Sea Glass Island (Ocean Breeze) - By Sherryl Woods Page 0,108
answered. Still, she sat and listened with no comment, not even attempting a defense.
It’s over, she thought as she disconnected. It’s all over.
* * *
Cora Jane took one look at Samantha’s swollen eyes and distraught expression and guessed exactly what had happened.
“You saw the paper,” she said angrily. “Honey bun, I am so sorry, but this will fade away. Nobody takes that seriously. It was a bachelor party prank.”
“It might have been a stupid prank, but Ethan just broke up with me because of it.”
Cora Jane didn’t even try to hide her shock. “He did not! Why would he do that?”
“He seems to think it’s going to be the catalyst for my whole playhouse project to be a failure, that I’ll be forced to leave town and abandon him. I get that he’s protecting his heart, that he may even think he’s saving me from being hurt, but the bottom line is, we’re done.”
“Nonsense!” Cora Jane said.
Samantha gave her a rueful look. “Well, he was right about one thing. There are already repercussions. I had a call from Regina Gentry just as I pulled up outside. She’s withdrawing her support for my acting classes. She told me she can’t in good conscience recommend me to impressionable teenagers.”
“Well, she’s wrong,” Cora Jane said, then studied her worriedly. “I know this is a setback, but you’re not going to change your mind and leave, are you? It would be a crime if a silly thing like this drove you away.”
To her dismay, Samantha didn’t vow to stay and fight. In fact, she looked utterly defeated.
“Samantha, don’t you dare let someone as narrow-minded as Regina chase you off,” she said. “Just this morning you were bubbling over with enthusiasm. You couldn’t stop talking about how excited you were when you came by Castle’s to pick up that lunch to take to Ethan. Nothing’s changed, not really.”
“Except that my key backer withdrew her endorsement and the man I care about dumped me,” she responded.
“You can overcome Regina Gentry’s disapproval. My word carries as much weight as hers in this region. You’ll have more students than you ever imagined. I can call in a few favors with some movers and shakers, and your playhouse will be welcomed like the genuine boon it will be to this community.”
Samantha smiled at that. “You’ve never lacked confidence, have you?”
“Sure I have,” Cora Jane said, needing her to see that everyone faced setbacks in life. “When your grandfather died, I was terrified of taking on Castle’s on my own. I thought seriously about closing it down or selling it to Jerry. I even approached him about it.”
“He turned you down?” Samantha said, clearly surprised.
Cora Jane smiled. “He did. He said that restaurant belonged with me, that it would lose something without me. He said a bunch of nonsense about me being the heart and soul of the place.”
“It wasn’t nonsense,” Samantha contradicted.
Cora Jane shrugged. “Be that as it may, he convinced me he’d be right there every step of the way, that we’d be a team. So I took a deep breath and stuck with it. That’s what you need to do, take a deep breath before you make any decisions.”
“I don’t think I’ll change my mind about this,” Samantha said. “Maybe Ethan’s right. Maybe I belong in New York, after all.”
“I’m not going to push too hard one way or the other,” Cora Jane told her. “It’s your decision. I do have one question for you, though. Right now, New York seems safe and familiar, but were you truly happy there? Not back in the beginning when it was fresh and exciting, but recently? I think if you answer that honestly, you’ll know what you need to do.”
Now all Cora Jane could do was sit back and pray that Samantha would find her way through the pain she was experiencing right this second and focus on the bright possibilities ahead.
22
Ethan walked into a roomful of glum faces after he left Samantha in the parking lot. He frowned right back at them.
“What?”
“You broke up with her, didn’t you?” Greg asked, an accusing note in his voice.
“No choice,” Ethan said flatly. “And the topic isn’t open for discussion.”
Pam looked pointedly at Debra, whose expression instantly turned guilty.
“I showed her the photo in the paper,” the receptionist admitted to him. “She hadn’t seen it. I might have gloated just a little.”
Ethan sighed. “Not the nicest thing you could have done, but it doesn’t change anything. This is my decision.”