Sand Castle Bay (Ocean Breeze) - By Sherryl Woods Page 0,54
he said proudly.
She grinned at him. “Wow! That’s really great. I knew you were brave.”
“I wanted you to be there, but Dad wouldn’t call you.”
“I’m sorry, but you obviously did just fine without me.” She hunkered down beside him. “So, are you catching anything?”
“Not really. I’m just staying out of the way while Daddy does some business before dinner.”
“I see.”
B.J.’s expression brightened. “Maybe you could stay for dinner. Dr. Cole’s coming, too.”
“I don’t think so,” Emily said. “I just came to talk to your dad for a few minutes. I won’t be here long.”
“But Dad’s grilling steak. It’ll be really good,” B.J. said enthusiastically. “We’re having corn on the cob, too. Dad says it might be the end of it for the summer because the hurricane hurt the farmers real bad around here.”
Just then the back door opened and Boone stepped outside, surprise and caution registering on his face when he saw her with his son.
Emily stood up, took a step in his direction, then paused. “Could we talk?” she asked. “It won’t take long.”
He hesitated, then nodded. “Come on inside. B.J., you have fifteen minutes, then you need to come in and wash up, okay? Ethan will be here soon.”
“Okay. I asked Emily to stay for dinner, but she said no. Maybe you should ask her.”
“We’ll see,” Boone said, committing to nothing. “Maybe she has plans.”
Emily followed him into a bright, airy open kitchen with granite countertops, stainless-steel appliances and windows everywhere. She couldn’t have designed a more welcoming room herself.
“I love what you’ve done with the kitchen,” she told him. “I imagine it wasn’t like this when you bought the house.”
“Not even close,” he confirmed. “I think the white appliances it had were original to the house and barely functioning.”
He gestured across the room. “There was a wall in here, too, right about there. It created a formal dining room not much bigger than a closet. Jenny saw the possibilities before I did. She knew exactly what she wanted in here down to the handles on the cabinets,” he said. “All I did was tell the contractor to follow her directions.”
“She had a good eye.” She met his gaze. “I know I’ve said it before, but I really am sorry you lost her.”
“So am I. She was a wonderful person. She didn’t deserve what happened.”
“What did happen?” she asked, curious to know the real story. If Cora Jane knew, she’d been very circumspect about filling in the blanks. Maybe she’d figured it was Boone’s story to tell if and when Emily was ready to hear it.
“A massive infection,” he said. “She thought she’d caught some kind of a bug, no big deal, but then it got into her lungs. It was late by the time she saw a doctor, and it turned out to be resistant to every antibiotic they tried. There was nothing they could do to save her.”
“How horrible,” she said. “I really am sorry.”
Boone nodded. “Thanks.” He held her gaze, then asked, “Why are you here, Em?”
She took a deep breath, then admitted, “Because what I said to you earlier was insensitive and rude.”
“You mean accusing me of having ulterior motives for being friends with your grandmother?”
She regarded him earnestly. “I know better, Boone. I really do.”
“Then why did you say it?”
“I’ve been thinking about that. I think it’s partly because seeing how you are with her, how you are with B.J. and everyone for that matter, reminds me of how much I lost when I let you go. All these years it’s suited me to paint you as another type of man, someone unworthy, a man with no sense of loyalty. I guess I needed that to justify what I did. In a way, you marrying Jenny made it easier. It was proof you’d never loved me at all.”
“Did I have to be a bad guy all those years ago in order for you to claim what you wanted for yourself?”
“I thought it might make it easier to leave,” she conceded, then shrugged. “It didn’t.”
Boone faced her, his frustration evident. “I knew you had dreams, Emily. How often did we sit on the beach at night talking about all you wanted to accomplish? Did you think I didn’t hear you? I might have wanted like crazy to hold on to you, but I never expected to do it.” He held her gaze, his expression sad. “I just hoped you’d come back eventually, that what we had would be important enough to bring you back.”