Sand Castle Bay (Ocean Breeze) - By Sherryl Woods Page 0,34
flat, said it would be too awkward if it didn’t work out. Obviously he couldn’t say that the woman didn’t stand a chance compared to Cora Jane.”
He studied Emily’s thoughtful expression. “You’re really okay with this?”
“I was just thinking that it’s sweet in a way, all those years of unrequited love finally paying off.”
“It is reassuring, isn’t it?” Boone said. “It says the universe has a way of making things right in the end.”
“That’s a very romantic way of looking at things,” she said, sounding surprised.
He smiled at her reaction. “I have my moments.”
He just couldn’t allow these crazy, romantic notions to get the better of him when it came to Emily.
* * *
Emily thought about Boone’s comment that night when she was sitting on the porch at Cora Jane’s, her bare feet propped up on the railing, a tall glass of sweet tea in her hand.
“I thought I might find you out here,” Gabi said, settling into a wicker chair next to her, her own glass of tea in hand. “You were awfully quiet during dinner tonight. Everything okay?”
“Just thinking about love and how complicated and unpredictable it is,” she admitted.
“Ah, the easy stuff,” Gabi said with a smile.
“Grandmother admitted earlier that she and Jerry are an item,” Emily told her.
Gabi’s expression lit up. “Really? How’d you wrestle that news out of her?”
“Boone and I walked in on them in the kitchen. It wasn’t exactly a compromising moment, but Grandmother looked as if we’d caught them in bed. Took a couple of nudges, but she finally spilled the truth. Boone says he thinks Jerry’s had feelings for her for years.”
“When did Boone get to be so observant, especially when it comes to romance?”
“The same thing I wondered,” Emily said. “I’ve been seeing a different side to him since I got back here.”
“You sound surprised.”
“Once upon a time, I thought I knew everything there was to know about Boone,” Emily said. “It is kind of a shock to discover all these new facets. Do you suppose they were there all along or do you think Jenny brought them out in him?”
“Maybe he’s just matured,” Gabi said. “That can happen between the age of twenty-one and thirty-one. You’re not the same woman you were when you walked out on him, are you?”
Emily thought about that. “Not really.”
“How do you see the changes in yourself?” Gabi asked curiously.
“It might make more sense for you to tell me what you see. I could probably use an outside opinion.”
Gabi looked oddly reluctant to answer. “Do you really want to know what I think? Uncensored?”
Her sister’s reaction startled her. “Sure. Why wouldn’t I want to hear the truth?”
“Maybe because you’re human, just like the rest of us, and sometimes the truth hurts. Remember how you managed to upset me on the phone last week, when you were teasing me about being like Dad? It’s certainly true, but I wasn’t crazy about hearing it.”
Emily frowned. “But we’ve been telling you that for years. Why did it suddenly strike a nerve?”
“Because lately I’ve been starting to want more. At least I think I want more than a demanding job that I obsess about 24/7.”
“Seriously?” Emily said, taken aback by the admission from a woman who’d been even more goal-oriented than either Samantha or Emily herself, and they were no slouches when it came to going after what they wanted.
“Shocking, huh?”
“Is that because of this man you’re seeing? Are you in love with him? Are you thinking about a future with him?”
Gabi hesitated, then shook her head. “I don’t think so. I mean we could be heading in that direction, and it’s been amazing to have someone in my life who’s there at the end of the day, who understands how important my job is to me and doesn’t get all worked up if I have to stay late at the office. We get along, you know. It’s easy and comfortable.”
“You’re not mentioning anything about passion,” Emily noted.
Gabi flushed, but grinned. “Oh, there’s plenty of that, believe me.”
“Sounds like a perfect match.”
“It does, doesn’t it?” Gabi said with a sigh.
Emily frowned at her reaction. “Then why don’t you sound happier?”
Gabi met her gaze. “I have no idea.”
“Then there is something holding you back,” Emily concluded. “You probably need to figure out what that is.”
“Probably,” Gabi agreed, then shrugged. “Enough of that. You managed to steer the conversation away from you, which suggests you weren’t that anxious to hear my thoughts about how you’ve changed, after all.”