“Your granddaughter is a beautiful woman,” Gage said to Sam in the older man’s family room much later that day.
“Yes, she is,” Sam could not help but agree.
Gage was about to ask a question about her, but he looked at the older man’s face. His head was tipped back, his mind far away.
“My son was a good-looking man,” he said after a minute of quiet. “But Isabella, Arcineh’s mother, was stunning. She drew eyes, male and female, everywhere she went. And classy—Arcineh has her style.”
“What happened to them?”
“They died in an auto accident. Arcie was eleven. She came to live with me.”
“I take it the two of you didn’t get along.”
“As a matter of fact, we did very well together until I let my other granddaughter move in. Arcie was 17 at the time and moved out as soon as she could. I thought Arcie was being unreasonable. I was totally blind to who Quinn really was at that time.”
The things Sam said that afternoon helped everything come into focus for Gage. He found himself more fascinated than ever. Gage wrestled with what he was thinking for a time and then just spit it out.
“Do you think Arcie will ever let me anywhere near her?”
Sam smiled, not surprised he would feel that way.
“Tell me something, Gage. Do you dance?”
“A little. Mostly ballroom.”
Sam smiled at him, and Gage laughed.
“If that’s the prerequisite, I probably don’t stand a chance.”
“I was just teasing you, but do take my advice on this. Don’t ever make her compete for you. She’ll walk away without a backward glance.”
Gage felt compassion for the man but took each word to heart.
“I’m still in shock,” Sam told Pastor Simon Orr when the morning service ended. “I’ve seen her every day, I think just to convince myself that she’s really back in my life.”
“Will you see her today?”
“I’m headed there now,” Sam said with a smile.
Simon clapped him on the shoulder and said, “I’ll be praying.” Sam thanked him and headed to his car.
“Hi,” Sam said quietly, causing Arcineh to start.
“I didn’t hear you,” she said, shutting her front door behind her. The hallway was always a bit cool.
“I didn’t mean to startle you. Did I catch you at a bad time?”
“No, I’m just putting the trash out.”
Sam took the sack from her hand and said, “I thought you might want to come over for lunch.”
“At your house?”
“At my house.”
Arcineh bit her lip. She loved the idea, but found it a little scary too.
“Just the two of us?”
“Yes.”
“Okay,” Arcineh agreed, though she was not sure why. “Let me grab my coat.”
Arcineh shot inside the building but came right back out.
“Do you think it would be all right if I did my laundry?”
“Of course,” Sam said, wondering why she wasn’t inviting him in.
“My stuff gets pretty dirty on the job,” she apologized.
“Get your laundry, Arcie,” Sam said, and Arcineh smiled at him. Sam found the Dumpster and then went in to wait by her door. Arcineh came out with a large sack and shut the door rather swiftly.
“Have you got a man in there you don’t want me to see?” Sam teased her.
“No, things are just messy,” Arcineh said. It was true, but not the full truth.
“I’m sure I’d be horrified,” Sam remarked dryly.
Arcineh laughed but was glad he’d not pushed the point. If he struggled with her not having a phone, he would have been really upset to see that Jalaina had taken most of the furniture.
“Where do you usually do your laundry?” Sam asked when they were headed down the road.
“There’s a small laundry room at the apartments. I don’t mind, but I got behind, and Sundays are pretty busy in there.”
“And this will save you a little money,” Sam mentioned, no censure in his voice.
“I suppose you think I’m crazy. My parents’ money is sitting in your bank, and I don’t touch it.”
“You’ve never wanted it, Arcie, so that’s nothing new, but it is hard for me not to just hand you everything.”
“I guess it would be. I’ve never thought about it before.” Arcineh looked over at him, realizing now that his face looked younger than the last time she’d seen him.
“Is anything wrong?” Sam asked with a glance at her.
“I’m just looking at you.”
“I missed you too.” Sam said the words.
“Did you look for me?”
Sam laughed a little. “About a thousand times I hired an investigator to track you down, only to call him back in five minutes and cancel. I knew you’d come home when you wanted to.”
“When did all this begin?”
“Not right away. I was too angry. But when I realized that you’d gathered your birth certificate and passport, I got scared. I was glad you at least called Vi.”
“I called you too, but Quinn always picked up.”
