Sand Castle Bay (Ocean Breeze) - By Sherryl Woods Page 0,107

you’re not due back until after that ski lodge opens.”

“Disappointed I’m here early?” she teased. “Don’t tell me you’re juggling me with another girl. Have I spoiled your plans?”

“Not a chance,” he said, then studied her closely. Despite the teasing note in her voice, her eyes seemed to be filled with worry. “Is something wrong? Cora Jane’s okay, isn’t she? I haven’t seen her for a couple of days, but I spoke to her yesterday. She didn’t mention any problems. Nor did she say a word about you coming home.”

“Grandmother’s fine and she didn’t know about this trip, either. I just had an unexpected break, so I decided to take advantage of it. I have to fly to Aspen tomorrow, though.”

“I thought you were down to the wire on the ski lodge,” he said, surprised that she’d been able to get away with that deadline so close. “What’s so important that you needed to fly in for one night?”

“Maybe I just missed you,” she said, a defensive note in her voice that warned him something serious was on the agenda.

“Everything’s on schedule for the lodge opening? Derek’s not freaking out?”

She laughed. “Of course he’s freaking out. It’s what he does. But it’s all good. I made sure of that before I came here.”

He still sensed something was wrong. “You’re happy with how it’s turned out?”

She smiled. “It’s going to be fabulous. I have pictures on my laptop. I’ll give you the ten-cent tour later, complete with before and after shots. You won’t believe the transformation.”

“I can’t wait.”

“You seemed pretty distracted when I got here. Is there a crisis of some kind that needs your attention?”

Since she didn’t seem inclined to reveal the reason for this unexpected visit, he accepted the change of subject. “I was on the phone with Pete. He’s been determined to fix that snag we ran into on the Charleston property. He’s handling it, but I probably should give him a call back. I’m not sure why he’s got his mind set on opening there, but if I don’t stay on top of this, he’s liable to make concessions I won’t be able to live with.”

“Then I’ll head on over to Grandmother’s and get settled.”

“Dinner tonight? I’ll throw some chicken on the grill, maybe see if Ethan wants to stop by.”

Emily frowned. “Do you really want Ethan around when we have so little time? Surely you aren’t still trying to keep B.J. from figuring out how serious things are between us. I thought that cat was out of the bag when he saw us kissing?”

“I was just thinking it would be nice to get together with Ethan,” Boone said defensively.

“Not this time, okay? We need to talk about something.”

Boone sucked in a breath. So, there was something on her mind, something that had brought her clear across the country. “Fine. I’ll invite him over another time,” he said. “But maybe you should tell me what’s going on.”

“Tonight will be soon enough. I’ll be over around six-thirty, if that’s good.”

Boone had a feeling he ought to keep her here now, settle this once and for all, but Pete’s call was still weighing on his mind. He also knew they weren’t likely to settle a single thing until they had more time together to explore their options and discuss how they each saw the future working out. Just as he had when he’d impulsively suggested they get married, he wondered if they weren’t going to spend so much time thinking things through that they never actually moved forward.

He also had a gut-deep feeling that Emily’s unexpected appearance here today was about a whole lot more than taking advantage of a break in her schedule. She was unmistakably tense, and if he knew her at all, that couldn’t mean anything good.

* * *

Cora Jane regarded her granddaughter with surprise. “Well, look who the cat dragged in. Thought you weren’t coming till closer to Christmas.”

Emily shook her head. “You and Boone!” she muttered. “Obviously not big on surprises. I’ll have to remember that.”

“Boone didn’t know you were coming, either?”

“I had an unexpected break,” Emily told her irritably. “I decided to take advantage of it.”

“Given the tension I’m hearing in your voice, a break is just what you need,” Cora Jane said. “You might want to start with a nap.”

Emily blinked at her, then winced. “Sorry. I am on edge.”

“Any particular reason?”

Emily’s hesitation was telling.

“You have bad news and you’re trying to figure out how to break it to Boone,” Cora Jane

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