Sand Castle Bay Read online

  With the help of two waitresses, Emily and her sisters had managed to keep things moving, but they hadn’t had a minute to deal with any more of the cleanup inside.

  Now with the customers thinned out, Emily was finally able to take a deep breath. She carried a cup of coffee to a table by the railing where she could see the ocean...and the parking lot.

  “Looking for somebody?” Samantha teased when she joined her, propping her sneaker-clad feet on an adjacent chair with a sigh of relief.

  “No, why?”

  “You’ve spent a lot of time with your eyes peeled to the parking lot. I just thought you might be wondering where Boone is.”

  “Well, he did say he’d be here today at the crack of dawn,” she said. Years of doubts and bitterness crept into her voice. “Despite Grandmother’s faith in him, I guess he can’t be taken at his word, after all.”

  “He called Cora Jane right after we got here,” Samantha reported. “And he spoke to Gabi last night to explain.”

  Emily stiffened. “He spoke to Gabi? Why?”

  “He had some work he wanted her to do for him.”

  “What kind of work?”

  Samantha grinned. “Please do not tell me you’re jealous of your own sister?”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m just wondering when he and Gabi got to be so tight that he’d ask her for help? Why not you? Or me?”

  “Maybe because Gabi’s the one with public relations experience,” Samantha said patiently. “If you give me two seconds, I can explain all this and put your mind at rest.”

  Emily knew she was overreacting, looking for excuses to judge him so she could keep him at a distance, so she drew in a deep breath and nodded. “Explain away.”

  Samantha described the mess they’d found on closer inspection at Boone’s restaurant, Boone’s solution for working around it and Gabi’s role in spreading that word.

  “This morning he had to meet with the people doing the cleanup over at his place, see for himself how serious the problem is and make some decisions,” Samantha concluded.

  “And Tommy Cahill? Where’s he? Boone promised Grandmother he’d be working on the roof today. They’re predicting thunderstorms later this afternoon. We’ll be underwater inside, if he doesn’t at least have a tarp down up there.”

  “Tommy’s with Boone, checking to see what repairs are needed. He’s meeting his crew here at eleven.” Samantha glanced toward the parking lot as several pickups turned in. “And there they are now. Right on schedule.”

  She slanted a look at Emily. “You might want to cut Boone some slack. He spent all day here yesterday, even though he had his own worries. He put Cora Jane and Castle’s first.”

  “You’re right,” Emily admitted, knowing that once more she’d misjudged him. “I know I’m just looking for reasons not to get along with him.”

  “Because you’re scared,” Samantha suggested.

  “Scared of what?”

  “Falling for him all over again.”

  “Not going to happen,” Emily insisted, though Samantha had hit the nail on the head.

  Samantha grinned. “We could take bets on that, little sis, but I never take money from the delusional.”

  * * *

  After her conversation with Samantha, Emily went inside the restaurant, grabbed her laptop and slipped into one of the booths, hoping to get a little bit of her own work done before she was needed to wait tables or do more cleaning. She had a list of suppliers she wanted to check for the availability of their ski lodge furniture. With a deadline staring her in the face, she couldn’t afford to deal with anyone who didn’t have most things in stock in sufficient quantities. She didn’t have the luxury of waiting for custom pieces.

  She’d been jotting notes and scanning websites for a while when she noticed B.J. standing quietly by the table.

  “Hey there,” she said with a smile.

  “What’re you doing?” he asked, sidling closer.

  “Looking for furniture.”

  “Can I see?”

  “Sure,” she said, sliding over to make room for him.

  He crawled onto the bench and knelt, leaning into her. The feel of his body with its little boy smell caught her off guard. She’d never really thought much about being a mother, but suddenly what she guessed were faintly maternal instincts were coursing through her. How about that? she thought, surprised and not entirely dismayed by the sensation.

  She observed the way his brow was knit with a frown, the tip of his tongue caught between his teeth as he studied the screen intently. She’d seen that same expression on Boone’s face a time or two, when he was deep in thought. Finally B.J. turned to her.

  “That stuff would look kinda weird in here,” he said hesitantly.

  Emily laughed at his apt assessment. “It definitely would,” she agreed. “It’s not for here. Tell me why you think it would be wrong, though.”

  “It’s all dark and it’s too big.”

  “Precisely,” she said. “You have a good eye. Now, can you think of anyplace where it might look right?”

  “Someplace really big,” he said eventually.

  “Do you think it might look good in front of a great big stone fireplace?” she asked.

  His eyes lit up. “You mean like one of those places where people go in the winter to ski?”

  “That’s exactly it,” she said, impressed once more. “It’s for a new ski lodge in Colorado.”

  “Cool. I think it would be better if it were red, though.”

  “Why is that?” she asked, laughing at his boundless confidence in expressing his opinion.

  “Because red’s my favorite color. It’s the color of fire trucks and candy apples.”

  “And you like both of those things.”

  “Uh-huh,” he said, then sobered. “And it was the color of my mom’s car. The one she picked out before she died.” He met Emily’s gaze. “Daddy bought it for her as a surprise for her birthday, but she never got to drive it. She got too sick.”

