Sand Castle Bay (Ocean Breeze) - By Sherryl Woods Page 0,44
it?”
“Hardly,” Boone said with heartfelt conviction.
Despite herself, Emily chuckled. “Well, that certainly tells me where you stand.”
Boone looked vaguely chagrined. “Sorry. Did that sound like an insult?”
“Maybe a little.”
“I only meant that we both know where things stand between us. We just have to be civil while you’re here, try not to give either of them any false hopes. Isn’t that what we agreed to when you first arrived? We just need to stick to the plan.”
“So, we sit over there, order a couple of sodas, share a little idle conversation, then you take me back to my car, and we call it a day.”
He shrugged. “Works for me.”
Emily wished it worked for her. It should. In fact, after her disconcerting conversation with Gabi a few days ago, it should be exactly what she wanted, some careful chitchat with no complications. Except this was Boone, and she wanted more than anything to know where his thoughts had roamed back at the soccer field when he’d looked so lost and had missed his son’s winning goal.
He took her silence for assent and led the way to a table. Emily sat across from him, then agreed to the beer and the burger he suggested ordering. She thought about the best way to find out what she wanted to know, decided to be direct, then leaned forward.
“Boone, why did you get so upset earlier?” She spoke in a low tone, even though the restaurant was so noisy she risked not being heard.
He frowned at the question. “I wasn’t upset.”
“Yes, you were. When you were talking about the kind of Dad you’d been before Jenny died, it obviously took you to a bad place.”
“The last thing I’m going to talk to you about is my marriage,” he said tightly.
She studied the tension obvious in his clenched jaw, the way he avoided looking at her. Still, she persisted. “You told me you were happy. Was that a lie?”
“Of course not,” he snapped.
Emily saw the flush in his cheeks and knew he was still lying to her. “Did you love Jenny?” she asked quietly.
“Of course I did. Why are you trying to dredge all of this up? Do you want to torture me?”
She found his choice of words telling. “If you were in love with your wife, if you were happy, then thinking about those days shouldn’t be torture. It would make you sad, but it wouldn’t make you angry or guilty of whatever it is that’s put that look on your face.”
His gaze narrowed. “What look is that?”
“The one that says you’re considering your options for shutting me up,” she said, her tone deliberately teasing. She had a feeling lightening the mood might get her closer to the answers she wanted.
His expression did ease. There was even a faint twinkle in his eyes. “I remember how I used to do it. Do you?”
“With a kiss,” she recalled, her breath hitching. “Probably not the best way to go right now.”
“It was always effective, though,” he reminded her, holding her gaze. “Always.”
The air between them seemed to crackle with tension, as she waited to see what he would do, not entirely certain if she desperately wanted that kiss...or was terrified of it. What on earth was wrong with her that she insisted on dancing toward danger with him?
Finally when she thought she might die if he didn’t do something, he swallowed hard and closed his eyes.
“You could drive a saint to drink,” he finally said, meeting her gaze again. “We can’t go back, Em. We just can’t.”
“I know that,” she replied softly. “But every now and then, like right this minute, I can’t seem to remember why.”
“Yeah, I’m having that problem, too.”
She pushed aside the untouched burger. “I should probably go. It doesn’t seem as if they’re going to hand out those prizes anytime soon.”
Boone nodded at once, clearly relieved by the reprieve. “I’ll take you.”
“But you could miss the ceremony,” she protested.
“I’ll make sure one of the parents takes pictures, and I’ll be back before B.J. even realizes I’m gone,” he said, leading the way to the car.
“Is he going to be upset again because I missed it?” she worried.
“I’ll make sure he understands. You already told him you had to get to Castle’s to help out.” He gave her a curious look. “I’m a little puzzled by what you’re planning to do over there, though. They’ll be closing for the day in an hour. Are you planning to wash dishes?”