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“It was nothing. Bye, Sage,” he replied with a nod, his eyes trailing after her as she walked away.
Once Sage left, Gabriel didn’t hesitate to put him on the spot.
Gabriel frowned at him. “What’s going on with you?”
Hank took a long sip of his coffee. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said, placing the mug down on the table.
“Are you kidding me? You were glaring at me from the moment I sat down. You should have just told me to leave if you wanted to make it a lunch date with Sage.”
“I’m not dating Sage,” Hank said through clenched teeth. “Matter of fact, much like yourself, I’m not going out with anyone. Nor do I intend to.”
“Hank, you won’t always feel this way,” Gabriel said in a gentler tone. “As you well know, my own heart has been kicked around, but I haven’t given up on finding someone to walk through life with. When the timing is right it’ll fall into place.”
He let out a snort. “You’re beginning to sound like a greeting card.”
Gabriel rolled his eyes. “Why am I wasting my breath? Between your moods and Connor’s, I don’t know if I’m coming or going. Must be something in the water,” he grumbled, taking a long swig from his own coffee cup. “I should just stay up in my plane and avoid human contact.”
“Did something else happen with Connor?”
Gabriel’s tense expression spoke volumes. “He’s really upset about the press conference. For quite some time now he’s been intent on finding the person who took his sister, but now all he wants is to put it in the past.” He made a face. “He plans to ask his parents to rescind the reward offer and to stop looking for Lily.”
* * *
On her way out of the diner Sage had been within earshot of Hank and Gabriel’s conversation. Gabriel’s voice had been animated when he’d told Hank about Connor’s wish for his parents to stop their search for her. At first she couldn’t believe her ears. How could her brother want to give up on being reunited with her? How could he ask Nate and Willa to make that earth-shattering decision?
Her emotional reaction to the news left her feeling stunned. She made her way outside, shivering as the cold blast of arctic air hit her squarely in the face. Hot tears stung her eyes and for a moment it had felt as if she couldn’t breathe. She never would have believed it would hurt so much or that she would feel so betrayed. In her heart she’d wanted reassurance and the knowledge that her birth family was doing fine all these years later. But knowing they might soon give up on her caused an ache in her soul.
It was such a strange reaction since this entire time it had been her wish to remain anonymous so she could protect her father. There was no getting around the fact that being here in Owl Creek was a game changer. On paper the North family had been a remote entity, tied to her by DNA but not necessarily anything else. But researching the tragedy and seeing their desperation up close and personal changed everything. It didn’t feel so black-and-white anymore; there were so many shades of gray in this situation.
Sage knew there were no easy answers. Should she approach Willa and Nate and beg them for mercy? What would happen if she pulled Connor aside and told him the truth about why she’d come to town? Maybe Beulah would help her sort it all out. And maybe she was living in a dream world. These people had suffered pain and loss for over two decades and had finally reached a breaking point. It was naive to believe everything could be fixed simply by confessing her true identity.
As she waited for Trudy in front of the post office, Sage prayed for this feeling of hurt to subside. She didn’t want raw emotions to sway her off course.
Dear Lord, please help me with all of these feelings threatening to consume me. I’m trying to hold it together, but it’s becoming more and more difficult. Please soothe my soul so I can continue to figure things out and make sense out of what happened all those years ago.
* * *
At the end of a long day, Hank found himself once again seated at his mother’s dinner table. Lately he found himself eating at Trudy’s inn more than usual. Although he tried to tell himself it had nothing to do with Sage, he knew better.
“Thanks for dinner, Mama. Let me help you clear the table.” Hank stood up and began to gather the dishes.
Ed Walters, a visiting journalist who hailed from Los Angeles, smiled at Trudy and said, “Thank you, Trudy. Your home cooking reminds me of my own mama’s meals, may she rest in peace.”
“Hey, Sage. Would you mind holding Addie while I help in the kitchen?” Hank asked. “She’ll probably fall asleep once she settles into the crook of your arm. I can tell by her drooping eyelids she’s tuckered out.”
Sage looked hesitant. “I don’t know, Hank. What if she fusses? I’m not that experienced with babies. I’m not sure I’d know what to do if she wails.”
“You’ll be fine, Sage. Addie likes you,” Trudy said with an encouraging nod.
Sage gingerly lifted Addie from Hank’s arms and began to rock her back and forth. He almost laughed out loud at the terrified expression on Sage’s face. For a schoolteacher, she seemed a bit intimidated at the prospect of holding Addie as she settled into sleepy time.
He followed behind Trudy as she headed toward the kitchen. They stood side by side at the kitchen sink and set about the business of washing and drying the dishes. It brought to mind memories of growing up in this household and performing this chore almost every night of the week. When Piper had gotten old enough, she too had joined in.
“I’m so glad you were at the diner when Sage had her dizzy spell. Piper said you really saved the day. My son the hero,” Trudy said, nudging Hank in the side.
He shook his head. Leave it to his mother to label him as heroic. She had a tendency to make him better than he was. “Hardly. All I did was give her a shoulder to lean on.”
“Handsome and humble. That’s my boy!” Trudy crowed. “Thanks for helping me clean up
