LITMIR.BIZ

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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

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