“Did you talk to her?”
“No, I just hung up.”
They were at the house now, and Sam hit the garage door opener. Arcineh looked around, thinking she would never see him in something this small but also understanding that in some parts of Chicago, this would be a mansion.
“Come on in,” Sam invited, climbing from the car and retrieving the sack of dirty clothes. “I’ll show you around the downstairs.”
Arcineh followed him, hardly able to believe her eyes. It was like a scaled-down version of his old house. Nothing was quite so large or grand, but it was almost all there.
“The backyard is big!” Arcineh commented when they stopped before the patio doors.
“Yes it is, and just to the right,” Sam pointed, “will be the pool.”
“You’re getting a pool?” Arcineh couldn’t hide her pleasure.
“I am. I told myself when I moved here that when my girl came home, I’d put in a pool.”
Arcineh put a hand over her mouth, thinking she’d not cried this much in the four years she’d been gone. She had hardened her heart and forced herself not to. Now all the walls were tumbling down.
But she didn’t want to cry again, and thankfully Sam rescued her.
“Why don’t I show you where the machines are.”
“All right.”
“Then I’ll start lunch.”
“Can you actually cook these days?” Arcineh asked simply to distract herself.
“I’ll have you know that I can heat a can of soup to perfection.”
“Is that what we’re having?” Arcineh had to laugh.
“Not just that,” Sam said, managing to sound offended.
“What else?”
“Crackers and milk.”
Arcineh chuckled all the way to the laundry room.
Lunch eaten, they had not been settled in the family room for more than five minutes when Arcineh noticed a Bible on one of the tables.
“Do you read the Bible these days?” she asked Sam.
“I do. I thought I knew what was in it, but I couldn’t have been more wrong.”
From far away, Arcineh heard the washing machine beep and excused herself. Almost as soon as she left, Sam was swept back in time to when his views began to change.
Sam stood in the stark hospital room, tense and agitated, and watched Mason’s eyes open slowly. He blinked a few times before focusing on his boss.
“Oh, Sam. I’m glad you came.”
“How are you feeling?” Sam made himself ask. It was the last place he wanted to be.
“As good as can be expected for a dying man,” Mason said, his voice pragmatic.
“Don’t joke.” Sam’s voice was a little harsh, and for the first time Mason didn’t take it.
“You never stop, do you? Always the boss,” the man in the bed said.
Sam had the good grace to look ashamed.
“I’ve got some things to tell you, Sam, and this time I have nothing to lose.”
Sam had no reply to that, but Mason didn’t need one. He wasted no time on politeness or pleasantries.
“You’re going to hell,” Mason said, his voice firm, ignoring the angry tightening of Sam’s jaw. “I was headed there too, but thankfully I got cancer and made myself stop and face the music.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Then I’ll tell you. I’ve been reading my Bible. I hadn’t touched it since I was a kid. It says that men like us will perish forever. We do nothing but live for ourselves—you know we do.
“Did you know,” Mason asked, his voice filled with fascination, “all the comics and cartoons are wrong? There is no angel waiting to dialog with us at some great gateway. By the time we die, eternity is settled. I found Jesus’ words and works are known too. Believe in Him, you’re saved. Don’t believe, you’re condemned already. It’s black and white in John 3, Sam.”
“And now you’re telling me you’re saved?” Sam asked, doing nothing to hide his contempt.
“Amazing, isn’t it?” Mason didn’t respond to the scorn. “At this late hour, God still allowed me in.”
“In where?” Sam heard himself ask, not sure why he wasn’t storming from the room.
And Mason answered. He answered in plain terms, and Sam’s life had not been the same since.
Arcineh came back with a load of clothing to fold. She sat on the sofa just where she’d been and began the methodical work. She hadn’t even folded two shirts when she picked up where they’d left off.
“I don’t understand. You just suddenly started reading the Bible?”
“It wasn’t sudden, but it would seem that way to you.”
Arcineh looked tense now, and Sam knew he would have to tell her something.
“Did I tell you that Mason Beck died?”
Arcineh put her hand to her head. It was all so much to think about.
“What happened?”
“Cancer.”
“Oh, Sam,” Arcineh began. “I don’t know how much more I can take.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before.”
