Sage shook her head to toss the memories of her breakup with Erol aside. She had been happy at the thought of getting married, and yes, she had cared for Erol deeply. But his actions had changed all that in a way she could not share with Gabe. “Trust me, it won’t.” She took a sip of her drink. “I’m sure there are a number of people hoping that Erol and I will work out our differences and get back together, including my parents and his. But I’ve told them it won’t happen.”
Gabe asked. “What about him? Your fiancé? Erol? What does he think?”
Sage didn’t say anything for a moment, wondering why she was even telling Gabe as much as she was, and why it was important to her that he understood that she had no intentions of getting back with Erol. It’s because you don’t want him to think you would deliberately use his men for your benefit, she reminded herself. But deep down she felt there was another reason, one she wasn’t quite ready to analyze.
“I’m not sure what Erol thinks, but I do know what thoughts I left him with. I was pretty straightforward in letting him know that we would not get back together.”
Gabe nodded. He couldn’t help but think of Lindsey, and what she had told him three years ago was pretty much the same thing that Sage was saying. Yet, within forty-eight hours of her ex-fiancé returning to town, they had miraculously worked out their differences. He would never forget the night she’d showed up at his house to let him know she and her ex-boyfriend were getting back together.
“Why don’t you believe me?”
Gabe blinked when he realized Sage must have read his expression and had spoken to him. He decided to be honest with her. “It’s not a case of me not believing you; it’s a case of knowing how two people who love each other can put past differences aside and move forward regardless, no matter what the situation that caused the breakup, especially if the love they shared is strong.”
He dropped his gaze from hers and picked up his drink. After swirling the contents around in the glass for a few moments, he said, “And like I said earlier, it was easy to see how much you cared for him.”
Sage shrugged. “Yes, but all the things that a relationship is built on were there at the time. At least I thought they were. That’s not the case now, so my feelings have changed. I loved him, yes, and I guess it would be immature to say I don’t still care for him, but not to the point that I can forget what he did. I could never discount how he betrayed my trust.”
He betrayed her trust. Gabe wondered what exactly her fiancé had done to make her sound so bitter, and so utterly convinced that she could not patch things up with him. Usually when there was a question of trust involved, it meant the involvement of a third party—possibly another woman. If that was the case, then she would definitely be hurt and distrustful. But would it be enough to keep a reconciliation from possibly taking place? It hadn’t been for Lindsey, who ultimately forgave her ex for his infidelity. And even if there was no reconciliation, would Sage pigeonhole all men into the same category as her fiancé and become distrustful of the entire male population? He shook his head. Weren’t there women without issues of some kind or another?
“What?”
He lifted his gaze to Sage. “What’s what?”
“Why were you shaking your head?” Sage asked him.
He shrugged. “No reason,” he said, deciding to drop the matter. It meant nothing to him whether or not she and her fiancé worked things out as long as his work crew wasn’t caught in the middle.
Deciding to change the subject, he asked, “So how is Rose Woods? She came across as one sharp woman when we met.”
Sage smiled, thankful for the switch to another topic now that they had cleared the air about a few things. “Rose is doing fine; however, she no longer works for Denmark. She’s in between jobs right now until she decides what she wants to do. I’ve invited her to fly out and spend time with me, but she detests cold weather.”
Gabe chuckled. “Yeah, it does take some getting used to. You seem to be doing okay with it.”
She grinned. “I’m a person who can adjust to any given situation, or at least try. Coming here was a promotion, and I did say I was mobile when I was hired. Besides, I needed the change.”
He nodded. “So did I. My mother was driving me bonkers.”
Sage lifted a brow. “How so?”
Gabe leaned back in his chair. “Playing matchmaker. For the longest time she had given up on Chris and me and thought we would never settle down and marry. Then Chris got reunited with Maxi and—”
“Reunited? Were they married before?”
