Perfect Fit (6 page)

A part of Gabe wondered if the man was smart
after all. He doubted he would let anything, including business, keep him from spending time with this woman. “Then, how about joining me and my foreman, Parnell Cabot, for dinner. And if Rose Woods is free, I’d also like to invite her to join us as well.”

Sage’s smile widened. “Thank you, Mr. Blackwell, for the invitation. I’ll check with Rose Woods to see if she’s free tonight. As for myself, I’d love to join you and Mr. Cabot.”

“Thank you, and please call me Gabe.”

“All right, Gabe, and I’m Sage.”

“Sage,” he repeated, liking the way it sounded off his lips. “I’m sure there’s a story behind your name.”

She chuckled. “Yes, a rather short and simple one. My grandmother had three sons who each gave her a granddaughter in the same year. She was bestowed with the task of naming the three of us and decided to do so after her favorite spices. She claimed we would be the spice of her life. Ginger lives in Florida, and Cinnamon resides out west in California.”

Gabe couldn’t help but chuckle. “And of the three who’s the oldest?” he asked, intrigued with the story.

Her eyes sparkled. “We’re all twenty-six. Cinnamon’s birthday is in March, mine is in August and Ginger’s in October.”

Gabe nodded as he continued smiling. “There’s a story behind my name as well,” he said as his smile widened into a grin. “My mother named me Gabriel thinking that if she did so, I would most certainly grow up to be an angel. Needless to say, by my first birthday she discovered just how wrong she was.”

*  *  *

Later that evening, after coming out of one of the stalls in the women’s bathroom, Rose glanced around, then stooped down to check to make sure she and Sage were alone before joining her at the sink to wash her hands. “Gabe Blackwell likes you, Sage.”

Sage glanced over at Rose as she dried her hands. “And I like him.”

Rose raised her eyes to the ceiling. “I don’t think you fully understand what I mean, Sage. I mean he really
likes
you. He hasn’t taken his eyes off you practically all evening.”

Sage decided not to let Rose know that on several occasions she’d noticed him looking at her as well. “He knows I’m engaged to be married.”

“That means nothing to some men.”

Sage smiled. “I believe it means something to him. He doesn’t appear to be the type of man who’d waste his time on a lost cause.”

Rose wondered if it was truly a lost cause. For someone getting married, Sage wasn’t showing the enthusiasm she would expect of a bride-to-be. “All I’m saying, my spice of a friend, is that I notice some interest on his part, although I agree, chances are since you’re engaged he won’t make a move to hit on you.”

Sage adjusted her purse on her shoulder. “Well, my flower of a friend, you aren’t the only one noticing things tonight. I happen to notice your gaze kept straying to Parnell Cabot more than once.”

Rose snorted as she dried her hands. “Yeah, but that was before I found out it would be a waste of my time to get interested.”

“Why? I think he’s an extremely nice person and is pretty good-looking.”

Rose stated, “Yes, being nice and good-looking has nothing to do with it.”

“Is there a reason you feel that way?”

“Didn’t you hear what he said? The man is a widower with children, four-year-old twin girls to be exact. And I make it a point not to become involved with men with small children.”

Now it was Sage’s time to raise a brow. “Why?”

Rose leaned against the Formica counter. “Because they’re usually looking for a baby-sitter as well as a bed partner. And usually you find yourself being more of the first than the second.”

“I can’t see all men being that way.”

“Yeah, but enough of them are. I can handle being a bed partner, but I prefer just not doing men with small kids.”

Sage nodded and deep down felt there was more to it than that, something Rose wasn’t telling her, but decided to leave it alone by changing the subject. “As much as I think Anchorage is a real pretty area, I’m looking forward to going home tomorrow, aren’t you?”

“Yes, this place is way too cold for me. I bet these people wear overcoats year-round.”

Sage smiled. “Personally, I like the weather here. It’s the kind you can snuggle up under covers and stay warm with your man. I hate that Erol wasn’t able to join me here. I think he would have liked it, too.”

“Are you going to let him know you’re returning home early?”

“No, I think I’ll surprise him.”

Gabe took great pleasure in volunteering to escort Sage and Rose back to their rooms after dinner,
which was easy enough since they were staying at the same hotel. Parnell had bid everyone good night, and Gabe knew he wanted to do the same to his daughters before it was past their bedtime. After seeing Rose to her room, he caught the elevator up to the sixth floor to see Sage to hers.

“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.

S
age 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 spoke.

“I’m sorry, but your card was declined.”

