so much about her he had yet to discover, but he already knew just how deeply she cared about people, including—thank God—him.
Drawing in a deep breath, he took his time before joining them, stopping to chat with the parents, bestowing hugs on the kids as he helped them into the van.
A few of the parents had clearly recognized Samantha, but they didn’t seem unduly disturbed by her presence now that the situation had been clarified by the paper.
When he could no longer put it off, he walked over to stand beside them—the woman he’d fallen for and the girl who’d been his biggest failure to date. Thanks to Samantha, though, Cass’s view of her future was changing.
“What’s going on?” he asked, looking from one to the other.
“Samantha’s going to start teaching acting classes right here in Sand Castle Bay next week,” Cass said, her eyes alight. “And if I’m any good, which we all know I am, she’s going to introduce me to her agent.”
Then with an impish gleam in her eyes, she added, “And I’m going to star in next summer’s first production at her playhouse.” She nudged Samantha with an elbow. “I know you didn’t promise that, but I am going to earn that lead role.”
Cass’s delight was palpable, but it scared Ethan even more than her announcement that Samantha was staying. Even though he’d known she planned to stay, this confirmation made it feel even more real. More important, it eliminated any last chance of him forgetting her.
Samantha caught his gaze. “I always keep my promises,” she said quietly, clearly understanding his worries, at least where Cass was concerned. “Always.”
Hearing the firm, reassuring commitment in her voice, Ethan felt the last of his reservations ease. “Okay, then. You planning to come along today?”
She stood up eagerly, surprising him a little. “Sure, if I won’t be in the way. What’s on the agenda?”
“Bungee-jumping,” he said, just to see the quick rise of panic in her eyes, but it didn’t come.
“Sounds like fun,” she said, her gaze never wavering.
“We are so not going bungee-jumping,” Cass said, rolling her eyes. “Can you see Mrs. Gaylord if you took her precious son to jump off some bridge?”
“Darn, and I was so looking forward to it,” Samantha claimed.
He laughed. “Just one more thing I need to remember, I guess. You’re a daredevil.” He glanced at the teenager, whose fascinated gaze kept shifting from him to Samantha and back again. “Cass, hop on the bus. Make sure the kids aren’t going wild. We’ll be right there.”
Samantha grinned at him after Cass had gone. “You know you just ruined her day. She thought she was about to witness what could turn out to be the hottest gossip in Sand Castle Bay, even better than the front-page news in the local paper a couple of weeks ago.”
“I’m sure she’ll survive the disappointment,” he said wryly. “I’m more concerned with whether I’ll survive life with you.”
“You won’t know unless you try,” she teased.
He took a deep breath and said, “Then I guess I’d better try.”
She smiled slowly. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
Ethan took another very deep breath and made a giant leap, one far scarier than bungee-jumping. “Want to elope this weekend? I’m pretty sure there’s a beach in Hawaii calling our names.”
For the first time since they’d met, he’d surprised her. Her mouth was agape.
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me. I don’t think I can handle all that wedding planning and stress again right now, and I don’t want to wait. Do you? If you do, I’ll cope with it, but I’m thinking impulsive is the way to go.”
She still looked a little shell-shocked. “You want to run off and get married in Hawaii?”
“You did say you wanted a destination wedding. If you’ll settle for the beach right here, we could probably go that route, too, then take off to any island of your choice for a honeymoon.”
He held his breath awaiting her reply.
“I’m thinking you’re crazy as a loon,” she said eventually. “We’ve hardly even dated. We’ve been thrown together by my sisters and my grandmother, but you’ve not once taken the initiative to ask me out. Not really.”
“We have slept together,” he reminded her.
“Definitely a consideration,” she agreed. Her gaze narrowed. “But maybe I need to be courted properly.”
Ethan studied her expression, thought he detected a twinkle in her eyes that contradicted her claim, but just the same he said, “If you want to be courted, I’ll give it a try, but I can’t