Sea Glass Island (19 page)

“I’ll tell him my intentions are honorable,” he said.

She shook her head at once. “Oh, no. Bad idea. Honorable intentions tend to lead straight to the altar, at least in their view. We do not want to set them up for a huge disappointment just to save your hide today.”

“It’s something to consider,” he argued.

Samantha stared at him incredulously. “What is? Marriage? This from a man who didn’t even want to have sex with me this time yesterday?”

To her annoyance, Ethan laughed. “Oh, I wanted to have sex with you,” he said. “I just didn’t want any messy, emotional complications.”

“What do you think marriage is?” she asked. “A few hours ago, weren’t you still thinking of that as the messiest emotional complication of all?”

“Can’t deny it,” he said. “I’ve given it some more thought. Maybe we should just go for broke.”

“Boy, I must be much better in bed than I thought,” she muttered under her breath.

“You’re amazing in bed,” he confirmed. “But it’s not about that.”

“Then it’s about a transformation worthy of some sci-fi film,” she said. “Nobody changes their entire belief system that quickly.”

“I don’t know that it was that quick,” he argued, sounding perfectly sincere. “I think it’s been coming on since the instant I realized that I was attracted to you. I fought it tooth and nail, but here we are. Maybe it’s time to stop fighting.”

“It’s the
maybe
I find worrisome,” she said. “I know you’re the kind of man who wants to do the right thing, but I’m not some starry-eyed teenager whose virtue you’ve stolen. We were equals in that bed last night. There are no expectations today, not from me, and definitely not from my family.”

“Well, since there are a half dozen people peering out of various windows in the house, maybe we should table this conversation till later,” he suggested, nodding toward Cora Jane’s.

Sure enough, Gabi was positioned in an upstairs window overlooking the driveway, Wade right behind her, a smirk on his face. Cora Jane and Jerry were the fascinated observers from the kitchen. And standing together at the French doors in the living room, to Samantha’s shock, her father and Sophia Grayson, of all people, seemed to be regarding them with amusement.

She kept her focus on that unlikely duo. “I think I’ve just spotted the answer to our prayers,” she said. “My father and Sophia. If we walk inside and I go on the offensive about what they’re up to, we can forestall the inquisition about us.”

She was about to step out of the car when Ethan stilled her with a touch. She turned back to him. “What?”

“Do you really want to throw the spotlight on them? Your dad’s been alone since your mom died. This thing with Sophia—if there even is a thing—could be the best thing that’s happened to him. Why stir up trouble just to take the heat off us?”

She knew he was right, but his thoughtfulness was certainly inconvenient for the two of them. “Do you have a better idea? Other than avowing your undying love, that is?”

He smiled. “Let’s just go in there, face the music and see what’s for lunch. You know Cora Jane won’t be able to resist the opportunity to feed us.”

“I doubt she’ll be placated by the opportunity to whip up sandwiches,” Samantha said.

“Southern hospitality is ingrained in her,” Ethan insisted.

“Okay, but it’s your neck on the line.”

“I’ll take my chances,” he said, coming around to help her from the car. He leaned in close and pressed a kiss to the hollow behind her ear. “And in case things go terribly wrong in there, I just want you to know, it’s all been worth it. I’ll take the memory of last night to my grave.”

He said it with an exaggerated sincerity that made her laugh.

“What on earth am I supposed to do with you?” she murmured.

He grinned. “I’ll try to come up with a list.”

“Just concentrate on surviving long enough so we can get to it,” she said direly, then winked. “Just in case, though, I thought it was worth it, too.”

* * *

Ethan was not the least bit surprised to find that everyone had gathered in the kitchen by the time they made their way inside. Everyone was making a determined effort to look busy and thoroughly disinterested in the new arrivals.

Cora Jane glanced up from the pot of soup she was stirring, her expression innocent. “There you are,” she said. “Hungry? You’re just in time for lunch.”

Ethan shot a triumphant look toward Samantha, who merely shook her head.

“Starving,” he said. “What can I do to help?”

“Are you kidding?” Gabi said. “With Grandmother and Jerry in charge, you’d only be getting in the way.” She turned her attention to her sister. “I think there’s time if you want to get out of that dress.” A feigned expression of shock registered on her face. “Are those grass stains I see on the back?”

Ethan saw embarrassed color flood Samantha’s cheeks before it dawned on her that there were no grass stains. There couldn’t possibly be, since they’d been safely inside Ethan’s bedroom before they’d started tumbling around in each other’s arms.

“Stop it!” she told Gabi. “You’re just trying to stir up trouble!”

Gabi grinned. “I know, but the look on your face was priceless. Something definitely went on last night.”