Gabe shook his head, grinning. “No, Maxi and Chris have known each other since elementary school, and believe it or not, he had a crush on her even then. He loved her all through school, for twelve long years. And because he thought he would never be worthy of her affections, he left town after graduating from high school without telling her how he felt. They met up again on a ten-year class reunion cruise and discovered they loved each other.” He sighed. That tale was close enough, although things hadn’t been that simple. But there was no need to go into any details about it with her.
“Anyway,” he continued, “no sooner was the rice thrown over Chris’s head, than my mother gazed at me with a look in her eye that said, ‘You’re next.’ And since that time she hasn’t given me a moment’s rest from playing Cupid.”
Sage laughed. She remembered her father telling her once that his mother had been just as bad. She sobered quickly when she thought of her father.
“Now it’s my turn to ask what?”
Sage met Gabe’s curious gaze. “What’s what?”
“What made you stop laughing so abruptly.”
Sage sighed. “Trust me, you don’t want to know.”
A part of Gabe wanted to agree with her that he really didn’t want to know, but instead of saying that, he said, “I do trust you, Sage, since I have no reason not to, and you’re wrong. I do want to know. All of us have secrets.”
Gabe’s voice held a bit of tenderness, and Sage couldn’t help it when a feeling of deep appreciation washed over her. It had been so easy for him to say he trusted her. Would trusting someone, especially a man, ever come that easy to her again? “Do you, Gabe? Do you have secrets?”
A smile touched the corners of his mouth. “Yes, in fact I have a few. I’ve been waiting twenty years for my father to discover that I’m the one who at the age of twelve wasted two cans of his shaving cream on the dog next door. I thought the hairy mutt needed a shave. Unfortunately, he took a dip in another neighbor’s pool before I could go after him with the shears.”
Sage gasped, pretending she was shocked, absolutely mortified. A huge smile appeared on her face. “That’s awful, simply shameful. You’ll never get to heaven without first confessing that one to your father.”
Gabe chuckled. “Yes, I’m still losing sleep over how to break the news to him.”
Laughter flickered in Sage’s eyes. She had to admit that Gabe had a knack for making her laugh. She really enjoyed his company. Possibly too much, she thought. That prompted her to glance down at her watch.
He took her cue and said, “I guess it’s time for us to call it a night. Unless you think you can handle dessert.”
She shook her head, smiling. “There’s no way I can handle dessert. I’m stuffed. I never had a real taste for salmon until coming here. I didn’t know it could be prepared in so many different ways. Everything was delicious, and I wish you would let me contribute toward the tab.”
Gabe shook his head. “No, tonight was my treat.” He met her gaze, wondering why he was a glutton for punishment, then thought what the hell and said, “If you’re one of those die-hard women’s libbers, then I’ll reconsider the next time we go out.”
Sage slowly lifted her brow and held his gaze as if she couldn’t believe what he’d suggested. He had made the statement as if for them to have another date was a done deal. As far as he was concerned, it was. But he could tell by the way she was looking
at him she wasn’t.
“Do you think I assume too much, Sage?” He decided to beat her to the punch and ask.
For a long moment she stared at him. Finally, she broke eye contact and looked out the window.
“Sage?”
A frown had creased her brow when she met his gaze again. “Do you, Gabe? Do you think that you assume too much?”
He met her gaze with a level stare, wondering why it was important to him to take her out again, although every fiber of his being was screaming at him to back off. She had issues to deal with. He should patiently wait and let her work through them before making a move. But for some reason he didn’t want to wait.
“The only thing I can assume with certainty is that you enjoy laughing, and I like seeing you laugh. And for some reason, I get the feeling that you don’t trust me, and that bothers me since I make it a point to be the type of person anyone can trust in my line of business as well as the personal aspects of my life. So I’d like to give you the chance to get to know me. I’m not asking for anything hot and heavy, Sage, just friendship and a chance to see you again in a nice, comfortable setting like this. We do have to eat a decent meal every once in a while, so what’s wrong with sharing it?”
