Sea Glass Island (22 page)

It made her own worries and fears over a few wrinkles seem petty and inconsequential. And it made the stunt she’d pulled at Boone’s bachelor party seem silly and immature, even though she’d done it simply to please her sister and maybe just a little to annoy Ethan.

She was so shaken by her discovery that she sat right where she was, slumped down behind the wheel of her car, praying he wouldn’t notice her as he chatted with the parents and sent the kids on their way.

Still, she wasn’t surprised when he walked over to her car after the last family had driven off. He opened the passenger door without asking and slid in. The jovial attitude he’d had only moments before had vanished. Instead, he looked worn out. That tore at her as much as what she’d just discovered about him.

“It must be hard,” she said quietly.

He glanced her way. “What?”

“Giving them what they need.” She tried to find the right words to prove she got it. “Showing them what their lives can be like, especially when some of them aren’t ready to hear it.”

There was a flicker of surprise in his eyes. “You saw all that in a couple of minutes?”

“The only way to be a decent actress is to know how to observe people, to try to get inside their heads.”

“And you think you’re inside mine?”

She smiled at that. “Not just yet, but I’m getting there.”

He studied her for what seemed like an eternity. When he spoke, he shocked her. “Do you know how badly I want to kiss you? For a man who thought he was immune to love a few short days ago, I seem to be obsessed with you.”

Would he say that if he knew about the photo? She doubted it. She swallowed hard at his unexpected admission, tried to focus on that. “I’m afraid I missed the signs of this obsession of yours.”

He sighed. “Probably because I didn’t want you to know. Heck, I didn’t even want to admit it to myself. And now? It’s pretty ironic really.”

“What?” she asked, regarding him in confusion.

“I don’t think we can pull this off, after all,” he said.

She sighed heavily. “You did see the paper,” she said, deflated. “For a minute there I thought you hadn’t.”

“Everyone I know saw the paper,” he said. “Every parent here just now had a comment.”

“It’s not really any of their business,” she suggested tentatively, hoping he would see it that way.

He gave her an incredulous look. “I know you’re not that naive, Samantha. They entrust their kids to me. Are they going to do that if they think I’m behaving inappropriately in such a public way?”

She winced at that. “Is that what they actually said? Did they threaten to take their kids out of the program?”

“Not yet,” he admitted. “I think I was able to convince them that crazy things sometimes happen at bachelor parties. I think they’ll give me a pass this once.” He glanced her way. “What really worries me, though, is that you won’t be so lucky.”

“What does that mean?”

“You know what Regina Gentry told you about skeletons,” he said. “This incident isn’t even dead. It’s very much front and center.”

“And you want me to give up without a fight? You expect me to walk away?” she asked.

“Maybe it would be for the best,” he said, though he didn’t sound happy about it. “Why put yourself through a battle?”

“Are you kidding me?” she asked indignantly. “I’ll put myself through it because it’s worth fighting. You know exactly what happened at that party. You know it was totally innocent. Now suddenly, what? A little local weekly describes me as a stripper—which I could sue them for, by the way—and what? You figure the world will see me as a slut?”

He looked genuinely shocked by her description. “Of course not. You are a free spirit, though.”

“Ethan, that’s not exactly a crime.”

“I just don’t want to see you hurt by a bunch of small-minded people,” he claimed.

“Is it me you’re worried about?” she asked. “Or you? Are you afraid this will damage your reputation?”

“I’ve already said I can weather this,” he insisted, though he didn’t meet her gaze. Instead, he stared straight ahead.

Samantha got it then. “This is it, isn’t it? The excuse you’ve been hoping for to call this whole thing off?”

He frowned at that, but he didn’t deny it.

“Oh, Ethan,” she whispered. “When are you going to stop waiting for this to blow up? You’re convinced I’m going to turn tail and run, so you’re already cutting your losses.”

She reached over and rested her hand against his check, felt his jaw clench. “I’m not going anywhere.”

He still didn’t look as if he believed her.

“Do you honestly believe this stupid picture is some kind of proof that I’ll never fit in here? Well, Ethan, no matter what you think, I
intend
to fit in right here in Sand Castle Bay.”

