Perfect Fit by Brenda Jackson Read Free Book Online Page B

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’dseen 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