wedding as a courtesy. He thought maybe they’d finally accept the situation for B.J.’s sake.”
“I assume they didn’t,” Ethan said.
“Hardly. Jodie shredded the invitation. She even crossed out the preprinted address on the envelope because it was Emily’s and sent the bits of paper directly to Boone.”
Ethan sighed at the woman’s all-too-typical response, her deliberate attempt to inflict pain on Boone. “I hope one of these days she’ll be able to let go of her grief and anger, if only for B.J.,” he said. “He doesn’t need to feel as if he’s torn between his grandparents and his stepmother. He loves them all.”
“And needs them,” Samantha agreed. “I just don’t understand why Jodie can’t see that she’s his tie to his mom. There are so many stories she can share with him, stories B.J. needs to hear. He was so young when Jenny died. I know he doesn’t want to forget about his mom. Instead, if Jodie keeps this up, she’ll only alienate him.”
“I hate it when children get caught up in adult warfare,” Ethan said. “Usually it happens after a divorce. Even Boone, one of the most stable guys around, has baggage from his parents’ split. Of course, in his case, it’s turned out to be a positive thing. He works twice as hard to protect B.J. and to keep the peace with the Farmers, even when Jodie makes it all but impossible.”
“What about your family?” Samantha asked. “I just remember seeing your mom and dad at football games on the few times we came over here in the fall to visit Grandmother. They were certainly united in their support of you.”
“They’re happily united, period. They’ve retired and moved over to Asheville. They sit on their porch in the evening, holding hands and watching the sun set in the mountains. I feel like a fifth wheel every time I visit.”
“You can see that level of contentment and not believe in happily-ever-after?” Samantha asked, studying him incredulously.
Ethan understood the contradiction. He’d wrestled with it a time or two, though not lately. Something told him, though, that Samantha was going to make him reexamine everything he’d believed about love.
“They’re the exception, not the rule,” he said finally. “And sure, there was a time when I wanted what they’d found.”
“And then came What’s-her-face,” Samantha said sarcastically.
“Lisa,” he supplied.
“My point is that you let one bad apple ruin a lifetime of apparently good memories. She doesn’t deserve to have that much power over you.”
“Intellectually, I know that,” he agreed. “And I think we’ve been down this road enough for one night.”
“Maybe so, since I’m obviously making no inroads in changing your mind,” she said, her frustration plain.
“Want to try again tomorrow?” he asked. “I could pick you up for this dinner thing.”
Her lips twitched. “As a courtesy or as a date?”
He’d be more comfortable calling it a courtesy, but they both knew better. “Do we have to define it?”
“I think we should.”
Ethan thought about it. He recognized the sensible answer. He also recognized that it wouldn’t delude either one of them. “Might as well call it a date,” he said, hoping he sounded casual. “Throw a bone to the meddlers.”
She patted his cheek. “Said with so much enthusiasm,” she teased. “I’ll look forward to it.” She opened her door, slipped from the car, then leaned back in the open window. “Just so you know, since it’s a date, I’ll be looking forward to a kiss at the end of the evening.”
With that, she sashayed off, leaving Ethan with his heart in his throat and a whole passel of anticipation.
* * *
“Rumor has it you were out with Samantha last night,” Boone said when he dropped by Ethan’s on Saturday morning, two large containers of coffee and a box of warm doughnuts in hand.
Ethan regarded the offerings with suspicion. “No need to ask why you’re here,” he commented dryly. “Who sent you? Emily or Cora Jane? And what makes any of you think that information can be bought with coffee and doughnuts?”
Boone grinned. “Experience has taught me you’re much more amenable after coffee. The doughnuts were Gabi’s idea. I gather Wade started making solid inroads with her when he showed up with them. I figured it was worth a shot. Besides, I never miss a chance to grab a box of these whenever I can.”
He proved his point by opening the box and nabbing an old-fashioned glazed doughnut, which he finished in three bites before reaching for one iced in chocolate.
Ethan leaned against his