Samantha looked in his eyes as she spoke, thought she even saw just the faintest flicker of wistfulness, but she couldn’t be sure.

Could she go through with her plans if Ethan insisted on cutting himself out of her life? She’d told herself her plans to stay and a future with Ethan weren’t linked together, but in reality, was that true?

Only a few hours ago, she’d thought everything was settled. She’d been excited about the prospects for opening a playhouse, thrilled by the possibility of finding and nurturing new talent and eager to explore the growing feelings between Ethan and her. She’d even started to think she was close to figuring out who she really was and discovering a purpose much bigger than herself, just as Ethan had done.

Now, thanks in part to the fallout from that ridiculous picture in the paper and in part to Ethan seizing on it as an excuse to push her away, nothing made any kind of sense anymore.

“I have to go,” she told him. “I came over here today to share news with you. Then your receptionist showed me the paper, so I came back to apologize. I can see, though, that nothing I have to say matters to you. You’ve made a decision—for me, no less—with no input from me required.”

She waited for a comment, a reaction, anything. Instead, he sat beside her, staring stoically straight ahead.

“Fine,” she said, when she’d had all she could take of his silence. “It’s really too bad, though, because unlike you, I think we were on the verge of something amazing.”

His grip on the door handle tightened, but he didn’t open it. “Samantha,” he said finally, his voice ragged. He glanced over, then sighed. “Goodbye.”

She stared at him in shock as he left the car and walked away. He didn’t even look back as he went inside the clinic.

She imagined Debra waiting there, eager to console him, and wanted to go inside and throttle them both. Instead, though, she started the car and drove to Cora Jane’s, stopping twice to wipe away the blinding tears she couldn’t seem to keep from falling.

She’d barely made it to the driveway when her cell phone rang, announcing a call from Regina Gentry. She knew what the teacher was going to say before she even answered. Still, she sat and listened with no comment, not even attempting a defense.

It’s over,
she thought as she disconnected.
It’s all over.

* * *

Cora Jane took one look at Samantha’s swollen eyes and distraught expression and guessed exactly what had happened.

“You saw the paper,” she said angrily. “Honey bun, I am so sorry, but this will fade away. Nobody takes that seriously. It was a bachelor party prank.”

“It might have been a stupid prank, but Ethan just broke up with me because of it.”

Cora Jane didn’t even try to hide her shock. “He did not! Why would he do that?”

“He seems to think it’s going to be the catalyst for my whole playhouse project to be a failure, that I’ll be forced to leave town and abandon him. I get that he’s protecting his heart, that he may even think he’s saving me from being hurt, but the bottom line is, we’re done.”

“Nonsense!” Cora Jane said.

Samantha gave her a rueful look. “Well, he was right about one thing. There are already repercussions. I had a call from Regina Gentry just as I pulled up outside. She’s withdrawing her support for my acting classes. She told me she can’t in good conscience recommend me to impressionable teenagers.”

“Well, she’s wrong,” Cora Jane said, then studied her worriedly. “I know this is a setback, but you’re not going to change your mind and leave, are you? It would be a crime if a silly thing like this drove you away.”

To her dismay, Samantha didn’t vow to stay and fight. In fact, she looked utterly defeated.

“Samantha, don’t you dare let someone as narrow-minded as Regina chase you off,” she said. “Just this morning you were bubbling over with enthusiasm. You couldn’t stop talking about how excited you were when you came by Castle’s to pick up that lunch to take to Ethan. Nothing’s changed, not really.”

“Except that my key backer withdrew her endorsement and the man I care about dumped me,” she responded.

“You can overcome Regina Gentry’s disapproval. My word carries as much weight as hers in this region. You’ll have more students than you ever imagined. I can call in a few favors with some movers and shakers, and your playhouse will be welcomed like the genuine boon it will be to this community.”

Samantha smiled at that. “You’ve never lacked confidence, have you?”

“Sure I have,” Cora Jane said, needing her to see that everyone faced setbacks in life. “When your grandfather died, I was terrified of taking on Castle’s on my own. I thought seriously about closing it down or selling it to Jerry. I even approached him about it.”

“He turned you down?” Samantha said, clearly surprised.

Cora Jane smiled. “He did. He said that restaurant belonged with me, that it would lose something without me. He said a bunch of nonsense about me being the heart and soul of the place.”

