by Debbie Mason
Sadie glanced at Chase. He appeared as uncomfortable with Gwen’s praise as he had been the last twenty times the woman and the judge had regaled Sadie with stories of his brilliance.
Thinking it was time for a subject change, Sadie said, “So, Gwen, how are you enjoying your time in Highland Falls?”
“I only arrived last night so I haven’t had much time to take in the sights,” she said with a patronizing smile.
Right. Sadie should have come up with something else. But it’s not like she could ask about Gwen’s job. They’d already heard ad nauseam how important she was to the Department of Justice. Maybe Sadie should have asked her how she was able to take time off to visit.
“But honestly”—Gwen reached for both the judge’s and Chase’s hands—“if not for my two favorite men, I wouldn’t be caught dead in this backwater.” Gwen released their hands to bring her own to her mouth. “I apologize, Sadie. That was rude of me. I’m sure it’s a lovely little town. It’s just that I much prefer big-city living.” She turned to Chase. “You were always the same, darling. You can’t tell me you’re actually happy living here.”
Chase smiled, the kind of smile that crinkled the fine lines at the corners of his eyes. It was the first time he’d truly smiled since they’d sat down at the table, Sadie realized. “I’m happier than I’ve ever been, actually. I’ve become a fan of small-town living, especially this town. Then again, I might be slightly prejudiced.” He turned his breath-stealing smile on Sadie. “After all, I found the love of my life in Highland Falls.”
The judge cleared his throat, effectively ending the smile Sadie and Chase shared. Chase leaned in to kiss her cheek before turning back to his grandfather and Gwen. “Loves of my life, I should say. I’m sorry you weren’t able to meet our daughter, Gwen. She’s not at the pasta-eating stage yet.”
“Unless you blend it for her,” Sadie reminded him. “And turn her spoon into an airplane.”
Chase laughed. “She loves that, doesn’t she? We really should have brought her with us, honey. It’s never too soon to introduce children to the pleasures of dining out.”
His grandfather harrumphed. “I, for one, would disagree. There’s nothing more annoying than having a fine meal interrupted by a whining and crying child.”
Chase’s gaze narrowed on his grandfather. “Michaela doesn’t whine or cry at dinner time. She loves to eat, as you saw for yourself, Judge.”
“Perhaps. But that infernal airplane noise you make while feeding her is just as annoying.”
Afraid the lunch was on a death spiral that would bring Chase and his grandfather’s relationship down with it, Sadie intervened. “Well, it’s a moot point. Michaela couldn’t come even if we wanted her to. Ellie took her to Cutie Patootie to look for her dress,” she reminded Chase.
“Was that today?” At Sadie’s nod, he heaved a disappointed sigh. “I thought we were taking her. Ellie’s not choosing the dress for her though, right?”
“No. She’s just putting a couple options on hold for us. She was worried their new holiday line would be picked over if we waited another day.” She patted his hand. “Don’t worry, Daddy. You’ll get to have your say.”
Gwen tilted her head to study Chase as if he were an alien from outer space. “Do you always involve yourself in the choice of Sadie’s daughter’s clothes?”
“Our daughter,” he corrected Gwen. “And no, I don’t. But this dress is special. It’s for our wedding, and I want to be involved.”
“Really,” Gwen said in a disbelieving tone of voice.
“Oh yes, Chase is very involved,” Sadie said. “He chose our wedding cake design, and yesterday he and his fellow grooms-to-be had a meeting with the florist.”
“Now, honey, I told you, we didn’t have a meeting with Winter. She’s the mayor and owns Flower Power on Main Street,” he explained to his grandfather and Gwen, who were staring at him with almost comical expressions of horror. “We just happened to be walking by and noticed her window display. All we said was that adding the feathers and ferns to the bouquets of garden roses, dahlias, and peonies would go well with our ideas for the wedding decor.”
“Funny, that’s not what I heard. Winter told Abby the three of you had actually ordered more garden roses, dahlias, and peonies than would fit in her coolers.” And as much as they were happy that the men wanted to be involved, they hadn’t expected them to take over.
