Sand Castle Bay (Ocean Breeze) - By Sherryl Woods Page 0,33

said, oddly pleased.

In her opinion, a laid-back, grounded man like Wade would be perfect for Gabriella, but she doubted that her granddaughter would see that without a little nudge. She tended to gravitate toward uptight professionals exactly like her father, bless him. Sam might be Cora Jane’s son, but she was well-versed in his flaws. It was a wonder he’d managed to stay married as long as he had. In her opinion, the girls’ mother had been a saint to put up with his late nights and frequent absences.

“Grandmother, is that a matchmaking gleam I see in your eyes?” Emily inquired.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’m not the one who brought Wade over here today, am I? Boone did that all on his own.”

“And I’m wondering now if it wasn’t a really bad idea,” Boone muttered. “There seem to be a lot of nefarious schemes afoot.”

Emily laughed. “Not a lot,” she corrected. “I think Grandmother and I might be on the same page about this one.”

“So, you see it, too?” Cora Jane asked, eager to have an ally.

Jerry sent a commiserating look over her head in Boone’s direction. “Think we should warn Wade?”

“Don’t you dare,” Cora Jane ordered. “He’s a grown man. He can take care of himself.”

“Gabi, then?” Boone suggested. “She might deserve a heads-up.”

“Or maybe you should both stay out of it,” Cora Jane said.

Boone held up his hands. “Okay, then. I’m out of here to safer territory.”

Jerry nodded. “Can’t say I blame you. I wish I could come along.”

“You can walk out any time you tire of being around,” Cora Jane said tersely.

Jerry lifted her off her feet and planted a kiss on her mouth. “I never tire of you. Don’t you know that by now?”

Cora Jane felt her cheeks flame. “Now you’ve gone and done it,” she muttered.

But he only laughed. “You were the only one who thought the girls weren’t onto us.”

“He’s right,” Emily confirmed. “And we may not know exactly what’s going on, but you have my approval. Gabi’s and Samantha’s, too.”

“Did I ask for approval?” Cora Jane inquired with a little huff of indignation.

Jerry gave her a chiding look. “Just say thank you, Cora Jane. You know perfectly well you wanted their blessing.”

“I might have wanted it, but I certainly didn’t need it,” she grumbled, then met Emily’s sparkling eyes. “Okay, fine. Thank you.”

Emily gave her a fierce hug, then kissed Jerry’s cheek. “I’m so happy you two have each other.”

Tears gathered in Cora Jane’s eyes. Despite her grumbling, that was exactly what she’d hoped to hear. Maybe these feelings she had for Jeremiah weren’t so crazy after all.

* * *

“That was a nice thing you did in there,” Boone said when he and Emily were outside alone on the deck.

“What?”

“Giving Cora Jane your blessing. I think she was scared to death you all wouldn’t approve.”

“She was right about one thing. It’s not really our place to approve or disapprove,” Emily said.

“But the approval matters to her. She was worried sick you’d think she was behaving like an old fool.”

“She talked to you about it?”

“She mentioned it,” he confirmed.

“So you knew there was something going on with her and Jerry?”

He nodded. “Anyone around the two of them for more than a split second could see it.”

Emily immediately got defensive. “Is that some sort of knock about Samantha, Gabi and me not being around enough?”

“Take it however you like,” he said. “Bottom line, I think Jerry has had a thing for Cora Jane for years, but there was no way he’d ever act on it while your grandfather was alive. He and Caleb were friends. He’d never have betrayed the friendship like that. He’s an honorable man.”

“I guess I never really thought about why there was never a woman in his life,” Emily admitted. “He always seemed like part of the family. You know, the bachelor uncle who keeps his private life private.”

Boone gave her an odd look. “You thought he was gay?”

Emily laughed. “Oh, please. Not even for a heartbeat. I’d seen him looking over the women customers a time or two. For all I knew, he could have been seeing a different woman every night. He just never made a big deal about it.”

“My hunch is he went out just often enough to keep your grandparents from guessing about his real feelings. Once when I was helping out in the kitchen, I overheard your grandmother trying to set him up with a friend of hers. He turned her down