Sand Castle Bay (Ocean Breeze) - By Sherryl Woods Page 0,94
took her right up to Christmas Eve. Still, B.J. was clearly satisfied with her answer, so why spoil tonight by casting doubt on her own promise?
“See you later,” B.J. said. He started to run off, then came back and gave Emily a fierce hug.
After he’d gone, she noticed that Jodie had her gaze peeled on B.J., which meant that more than likely she’d witnessed the entire scene. From the tight expression on her face, she clearly disapproved. She headed in Emily’s direction.
“Uh-oh,” Cora Jane murmured. “Red alert!”
Emily chuckled, despite the impending confrontation. “Leave her to me, okay? Why don’t you check the desserts on the buffet table? Bring us back the most decadent things they have over there, preferably with chocolate. Something tells me we’re going to need it.”
Cora Jane looked uneasy. “And leave you alone with Jodie?” she asked worriedly. “Is that a good idea? I could keep my mouth shut. At least you’d have a witness, if she gets out of line.”
“It’ll be okay,” Emily assured her. “Please, Grandmother. She and I need to settle things.”
When Jodie reached her, Emily gestured to a chair, determined to be on her best behavior. Killing the woman with kindness was her mantra for the night. “Have a seat,” she said graciously. “I’m so anxious to get to know you better. I know how happy it’s made B.J. having you back home again.”
“Why do you care?” Jodie said, ignoring the olive branch. “You won’t be around long.”
Emily frowned at the confidence in her voice. “Why is that?”
“Because if you persist in this effort to get your clutches into my grandson, I will go to court,” she said as mildly as if she were talking about the weather. The threat was all the more potent because of her complete calm and her unwavering spite and determination.
Even though Emily didn’t have a doubt in her mind that no court would take B.J. from Boone, she didn’t want them to have to face the ordeal of a custody battle.
“Why would you do that, Mrs. Farmer? Do you really hate Boone that much? Or is all your anger directed at me? Or is it B.J.’s life you’re hoping to ruin? I’m just trying to understand your motivation here.”
“Oh, please. I wouldn’t waste my energy on you or Boone. I’m trying to protect my grandson,” Jodie responded with a huff of indignation. “Everything I do is for that boy.”
“Really?” Emily asked skeptically. “What exactly is the threat you think I pose? You don’t know me, though you do know my grandmother. I doubt there’s a soul in this community who could find fault with her or her influence on B.J.”
“Cora Jane’s an upstanding woman,” Jodie agreed grudgingly. “That has nothing to do with you. Because of you, my daughter was locked into a loveless marriage.”
Though the accusation didn’t come as a complete shock, Emily was surprised to hear it spoken aloud. “Loveless? I don’t think so. Boone would never have married Jenny if he hadn’t loved her. As you know perfectly well, they didn’t have to get married. There was no unplanned pregnancy pushing them into making the decision to walk down the aisle. Clearly, getting married was something they both wanted.”
“Maybe so,” Jodie conceded, though she didn’t look happy about it. “But his heart always belonged to you. Everyone around here knew that, including Jenny.”
“And yet she loved him, anyway,” Emily said.
Jodie waved off the reminder as if her daughter’s feelings were of no consequence. “She was a foolish girl. She thought she could eventually make him love her. That’s a terrible basis for marriage.”
“I don’t entirely disagree,” Emily admitted, drawing a shocked look. “But it wasn’t your decision to make, and I wasn’t even in the picture. Until recently, Boone and I hadn’t been in touch for ten years. Jenny and Boone were adults who made a decision that worked for them. And just so you know, I’ve never heard Boone express a single regret about having made it. If he has any regrets at all, it’s because he lost Jenny too soon.”
Jodie looked taken aback by her candor. “You actually believe he loved her?”
“I do,” Emily said simply. She looked Jodie in the eyes, determined to find some way to give her a different perspective on the past, if not to reconcile her to Emily’s inevitable future with Boone and her grandson. “May I ask you a question?”
Jodie shrugged.
“Did Jenny strike you as miserable after she and Boone married? Did she ever express any