“We might have gotten a little carried away,” he said with a sheepish grin. “You’re not mad, are you?”
“No, not at all. But you might want to talk to Abby before you change anything else. Her subscribers have been helping plan the wedding. They’re really invested.”
Chase frowned. “No more invested than we are. Surely they’d understand if we tweak a few things.”
“I’m sorry,” Gwen said. “I don’t mean to interrupt your scintillating conversation, and please don’t be offended, Sadie, but I feel this must be said. Chase, I’m worried about you. I find all of this remarkably unlike you. In a matter of months, you’ve moved from the city you love—and your grandfather, I might add. You accepted a job that effectively takes you out of the running for either directorship of the FBI or attorney general, career aspirations that you’ve had for as long as I’ve known you. My God, you ended our engagement because I refused to sign on with the FBI.” She held Chase’s gaze. “I thought you’d eventually come around. I was willing to wait. Had I known that—”
“I don’t know what’s brought this on, Gwen.” The castigating look Chase sent his grandfather said otherwise. “But you know as well as I do that your decision not to join the FBI had nothing to do with our breakup. I’d realized I was marrying you to make my grandfather happy, not me. Besides, we’re too much alike. We would have driven each other crazy.”
Covering Gwen’s hand with his, Chase gave her a gentle smile. “I’m sorry. This really isn’t the place to have this conversation. But you’re right, I’m not the same man you remember. This past year, thanks to Sadie and Michaela and the people in this town, I’ve discovered what really matters. I hope one day you will too.”
Zia Maria rushed through the door, stopping short at the sight of them. Her hand went to her hair, which she’d obviously had freshly done.
“Why did you not tell me you come for lunch today?” Maria said as she approached their table.
Sadie and Chase had decided to keep their lunch date with the judge and Gwen between them and made the reservations in another name. They’d known exactly what would happen if anyone in town had found out about it.
“I would have made you something special.” Maria glanced at the judge’s plate. “Ah, now you have good taste. Just like your grandson. Did you enjoy your linguine di pesce?”
The judge nodded. “I must admit I was pleasantly surprised at the caliber of your cuisine. My only criticism is that the tiger shrimp were somewhat overcooked.”
Maria crossed her arms. “You say my Marcello cooked the shrimp too long?”
“Don’t be too hard on your son. No one else but me would notice. I’m somewhat of a connoisseur when it comes to Italian food, you see,” Jonathan said, completely misreading the situation. No one but Maria criticized her son.
Chase, who by now knew Maria as well as Sadie did, intervened. “My meal was perfection, Maria. The gorgonzola cream sauce…” Chase brought the tips of his fingers to his lips and kissed them.
“Ah, you are such a good boy.” She came over and pinched Chase’s cheeks. “Look at that face. So handsome,” Maria said. Then she glanced at Gwen. “And your carbonara, did you enjoy?”
“Very much, thank you. It was excellent,” Gwen said, her voice subdued.
Obviously, the lunch hadn’t gone as either Gwen or the judge had planned.
Maria looked at Sadie’s plate and slapped her palm to her face. “Pepperoni pizza. Madonne! You have the taste buds of a teenager.” She flicked Chase’s shoulder with her finger. “What are we going to do wit
h her?”
“I wouldn’t change a single thing about her, Zia Maria.” Chase turned a heart-melting smile on Sadie. “She’s my perfect match.”
Chapter Ten
Three days after their lunch date, Chase and his grandfather were still not talking. The only positive that came out of it was that Sadie no longer worried about Chase’s ex-fiancée. She’d actually felt sorry for the woman when they’d said their goodbyes. It had been obvious the judge had gotten Gwen’s hopes up. In the end though, it wasn’t only the other woman’s hopes that had been dashed. According to Ellie, Chase’s grandfather was barely eating and moped around the inn like he’d lost his best friend.
Sadie glanced at Chase as she buckled Michaela into her car seat. As much as he tried to hide it, she knew it bothered him that he and the judge were on the outs.
“Did you mention the tasting tonight at Highland Brew to your grandfather?” Sadie asked casually. “I’m sure he’d enjoy hanging out with you guys.”