  Emily swallowed against the lump in her throat. “I’m sorry.”

  “Sometimes I miss her,” B.J. confided.

  “Of course you do. My mom died a while back, and I still miss her, too.”

  “Do you ever cry?”

  “Sure. Do you?”

  “Uh-huh, but I try to be brave, because I know talking about her makes my dad really, really sad.”

  Emily suddenly wanted to gather him close and hold him until he could shed all the tears he’d stored up. It wasn’t her place, though. Instead, she said gently, “I’ll bet your dad would want you to talk about your mom anytime you need to. Even when it makes us sad to talk about someone, I think it always helps if we can remember them with someone else who loved them.”

  B.J.’s expression brightened slightly. “You really think so?”

  “I really do,” she said. “Where’s your dad now?”

  “He’s still at his restaurant. I was bored over there, so he called Ms. Cora Jane and she said it was okay if I came over here with Tommy.”

  “Does she know you’re in here with me?”

  “Uh-huh,” he said, then flushed guiltily. “She sent me in to tell you to get back outside and get to work.”

  Emily laughed, immediately suspicious that it hadn’t been Cora Jane’s sole motive. “Did she really? Well, how about we don’t tell her that you forgot? We’ll tell her that I asked for your expert opinion on the job I’m working on. That’ll make you my consultant.”

  “Really?” he said, his eyes wide.

  “Sure thing,” she said. “But I guess my break is over. I’d better do what she said and get outside.”

  And later she’d have a few words with her grandmother about deliberately sending B.J. insid
e for the sole purpose of nudging the two of them a little closer. She had a feeling there was going to come a time when she’d regret that it had worked so successfully.

  * * *

  Boone had arrived at Castle’s and stepped inside the restaurant just in time to overhear his son’s conversation with Emily. Her insight and her tenderness caught him by surprise, but it was B.J.’s fear of upsetting him that made his heart ache. He slipped back outside before they caught sight of him.

  “Weren’t they in there?” Cora Jane asked, looking puzzled by his quick retreat.

  “They were there,” he said tightly.

  “Why do you sound angry about that?”

  “I’m not angry,” he said. He wasn’t sure exactly what he was feeling, but anger wasn’t part of it. Blind panic, maybe. Once again, he’d seen evidence of his boy bonding with a woman who would wind up leaving and hurting him. There were a lot of things in life he hadn’t been able to protect B.J. against, but he hadn’t anticipated needing to protect him from another loss quite so soon.

  “I think I’d better keep him away from here for the next couple of weeks,” he said, trying to figure out how he’d pull that off without a major rebellion on B.J.’s part.

  “Why on earth would you do such a thing?” Cora Jane asked, clearly mystified.

  “He’s getting too close to Emily.”

  “Seems to me that’s a good thing for both of them,” she replied.

  “She’s leaving,” Boone reminded her. “Me, I know how that works, how it feels. He’s a kid. He’s already lost his mother. What if he gets attached to Emily and she walks out of his life? How’s he supposed to cope with that?”

  Cora Jane regarded him impatiently. “I know you have your issues with Emily, but do you really think she’d be so cruel that she’d get close to B.J., then walk away without looking back? You’re not giving her much credit.”

  “Why should I? She left me without a backward glance.”

  “And we both know why she did that,” Cora Jane reminded him gently. “She was terrified that with one word, you could make her stay. Instead you didn’t even try. Worse, in the blink of an eye, you turned right around and married Jenny.”

  He frowned at the hint of accusation he heard in her voice. “You actually think the breakup was my fault?”

  She smiled at his indignation. “No, I think she broke up and your pride stopped you from trying to fix things.”

  “You let her go because you loved her,” he accused. “How is what I did any different? I could see she’d never be happy here with me.”

  “Really? Even though you could have offered her something I couldn’t, the future she really wants?”

  “Cora Jane, she made it abundantly clear that a future with me wasn’t what she wanted.”

  “Maybe not right that second,” she conceded. “But she loved you then, and I believe she loves you now. She just has to figure out how to have it all, that choosing you doesn’t mean sacrificing the career she wants. That’s a lesson that comes with maturity. I think she’s just about there now.”

  Boone scowled at her. “Too late,” he said stubbornly. “What’s that expression—once burned, twice shy?”

  “So you don’t believe in second chances? Seems to me you had a couple of them in your day. I recall sending my husband to the police station one night to bail you out when you got caught trying to buy beer with a fake ID. You called me instead of your folks.”

  Boone winced. “I was an idiot.”

  “But I didn’t hold it against you, did I?” she said, not denying the truth of his assessment.

  “Because you’re a saint,” he joked. “Or maybe because you wanted something to hold over my head for a lifetime.”

  “Or maybe just because I love you and know that your flaws are part of the bargain,” she said.

  He sighed as he met her gaze. “I hear what you’re saying, Cora Jane. I really do. I just can’t take another chance, not with my heart and sure as hell not with my son’s.”

  Left unsaid was the furor he’d stir up with Jenny’s parents if they got wind that Emily was back in his life. They unreasonably held her as accountable for any misery Jenny felt as they did Boone. If anything would bring them back to Sand Castle Bay on a tear, that would be it.

