Sadie shook her head once more. "I don't remember him. He left when I was little. We're a lot alike in that, you and I."
Zach stiffened, bracing himself with one hand against the wall. "How did you know that?" He never talked about his father, preferring not to give attention to someone so utterly lacking in human decency. "You've been snooping around again?"
Her eyes widened, appearing almost scared in the twinkling light. "I wasn't snooping about that. I promise." Her brows drew together. "I can't help it if people like to talk."
"About me?"
"Well, I like talking about you, so why not?" Her lashes lowered over her expressive eyes, as if she knew she'd revealed too much. Suddenly she shivered, drawing the sparkly shawl closer around her shoulders. "Goodness, I didn't realize how cold it had gotten. We should go back inside."
Not yet. As she tried to pass him, Zach reached out. His arms encircled her, his body warming hers in the only way he could in public. Then he leaned down and kissed away the chill.
When he finally pulled back, he felt rather than saw her grin. "Zachary Gatlin, are you coming on to me?" she asked.
That's what they needed-a little light, a return to the celebration inside. "I don't know-are you willing to risk another interrogation by Miss Gladys?"
He felt her breath catch beneath his palms on her back. "Oh," she whispered. "I think it might be worth it."
As they walked back inside, Zach let his arm remain around her shoulders. Anticipation built, bubbling beneath his skin, only to fizzle out as they rejoined their table. The Blackstone brothers were quietly gathering coats, readying everyone to leave.
"Luke called," Aiden said, turning dark eyes Zach's way. "Mother's temperature has spiked again, but something else is going on. He's concerned. We need to skip out, but I don't want to ruin everyone's evening. Can you take over from here?"
Luckily the mingling of the crowd and the dancing in the back room distracted most everyone from the family's departure. As Zach started making final arrangements, he noticed Sadie falling into organization mode-directing the restaurant staff, taking care of last-minute requests from guests, coordinating cab rides for those who needed them.
Then Zach was left with a final conundrum: the Blackstones' butler and chauffeur, Nolen, had taken them all to Blackstone Manor, where KC and Jacob had a suite with all the baby stuff they needed. That left Zach's mother without a ride home-and her house was in the opposite direction of Sadie's B and B...by quite a distance. While he pondered, Sadie appeared at the table. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Gatlin," she said, her voice smooth and in control.
Which simply reminded him of just what drove her out of control...
"And you as well, young lady," his mother said. "You handled this party like someone in the know."
"Cleanup is an art form," Sadie said with a slight smile and dismissive wave of her hand. "Just not one normally appreciated by others."
Her words left him to wonder just who she was always cleaning up after.
"Let me just get Mother home, then I'll come by-"
"Nonsense," Sadie said, her eyes overly bright. "The last thing I want to be is trouble. I booked a cab for myself." She patted his arm. He tried not to notice how her touch lingered for a few seconds longer than normal, because it reminded him of an opportunity missed.
"Y'all have a nice night," she said.
Uncomfortable would be more like it.
* * *
Sadie told herself she'd come to Lola's because four days was way too long to go without seeing the object of her investigation. Also, a woman had to eat, right?
The impulse had nothing to do with her body's mourning over the lost opportunity or lack of a Zach fix. Not at all. Even though she knew it would have been wrong to accept, she couldn't help but think of his invitation the night of the party with longing. She wished she hadn't given him-and her-the least complicated way out, when her heart had wanted nothing more than to take him home.
The last week had been a busy one for him. The Blackstone brothers had been less hands-on at the mill, splitting their time between there and home with their dying mother. At least that's what gossip around town said: Lily Blackstone's precarious health was finally failing.
The woman's tragic story-of being comatose for many years after a car accident followed by a stroke-left Sadie weepy. She tried not to think about it. Her own sister's terminal illness made the story hit too close to home.
The situation had left Zach with a lot of administrative work on his hands, along with directing his own business. She'd watched at a distance, waiting for the moment when he'd invite her back into the inner circle...but he never did. She told herself he was tired, overworked, but a panic had started deep inside. Yes, she needed to get close to him. She seemed to have found all the superficial evidence about Zach's character she was going to get from the town. Family history, rumors and accusations-none of it would disqualify him from his inheritance. She needed to dig into the parts of his life that no one else could see. In order to find something truly damning, she'd have to find it out from Zach himself.
But the truth was, as wrong as she knew it to be, she wanted that time with him. His attention. His intensity focused on her...for just the few minutes she had left with him.
She'd guessed that he'd be here tonight. He couldn't be spending a lot of time with his family during the day, and family meant a lot to him. That much she'd learned about Zachary Gatlin. So even though he didn't have to work at Lola's, she figured he would be here in some capacity to check on his mother and sister.
The restaurant was full, but not as packed as the last time she'd been here. The scents of grilled meat and some kind of spicy barbecue sauce had her mouth watering in anticipation. She waved to a few friends she'd made as she crossed the floor to nab a small two-top along the wall near the bar, hoping the position would help her see and be seen by one very specific person.
Her disappointment mounted as a waitress took her order and served her food. She'd shared a smile with Ms. Gatlin, Zach's mother, as she busied herself behind the bar. But as dinner wore on, there was no sign of Zach, or even his sister, KC.
As Sadie finished up, the arrival of three women distracted her. They claimed the table directly in Sadie's line of sight near the dance floor. As she looked closer, she noticed that only two of the girls were young, probably early twenties. The other was significantly older. They settled in the chairs and ordered from the waitress.
As soon as she headed back to the kitchen, the older woman smiled at the other two. "You girls head onto the dance floor. It will be a while before the food is here."
They each kissed one of the woman's cheeks, then walked toward the dance floor with eager steps. She smiled after them but didn't look sad to be left behind in the least.
Without warning, her gaze swept over the room before coming to rest on Sadie. They shared a smile.
"Hello, my dear," she said, their tables close enough together that she didn't have to yell, though her voice had certainly not been weakened by age. "Are you dining alone tonight?"
Sadie nodded. "Yes. Just finishing up, actually." She wiped her lips with her napkin, hoping she'd removed any stray barbecue sauce. "Lola's has some of the best food I've found in town."
The woman patted the empty chair next to her. "Indeed they do, which is the excuse I give my granddaughters for bringing me here," she said with a knowing smile. "Join me for a moment. Are you visiting Black Hills?"
"Yes," she confirmed, sliding into the chair. "Thank you, Ms...."
"Saben, dear."
"Ms. Saben. I'm a photographer, working on documenting the rebuilding of the mill."
"Ah, yes. I heard about that. Very exciting."
It certainly had been, but probably not in the way Ms. Saben meant.
"The town-and the Blackstones in particular-have had a very exciting year," she went on. "What with young Aiden coming home and marrying Miss Lily's nurse. Christina is such a lovely young lady."
Ms. Saben smiled at the waitress as she served the drinks. Sadie asked for a refill on her tea and got one. "You doing okay, Miss Saben?" the waitress asked.
"Sure am. Glad to be back in for a bit."
As the waitress went on about her way, Ms. Saben explained, "I've been coming up here for a long time. Ms. Gatlin and I are old friends. But we each have very busy lives." She took a sip of what Sadie had overheard to be a rum and Coke. Ms. Saben tipped the drink in salute. "My granddaughters say it's bad for me to drink, so I've gotta sneak in a little tipple when I can. Otherwise I'd be left watching them down margaritas while I'm drinking water."