Sand Castle Bay (Ocean Breeze) - By Sherryl Woods Page 0,56

surprised. It was probably exactly the answer he’d expected. “I’m sure Cora Jane understands how busy you are.”

She frowned at the edge in his voice. “But you don’t. You think I should stay, even though she doesn’t need or want my input.”

“I think you’ll do whatever feels right to you,” he said. “No question you have obligations to your clients. I can hardly argue with that.”

“You’re saying the right words, but the tone’s off. You’re disappointed in me.” He’d just made it plain without saying it that he thought she was acting selfishly...again.

He held her gaze, let the moment simmer, then said softly, “Maybe I’m just disappointed, Em.”

Her heart hammered at the unexpected admission. “You want me to stay?”

“We’ll never know what could have been if you don’t,” he said.

He stepped closer, tucked a finger under her chin, then slowly leaned in and kissed her. It wasn’t the kind of hot, demanding kiss she remembered, the kind that had kept her awake at night wanting more. Instead, it was a sweet kiss, full of promise.

“Think about it,” he said softly, walking her to the door.

There was no further mention of dinner, no plea to keep her in town, just the lingering memory of that kiss to hold her here.

She had the most astonishing feeling it might be enough.

* * *

Boone had the steaks on the grill and a couple of beers already on ice when Ethan arrived. B.J. bounded out to meet the doctor.

“Emily was here, but she had to go,” he announced. “I showed her my scar.”

“Was she impressed?” Ethan inquired, glancing curiously at Boone over B.J.’s head.

“Sure. I gotta go take a shower now, ’cause I accidentally fell in the water while I was fishing.”

“Accidentally?” Ethan said, grinning.

“Uh-huh. Swear to God. I tripped.”

“Over his own feet, more than likely,” Boone said. “Hurry up, kiddo. The steaks are almost ready.”

As soon as they were alone, Boone glowered at Ethan. “Leave it alone, okay?”

“Leave what alone?” Ethan asked innocently. “You mean the fact that Emily apparently drove over here and you let her get away?”

“It wasn’t like that,” Boone said stiffly. “She came to apologize, said her piece, then left. That’s all.”

“What’s next?”

“She’ll leave town. Life will return to normal, and peace will reign over all the land,” Boone said wryly.

“If you believe that, you’re dumber than dirt,” Ethan said succinctly. “Letting her go once, you could chalk that up to youthful ignorance. Letting her go again would be just plain stupid.”

“Thank you so much for your insightful observation,” Boone grumbled. “Want to talk about why you let a woman who obviously had the sensitivity of a storm trooper turn you into a recluse?”

“I’m not a recluse,” Ethan said defensively. “And we weren’t talking about me. You’re the one with the immediate problem. Want to hear what I think?”

“I can’t come up with a single way to stop you short of gagging you, and that would probably set a bad example for my son,” Boone said with frustration.

“Probably,” Ethan confirmed, grinning. “So, here’s what I think. I think you should take advantage of my presence here right now, leave B.J. with me and go after her.”

“And do what exactly? I’ve already told her we’ll never know what we could have if she doesn’t stick around to find out.”

Ethan regarded him with amusement. “Did you say it with exactly that much passion? Gee, I can’t imagine why she wouldn’t fall right into your arms, abandoning her life’s work to be with such a poet.”

Boone scowled at him. “Bite me.”

“Just calling it like I see it. You love this woman, right? Always have.”

“That doesn’t mean we were meant to be. She has to want this as much as I do.”

“And you have absolutely no powers of persuasion at your disposal?” Ethan asked. “Couldn’t maybe kiss her senseless, haul her off to your bed, even talk a blue streak about the future you could have together?”

“I did kiss her,” Boone said irritably. “She left anyway.”

Ethan hooted at that. “Then you sure as heck didn’t do it right, not with the finesse of which we both know you’re capable. Could she still think? Was she still standing?”

Boone chuckled. “I think you might be overestimating my talents.”

“Nah. I heard all the talk back in high school. Every girl you ever kissed swooned. Not a one of them ever forgot you. Tell me that you haven’t been approached by a couple of the available ones since Jenny died, all eager to get back what you once