“Stop teasing your sister,” Sam Castle said, his tone surprisingly firm even though his eyes were sparkling with amusement.

Gabi and Samantha both stared at him with shock.

“Dad? Where’d that come from?”

He laughed. “Just trying out a little used disciplinary technique I learned from your mother.”

“Very forceful,” Sophia said, regarding him with evident fascination. “You girls are lucky to have a father who’s so involved in your lives.”

Gabi started to choke. Samantha wavered between wanting to set her straight and allowing the charade to go on. In the end it was Sam himself who corrected her impression.

“I’m afraid the whole involvement thing is very new to me,” he told her. “It was their mother who brought them up to be the amazing women they’ve become. She did it with very little help from me, I’m sorry to say.”

Sophia looked momentarily taken aback by his candor, but then she smiled. “I’m not sure I’ve ever known a man who so readily admitted his mistakes.” She turned to Cora Jane. “I imagine that comes from you.”

“I believe in being straightforward and honest, yes,” Cora Jane said. “Until right this minute, though, I wasn’t sure my son had seen the value in that.”

“Even an old dog can still learn a trick or two,” he replied.

Ethan noted that Samantha appeared to be marveling at the scene. He leaned down. “Good time to make your escape, don’t you think? Once you’ve changed out of that dress, maybe they’ll forget all about you showing up here still wearing it.”

“Oh, you sweet dreamer,” she whispered back. “But I will change. If they turn on you, my bedroom’s the second one on the right at the top of the stairs. I’ll protect you.”

“Oh no, you don’t,” he said. “You are not luring me up to your room.”

“But...” she sputtered. “I wasn’t trying to...”

“I think I’d better take my chances by staying right here. The second I head for those stairs, I’m afraid there will be a posse after me.”

“Your choice,” she said, then winked. “But it would be a lot more interesting upstairs.”

Ethan shook his head. “You really do like to live on the wild side, don’t you? How’d I miss that?”

“You were too busy trying to figure out how to evade my devious trap,” she told him.

“Too late now,” he said. “Now my focus has to be on keeping your addiction to danger from getting us into more trouble than we’ll know how to handle. Now scoot. I’m going to stay right here and do some damage control.”

She frowned at that. “How?”

“Never mind. I’ve got it.”

“Do not go that whole honorable-thing route,” she warned. “Remember what I told you.”

“Duly noted,” he agreed, but committing to nothing. He’d do whatever it took to keep her family from thinking any less of him, while assuring them that her heart was in good hands.

19

C
ora Jane looked around her kitchen with satisfaction. Wade and Gabi were hovering over the baby. Ethan was gazing at Samantha with stars in his eyes. And her son—she bit back a smile—well, Sam looked a little dazed by the very determined woman at his side. Sophia Grayson obviously was a woman who went after what she wanted, and for whatever reason she’d apparently decided she wanted Sam. It was an unexpected twist, but not an unwelcome one.

“What’s on your mind?” Jerry asked, pulling his chair a little closer. “You’re looking awfully pleased with yourself.”

“I’m feeling more optimistic than I have in years,” she told him. “I saw my granddaughters achieving great things in their professional lives, but I couldn’t help worrying that they were going to miss out on the best thing life has to offer.”

“Falling in love,” Jerry guessed.

She nodded. “Just look at them. Gabi’s a devoted mother with a man who adores her and that baby of hers. Samantha’s found not only a new dream right here in Sand Castle Bay, but the right man to share it with her.”

“And your son? Is he part of this contentment you’re feeling?”

“I have to say, I never anticipated that,” she admitted. “But look at him. His expression’s more animated than I’ve seen in years. Sophia is openly disagreeing with him, something his wonderful wife never did, and he’s clearly loving it. Maybe they’re just caught up in all the romance that usually surrounds a wedding, but I can’t help thinking she could be good for him. She’s not the sort of woman who’ll sit back and let him get away with hiding in his work. She’ll draw him out, ensure that he has a life. It could be downright interesting to watch.”

Jerry laughed. “What on earth will you do when you have your family happily settled?”

“Enjoy it,” she said at once. “Especially if it turns out that so many of them are underfoot right here.”

“Are you including your workaholic son and the globe-trotting Sophia in that image? I find that a stretch.”

She smiled. “Stranger things have happened. Sam could retire tomorrow and live comfortably for the rest of his life. Sophia obviously has the means to do whatever she wants, as well. And she has committed to helping Emily start a safe house project in this part of North Carolina. It makes sense for them to settle here.”

“And you?” Jerry asked, regarding her intently. “What are your plans, beyond basking in everyone else’s contentment?”

“I’m living exactly the life I want to live,” she told him, only to see a frown crease his brow. “What’s wrong with that?”