“It wasn’t nonsense,” Samantha contradicted.

Cora Jane shrugged. “Be that as it may, he convinced me he’d be right there every step of the way, that we’d be a team. So I took a deep breath and stuck with it. That’s what you need to do, take a deep breath before you make any decisions.”

“I don’t think I’ll change my mind about this,” Samantha said. “Maybe Ethan’s right. Maybe I belong in New York, after all.”

“I’m not going to push too hard one way or the other,” Cora Jane told her. “It’s your decision. I do have one question for you, though. Right now, New York seems safe and familiar, but were you truly happy there? Not back in the beginning when it was fresh and exciting, but recently? I think if you answer that honestly, you’ll know what you need to do.”

Now all Cora Jane could do was sit back and pray that Samantha would find her way through the pain she was experiencing right this second and focus on the bright possibilities ahead.

22

E
than walked into a roomful of glum faces after he left Samantha in the parking lot. He frowned right back at them.

“What?”

“You broke up with her, didn’t you?” Greg asked, an accusing note in his voice.

“No choice,” Ethan said flatly. “And the topic isn’t open for discussion.”

Pam looked pointedly at Debra, whose expression instantly turned guilty.

“I showed her the photo in the paper,” the receptionist admitted to him. “She hadn’t seen it. I might have gloated just a little.”

Ethan sighed. “Not the nicest thing you could have done, but it doesn’t change anything. This is my decision.”

“If you don’t mind me saying so, boss, you’re an idiot,” Pam told him flatly. “She’s made a difference in you. We’ve all seen that.”

“It’s true,” Debra confirmed with obvious reluctance. “You’ve been happy. I know I behaved badly today, but maybe you should reconsider. It’s about time you got a life.”

Greg frowned then. “You did break up with her, right? Samantha didn’t dump you? She’d have every right to, I think. It’s because you’re who you are and Boone’s who he is that the picture ever made it into the paper. And that speculation about her being a stripper? That had to be somebody’s idea of a joke. What was Ken Jones thinking that he’d print something like that? Did he owe somebody a huge favor?”

Ethan dragged himself out of his own misery long enough to consider what Greg was saying. He’d done the right thing for Samantha by pointing out what she’d be up against in this town, but he didn’t feel all that good about it.

“Now that you mention it, I can’t help wondering who gave that picture to the paper,” he admitted, his ire starting to stir at the person who’d started this chain of events. “It had to be somebody at the party, right? I seriously doubt there were paparazzi lurking around outside at a bachelor party in Sand Castle Bay.”

Greg’s expression turned thoughtful. “You sure about that?” he asked slowly. “Not paparazzi, but how about somebody sent by Boone’s former in-laws? Maybe they intended to catch him doing something stupid. That whole custody issue supposedly died down, but maybe that was only wishful thinking on Boone’s part. Jenny’s folks could have taken one last stab at discrediting him, hoping to stake their claim on B.J.”

Ethan considered the possibility. It was something the deeply embittered Farmers might have done. “But that photo doesn’t incriminate Boone. I’m the one holding a supposed stripper in my arms.”

“Maybe they figured the whole atmosphere was toxic enough to help their cause,” Pam suggested. “And it was Boone’s sister-in-law-to-be you were holding. I’m sure they’d love to create the impression that the Castles are going to be a bad influence on B.J. Everyone knows they blame Emily for anything and everything that went wrong in their daughter’s life. No one agrees with them, by the way. We all know Boone did the best he could by Jenny. She was happy with him. That doesn’t keep the Farmers from hating Boone, Emily and anyone connected to them.”

“That’s just plain twisted,” Ethan said, even though he knew it was a hundred percent true.

“But it’s not out of the realm of possibility that they’d do this,” Greg countered. “Bottom line, you and Samantha were both innocent bystanders in this plot.”

Ethan had to give him credit for a good spin. “Nice try, but Samantha did show up in a cake wearing a bikini. The Farmers didn’t plot that.”

“And you’re going to hold that against her?” Greg chided. “Come on. She was doing a favor for her sister. You know how persuasive Emily can be, and everybody was jumping through hoops to give her everything she asked for leading up to the wedding, even you.”

