Sage: Take the Risk (F&L Story #3)

Sage: Parts 15 & 16

Part Fifteen

Friday, July 30, 2010.

“Momma, I need a favor,” Sage said while they were waiting for her appointment with Dr. LeBouef. Carmen Honeycutt's eyes lit up.

“Really, dear? That's wonderful.”

“You don't even know what it is yet.”

Her mother patted her leg. “That's okay. I'm your mother. I'll do anything you need.”

Sage took a deep breath as she flipped through a home decorating magazine. She lowered her voice. “I want you to buy Carey.”

Although there were four other patients chatting with each other in the waiting room, silence surrounded her and her mother. Finally, Carmen said, “I beg your pardon, dear. You want me to...?”

“Buy Carey,” she repeated and clarified, “At the charity auction tonight.”

“Oh,” her mother said, deflating for a moment. Carmen dug through her purse and pulled out a brochure. “I didn't know he was doing the auction.”

I didn't either. “Yes, well...it's for charity. But I don't want anyone else to snatch him up.”

Carmen's grey eyes twinkled. “Is that so?”

“Of course. No telling who he'll get, and I don't feel comfortable with him cleaning some strange woman's bathroom.” Especially since he didn't know how to scrub his own. Sage smiled to herself. Her mother opened the brochure. Pictures and bios of men stared back at them.

“Oh, here he is,” her mother pointed. “He's a baseball coach. I didn't know that. He photographs well.”

Last night, when she silently vowed to do all she could to get Carey to fall in love with her, she also promised herself that she wouldn't let anyone else get their mits on him in the process.  But he just had to go and put himself up for auction!  Sage studied the smiling photo of Carey and her heart flipped over.   Oh yeah. No one gets him but me.

“So, you'll do it?”

Her mother didn't answer right away, and the nurse appeared, calling her back to an examination room. Carmen sat in the corner as the nurse took Sage's vitals, recorded her answers to the normal questions, and they were left alone for a few minutes.

“Sage...” her mother began, twisting the wedding band on her finger. “Do you love Carey?”

Sage looked at her mother for the longest time. “Yes, Momma, I do.”

“Why?”

“I'm sorry?”

Carmen looked directly at her daughter. “Why do you love him?”

“It's...it's hard to explain,” Sage said, wondering where this conversation was going. “He's sweet and funny and handsome and protective and...” Carmen nodded with each word, not seeming to truly understand. “But it's not just all that. He's sloppy and a horrible cook and a bit chauvinistic and sometimes a pain in my neck. And that's what makes him who he is. I love it that he doesn't know how great he is and that he teases me and calls me Red. I love him because of all of it.”

Tears misted Carmen's eyes. “Okay, dear. I'll buy him. What do you want me to do with him when I've got him?”

Sage grinned. “Oh, I have some ideas.”

Dr. LeBoeuf came through the door, and Sage smiled at him. Shoot, her mother smiled and even sighed a little. Talk about one hunky guy. Too bad he had that dark, brooding aura to him. Today, however, his face was aglow and he seemed calmer than he had at any point since she knew him. She wondered if he and Eve ever worked out their differences.