“I was hoping you’d find time to think about putting some of that balance you espouse back into your own life.”

Startled by the exasperation in his tone, Cora Jane stared into his eyes. “Are you losing patience with me, Jeremiah?”

“I’ve had years and years to practice being patient,” he responded. “I can hold on a little longer, but I have to wonder why you’re so set on wasting any more of the precious little time we might have left on this earth.”

Cora Jane thought of Caleb, the man she’d fallen in love with as a young girl, the man with whom she’d raised a family, the man she’d lost so many years ago. Why was she clinging to the past with such a determined grip when the man beside her now was everything she could hope for? Jerry had loved her in silence for years, respecting her marriage. He loved her still now, when there were no more obstacles, other than her own stubbornness and nostalgia.

“Do you want to move in here?” she asked, her heart in her throat at the daring suggestion.

He smiled. “Only on one condition,” he replied. “That we’re husband and wife. I won’t settle for less, Cora Jane, but I can wait some more, if you’re not there yet. I just think with all this love around us, it’s time for us to claim some for ourselves.”

She hesitated, terrified to take the leap and shatter the way things were for something far less certain. At her age shaking up the status quo seemed like a particularly risky business.

Then she once more gazed around her kitchen at the people she loved, people whose lives were changing in front of her eyes. Surely she was capable of taking the same risks with her heart that she was encouraging them to take with theirs. Wasn’t she the one who’d tried to teach them all that love was something to be seized and cherished?

“Okay,” she whispered, her gaze locked with Jerry’s. His was steady, filled with certainty. She clung to the reassurance she saw there.

He blinked then. “Okay?” His voice climbed, catching the attention of everyone in the kitchen. “Did you just say okay? You agreed to marry me?”

Cora Jane nodded, aware of the heat climbing into her cheeks as startled gazes turned to the two of them. “I did.”

“Well, I’ll be,” her son said, delight breaking across his face, when she’d been anticipating disapproval. He jumped up and came over to pump Jerry’s hand. “Congratulations!”

Gabi and Samantha were next, showering Jerry with kisses and her with hugs.

“It’s about darn time,” Gabi said. “Now I’ll have something to tell Emily when she calls. What about a date? Have you thought of a wedding date?”

Cora Jane held up a hand. “Not until after you and Wade are married,” she said firmly.

Gabi looked so taken aback that Samantha laughed.

“Way to go, Grandmother!” Samantha said approvingly. “That’s just the pressure she needs to get the show on the road.”

“Amen to that,” Wade concurred.

Cora Jane held Samantha’s gaze with another unrelenting look. “You, too, young lady.” She shifted her eyes to Ethan. “Am I clear?”

“Grandmother!” Samantha protested.

“That’s my plan, and I’m sticking to it,” Cora Jane told them all.

Jerry sighed heavily. “I guess that puts my fate in your hands.” He looked at Wade. “You, I’m not so worried about.” He turned to Ethan. “Try to remember I’m not getting any younger, okay?”

Ethan laughed.

“I’m not kidding,” Jerry said sternly.

Cora Jane leaned in and kissed him. “And that is exactly why I love you. We’re always on the same page.”

It should keep whatever time they had left lively.

* * *

On Monday morning Ethan waited for panic to set in, now that the wedding was behind him and the reality of Samantha’s staying was starting to sink in. Instead he felt more optimistic than he had in a long time. Even Jerry’s added pressure wasn’t as weighty as it would have been even a week ago.

“You look cheery,” Greg said, eying him suspiciously. “Something happen this weekend to put you in a particularly good mood? Given how you feel about love and marriage, I thought you’d be impossible to live with today. Isn’t that what usually happens with cynics, they go overboard to prove they didn’t buy into all that romantic nonsense that weddings entail?”

“If you were hoping for me to be especially grouchy, keep pushing. I’ll happily accommodate you,” Ethan told him.

Greg grinned. “That’s more like it.”

“Don’t you have patients or something to do besides pestering me?”

“Nope. It’s quiet in the reception area. I checked. No walk-ins and the first appointment isn’t for a half hour.” He hesitated. “Of course, Debra seems to have a lot to say, but I left Pam out there trying to talk her down.”

“What’s she carrying on about today? Please tell me I’m not at the center of it.”

“Apparently she took my advice and went on a date. It didn’t go all that well. I believe she’s discussing the sorry state of the male population. I have to admit I ran before I got the whole tirade. Pam, however, seemed genuinely enthused about it. She and her husband must have had another fight over the weekend.”

Ethan shook his head. “And you wonder why I have so little faith in love and marriage.”

“You pick and choose your examples,” Greg countered. “What about me and Lindsey? Or Boone and Emily? Wade and Gabi?” His expression turned sly. “You and Samantha?”