Sage raised a brow. Her card being declined wasn’t possible. She always kept a balance of at least a thousand dollars in her account, and since she hadn’t used her card since the last time she had been paid, there was a lot more than that in
her account. “There must be a mistake,” she said, smiling to the older woman. “Could you try it again?”

The woman nodded and tried again. Moments later Sage was given the same response—her card had been declined. Sage went into her purse to retrieve cash to make her purchase. This had never happened to her before, and she quickly assumed the mistake was due to a glitch in her bankcard. She was confident that once she contacted her bank, the matter would be straightened out. But still, she decided, she would stop at the first available ATM to verify her bank balance.

Ten minutes later she walked out of a grocery store upset. The ATM had indicated that she had a twenty-three-dollar balance in her account. Getting back into her car, she quickly strapped up and maneuvered her vehicle back into traffic, anxious to get to the bank before closing time. Someone at the bank had a lot of explaining to do.

In record time, Sage pulled her car into the parking garage that was connected to the bank as well as other office buildings. Taking the garage’s elevator, she pushed the button for the floor where the bank was located. She wasn’t surprised to find the bank busy, and instead of standing in line for a teller, she went immediately to a bank officer, someone she knew. Her father had worked at this particular branch for a few years before relocating in the bank’s corporate office after he’d gotten a promotion. Adam Montgomery had been a bank teller when her father had been a loan officer.

“Miss Dunbar, it’s good seeing you,” Adam Montgomery said, taking the hand she offered him.

“Thanks, Mr. Montgomery, and it’s been a while.”

The older man smiled and took the chair behind
his desk after offering Sage the chair in front of it. “Yes, it has. I ran into your father last month at a business meeting, and he mentioned you’re getting married. Congratulations.”

“Thanks.”

Adam Montgomery leaned back in his chair. “Now, what brings you to me? Do you need a loan for that wedding you’re planning?”

Sage shook her head, grinning. “No, sir, I’m trying to convince Mom to keep things simple.” Sage then shifted in her chair as a concerned expression came onto her face when she remembered the reason for her visit. “Mr. Montgomery, the reason I’m here is because a short while ago I tried to make a purchase with my bankcard and was declined. I later stopped by a grocery store and checked my bank balance at an ATM, and it showed less than twenty-five dollars in my account. According to my records, I should have well over two thousand dollars in there.”

Adam Montgomery frowned. “Then, there must be some mistake. What is your account number?”

Sage gave him the information he asked for and watched as he entered the information into his computer. She looked as his frown deepened.

“Umm, this is interesting,” he said moments later. “Our records are showing that you withdrew two thousand and five hundred dollars out of your checking account two weeks ago.”

Sage sat up straight in her chair. “Your records are incorrect. I haven’t used my bankcard in three weeks, and I definitely didn’t withdraw that much money at one time.”

Mr. Montgomery looked at her and lifted a brow. “Then, we’ll definitely get to the bottom of this,” he said, standing. “I will have one of the
tellers pull a copy of that transaction. Excuse me, I’ll be right back.”

Sage nodded as she watched him leave his office. She shook her head, wondering how the bank could have made such a horrendous mistake. It was a good thing she hadn’t written any checks yet on her account. She made it a habit to pay all of her bills the first of the month. She stared through Mr. Montgomery’s glass wall and watched him talking to another bank official before they walked to a computer that began printing documents.

Moments later, Mr. Montgomery returned with a document in his hand. “It seems our records are correct, Miss Dunbar, although you weren’t the one who withdrew the money from your account. This shows the transaction was made by Erol Carlson, and he is named on your account as an authorized user.”

Sage was momentarily taken aback by Mr. Montgomery’s statement. Of course Erol’s name was on her account; but he had never used it, and he definitely would not have withdrawn money without telling her. “That can’t be possible, Mr. Montgomery. Although my fiancé’s name is on my account, he would not have taken any money out of it without telling me first.”

Adam Montgomery glanced down at the document in his hand before meeting Sage’s gaze again. “Would you recognize your fiancé’s signature if you saw it?”

“Yes, of course.”

Mr. Montgomery handed the document to her. Sage recognized the signature immediately. It was Erol’s. But how … Why? She held her breath while a million questions raced through her head. For the longest time she didn’t say anything. She just
continued to study Erol’s signature in near shock. Her concentration was broken when she heard Mr. Montgomery clear his throat.

“Evidently your fiancé forgot to mention this to you, Miss Dunbar,” the older man offered as way of an excuse.