soon as possible,” Stef explained. “Why should I keep paying rent when I have a house of my own?”
“And it’s a lovely house, dear.” Grace patted Steffie’s hand. “I hope you’ll be very happy there.”
“Thank you, Miss Grace. I know I will be.”
“So how much paint did you buy that Wade had to carry it for you?” Vanessa asked.
“I bought enough for the entire downstairs. And my bedroom. Oh, and my bath. And Wade didn’t have to help carry it. He was just being kind. ’Cause of his sister and my brother, you know …”
“So tragic about his wife,” Grace murmured. Every head at the table swiveled in her direction at the same time, as if on cue.
“What? What did you hear?”
“What tragedy?”
“Who told you …?”
“I’m sorry,” Grace said softly. “I thought everyone knew.”
“Knew what?” Stef asked.
“Well, about Wade’s wife dying.” Grace looked somewhat chagrined to find out that she’d possibly be the source of gossip.
“What? She
died
? As in, DIED?” Vanessa gasped. “When? What happened to her?”
“And who told you?” Barbara asked.
Steffie sat mutely, taking it all in.
“Well, now, if I’d known that no one knew, I wouldn’t have said anything.” Grace was almost apologetic, but it was too late. The beans had been spilled, as Barbara was only too happy to remind her.
“Yes, but you did, so now you have to tell us everything you know,” Barbara prodded.
“Well, it seems he was married to Austin’s mother, who passed away from an illness. I didn’t want to pry and ask Berry for too many details, you know.” Grace glanced around the table. “Lest I appear insensitive.”
“God forbid,” Nita deadpanned.
“Who was she?” Steffie asked.
“She was his partner. The woman he went into business with. She got sick and died just recently.”
“How recently?”
“I don’t know for certain, Stef, but I believe it was over the summer,” Grace told her. “Berry said he wrapped up all their business in Texas and closed up shop, then packed up that trailer he hauled up here. Just pulled up stakes and came on back.”
“How long is he planning on staying, did she say?” Vanessa asked.
“It didn’t occur to me to ask.”
“Did anyone get the feeling that Berry and Dallas were as surprised as everyone else in town when Wade showed up with that little boy?” Nita looked from one face to the other. “Steffie, your brother is practically a member of the MacGregor family. Did Grant say if Dallas had mentioned that her brother had a child?”
Steffie shook her head, and her fingers began to tear tiny pieces off her paper napkin.
“Now, does that seem odd to anyone besides me?” Nita asked.
“It does.” Barbara nodded. “That boy is what, a year and a half, maybe? Berry is, as you all know, a neighbor of mine. I see her several times a week, but she’s never mentioned that Wade had a son. I can’t imagine that she’d have known she had a great-grandnephew but didn’t bother to mention it. It’s not her style.”
“Stef, at Beck’s wedding, did Wade mention a wife?” Nita looked Stef right in the eye. No beating around the bush there. “You did spend a lot of time …
chatting
with him that night.”
“Never said a word, Nita.” Stef felt her cheeks flush. Leave it to Nita to come up with a clever euphemism for what Wade and Stef had been doing that night.
“Grace, did Berry say what the wife died from?” Barbara asked.
Grace shook her head. “No, and I didn’t want to press her to find out what the circumstances were. AllI could think of was how sad for that little boy to lose his mama before he was old enough to really know her,” Grace told them. “And how sad for Wade to be a widower so young.”
Everyone nodded in agreement that it was sad, indeed. Except for Steffie, who, more confused than ever, downed the rest of her coffee. “Gotta run,” she told the others. “I’m getting a late start
“And it’s a lovely house, dear.” Grace patted Steffie’s hand. “I hope you’ll be very happy there.”
“Thank you, Miss Grace. I know I will be.”
“So how much paint did you buy that Wade had to carry it for you?” Vanessa asked.
“I bought enough for the entire downstairs. And my bedroom. Oh, and my bath. And Wade didn’t have to help carry it. He was just being kind. ’Cause of his sister and my brother, you know …”
“So tragic about his wife,” Grace murmured. Every head at the table swiveled in her direction at the same time, as if on cue.
“What? What did you hear?”
“What tragedy?”
“Who told you …?”
“I’m sorry,” Grace said softly. “I thought everyone knew.”
“Knew what?” Stef asked.
“Well, about Wade’s wife dying.” Grace looked somewhat chagrined to find out that she’d possibly be the source of gossip.
“What? She
died
? As in, DIED?” Vanessa gasped. “When? What happened to her?”
“And who told you?” Barbara asked.
Steffie sat mutely, taking it all in.
“Well, now, if I’d known that no one knew, I wouldn’t have said anything.” Grace was almost apologetic, but it was too late. The beans had been spilled, as Barbara was only too happy to remind her.
“Yes, but you did, so now you have to tell us everything you know,” Barbara prodded.
“Well, it seems he was married to Austin’s mother, who passed away from an illness. I didn’t want to pry and ask Berry for too many details, you know.” Grace glanced around the table. “Lest I appear insensitive.”
“God forbid,” Nita deadpanned.
“Who was she?” Steffie asked.
“She was his partner. The woman he went into business with. She got sick and died just recently.”
“How recently?”
“I don’t know for certain, Stef, but I believe it was over the summer,” Grace told her. “Berry said he wrapped up all their business in Texas and closed up shop, then packed up that trailer he hauled up here. Just pulled up stakes and came on back.”
“How long is he planning on staying, did she say?” Vanessa asked.
“It didn’t occur to me to ask.”
“Did anyone get the feeling that Berry and Dallas were as surprised as everyone else in town when Wade showed up with that little boy?” Nita looked from one face to the other. “Steffie, your brother is practically a member of the MacGregor family. Did Grant say if Dallas had mentioned that her brother had a child?”
Steffie shook her head, and her fingers began to tear tiny pieces off her paper napkin.
“Now, does that seem odd to anyone besides me?” Nita asked.
“It does.” Barbara nodded. “That boy is what, a year and a half, maybe? Berry is, as you all know, a neighbor of mine. I see her several times a week, but she’s never mentioned that Wade had a son. I can’t imagine that she’d have known she had a great-grandnephew but didn’t bother to mention it. It’s not her style.”
“Stef, at Beck’s wedding, did Wade mention a wife?” Nita looked Stef right in the eye. No beating around the bush there. “You did spend a lot of time …
chatting
with him that night.”
“Never said a word, Nita.” Stef felt her cheeks flush. Leave it to Nita to come up with a clever euphemism for what Wade and Stef had been doing that night.
“Grace, did Berry say what the wife died from?” Barbara asked.
Grace shook her head. “No, and I didn’t want to press her to find out what the circumstances were. AllI could think of was how sad for that little boy to lose his mama before he was old enough to really know her,” Grace told them. “And how sad for Wade to be a widower so young.”
Everyone nodded in agreement that it was sad, indeed. Except for Steffie, who, more confused than ever, downed the rest of her coffee. “Gotta run,” she told the others. “I’m getting a late start
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