Ethan gave him a hard look. “Me and Samantha?”

Greg chuckled. “She is the reason for this bright and sunny mood of yours, isn’t she?”

“Okay, maybe a little,” he conceded. “Hanging out with the Castles yesterday made it hard to be a skeptic. Love was definitely in the air. Cora Jane finally agreed to marry Jerry. Even Sam Castle looked to be caught up in a little post-wedding romance with one of Emily’s Hollywood friends.”

“That must have been the elegant woman wearing a diamond that could have paid off all our med-school loans,” Greg said. “She was working the crowd like a pro, and I say that with awe. It’s no wonder she’s been able to raise all that money out there. I’ve never before met anyone who could look a stranger in the eye and know his life story in less than two minutes. She’s scary charming.”

“You find that admirable?”

“In certain circumstances, absolutely. I like people who know how to get things done. I can see why that would appeal to Sam Castle. I don’t really know him, but I know his reputation, and I’ve followed the research going on at his company. They’ve been ahead of the curve with a lot of things. Just think what they could do with an infusion of cash to add even more top-notch researchers.”

“You think he’s after her money?” Ethan asked, not liking that particular spin, even though it made an awful kind of sense.

“Absolutely not,” Greg said, looking shocked by the suggestion. “I think he’s interested in her powers of persuasion.” He hesitated, his expression thoughtful before he added with a smirk, “Or maybe he’s just after her body. She’s pretty hot for a woman her age.”

“I’m sure she’d be thrilled by the compliment,” Ethan said dryly.

Greg merely shrugged. “Let’s get back to you and Samantha.”

“Let’s not.”

“You know, I suffered through the whole Lisa fiasco with you. I think it’s only fair that I get to share in the good times, too.”

“Stop trying to live vicariously through me,” Ethan chided. “You have a lovely wife at home. It’s slow here. Take an hour and go home to Lindsey.”

“She’s room mother at school this week,” Greg lamented. “She left the house with enough cupcakes to send the entire class on a sugar high for a week. And do you know the worst part of that?”

“She wouldn’t let you have one,” Ethan guessed.

“Exactly. How is that fair?”

Ethan hid a chuckle at his friend’s indignation. “Maybe she was being protective. She probably knows you’re no more in need of all that sugar than the kids.”

“But they’re getting the cupcakes,” he protested. “They looked good, too. Chocolate with swirls of icing on top and sprinkles.”

Ethan laughed aloud now. “How old are you? Shouldn’t you be beyond the pouting stage? If you’re that starved for cupcakes, go to the store and buy a dozen.”

“It’s the principle,” Greg argued. “I paid for these. My wife baked them.”

Apparently the words pouring out of his mouth finally registered with Greg, because his expression turned chagrined. “I’m losing it, aren’t I?”

Ethan nodded. “I’d say so.”

“And that is why you should distract me with tales of your weekend adventures with Samantha,” Greg concluded.

“Nice try,” Ethan commended him, “but no. Go rearrange the supply cabinet. Not only will that distract you, it will be productive.”

Greg was shaking his head before the words were out of Ethan’s mouth. “No way, man. Last time I did that, Pam almost took a strip out of my hide. She has it exactly the way she wants it.”

Just then Pam stuck her head in. “Either of you care to actually do some work this morning? Mitzi Rogers is out here bleeding all over the reception area from a tiny cut on her forehead and her mom is hysterical.”

“All yours,” Ethan told Greg.

“But you usually see Mitzi,” Pam protested.

“And today Greg will.”

“He’s a little worried that Mitzi’s mom has designs on him,” Greg explained. “And his heart belongs to another.”

Pam’s eyes lit up. “Is that so?”

“Would you two care to focus on the patient and leave my love life alone?” Ethan pleaded. “I have things to do.”

“What things?” Pam asked suspiciously.

“I’m coming up with a list,” Ethan told her. “And they will all require me to be far, far away from here.”

* * *

Samantha made good on her promise to show up for rehearsal at the high school on Monday. As soon as Regina Gentry spotted her, she clapped for attention. When she had it, she once again introduced Samantha to the students.

“I’ve asked her to watch rehearsal today and give you all some pointers,” the teacher said. “Before we get started, Samantha, perhaps you could take Sue Ellen aside and give her a few tips on overcoming stage fright.”

Samantha thought it was going to take more than a quick chat to rid Sue Ellen of her fears, but she nodded and took the girl to the back of the auditorium.

“I wish she wouldn’t call attention to my stage fright,” Sue Ellen said, her expression distraught. “It just makes me more self-conscious.”

“You know what really makes it worse?” Samantha asked gently. “Not knowing your lines. Do you think it’s possible that’s part of your problem?”