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“I tried that, remember?”
“Sara, think about it. You were in that courtroom. You were the last person Cade wanted to see at that moment. He was at a low point, and it humiliated him that you were there to witness it.” Then, because she had to know, she asked, “Did your husband know about his arrest?”
Sara nodded. “An attorney friend, a rival really, was doing pro bono work for the county when he saw Cade’s name on the list of recent arrests. He took delight in letting us know.”
Hope could well imagine Cade’s father’s reaction. His son’s arrest must have cut him to the quick. Perhaps Cade’s trouble with the law was the very thing that had opened his eyes.
“I’m sorry, Sara, I really am, but I can’t get involved in this situation. If there’s going to be healing, then the three of you will need to work it out yourselves without any interference from me.”
“I understand,” she said, sadness weighing down her words. “It was too much to hope for, I suppose.”
“I’m sorry, I truly am.”
“It was presumptuous of me to ask. I thought…I hoped, you know, that you might have some insight into how best to bring Cade back into our family.”
“I wish I did.” She was sincere in that. Hope would do anything to have known her mother, to have had a father in her life. That was never in the cards for her. At some point, she prayed Cade would be able to find a way to bridge the differences he had with his family. That would need to come from him, though, and not from anything she said or did.
“Would it be all right if I called you now and again?” Sara asked, her eyes bright with hope. “It would mean the world to me if we could talk every so often.”
As much as she hated to disappoint Cade’s mother, Hope didn’t want to do anything behind his back. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
Sara’s face fell.
“I would be willing,” she revised, “but only if Cade knows, in which case, I believe he would probably prefer to talk to you himself.”
Sara didn’t appear convinced. “He’s as stubborn as his father, so I wouldn’t count on that.”
“I’m sorry, I wish I could do more.”
“I do, too,” Sara said.
They finished their tea and left at the same time.
—
An hour after she was home, Hope had expected to hear from Cade. When she didn’t, she sent him a text.
How’d your session go?
Good.
Before this point, his text messages hadn’t been this abrupt.
Can you stop by later?
No.
Is everything okay?
Just dandy.
Hope’s heart rate accelerated.
Cade, what’s going on?
You tell me.
What do you mean?
