“I have to admit, I’m with Gabe. You surprised me, too, Ethan.” Sadie was watching him, and even with his gaze on the road, Ethan felt the power of her stare.
He understood why the people closest to him were shocked at his reaction. As little as a month ago, he’d have been furious, with Gabe and Pam. But it was impossible to be too angry with Gabe when Ethan himself had been allowing his emotions to guide his actions the past couple weeks.
“Let’s just say that there have been a lot of changes lately and maybe I’m still responding to them.” Ethan shot her a quick look and saw the smile that curved her mouth. “I’m not happy,” he admitted, “but I can understand what she did.”
He made a turn onto a side street in Laguna and pulled up outside a Craftsman-style bungalow. The house had a big tree out front, a wide porch boasting twin rockers and a small table between them. The winter flowers in the pot by the front door were a cheerful spot of color on a gray day. He turned off the engine and half turned to look at Gabe. “That’s why we’re here. I want to talk to Pam’s father—her family—about this.”
“Right.” Gabe scraped one hand across his jaw. “What did he say when you called?”
“Richard already knew before I could tell him. Apparently,” Ethan said, “she’d confessed the whole thing to her parents when she left you at the office. Richard’s eager to talk it all out.”
“That’s good, right?” Gabe scrambled out of the car and stood in the street, staring at the house as if he could see past the walls to the woman he loved.
Ethan climbed out, too, and looked at his brother. He hoped this was going to end well, but he didn’t have a clue what would happen when both families talked. As Sadie got out of the car, Ethan’s gaze naturally drifted to her. It felt good to have her with him. Too good, really, because he was depending on her now even more than he had when she was simply his assistant. But that was a problem for later.
* * *
Ethan took Sadie’s hand and she held on, glad that he automatically reached for her. She wondered if he even realized how often he did it. And she wondered how she would get along without his casual touch.
Richard Donatello opened the door for them and welcomed them inside. His daughter looked a lot like him, which was why Ethan had thought Pam seemed familiar, Sadie figured. The house itself was cozy and a lot bigger than it looked from the outside.
Richard led them through the house to the dining room, where his wife, son and Pam were waiting for them.
“Thanks for seeing us,” Ethan said.
“No problem. Please. Sit.” Richard took the chair at the head of the table and waited until they were seated before speaking. “Thanks for not having Pam arrested.”
“Dad!”
“You could have been,” her father said, his features stern.
The woman winced and gave Gabe a furtive look.
“This is my wife, Marianna, and my son, Tony.” Richard paused and said sadly, “Pam told me what’s been going on and I’m offering you my apology.”
“Dad—” Pam interrupted, but her father shut her down with a single look.
Sadie sympathized. She knew Pam loved Gabe. And she could guess at how Pam had felt, torn between two loyalties. But of course she’d stood for her family. What wouldn’t a person do for family?
“Your apology isn’t necessary,” Ethan said, and gave Sadie’s hand a squeeze. “My brother and I were just saying that if there’s one thing we understand, it’s family loyalty.”
“Thank you.” Richard nodded, then looked at Gabe before turning to his daughter. “You were wrong to do it, Pam. And Tony, you shouldn’t have gone along.”
His son nodded. “Yeah, I know, Pop. We were only trying to help,” he said. “To save the shop.”
Sadie watched the people around the table, waiting to see where this would go. There was tension in the room, but over it all were threads of love so thick and interwoven she half expected to actually see them, like golden strands linking the Donatello family together.
“This isn’t a hostile takeover,” Ethan put in, but before he could say more, Pam interrupted.