Sand Castle Bay (Ocean Breeze) - By Sherryl Woods Page 0,70
out? I haven’t said a word about her.”
Boone grinned. “I recognized the symptoms. So, what’s the scoop? Are you serious about her?”
“There hasn’t been time to get serious,” Pete said with frustration. “We met in Norfolk when she was there to welcome her brother home when his navy ship got back into port after being at sea for a year. She’s been back a couple of times. I flew up to New York for a few days right before this whole hurricane thing came up and I had to get back here. She got me excited about the possibility of living up there.”
Boone thought of his own complicated long-distance situation. “And is living in New York the only way you can see this relationship working out?”
“Of course not,” Pete said. “I just got caught up in the idea, that’s all. Who knows if it will even work with this woman? She’s a high-powered attorney. We’ve had a lot of fun together. She likes good food and great wine, so we hit some excellent restaurants in New York. That’s when I started sizing up the competition.”
“And?”
“I think we’re as good as, if not better than, most. Lexie—that’s her name, short for Alexandra—agreed. I figure she’s pretty savvy.” He shook his head. “I have to admit, after seeing her on her home turf, I started wondering what she saw in me.”
“Even without a New York restaurant you can point to, you’re pretty successful in this field,” Boone reminded him. “You certainly know food and wine, which you said matter to her. Don’t sell yourself short.”
Pete grinned. “She seems to think I have a few other things going for me,” he admitted. “And thank goodness we can both afford the airfare.”
“Maybe I’ll even throw in a couple of tickets to New York with your bonus this year,” Boone said. “Now, let’s get serious about these other possibilities. Which one was at the top of the list if we leave your libido out of the mix?”
Pete laughed, clearly not taking offense. “I’d have to say Charleston, especially if we can find the right location in the historic district. I gave you my notes on a couple of properties that would work.”
Boone nodded. “I’ve always liked Charleston. Let’s take a trip down there in the next couple of days. I’ll have to bring B.J. along, but we should be able to get the lay of the land. See about setting up the usual appointments with a Realtor, the Chamber of Commerce, the mayor, maybe a couple of other key players.”
“Got it,” Pete said, his good mood restored. “When do you want to go?”
With Emily out of town, Boone figured now would be a good time. It would provide just the distraction he needed. Since he wasn’t counting on Emily’s quick return despite her promise, he suggested, “Monday, the day after, if you can pull it together.”
“I’ll make it happen,” Pete promised.
And with luck, Boone thought, by the time they were back, Emily would be home.
* * *
Naturally Emily’s flight connections hadn’t gone as smoothly as she’d hoped, so she arrived Monday at mid-day, too late to meet Sophia at home. She had to go directly to the property under consideration for the safe house. In a way, it was probably better. Sophia hadn’t been able to color her expectations about the property. She would see it with fresh eyes.
“I’m so sorry,” she apologized to Sophia and the two women with her, one from the board of directors of the shelter, the other a Realtor. “The flight from Atlanta was cancelled. I had to wait till this morning for another one.”
She glanced past the women to the house. Built on a sizable corner lot, she could immediately imagine its potential, but it required a real stretch of her imagination. Right now the yard was overgrown and littered with trash. The paint on the stucco exterior was peeling, so that patches of an original turquoise color showed through a more recent faded pink. The downstairs windows were behind bars and mostly broken. The concrete porch steps were crumbling and dangerous.
Emily glanced at Sophia and lifted a brow. “Seriously?”
Sophia only grinned at her. “Oh, don’t even try to pretend you’re not intrigued,” Sophia chided. “You know you can’t resist a challenge like this, Emily.”
Emily tried to keep her expression dismayed, but couldn’t. Sophia knew her too well. “How’s the interior?”
“Worse than the outside,” the board chairman said direly. Marilyn Jennings, the wife of a major movie studio president,