“Samantha’s motive doesn’t change anything,” Ethan insisted, holding tight to his stance, even when he could see he was on remarkably shaky ground. “It was a bad decision on her part. If she’s going to be a successful businesswoman in this town, she has to think things through.”

Greg scowled at him. “When did you become such a stuffed shirt?”

Ethan knew that’s how he sounded, but he’d made his decision. He had to defend it. “Do you know how quickly I had to tap-dance around the whole issue just now with the parents of the kids in Project Pride? A couple of the moms were eager to pull their kids out of the program, but I persuaded them that this was just a crazy misunderstanding. I tossed Cora Jane’s name around quite a bit, since there’s nobody around here who doesn’t respect her, no matter how much mudslinging goes on.”

Pam regarded him incredulously. “So you used Samantha’s grandmother to get yourself out of hot water? Nice going, boss.”

“I was getting Samantha out of it at the same time,” he protested. “I told them Samantha had every bit as much integrity and trustworthiness as her grandmother, that they shouldn’t be judging her based on a prank. I defended her.”

“A pretty convincing argument,” Greg agreed. “Too bad it didn’t persuade
you
to overlook this newspaper fiasco.” He shook his head. “I hate to say it, but I wouldn’t blame Samantha if she never forgave you for not going to bat for her, maybe raising a ruckus with the paper. Did you even consider doing that? You’ve known Ken forever, same as me. Of course, he always was a little weasel.”

Ethan’s own scowl deepened. He hadn’t gone to Ken because this whole mess, unfair as it was, had worked for him. It had given him a cowardly way out of a relationship that terrified him. What did that say about him? Nothing good that he could think of.

“Of course you didn’t, because it didn’t suit your purposes,” Greg said, answering for him and hitting the nail smack on the head. “Geez, man. What has gotten into you?”

“I don’t get it, either,” Pam said, regarding him with unmistakable disappointment.

Debra looked indecisive, then winced. “I’m with them,” she admitted. “You blew it.”

He probably had, Ethan conceded to himself. But he’d felt a thousand times safer once he’d sent Samantha away.

He couldn’t help wondering, though, if safe was the way he wanted to live anymore. He had a hunch it was going to get awfully lonely.

* * *

Samantha hadn’t been able to shake her conversation with Cora Jane the night before. Truthfully, she hadn’t been happy in New York for a long time. And while being in Sand Castle Bay still felt new to her, it also filled her with hope. She liked being around her family. She was hooked on being an aunt. She didn’t even mind so much the shifts she put in at Castle’s to fill her spare time. The customers were friendly, and the locals made her feel welcome.

And if this summer was supposed to be about some big transformation, she imagined that it ought to be about more than changing career directions. There hadn’t been much about acting that was within her control. Now, though, she had a chance to take charge of her own destiny. She needed to do it.

She was winding up another shift at Castle’s when her father and Sophia arrived and settled into the family booth. Her father was wearing casual sports clothes she knew with absolute certainty weren’t part of his wardrobe in Raleigh. Sophia looked as if she’d stepped out of an ad for expensive designer resort wear. Despite that, they looked perfectly at home in the restaurant’s casual seaside atmosphere, where other patrons were mostly wearing bathing suits with coverups and flip-flops.

“I saw the paper,” her father said without preamble.

Sophia gave her hand a squeeze. “You must have wanted to go over there and rip into them, but believe me, it serves no useful purpose. Just have a little patience. This will blow over by next week’s edition.”

“Unfortunately, there have already been repercussions,” Samantha told them, explaining about Regina Gentry’s withdrawal of her support, and then, after taking a deep breath, about Ethan’s reaction.

Her father regarded her with indignation. “Nobody cares what Regina Gentry thinks,” he said with certainty. “But I’m shocked by Ethan. I thought he was a stand-up guy.”

“So am I,” Sophia said. “He’s being totally unreasonable.”

“He’s not really judging me. He’s just retreating into his shell,” Samantha said in his defense. “We all dragged him out kicking and screaming. This gave him the excuse to go back to his nice, staid lifestyle.”

“That’s a crying shame,” Sophia said. “I like him.”

Tears welled up in Samantha’s eyes. “So do I, but it was probably bound to happen.”