“Just for friendship?”
“Yes.” For some reason he was willing to break the rules for Sage Dunbar and hoped he wasn’t making the mistake of his life. “So, are you willing to let there be a next time?”
Sighing, Sage leaned back in her chair. It was too soon to become involved with another man after Erol, especially when she had so many personal issues to deal with. But then, according to Gabe, they would be friends and nothing more. “Yes, Gabe. I’m willing to let there be a next time.”
Later that night after getting ready for bed, Sage walked over to the bedroom window and looked out. It had started snowing again. Her lips twitched. If Rose was listening to the weather report, she might never decide to come out and pay her a visit. She also thought about the bet she’d made with Gabe.
She turned from the window when she heard the phone ring and quickly crossed the room and picked it up. “Yes?”
“You owe me five dollars.”
Sage laughed. While walking her out to her car after dinner, Gabe had said he thought it would be snowing before midnight. She had told him she’d heard that it wouldn’t snow again for at least a couple of days. He’d made a five-dollar bet with her that she was wrong and he was right. “Okay, so you win. Don’t rub it in.”
“I won’t too much. But once you get to know me, you’ll find out that I’m a person who likes being right.”
Sage shook her head, chuckling. “It must be hard carrying around that big head of yours.”
Now it was Gabe’s turn to laugh. “Well, yeah, sometimes it is. Good night, Sage.”
She grinned. “Good night, Gabe.”
After hanging up the phone, Sage couldn’t help but smile. He had a knack for making her laugh, and she really liked that. Gabe Blackwell was something else. She had to admit that he was definitely an all-right guy.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Without opening an eye, Sage reached across the bed to the nightstand to pick up the ringing telephone and drowsily said, “Hello.”
“Sage, are you still in bed?”
Sage opened one eye slowly upon hearing the sound of her mother’s voice. She then sleepily peered at the clock on her bedroom wall. “Yes, Mom, it’s only six o’clock here. Did you forget about the four-hour time difference again?”
“Oh, sweetheart, I’m so sorry. I tend to forget about that. I’ll just call you back later.”
Sage slowly pulled herself up in the bed. “No, Mom, that’s fine. I’m usually up by seven anyway.” Now Sage’s curiosity was peaked. Her mom rarely called in the morning. Usually they talked at night. “Are you all right? And how is Dad?”
“Your father and I are fine, but I’m sure that he would love to hear from you more often than he does. I wish that whatever it is that has you and him at odds would come to an end, Sage. You can’t hold a grudge forever.”
Sage swallowed. “What makes you think Dad and I are in a disagreement about something?”
Her mother chuckled. “Because I know you and I know your father. And whatever it is I can tell it’s bothering him. I also think I know what it’s about.”
Sage lifted a brow and pushed her hair away from her face. “Do you?”
“Yes. It has to be about what’s going on with you and Erol. That’s when this animosity toward your father started. You can’t fault him for wanting to remain neutral in all of this, especially when we think that eventually you and Erol will get back together.”
Sage shook her head. Her mother was wrong on two accounts. Her and her father’s strained relationship had nothing to do with Erol, and the thought that she and Erol would get back together was far from the truth. Why was it so hard for everyone to see, including Gabe, that she and Erol would not be getting back together? Some things between couples couldn’t be worked out, and this was one of those situations.
“He came by on Sunday for dinner.”
Her mother’s words pulled Sage back into the conversation. “Who came by for dinner on Sunday, Mom?”
“Erol. He looks so sad and lonesome without you.”
Will he not give up? Sage thought as irritation flowed through her. Of course her parents felt a special closeness to Erol since he was the first guy she’d ever gotten serious about, and she could appreciate that even now they had retained that close relationship. But what bothered her more than anything was that it seemed Erol was trying to use that relationship in his favor and to his benefit.
“He should have thought about all of this before he took my money,” Sage said through gritted teeth.
