Perfect Fit - Brenda Jackson [18]
“You really didn’t have to do this, you know,” Sage said, smiling at him in the enclosed confines of the elevator.
“Yes, I did. One of Joella Blackwell’s strictest rules was to always see a lady safely to her door.”
“Joella Blackwell?”
“Yes, my mother.”
The elevator door opened, and stepping out, they began walking toward Sage’s room. “Is it true that your family adopted Christopher Chandler?”
Gabe laughed, remembering the article that had appeared in a certain newspaper last year. “I guess you can say that, although of course not legally. Chris was eighteen, and my parents decided they needed another son and I needed a brother. They thought since we were the same age it was perfect. However, at the time I didn’t particularly like Chris and wasn’t all that keen on the idea. But no one fights Joella Blackwell when she makes up her mind about something.”
He grinned. “I think even Chris was overwhelmed by it all. He was a loner and had been all his life. He’d never had anyone to care for him before, except for his wife, Maxi, when they went to school together as kids, and one of his former teachers. My parents proudly boast of him being their other son, and I’m proud to claim him as a brother.”
Sage nodded. She had picked up on the special friendship the two of them shared when she’d seen them together earlier that day. “And what about Parnell? He’s raising his daughters alone?”
Gabe answered, “Yes, his wife was killed in a car accident three years ago. The girls were barely a year old at the time. Parnell took her death extremely hard, and the only thing that held him to his sanity was those girls.”
Sage shook her head sadly when she thought of the little girls who would grow up without a mother. “Who will take care of them while he’s out here working?”
“He plans to move them out here with him. And whatever it takes, he’s going to make it work. Chances are that he’ll hire a live-in sitter to help out. Joya and LaToya are his whole world. He is the perfect father, and those girls are the apples of their father’s eyes.”
Sage thought about the special relationship she’d always shared with her father while growing up. When they finally came to her room, they stopped. “Thanks again, Gabe, for a nice evening. You certainly have your work cut out for you with the Landmark Project, and I do as well. But it’s my belief that we’ll both be successful.”
Gabe nodded, hearing her confidence surface once again. “That’s my belief as well. And congratulations on your upcoming wedding. Have you set a date?”
“Yes, June eighth of next year.”
He smiled and said in all honesty, “I wish you and your fiancé all the best.”
“Thanks, and if you’re ever in the Charlotte area, let me know.”
“I will, and I’d like you to do the same if you’re ever in Detroit.”
“Thanks. Well, I’d better go and start packing since I’m leaving tomorrow.”
“I hope you have a safe trip back home.”
She turned and inserted her key in the door, and it clicked open. Giving him a final smile, she said, “Good night,” before slipping inside and closing it behind her.
Gabe walked away, and for the umpteenth time since first seeing Sage Dunbar, he thought that her fiancé was definitely a very lucky man.
CHAPTER FOUR
Sage waved goodbye to Rose and Mr. Poole as she walked out of the airport terminal tugging her luggage behind her. She was glad to be back home and couldn’t wait to tell Erol how well things had gone in Alaska.
Five minutes later she was pulling her BMW out of the parking garage. She glanced at the time on her car’s dashboard. Knowing Erol was probably at the office, she decided to surprise him and go there. But first she wanted to get him a gift for his office, so she pulled into a florist shop. After deciding on a small potted plant that sat in a beautiful ceramic bowl, she walked up to the counter to pay for her purchase, handing the lady her bankcard. She was admiring a beautiful arrangement of fresh-cut flowers when the sales person