Page 29 of Whispers of Redemption

“Thanks!” Ani said, picking up one of the menus from the table. “I’m starved!”

“I thought you only wanted ice cream?” Cassie said, quirking a brow.

“I did,” Ani said, opening the menu, “But the smell of that turkey is making my mouth water. Besides, I’m a woman, so I have the right to change my mind, right?”

“Ain’t that the truth,” J.P. said, causing Tilly to give him a playful punch in the arm, and everyone laughed.

After the waitress had taken their orders, Tilly said, “Cassie and Ani, allow me to introduce you to two of my dearest friends. This is Gretchen Sinclair,” she indicated the stocky woman with the helmet-like hair, “and Margot Reardon.” Margot was the elegant grandmotherly-looking woman.

“Where have I seen you before?” Gretchen asked. Her sharp, beetle-black eyes studied Cassie’s face.

“We—” Cassie started to say, but she was interrupted by Margot.

“Oh, I know!” Margot exclaimed, a hand fluttering to the lacey collar at her throat. “They were both walking on the beach with that cute little dog on the day our car died, remember? And we saw them in the crowd at Zoe’s mural unveiling, too.”

Gretchen’s eyes widened in recognition. “Right, right.” She nodded. “I remember now. You were getting all flirty with Wade at the unveiling. But as usual, he just stood there straight as a flagpole.”

Ani choked on her water while Cassie opened her mouth to protest. But Gretchen plowed on.

“Can’t say I blame you for cozying up to him though, girlie. I swear, all three of those Riley boys are hot enough to melt a glacier in the Arctic.” She took a sip of her tea. “But that Wade really needs to loosen up! Learn to break some eggs. I mean, he hardly even noticed her,” she said to the table, tipping her head in Cassie’s direction. “And look at her. She’s a real beaut’. If he had any brains at all, he’d go for it!”

Cassie’s mouth still hung open. She was at a complete loss on how to respond to this. Ani burst out laughing.

“Gretchen!” Margot said, her pale eyes wide in shock. “I cannot believe you sometimes. You just officially met these young ladies. You shouldn’t be saying things like that.”

“Oh, for crying out loud,” Margot grumbled, reaching for her fork. “Youth is wasted on the young.” Then she settled into eating her nutty chicken salad that had just arrived.

“Gretchen’s not totally wrong about him,” J.P. said after swallowing a bite of his BLT. “Little Man Wade could definitely use some loosening up.”

“Little Man Wade?” Ani said, popping a French fry into her mouth.

“That’s what his Nana Ellen and I called him when he and his brothers were growing up. He’s the oldest and was always the most responsible of all three boys. He devoted himself to taking care of his brothers once their mama died.” J.P.’s eyes grew bright.

“Didn’t they have a father to take care of them?” Ani asked.

“Hate to say it, but my boy Benny—Wade’s dad—wasn’t much of a father after he lost Kat.”

“What happened to her?” Ani asked.

“Ani!” Cassie said.

“No, it’s all right,” J.P. said, and he looked at Ani. “Kat was killed in a car accident. She was hit while on her way to pick up the boys after school.”

“That’s so sad,” Ani said, letting the fry she’d just picked up drop back onto her plate. “It must have been terrible for them...and you.”

“It was,” he agreed. “Kat was a real light in our lives, so full of life and energy. And she was a great mom, passionate about raising those boys, like she was about everything she did. When she died, it was like the spark went out of Benny. Instead of focusing on his boys, he turned his attention to growing the business they’d started together. No matter how much Ellen and I tried to get him to see how much he was neglecting his boys, he just...” J.P. trailed off, shaking his head. “Anyway, Ellen and I did what we could. We had the boys up here every single summer after that.

“Whispering Pines was the only place we ever saw Wade relax. Even though there’s only three years between him and Jakey-boy, the youngest, he’s always seemed older than his years. After Kat died, he basically began parenting his brothers. He helped them with their schoolwork, cooked meals, created chore lists just like their mama used to do. I remember he had all these routines for them, like cleaning the house every Saturday morning.” J.P. smiled at the memory. “Those boys have grown into fine young men. And a lot of that is due to Wade’s influence.”

Cassie imagined a young Wade working hard to care for his younger brothers after the loss of their mother. She swallowed hard against the lump she felt rising in her throat at the thought.

“Well, I’m glad you encouraged Wade to move here,” Tilly said, and blew on a spoonful of her soup. “Especially since you say this is the one place where he was able to relax a little. Although,” she added, “since he’s moved here, I haven’t seen him relaxing all that much. He never seems to do anything fun.” She sipped her soup. “And, while I wouldn’t put it quite the way you did, Gretchen dear,” she added, carefully not looking at Cassie, “it would be lovely if he could find a nice girl and start dating.”

Cassie felt her face flush and was grateful when the conversation changed direction.

After lunch, Cassie and Ani bid the group farewell, thanking the group again for letting them join their table.

“Anytime!” J.P. said, rising to give each of them a big bear hug. Ani hugged him back without any self-consciousness, but Cassie was more awkward. Even though she appreciated J.P.’s genuine warmth, she wasn’t used to such physical displays of affection.

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