“He won’t be here. His flight leaves at three,” Chase said, and slid behind the wheel.
Sadie kissed Michaela. “Be a good girl for Daddy,” she said before closing the door and rounding the car to come to Chase’s side.
He was meeting Hunter, Gabe, and Gabe’s sons at the tailor’s to pick out their kilts, after which they’d head to the pumpkin patch at Owen Campbell’s farm.
“I’m sorry, honey. Maybe he’ll be back for the wedding.”
Chase shrugged. “It’s probably for the best that he isn’t. I don’t want anyone to ruin our special day.”
“How could anyone ruin our wedding when you and your fellow groomzillas have thought of everything right down to the smallest detail?” she teased in hopes of distracting him from his disappointment that not a single member of his family would be attending.
The night before last, his brother had called to give his regrets. He had a conference that same weekend. But no matter what Chase had said after ending the call, he’d been disappointed. So disappointed that Sadie had been tempted to go bridezilla on both his brother and his grandfather. It didn’t matter that Chase was a treasured member of their family as far as her grandmother and brother were concerned. Or that he’d grown incredibly close to Gabe and Hunter. Chase’s grandfather and brother were important to him, especially the judge.
Chase raised his hands from the wheel, his lips twitching at the corners. “I had nothing to do with the candy apple stand. That’s all on Gabe. But in his defense, he was under a lot of pressure from his sons. The twins are addicted to candy.”
Sadie knew this to be true. She’d witnessed the twins’ candy addiction firsthand. “Actually, I was thinking of the menu change you guys tried to sneak through. Abby and her subscribers weren’t impressed.”
“Again, that wasn’t on me. But I think Hunter is right. A couple guy-friendly appetizers couldn’t hurt, could they? I mean, who doesn’t like grilled chicken wings and nachos?”
“Abby’s subscribers?” She kissed his cheek. “Don’t worry though, I defended you in our Abby Does Highland Falls video chat.”
“You mean your What Are the Groomzillas Up To Now? segment.” He gave her a raised-eyebrow look, but the amusement in his eyes gave him away.
Sadie laughed. “You wouldn’t believe how popular that segment was. It’s gone viral.”
Michaela banged her bottle on her car seat. “Dada, dada.”
“Okay, sweetheart, we’re going,” Chase said to Michaela before returning his attention to Sadie. “And we’ll see you later.” He curved his hand around her neck and drew her in for a kiss.
Which might have gone on longer if their daughter didn’t start banging her bottle again. Sadie withdrew her head from the window, blowing a kiss to Michaela as she did so. “You two have fun,” she said, adding as an afterthought: “And no more tweaks to the wedding plan.” Her eyes narrowed at the blank expression on his face. An expression she’d come to think of as his I’m up to no good tell. “Chase, I’m serious.”
“Have I told you how much your serious expression turns me on?”
“Not in the last thirty minutes.”
He grinned, calling out his open window as he backed out of the gravel drive, “Check your file before you go shopping. I sent you a few more wedding dress ideas.”
She bowed her head. Between Ellie, Abby, Mallory, and Chase, she had at least eighty wedding dress suggestions already. They were right though. She had to get on that today. Mallory had decided on her dress a few days ago.
However, as Sadie stood at the open door to the cottage, waving until Chase’s car faded from view, wedding dresses were the last thing on her mind. She kept seeing Chase’s face the other night when he’d told her no one from his family would be attending the wedding.
At least he had Nate. But then she remembered, Chase wouldn’t have Nate at his side. The NCSBI agent worked undercover more often than not and couldn’t afford to be seen by millions of people. It could be dangerous to him and the people he loved.
Sadie pulled out her cell phone and called Abby. There must be something they could do to ensure that Nate could take part in the ceremony. Five minutes later, she disconnected from Abby, who’d promised to figure something out. But she’d sounded far less optimistic than she usually did when coming up with a plan. If Nate’s attendance wasn’t a guarantee, Sadie had to somehow get Chase’s grandfather and brother on board.