“Yes, and I’m sure he regrets what he did, Sage.”
Sage blew out a frustrated stream of breath. “Fine, then I forgive him if that will make him feel better and get him off this guilt trip he deserves to be on. But forgiving him won’t patch up things between us, Mom. I’m here in Alaska because I’ve moved on with my life, and I suggest that Erol do the same.”
“He can’t. He still loves you.”
Sage inhaled deeply, and her lip curled sullenly. Erol must have really gotten next to her mother for her to take the role of becoming his messenger. “Then, I suggest he get over it, because I have.”
For the longest time her mother didn’t say anything; then she said, “You have, haven’t you?”
Sage reached out with her free hand and began rubbing the back of her neck when she felt tension there. “Yes, Mom, I have, but it wasn’t easy. No matter what you or anyone might think, I’m not going through a phase just to make Erol’s life miserable. Nor am I doing the ‘eye-for-an-eye’ thing. It was Erol’s decision, without any input from me, to do what he did. For me it’s not about the money; it’s about trust. I’ve told you that countless times, but you refuse to accept it. What Erol did hurt me deeply mainly because he didn’t care enough to respect my feelings. I cannot marry a man like that. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life living with a man I can’t trust. There is no way I can ever get back with him.”
There was silence on the other end of the phone, and Sage waited patiently for her mother to say something.
“I think I believe you, Sage.”
Sage breathed in a deep-gutted sigh. Thank you, Jesus! Finally! “I’m glad, Mom,” she said quietly, fighting back the tears. She knew both her and Erol’s families were holding back, hoping and wishing that she would come to her senses. What they’d both failed to realize was that she had.
“The best thing that you can do for Erol, Mom, is to make sure he believes it as well. Feeding him false hope won’t help the situation. I just hope that with the next woman he becomes serious about, he takes into consideration her feelings with any decisions he makes.”
Sage heard her mother’s long sigh before she said, “All right, Sage, you’ve set matters straight regardin
g your relationship with Erol; now what about your father?”
Sage frowned. “What about Dad?”
“Will you make an effort to resolve what’s going on with the two of you as well? I’ve never seen him so down. You’re his daughter, Sage, his only child. He loves you, and there has always been that special bond between the two of you. I don’t want this thing with Erol to destroy that.”
Sage inhaled deeply upon hearing the worry in her mother’s voice. “Is Dad still working late?” she couldn’t help but ask.
“No, he gets home on time like clockwork every day in time for the evening news. He even goes to prayer meeting with me on Wednesday nights. We’re spending more time together than before. We’re both missing you like crazy, Sage. Other than the time you left for college, this is the first time you’ve lived away from Charlotte. It’s taking some getting used to.”
Sage nodded. “I’m fine, Mom, and I’ll call and talk to Dad real soon. I’m trying to accomplish some things here and move on with my life. It gets a little hectic at times, but I’m doing fine. I’m surviving this weather and doing what Denmark is paying me to do. The resort will be beautiful, and I’m happy about the part I’ll be playing in its success.”
“And we’re happy for you as well. We’re also proud of you. Both your dad and I are. Always remember that we love you, Sage.”
Sage wiped a tear from her eye. “And I love you and Dad, too, Mom.”
Malcolm looked up when a very bundled up Sage walked into the office. He smiled. “I thought you would probably work from home today. Anyone in his right mind definitely would have.”
Sage chuckled as she pulled off her coat, mittens and knitted cap. “Then, why are you here?”
Malcolm grinned. “Because I’m not in my right mind. You don’t know how hard it was to leave the warm coziness of my bed this morning, especially when Leanne was still sleeping in it.”
Sage shook her head and laughed. “Yeah, I can see how that would be hard. After yesterday, I plan on this being a fairly light workday for me. I’m not doing anything but staying in my office and concentrating on that list of recommendations I plan to give to Mr. Landmark by the end of the week.”
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