Perfect Fit - Brenda Jackson [126]
It hadn’t taken much probing to find out everything she’d needed to know from Gabe’s secretary, including where his grandparents’ anniversary would be held and the proper attire. She’d barely had enough time after her plane landed to check into a hotel and quickly change. She glanced down at herself. Since she would be meeting his family for the first time, she didn’t want to wear anything brow-raising, yet on the other hand, she wanted to wear something that would definitely capture Gabe’s attention. She felt the dress she was wearing, one she had purchased at a dress shop in Anchorage, was perfect.
The door opened, and an older woman with beautiful silver gray hair and a smile that reminded her so much of her mother’s stood in the doorway looking radiant.
“Yes?”
Sage swallowed and hoped what she was about to say sounded convincing. Automatically, she reached out her hand. “Hello, I’m Sage Dunbar, a friend of Gabe’s. He invited me here tonight, but I had to leave Anchorage when my mother became ill before letting him know whether I would attend.”
The woman accepted her hand without hesitation, and although Sage was sure they had never met before, she saw the woman’s eyes light up when she’d said her name.
“Hello, Sage, and I’m Joella Blackwell, Gabe’s mother. Is your mother all right?”
Sage blinked, upon realizing the stunning woman was Gabe’s mother. “Yes, she’s doing fine, so I thought I would take Gabe up on his invitation; but he doesn’t know that. I tried calling him earlier on his cell phone when I arrived and couldn’t reach him.”
The older woman chuckled. “That doesn’t surprise me. He’s been doing errands for me, lots of them, and probably deliberately cut his cell phone off thinking I would be calling with additional things for him to do.” She stepped back. “Please come in.”
“Thanks,” Sage said nervously. As soon as she entered, she swept her gaze around the room. There were a lot of people in attendance, but there was no sign of Gabe anywhere.
“Don’t worry,” Joella Blackwell said, chuckling again. “He’s around here somewhere, and I bet he’s hiding out so I won’t find something else for him to do. And wherever he is, there’s no doubt in my mind that Christopher is with him. They’re like two peas in a pod, those two.”
Joella Blackwell was beaming from ear to ear, and Sage wondered why. She then remembered what Gabe had once shared with her about his mother’s chronic matchmaking antics.
“If you’d like, I can help you look for him in this crowd,” Joella Blackwell offered, still looking pretty pleased with herself.
Sage shook her head. Just in case Gabe would not be happy to see her, she didn’t want to have an audience when he asked her to leave. “If you don’t mind, I’ll just look for him myself.”
The woman smiled, and for some reason, Sage had a feeling that just like her mother, this woman could read her mind.
“Yes, that’s fine. And after you find him, make sure he returns you to me so that I can introduce you to everyone.”
Sage couldn’t help but return the older woman’s cheerful smile. “All right.” She then walked off in search of Gabe, hoping that when she saw him, he would be willing to hear her out.
Christopher took a slow sip of his punch while he studied Gabe. They were standing outside on the lit patio, taking a breather from the multitude of well-wishers who’d come to congratulate the elder Blackwells on their sixtieth wedding anniversary.
Gabe and Chris hadn’t had a chance to talk, at least not privately, since Gabe had arrived two days ago. Ma Joella had kept them both busy doing various chores in preparation for the anniversary party.
“You okay, bro?” he finally asked.
Gabe met his gaze. “Yeah, man, I’m okay.”
Christopher nodded. He was hearing one thing but seeing another. Instead of ignoring it, he decided to push forward. “I thought Sage would be coming with you tonight.”
Gabe took a sip of his punch, then responded, “She left to return home on an emergency. Her mother took ill and had to be