listening to Emily’s excited talk about her wedding plans as they awaited Wade’s return with Jimmy.

Cora Jane almost hated to interrupt her, but she thought Sam needed to hear a little about Jimmy before he arrived. “Gabi, why don’t you explain to your father about Jimmy?”

Gabi jumped in eagerly and summarized her meeting with him, what she knew of his situation and her belief that he was the kind of young man who’d work hard to achieve great things if given a chance.

“You saw that in one meeting?” Sam asked skeptically.

Gabi nodded. “You’ll see, too, Dad. This is a kid who works hard. I told you that he reminds me a lot of you. He doesn’t make excuses. He just does what’s expected of him and does it well.”

Sam nodded. “I suppose you have his paperwork all filled out?”

Gabi shook her head. “But I did print out the application.” She handed it to him. “See what you think after you’ve talked with him. If you agree he has a chance, then you can give him the application, maybe help to be sure it’ll impress the people who make the final selections.”

He turned to Cora Jane. “And you agree with her instincts about this boy?”

Cora Jane nodded at once. “I do. I’ve heard only good things about how hard he’s working to help out his family.”

“Okay, then. I’ll look forward to meeting him.” He gave Gabi a thoughtful look. “And this friend of yours, Wade? Should I be giving him a more thorough once-over when he gets back here, too?”

Gabi blushed. “Don’t you dare. We’re friends. That’s all. I’m pregnant, remember?”

Sam winced. “Not likely to forget.”

Cora Jane sighed with satisfaction at the color that rose in Gabi’s cheeks at the mention of Wade. Yes, indeed, despite’or perhaps because of’Gabi’s too-quick disclaimer, she thought the signs were excellent that the day was off to a very promising start.