Sand Castle Bay

“I don’t need you to talk me up to Emily,” he said, grasping exactly what she was getting at.

“Why not? It couldn’t hurt.”

“Stick to PR, not meddling, please. Don’t make me regret calling you.”

“Okay, since you asked so nicely, I’ll focus on the task assigned for now.”

“Will you let Cora Jane know why Tommy and I are running late?”

“Don’t worry about that. You did more than your share to help out today. We’ll see you when you get there.”

“Thanks, Gabi.”

He hung up wondering what the odds were she’d keep her nose out of his personal business. Given her genetic makeup, probably not all that good.

* * *

Emily’s gaze kept drifting toward the parking lot. It was midmorning, and there’d been no sign of Boone. Castle’s had been swamped from the minute they’d opened the doors at six. Word seemed to have spread quickly among the locals that they were open for business, at least with deck seating. After an initial trickle, there in time to see a glorious golden sunrise, there hadn’t been a vacant table the rest of the morning.

No one had complained about the limited menu, either. The coffee was strong. The eggs, bacon, toast and grits were plentiful. Everyone seemed thoroughly happy with the limited selection. The baskets of free mini-pastries Cora Jane insisted on putting at each table were a huge hit, too. And the long-time regulars had been delighted to see Emily, Gabi and Samantha working side by side with Cora Jane again.

With the help of two waitresses, Emily and her sisters had managed to keep things moving, but they hadn’t had a minute to deal with any more of the cleanup inside.

Now with the customers thinned out, Emily was finally able to take a deep breath. She carried a cup of coffee to a table by the railing where she could see the ocean...and the parking lot.

“Looking for somebody?” Samantha teased when she joined her, propping her sneaker-clad feet on an adjacent chair with a sigh of relief.

“No, why?”

“You’ve spent a lot of time with your eyes peeled to the parking lot. I just thought you might be wondering where Boone is.”

“Well, he did say he’d be here today at the crack of dawn,” she said. Years of doubts and bitterness crept into her voice. “Despite Grandmother’s faith in him, I guess he can’t be taken at his word, after all.”

“He called Cora Jane right after we got here,” Samantha reported. “And he spoke to Gabi last night to explain.”

Emily stiffened. “He spoke to Gabi? Why?”

“He had some work he wanted her to do for him.”

“What kind of work?”

Samantha grinned. “Please do not tell me you’re jealous of your own sister?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m just wondering when he and Gabi got to be so tight that he’d ask her for help? Why not you? Or me?”

“Maybe because Gabi’s the one with public relations experience,” Samantha said patiently. “If you give me two seconds, I can explain all this and put your mind at rest.”

Emily knew she was overreacting, looking for excuses to judge him so she could keep him at a distance, so she drew in a deep breath and nodded. “Explain away.”

Samantha described the mess they’d found on closer inspection at Boone’s restaurant, Boone’s solution for working around it and Gabi’s role in spreading that word.

“This morning he had to meet with the people doing the cleanup over at his place, see for himself how serious the problem is and make some decisions,” Samantha concluded.

“And Tommy Cahill? Where’s he? Boone promised Grandmother he’d be working on the roof today. They’re predicting thunderstorms later this afternoon. We’ll be underwater inside, if he doesn’t at least have a tarp down up there.”

“Tommy’s with Boone, checking to see what repairs are needed. He’s meeting his crew here at eleven.” Samantha glanced toward the parking lot as several pickups turned in. “And there they are now. Right on schedule.”

She slanted a look at Emily. “You might want to cut Boone some slack. He spent all day here yesterday, even though he had his own worries. He put Cora Jane and Castle’s first.”

“You’re right,” Emily admitted, knowing that once more she’d misjudged him. “I know I’m just looking for reasons not to get along with him.”

“Because you’re scared,” Samantha suggested.

“Scared of what?”

“Falling for him all over again.”

“Not going to happen,” Emily insisted, though Samantha had hit the nail on the head.

Samantha grinned. “We could take bets on that, little sis, but I never take money from the delusional.”

* * *

After her conversation with Samantha, Emily went inside the restaurant, grabbed her laptop and slipped into one of the booths, hoping to get a little bit of her own work done before she was needed to wait tables or do more cleaning. She had a list of suppliers she wanted to check for the availability of their ski lodge furniture. With a deadline staring her in the face, she couldn’t afford to deal with anyone who didn’t have most things in stock in sufficient quantities. She didn’t have the luxury of waiting for custom pieces.

She’d been jotting notes and scanning websites for a while when she noticed B.J. standing quietly by the table.

“Hey there,” she said with a smile.

“What’re you doing?” he asked, sidling closer.

“Looking for furniture.”

“Can I see?”

“Sure,” she said, sliding over to make room for him.

He crawled onto the bench and knelt, leaning into her. The feel of his body with its little boy smell caught her off guard. She’d never really thought much about being a mother, but suddenly what she guessed were faintly maternal instincts were coursing through her. How about that? she thought, surprised and not entirely dismayed by the sensation.

She observed the way his brow was knit with a frown, the tip of his tongue caught between his teeth as he studied the screen intently. She’d seen that same expression on Boone’s face a time or two, when he was deep in thought. Finally B.J. turned to her.

“That stuff would look kinda weird in here,” he said hesitantly.

Emily laughed at his apt assessment. “It definitely would,” she agreed. “It’s not for here. Tell me why you think it would be wrong, though.”

“It’s all dark and it’s too big.”

“Precisely,” she said. “You have a good eye. Now, can you think of anyplace where it might look right?”