Sand Castle Bay (Ocean Breeze) - By Sherryl Woods Page 0,74

tersely. “And after hearing how Jodie Farmer reacted when Boone and I were spotted by one of her friends, I can understand his caution on that front, too.”

“Well, I don’t,” Samantha said, her indignation rising. “I think this stinks. I’m not seeing a lot of respect for your feelings. When exactly are you supposed to spend time together, or do you plan to sneak out for a quickie in the driveway while B.J. sleeps?”

Emily frowned. “Come on,” she protested. “It’s not going to be like that.”

“You sure about that? Because it sounds to me as if at least one of you believes that what you’re doing is wrong or, at the very least, doesn’t want to rock any boats in case it doesn’t last. Is that you?”

“No,” Emily admitted, knowing that Samantha had a point. The situation had been bugging her, too. For now, though, she was determined to be understanding. She knew Boone’s attitude had almost as much to do with his feelings of betrayal and abandonment when she’d left the first time as it did with protecting B.J. Whether he’d admit it or not, he was keeping his guard up. And with the Farmers’ threats looming, he had added incentive for being cautious.

Samantha, however, made no pretense of understanding. “You need to change the rules, Emily. Right now, they’re not fair to anybody, and certainly not to you. You shouldn’t have to sneak around to be with the man you love, not at this stage of your life. And Boone shouldn’t ask it of you.”

“I know you’re right,” Emily said, her own misgivings confirmed by her sister. “I thought it was too soon to make an issue about this, but I will talk to Boone when I see him. There has to be a better plan.”

Unfortunately, if she was being totally honest, she couldn’t imagine what it might be, not with the past weighing so heavily on the present.

* * *

Boone was thoroughly frustrated by having to waste a whole night of what would likely be a very brief stay by Emily. He just hadn’t been able to think of an alternative. Alex’s mother would have been happy to have the boys at her house, but he’d been asking a lot of her recently. He just couldn’t ask again, not after the invitation had already been issued. By now Kim probably had plans of her own. As a single mom, he was sure she must crave a social life that didn’t include a couple of rambunctious eight-year-old boys.

With the boys upstairs playing video games, Boone went into the kitchen and called Emily’s cell phone.

“Hey,” he said, his heart skipping a beat at the sound of her voice.

“Hey yourself.”

“Any problems getting here?”

“Nope. Smooth flights all the way and an easy drive over.”

“I wish I could have been at Cora Jane’s when you got there,” he said.

“You could have been,” she said, her tone mildly accusatory.

Her attitude caught him by surprise. “Come on, Emily. I explained about this sleepover.”

“You did, but I’ve been giving that some thought. Would it have been so awful for you to bring both boys over here for a couple of hours? We could have grilled some burgers or something. B.J. wouldn’t have made anything out of that.”

“Probably not,” he admitted. “I just didn’t want to chance it.”

“Because B.J.’s so intuitive or because you’re afraid word will get back to Jodie?” she pressed.

Boone was taken aback by the unexpectedly bitter note in her voice. “Both,” he said. “But I thought you understood. What’s changed? Did somebody say something to upset you? Cora Jane, for instance?”

“It’s not about what anyone else thinks. I’m the one who’s frustrated,” she admitted. “I came all this way. I have only a couple of days here, and we’re going to spend, what, maybe a few hours together? That’s not going to work, Boone. We can’t build a relationship that way.”

“Sweetheart, believe me, I am every bit as frustrated as you are. This sleepover came up before I knew your schedule. Next time I won’t let anything interfere. I’ll make plans for B.J. so we can have every minute together. Don’t you think that’s what I want, too?”

She sighed. “Yes, of course.”

“Come shopping with us tomorrow,” he said impulsively. “I know you wanted to.”

“But you said it was a bad idea,” she countered, clearly surprised by his change of heart.

“It may be, but it’s not as if anybody can make anything of us being caught together buying school supplies or eating lunch