If for Any Reason (Nantucket Love Story #1) - Courtney Walsh Page 0,58
good at acting.”
Emily turned back toward the door. “That’s not exactly true, JoJo. You’ll have lots of chances to see if you’re a good actor.” She pulled open the front door expecting Jack but found Hollis there instead.
“Oh,” Emily said. “Hollis.”
“Hey, am I early?”
“Early for what?”
“The renovation.”
Emily stared at him. “You’re really going to try and help with this?”
“What else do I have to do?”
She leaned closer. “Hang out with your daughter.”
Hollis looked past her. “My daughter is already here.”
“Fair point.”
“Emily bought donuts,” Jolie called over her shoulder as she raced back toward the kitchen.
Hollis’s face brightened. “Donuts?”
Emily groaned. “You might as well come in since I have a feeling I’m not going to be able to get rid of you.”
He stepped inside, and it occurred to her that he hadn’t been in the old house since she returned. But then, he rarely came into the house when they were kids either. Unlike the McGuires, who opened their home willingly, fed her whenever they could, and made her feel like a part of the family, Emily’s grandmother had strict rules about other kids coming into the house throughout the day.
“I don’t want you bringing sand in from outside, Emily,” she’d say, “and those McGuire boys can come over, but only if they stay outside in the yard.”
It shamed her now to think about how Hollis and his family had been treated when they were kids, and especially that they’d been treated that way by her own family. She wanted no part of that, and her mom hadn’t either. In fact, she’d rejected most of what her grandmother had taught her in favor of the lessons Mom had left behind in her letters. She’d purposed to become the kind of adult who would’ve made Isabelle Ackerman proud—even if that meant disappointing her grandmother.
“Sorry about the musty smell,” she said as she closed the door behind Hollis. “It’s been over a week, but I still can’t seem to get rid of it.”
“New paint will help,” he said.
“New everything will help.” She started toward the kitchen but stopped short. “Your mom told Jolie I was directing a show at the arts center.”
Hollis’s face went blank. “I know. Sorry. I tried to explain to them it wasn’t official, but you know the Nantucket rumor mill.”
Emily did know it—well. Even as a child she’d been aware of the way rumors spread across the island, or at least across her grandmother’s circle of friends.
“So what are you going to do now?” Hollis asked.
“Jolie said she asked her mom if she could stay on the island longer so she could audition.”
Hollis shifted.
“Do you want her to stay longer?”
He met her eyes. “Do you even have to ask?”
Emily knew better than to pounce on the Jolie situation in that exact moment, especially after he’d been so open with her earlier that morning on the beach. So why did she hear herself doing exactly that, as if she weren’t the one in control of her mouth? “I don’t know anything about you and Jolie except what she’s told me.”
Hollis sighed. “What did she tell you?”
“Dad!” Jolie yelled from the other room. “Donuts!”
“Be right there, JoJo,” he called out.
“Forget it.” Emily turned to go back to the kitchen, but Hollis grabbed her arm and turned her around.
The connection of his skin on hers sent a shaky shiver down her spine. She glanced at his hand, and he quickly released his grip.
“Sorry,” he said. “What did she say?”
Emily narrowed her gaze. “I shouldn’t have said anything.” Why is my mouth so big?
“Well, you did.”
She could feel the tension between them returning, and it wasn’t the kind that made the air sizzle; it was the kind that balled her stomach into a knot. “I know. I have a knack for sticking my nose where it doesn’t belong.”
He pulled his baseball cap off and ran a hand through his dark hair. “You won’t get an argument from me.”
She leveled her gaze at him. “Funny.”
“Look, I know you have opinions, but you don’t have the whole story,” Hollis said.
Emily took a step closer—too close, it turned out, because she could smell whatever man soap he’d used in the shower that morning. “You’re right. I do have opinions. And you’re also right that I don’t have the whole story. The only thing I know for sure is that you have a daughter, and she’s a pretty great kid, and she thinks you don’t want her here.”
Hollis balked, and instantly Emily regretted the words.