“But it has something to do with your Bible reading, doesn’t it?”
“Yes. Mason set me straight on some things. It’s been a big help.”
“So what? You’ve had some sort of religious experience?”
“You make it sound pretty disgusting.”
“I didn’t mean to,” Arcineh immediately recanted. “I have a friend who’s very religious, and she goes to church, and she’s very sincere. It just all sounds so hard that I can’t imagine wanting that. There was a time when you didn’t.”
“That’s very true. I’m thankful that people can change.”
Arcineh could only look at him. He was changed. Remarkably so. The old Sam would have blamed her, to some extent, for leaving. He would have said she could have tried harder to tell him or thrown it onto Violet. This humble, almost gentle, man took a little getting used to.
“Did you have enough lunch?” Sam said, not ever planning to shove his beliefs down her throat.
“I did, thank you. Can I ask you one more thing?”
“Sure.”
The phone rang before Sam could say anything. He got up swiftly, checked the caller ID, and came back.
“Go ahead,” Sam said.
“Why didn’t you pick up?”
“Because it wasn’t Vi. She’s the only person I’d pick up for right now—so you could talk to her.”
Arcineh could only stare at him. “You’re so changed.”
“Yes, I am.”
“I think I don’t want to ask any questions,” Arcineh decided. “I just want you to tell me exactly what happened.”
“She speaks Italian?” Patrice all but whispered.
She was sitting in Gage’s office, and he had just learned that Patrice did remember the notes from Arcineh.
“This is all my fault,” Patrice went on. “I ignored her, and now we’re in this terrible mess.”
“Why did you ignore her?” Gage asked.
“I—” Patrice began, but stopped. How did she tell this man that she must protect him? She saw the adoring looks he got but knew that none of those women were good enough. When one came along that met the standard, she would know, but it hadn’t happened yet.
“Patrice?”
“I’m rather protective of you,” Patrice said, finding the words. “But I’ve failed miserably, and I see no choice but to resign.”
“I don’t want you to resign. I have no plans to fire you, but before this is over, you’ll be dragged over the coals. Arcie will sit on the witness stand and say she tried to warn you. The main focus will be on the lying translator and whoever hired him, but the light will definitely hit you as well.”
Patrice nodded, thinking she deserved nothing less, but Gage wasn’t done.
“And there will be some changes around here. I find it hard to believe we can’t get our jobs done unless you fill each woman with fear.”
Patrice licked her lips. “Arcie did quite a bit of talking.”
“She got some things off her chest,” Gage said, putting it mildly. “And she was right. My head’s been in the sand. I don’t want these hardworking women to stay because the pay is good. I want them to enjoy each day, be productive, and not fear your reprisal.”
Patrice was not so humble now. It wasn’t like that, she was sure. The women enjoyed working on this floor. Arcineh hadn’t been around long enough to know anything.
“What exactly did she tell you?”
“Many things, but mostly that your need to be needed by me clouded your judgment. She was very surprised to learn you were going to be married. She was sure you were protecting me for yourself.”
“Well, I’m not.”
“But you do protect me,” Gage said, glad to have it on the table for the first time. He’d been aware of this in the back of his mind but never let himself think about it.
“You don’t see the looks!” Patrice snapped. “The women mooning over you—one of these days one is going to get her hooks in you and make you miserable.”
“And you thought Arcie was the next candidate?”
“I guess I did,” the assistant admitted, calming down some and sitting back in her chair.
“What exactly did you object to?”
“She’s such a mousy little thing, without a lick of style! She’s all wrong for you.”
“You need to trust me when I tell you that there is nothing mousy about her.”
Patrice looked at him but kept quiet. She watched while he picked up the phone, dialed, and spoke into it.
“Mallory, I need everyone in here as soon as you can manage it. All right. Thank you.”
Gage replaced the phone, his eyes going back to the woman in front of his desk.
“I’ve been checked out for too long, Patrice. We’re going to have a brief meeting. I’m not out to humiliate you, but the changes begin now.”
“Hello,” Arcineh said when Gage suddenly appeared in his greatgrandfather’s kitchen.
“Hi, how are you?”
“Fine. Yourself?”
“Doing fine.”
“Will I be in the way in here?” Gage asked, wishing he didn’t feel so nervous.