“Forget about Ethan,” her father advised. “None of this changes the bottom line where your future is concerned. I’ve worked out a budget with Tommy. He’s ready to start on those renovations as soon as you say the word.”

“No,” she said, not quite ready to take the leap, after all. She had to think about this, determine how badly she wanted it. Was it enough to fight for it?

“I don’t know if I want to go forward,” she told them. This whole incident had shaken her more than she’d realized.

“Of course you’re going forward,” Sophia said firmly. “Backward is never a good option in life. Remember that we were with you yesterday. Your father and I both saw how much this whole project means to you. You were bubbling over with ideas and enthusiasm. If you walk away because of a spat with Ethan or because of a commotion in some silly little local weekly, you’ll never forgive yourself.”

“It’s not a spat,” she told Sophia. “And the commotion isn’t silly, not to some people around here.”

“Ethan will come to his senses,” Sophia argued. “If he doesn’t, he’s not the man any of us think he is, and you’ll move on without him.”

“You sound so sure of that,” Samantha said.

“Oh, there are plenty of things in life to keep me guessing, but this isn’t one of them. I’m pretty good at reading people. He loves you, Samantha. He may still be struggling with that, but love always triumphs, even when it’s least expected.” She glanced at Sam when she said it, a whole world of meaning in her eyes.

“Listen to her,” he told Samantha. “She’s a smart woman.”

“That doesn’t mean other people will be able to look past this,” Samantha said.

Sophia gave her a long look. “Has one single person in here brought it up today?”

“Well, no,” Samantha conceded, “but they’re mostly tourists.”

“Not so,” her father said, taking a look around. “I recognize a half dozen locals in here right now.”

Samantha knew he was right, knew that it was possible she was as guilty of seizing on this excuse to run as Ethan was. “Okay, maybe it will blow over eventually,” she agreed.

“It will,” her father said with confidence. “Now, shall I tell Tommy to get started?”

Just as her father and Sophia recalled her excitement the day before, Samantha tried to recapture that feeling. She thought about Cass and even Sue Ellen, who might benefit from what she had to offer. Even the community might be enriched by what she could bring to town with her classes and this playhouse.

She drew in a deep breath, seized on her one last shred of confidence, then nodded. “If you’re sure you don’t mind loaning me the money, go for it,” she told her father.

He gave her an approving look. “That’s my girl!”

“You won’t regret this,” Sophia told her. “I just know everything is going to work out exactly the way you want it to.”

Samantha wished she were half as sure about that as Sophia seemed to be, but she was going to fight like crazy to make it so.

* * *

“How about going for a run?” Ethan asked Greg at the end of the day a couple of days after the impromptu intervention by the clinic’s staff. He’d forgiven them all for butting in, since it was so evident how much they cared.

“Sure,” Greg agreed readily. “But only if you understand that I’m going to bug you incessantly about being too stubborn for your own good.”

“Didn’t expect anything less,” Ethan said. “You need to know, though, that you’re wasting your breath. Things turned out for the best.”

“I doubt Samantha would agree. Down deep, I suspect, neither do you.”

“I said it, didn’t I?” Ethan replied with a trace of impatience.

Greg shrugged. “Just expressing my opinion. You don’t have to listen to me.”

“I’m not going to,” Ethan replied flatly.

Greg shook his head. “I’ll get changed and meet you out front.”

Twenty minutes later, they were running along the coastal road. There wasn’t much of a shoulder and the sidewalk was crowded, so they had to be careful to accommodate the nearly bumper-to-bumper traffic. At least it moved at a snail’s pace, unlike the much faster clip on the highway just two blocks west.

They ran past the town pier, curved around to the main highway and started back north on the sidewalk. Ethan deliberately set a pace that made conversation difficult. Add in the traffic noise, and talk was impossible.

When they came to the shuttered property that he knew belonged to Sam Castle, he paused and stared. The driveway was packed with pickups, and the grounds were bustling with activity. He spotted Tommy Cahill in the middle of it.

“Hold on,” he told Greg, pulling up and waiting for him. He nodded toward the activity. “I need to check this out.”

Tommy caught sight of him and walked over. “Nice evening for a run.”