Sadie walked into the cottage, glancing at Finn, who looked forlorn. “Don’t worry, boy. They’re coming back to get you for the trip to the pumpkin patch,” she said, and headed for her bedroom to get dressed. Her grandmother and Ellie were meeting her at a bridal boutique in Jackson County in an hour.
As Sadie pulled a cream-colored sweater over her head, an idea came to her. Ten minutes later, she hugged Finn goodbye, locked the cottage door, and headed for her SUV.
Sadie glanced at the time and called her cousin. “Hey, Ellie, can—”
“Thank goodness, I was just going to call you. The judge is leaving, and there’s nothing I can do to stop him. Trust me, I’ve tried.”
“I know, but do you think you can stall him? I’ll be at the inn in fifteen minutes.”
“I’ll do what I can. But his bags are packed and waiting at the door, and he just called an Uber.”
“Cancel his ride and hide his bags.”
Twelve minutes later, Sadie pulled into the parking lot at the inn. She spotted the judge on the dock, his hands clasped behind his back as he stared out at the crystal-blue lake. The anger Sadie had been nursing on Chase’s behalf left her as she made her way across the damp grass and down to the dock. The judge looked dejected and incredibly sad.
“Jonathan,” Sadie said as she approached him.
Beneath his dark suit, the judge’s shoulders rose on a sigh. “If you’ve come to talk me out of leaving, it won’t do you any good,” he said without turning.
“I was hoping we could talk, just for a few minutes.” When he glanced at her over his shoulder, she gestured to the Adirondack chairs. “Please. Come sit with me.”
“I don’t have long. My driver should be here any minute now.” He raised an eyebrow. “I’m taking it you’re the reason Ellie canceled my first ride and hid my luggage.”
“I plead the Fifth,” she said, in an attempt to lighten the mood.
It didn’t appear to work. He took the seat beside her, folding his hands neatly in his lap, looking every inch the Superior Court judge that he used to be. Sadie’s stomach danced with nerves.
She stiffened her spine. This was too important to Chase for her to cave under the older man’s steely gaze. “I know I’m nothing like the woman you’d hoped Chase would marry, but I’m also not the woman you seem to think I am.”
His only response was to stare at the waves lapping against the dock.
Sadie soldiered on. “Chase and I didn’t have the best examples when it came to our parents. But we were both blessed to be taken in and raised by
grandparents who loved us, and who we respected and loved—love—in return. Despite what it might feel like right now, Chase loves you, Jonathan. He loves you very much.”
Again, he didn’t say anything, but Sadie caught the softening in his expression. “And while you and I have our differences, there are a couple of things we do agree on. We both love Chase and only want the best for him.”
He turned his head. “And you think that’s you.”
“Me and Michaela.” She nodded. “Yes, I do. I didn’t feel that way in the beginning though. At least about myself. I didn’t think I was worthy of his love. But Chase convinced me otherwise.” She took the photo album Chase had made for her and offered it to the judge.
He tapped the album’s cover. “And this is your evidence?”
“Yes. As a mother, I would protect my daughter with my life. You’ve been a father to Chase, as well as a grandfather, so I understand where you’re coming from. But as parents, all we really want is for our children to be happy. Isn’t it?”
“I thought he was,” the judge murmured, and opened the album.
As he slowly paged through the photos, she told him when and where each one was taken. When he reached the last page, she took out her phone, pulling up some of her favorite photos of Chase. “I took this one a few weeks ago. He’s become quite the fly fisherman.”
“My grandson fishing? I never would have believed it if I didn’t see it with my own eyes.”
“I don’t think he could either.” She smiled, bringing up a photo of Chase laughing with his head thrown back at a bonfire with Gabe and Hunter, another of him playing fetch with Finn in the meadow at sunset, and one of him dancing with Michaela in his arms under the harvest moon at last month’s Fall Festival.
“I’ve never seen him so happy. I thought I had, but I hadn’t.”
At the touch of sadness in his voice, Sadie decided to lighten the mood and played videos of Chase trying to teach Michaela to say dada. She ended with the video of Chase’s botched proposal on Lula Belle the day before. The judge laughed almost as hard as Sadie.