Angel's Rest(95)

“Absolutely. Last summer he worked as a whitewater rafting guide, and I swear my gray hairs multiplied like rabbits because of it.”

Sarah nodded. “That would scare me, too.”

“A parent can know too much,” Ali told her. “It’s different now than when we went off to school. Cell phones are a tether to your kids, and I’m not sure that’s such a good thing. When I was off at college, my dad called me at one o’clock every Sunday afternoon. That was our time. I had to be there to take his call. But the rest of the time, he didn’t know where I was or what I was doing.”

“Were you a bad girl, Ali Timberlake?” Nic teased.

She paused a moment, and a wicked little grin played upon her lips. “That depends on your definition of bad, I guess.”

Sarah groaned. “Maybe we should change the subject? I’d just as soon not think about a definition for bad right now.”

Nic studied her friend and frowned. The tight line in Sarah’s brow and the edge in her voice suggested that it might have been a really, really bad morning for Sarah, family-wise. In honor of their friendship, Nic decided to lob out a distraction. “Then I guess I’d better not say anything about Mrs. Landsbury’s definition of bad or the grief she’s been giving me.”

Sarah bit. “Your next-door neighbor? What’s put the bee in her bonnet?”

“She’s decided I’m misbehaving, and she’s keeping an awfully close eye on my house from an upstairs window.” Nic paused significantly, then stared at her fingernails as she added, “It’s interfering with our honeymoon.”

“Honeymoon?” Sarah’s eyes brightened with interest. “Are we talking figure of speech or the real deal?”

Nic rolled her tongue around her mouth. “The real deal.”

Sarah slapped the table. “I knew it. I knew the man would get a brain at some point. Details, girlfriend. Dish.”

Nic noted Ali’s confusion and asked, “Are you not up to date on local gossip about my marriage?”

“Um … no. It’s not really my business.”

“You’ve never lived in a small town, have you?” Sarah observed.

“No.”

“It has its challenges,” Nic replied. “Having everybody know your business is one of them. Basic facts that everyone knows are that Gabe and I had to get married in the most old-fashioned sense of the word. What fewer people know but many suspect is that it hasn’t been the happiest of circumstances. Very few people in town know that Gabe is a fairly recent widower, and he’s had a difficult time dealing with his grief. The pregnancy happened before he was ready. However, I am happy to say that he has made great strides toward moving on in the past few weeks.”

“By striding right into your bed?”

Nic grinned. “That’s part of it.”

“Hurrah for you, but excuse me a moment while I get bilious with jealousy,” Sarah said.

Ignoring her, Nic continued. “But he’s also started talking about his first wife.”

“That’s a good thing?” Ali asked.

“Yes. I think so.”

Sarah frowned, thumping her pen against her notebook. “I don’t know, Nic. Remember when I dated Danny Hardesty? It was three years after his breakup with his fiancée, but he still spent part of every date telling me how horrible she was. I felt like we needed to tell the restaurants we needed a table for three.”

“It’s different with a widower, I think,” Nic said. “Gabe doesn’t talk about her constantly, but she always has been the proverbial elephant in the room—except this elephant was a tall, dark, Sophia Loren look-alike ghost.”

“Tell me he hasn’t put her photo in your house,” Sarah said.

“No, but I recently discovered he carries a picture of her and his baby in his wallet.”

“And that’s okay with you?” Ali asked.

“Sure. I don’t want him to kick her out of his heart; I want him to make room there for me. I think that his ability to talk about his life with her makes that easier. Don’t get me wrong—if he starts to yammer on about her like Danny Hardesty did with you, I’ll reconsider. I’m walking a line here between being understanding and sympathetic and being a doormat.”

“Doormat has never been a good look for you,” Sarah replied, and Nic smirked in agreement.