kitchen counter, sipped his coffee and shook his head as he watched Boone devour three doughnuts in a row.
“Care to explain why you’re so nervous?” Ethan asked eventually, moving the box out of reach before his friend made himself sick.
“I’m not nervous,” Boone insisted. “What do I have to be nervous about? I’m marrying the love of my life a week from today.”
“So you’re not having second thoughts about Emily?”
“Not a chance,” Boone said emphatically.
“What, then?”
Boone hesitated, then asked, “You swear to God you won’t say a word about this, not to a single person?”
“As your best man and your friend, my lips are sealed,” Ethan promised.
“It’s this whole Los Angeles thing,” Boone admitted, his voice low as if he feared being overheard. “The restaurant’s doing great. Emily’s all caught up in these safe houses she’s designing and refurbishing. B.J.’s in a good school.”
“But,” Ethan prodded.
“I hate it,” Boone admitted. “I wish I could explain why, but I don’t have an answer. How am I supposed to talk Emily into getting out of there if I can’t explain why the place makes me crazy?”
“My hunch is it’s not about Los Angeles at all,” Ethan said, empathizing with him.
“What, then?” Boone asked, obviously eager for an outside viewpoint.
“It’s not home,” Ethan suggested. “You grew up here. You have roots here. You’re close to Cora Jane and think of her as family, even though she’s Emily’s grandmother. Now even Gabi and Wade are settling here, so more family ties. Your business started here. Even Jodie and Frank are here, for whatever that matters. This is home, simple as that.”
Boone’s eyes lit with understanding. “That’s it, exactly. And I feel guilty as sin, because I can see that Emily’s thrilled to pieces. Home’s supposed to be where the heart is, right? And Emily is my heart.”
“But Sand Castle Bay and the ocean breezes are in your blood, same as me,” Ethan suggested.
“It’s a coastal community,” Boone countered. “Lots of water. Los Angeles has a great big ocean, too.”
“Not the same,” Ethan said. “It’s on the wrong side, for one thing.”
Boone laughed, just as Ethan had intended. “True, but I can’t see Emily buying that as an argument. So, how do I tell her? Or do I? Maybe I just need to suck it up and make peace with being there.”
Ethan regarded him worriedly. “You haven’t had this conversation with her at all?”
Boone shook his head, his expression miserable. “How can I? She’s so ecstatic about her work, so grateful that I came out there. I guess she just assumed I was making a permanent move.”
“And you never so much as hinted that you saw it as a temporary compromise?”
“No. I didn’t want some endless long-distance relationship, so I came up with a solution. Open a restaurant out there, give her some time to take advantage of this incredible opportunity she’d been given and then we’d come back here. I figured it was understood.”
“But she assumed it was permanent?”
“Yes, and she’s already looking at some jobs that will extend into next year or even the year after,” Boone said. “As soon as she told me about them, I realized we were not on the same page at all.”
“Then you have to tell her,” Ethan said.
“A week before our wedding?” Boone protested. “How can I do that?”
“Because if you wait until after the wedding, it’ll blow up in your face. Resolve this now, pal. That’s my advice.”
Boone sighed. “I know you’re right.” He glanced at his watch and groaned, muttering an expletive. “Dear old Dad and his perky young wife are due any minute now. Mother’s due to arrive pretty soon, too. I’d better get home before warfare breaks out.” He gave Ethan an exhausted look. “You are coming to this dinner thing tonight, right?”
“Looking forward to it,” Ethan said wryly.
“Yeah, I’ll bet,” Boone retorted. His gaze narrowed. “Or is it true that you’re bringing Samantha? In that case, I can almost believe you are looking forward to it.”
“I’m picking her up,” Ethan conceded. “Don’t make too much of it, though. In fact, you might want to consider the possibility that we’re simply conspiring to play all sorts of nefarious tricks on the happy couple before your big day. I hear that’s something that the best man and maid of honor are almost duty-bound to do. Try messing with my life, and I can make yours hell.” He beamed at his friend. “I’m just saying.”
Boone laughed. “Message received. I’ll back off. Unfortunately, I can’t speak