“No,” Arcineh said, not sure why he was there.
“How is it coming?”
“A little faster right now,” Arcineh answered, seeing that her hand was not so steady at the moment. “It’s nice to hit a straightaway and make some progress.”
The room grew quiet. Arcineh did her best to keep working. It felt as though the silence lasted an hour, but Gage spoke after a minute.
“I’ve always heard about people who looked good no matter what, but I never met one before you.”
“Did you have breakfast?” Arcineh asked. “Are you feeling a little dizzy?”
Gage laughed, but added, “You even looked good in those low shoes and frumpy skirts and blouses you wore to the office.”
Arcineh looked up at him from her place on a stool.
“It was an interesting experience to become invisible. I’d never known that before,” she said without conceit. “You were very kind during that time, and I appreciated that.”
Their eyes held for a few seconds before Arcineh made herself turn back to the tiles.
“It’s pretty, isn’t it?” Gage said, coming close to inspect a part she had finished.
“Yes. I didn’t think of colors this vibrant for the time, but obviously I was wrong.”
“Have you seen the carpet that just came?”
“No.”
“Come on. I’ll show you.”
Arcineh followed him, feeling this wasn’t quite real. She had had a crush on this man at one time, and even though she’d been ready to hit him on her last day at the office, she was still very drawn.
“This is the carpet?” Arcineh asked, looking to where Gage had turned back the roll.
“That’s it.”
Arcineh looked down at an amazing pattern of colors. Blues, reds, yellows—every color she could imagine—drawn into an intricate pattern Arcineh would have pegged as modern.
“It’s so pretty.”
“Evidently my great-grandmother liked lots of color.”
“And your great-grandfather let her have it.”
“She was the love of his life,” Gage said. Arcineh didn’t know why, but it made her look at him. He was looking right back. Arcineh wondered how long they would have stayed like that had Bud not wandered onto the scene.
He snagged Gage’s attention, who, after telling Arcineh goodbye, went on his way. Arcineh went back to work and would not admit to herself that the kitchen seemed lonely.
“So talk some sense into me,” Arcineh demanded when she’d told Jalaina and Will the whole story. “I should hate this man, right?”
The husband and wife exchanged a smiling look.
“What does that mean?” Arcineh asked, feeling uncertain.
“He’s sounds perfect for you,” Will answered.
“How can you say that?”
“Do you remember how it was with Kevin?” Jalaina asked. “His not knowing about who you were held you back. Gage Sefton knows exactly who you are. He’s seen you in every way, and he’s still coming around.”
“I’m probably reading something into it. He’s probably not interested at all.”
Both Jalaina and Will laughed hysterically over this.
“Oh, no,” Jalaina struggled to get up, her very pregnant abdomen making it a challenge. “Every time I laugh, I have to excuse myself.”
Jalaina waddled from the room, and Arcineh looked at Will.
“I didn’t think you two would feel this way.”
Will smiled and said, “Let me get this straight. You recently sat in a restaurant, raked this man over the coals, and he thanked you.”
“Yes.” Arcineh’s voice was quiet.
“And is this not the same man who was very nice to you when you wore those horrible shoes to the office?”
“Yes.”
“That’s not normal,” Will told her. “No one likes to be told how badly he’s failed, and men don’t have a tendency to look below the surface. This man has to be a little bit special, Arcie.”
Arcineh had not looked at it this way. In a few short sentences, Will had given her a lot to think about.
“Gage, have you heard anything I said?” his sister asked.
“I think so.” He looked at her, trying desperately to catch up.
“If I didn’t know better,” she muttered, “I’d swear you were in love. You’ve been in a fog all night.”
This said, Erika walked from the living room. Luke, on the other hand, noticed Gage’s thoughtful face.
“What’s her name?”
“Arcie.”
“That’s different.”
“She’s different.”
“Special or peculiar?”
“Special.”
“How does she feel about you?”
“I wish I knew.”
“Who is she?”
“Sam’s granddaughter.”
“The one who just had a baby?”
“No. Arcie hasn’t been around for a few years. I get the impression they’re going to need to get to know each other all over again.”
Both men heard Erika coming back from the kitchen. Luke had more questions but kept them to himself. Gage didn’t bring it up again.