  “There’s too much at stake,” he told Cora Jane. “Nothing’s worth the risk of hurting B.J.”

  “Then I feel sorry for you,” Cora Jane said quietly. “Nothing in life comes without risk. Would you have given up the chance to have B.J. if you’d known ahead of time the pain you’d face when you lost Jenny?”

  “Of course not.”

  “That’s all I’m saying. If you want to experience the highest of the highs, then you have to take a chance that you’ll get the lows, as well.”

  “I want my life—and B.J.’s—on a nice even keel,” he countered, knowing even as he said it that it was an impossible pipe dream.

  “A noble goal, but an unrealistic one,” Cora Jane admonished. “Life doesn’t work out that way.” She held his gaze. “And you know as well as I do, Boone Dorsett, you’d be bored to tears if it did.”

  Maybe. Maybe not. He sure would be willing to give it a try for a time.

  6

  B.J. burst through the door onto the deck at Castle’s, caught sight of Boone and went running in his direction. Emily followed more hesitantly, regretting that she couldn’t avoid the man completely. Instead, she seemed to be drawn to him like a magnet.

  “Daddy, guess what? I’m Emily’s consultant,” B.J. announced happily.

  Boone smiled at his son’s excitement but gave Emily a curious look. “How’d that happen?”

  She shrugged. “It turns out he’s amazingly perceptive about interior design. I appreciate his insights.”

  Boone didn’t even try to hide his skepticism. “He’s eight. What kind of insights could he have?”

  “He knew immediately that the furniture I was looking at online wasn’t suited for here,” she explained, then grinned. “He didn’t hesitate to tell me that, either. That’s a very good trait in a consultant.”

  Boone actually chuckled at that. “Yeah, there’s not much he holds back. If it crosses his mind, it comes out of his mouth.” He ruffled his son’s hair. “You weren’t pestering her, though, were you?”

  B.J. regarded him impatiently. “I told you, I’m her official consultant. She wants my help.”

  “Now, if only he could wait tables for me,” Emily said, anxious to get away, though not exactly enthusiastic about the prospect of dealing with what already looked like a huge lunch crowd, proving that, as usual, Cora Jane’s instincts about reopening had been right.

  “I could carry stuff,” B.J. offered eagerly.

  “Sorry, buddy, we have to get going,” Boone said. “I have to get back over to my restaurant. I just wanted to make sure Tommy’s guys had things under control with the roof.”

  “Judging from the hammering overhead when I was working inside, they must be making progress,” Emily said.

  Boone nodded. “Tommy says the protective sheeting will all be in place before any rain this afternoon. They’ll have a good start on the new shingles, too.”

  “That’ll be a huge relief to Grandmother. She was afraid we were going to be dealing with more water damage inside. Speaking of that, did she tell you that the cashier station is a mess?”

  Boone nodded. “I’ll take a look before I leave. I have an excellent cabinetmaker I use. I can get Wade over here tomorrow to build something exactly like she wants to replace it. If there’s any other updating she wants in the dining room, just let Wade know.”

  “Updating?” Emily said, rolling her eyes. “I’m lucky she’s letting me bring in the painters.”

  “Yeah, she is a big fan of the stat
us quo.” He gave her a searching look. “You okay with that now?”

  Emily shrugged. “I’ll continue nudging, but I’m not holding out a lot of hope.”

  “Okay, then, I’d better check out that cashier area, then hit the road. Let’s go, B.J.”

  “But I want to stay here,” B.J. protested at once.

  “Not this afternoon,” Boone said firmly. “It’s too busy for you to be underfoot right now. Cora Jane can’t keep an eye on you when it’s crowded like this.”

  “I will,” Emily blurted impulsively before she could stop herself. “If that’s okay with you, that is. Between Grandmother, Gabi, Samantha and me, he’ll be fine. And he can always hang out in the kitchen. Jerry loves having him around. Besides, don’t you have your hands full over at your place? I heard about the damage you found.”

  “I do, but—”

  B.J. bounced up and down. “Please, Dad.”

  “Sorry, pal. I made arrangements for you to spend the afternoon with Alex. His mom said you could have a sleepover tonight, too.”

  “I’d rather stay here,” B.J. pleaded.

  “We’re only open until three, anyway,” Emily reminded Boone. “Then we’ll be cleaning some more. We can keep him busy with that. Then one of us can drop him off at your restaurant or the house later.”

  She wondered if the real issue was Boone wanting him out from underfoot because he had a date tonight. For all she knew, he was involved with someone. “Or if you have plans for tonight, he can stay over at our house,” she suggested mildly.

  “No plans,” Boone said, an oddly tense note in his voice. “Usually he loves having a sleepover at Alex’s house because they have all the game systems I won’t let him have at home.”

  “But today I want to stay here and help,” B.J. repeated emphatically.

  “Okay, fine,” Boone agreed with unmistakable reluctance. “Let me speak to Cora Jane.”

  “No need,” Emily said. “I’ll let her know.”

  “Then I’ll pick him up at your place tonight around seven-thirty. Will that work? That way if I get held up at the restaurant, he won’t have to hang around there.”