“She says she has the flu,” Samantha said. “I have to tell you, though, I’m a little worried about her. It’s not like her to miss more work, not when she was so anxious to get back over there. I think she’s more stressed out about that job than she’s been letting on.”
Emily stared at her sister in surprise. “She never went back to Raleigh? I thought she was heading home the same day I left.”
“That was the plan, but then she came down with this bug and hasn’t been able to shake it.”
“Has she seen a doctor?”
Samantha shook her head, her frustration plain. “Grandmother wanted her to stop by Ethan’s clinic, but she refused. She insisted she’d be fine and would be heading home by the end of last week. When she blew off that deadline, too, I was tempted to drag her to the clinic myself.”
Emily grinned. “Not that you’re looking for an excuse to get a glimpse of Ethan, I’m sure.”
“Bite me,” Samantha replied, probably unaware that the color in her cheeks betrayed her interest in the old high school football hero.
“Still can’t take the teasing, huh? Then you should stop wearing that old football jersey of his around the house.”
“It’s comfortable,” Samantha insisted. “So, how was your trip? You were gone longer than I’d expected.”
“I was gone longer than I’d expected,” Emily said. “But the work is so exciting, Samantha. It’s going to take a miracle to pull this off by Thanksgiving, but I really want to do it. I think everyone working on the project understands how important it is to have this place ready by then. What a blessing it will be for some of these women and their kids to be in a safe environment for the holiday.”
Samantha smiled. “I love seeing you excited about something so worthwhile, rather than indulging the whims of all these wealthy clients of yours.”
Emily took offense at the comment. “Those wealthy clients make it possible for me to take on a project like this.”
“I suppose,” Samantha conceded, letting the subject drop and moving on to what she obviously considered to be safer territory. “How soon can we expect to see Boone? I imagine he’s anxious to get over here now that you’re back.”
Emily frowned. “Not till tomorrow, I’m afraid. B.J. had asked a friend to spend the night before Boone knew when I’d be getting back into town.”
“I could go over and give him a break,” Samantha offered. “Or you could go over yourself and help chaperone.”
Emily shook her head. “We agreed it’s best that we not spend too much time together around B.J. And if Boone took off, even for an hour, B.J. would know something’s up.”
“So all this caution around B.J. is just in case things don’t work out,” Samantha guessed. “I suppose that makes sense, but how do you feel about it?”
“Not great, to be honest,” Emily admitted. “Still, the last thing I want is for B.J. to get hurt. So, Boone will shoo B.J.’s friend out as early as humanly possible, then come by here for a quick visit before he takes B.J. out to shop for school.”
Samantha’s gaze narrowed. “You’re not going with them?”
“Nope.” She tried to keep her expression neutral, but she was sure it was plain how much that grated, too.
“Emily, this isn’t good,” her sister protested.
“Boone’s son. Boone’s rules,” Emily said tersely. “And after hearing how Jodie Farmer reacted when Boone and I were spotted by one of her friends, I can understand his caution on that front, too.”
“Well, I don’t,” Samantha said, her indignation rising. “I think this stinks. I’m not seeing a lot of respect for your feelings. When exactly are you supposed to spend time together, or do you plan to sneak out for a quickie in the driveway while B.J. sleeps?”
Emily frowned. “Come on,” she protested. “It’s not going to be like that.”
“You sure about that? Because it sounds to me as if at least one of you believes that what you’re doing is wrong or, at the very least, doesn’t want to rock any boats in case it doesn’t last. Is that you?”
“No,” Emily admitted, knowing that Samantha had a point. The situation had been bugging her, too. For now, though, she was determined to be understanding. She knew Boone’s attitude had almost as much to do with his feelings of betrayal and abandonment when she’d left the first time as it did with protecting B.J. Whether he’d admit it or not, he was keeping his guard up. And with the Farmers’ threats looming, he had added incentive for being cautious.
Samantha, however, made no pretense of understanding. “You need to change the rules, Emily. Right now, they’re not fair to anybody, and certainly not to you. You shouldn’t have to sneak around to be with the man you love, not at this stage of your life. And Boone shouldn’t ask it of you.”
“I know you’re right,” Emily said, her own misgivings confirmed by her sister. “I thought it was too soon to make an issue about this, but I will talk to Boone when I see him. There has to be a better plan.”
Unfortunately, if she was being totally honest, she couldn’t imagine what it might be, not with the past weighing so heavily on the present.
* * *
Boone was thoroughly frustrated by having to waste a whole night of what would likely be a very brief stay by Emily. He just hadn’t been able to think of an alternative. Alex’s mother would have been happy to have the boys at her house, but he’d been asking a lot of her recently. He just couldn’t ask again, not after the invitation had already been issued. By now Kim probably had plans of her own. As a single mom, he was sure she must crave a social life that didn’t include a couple of rambunctious eight-year-old boys.
With the boys upstairs playing video games, Boone went into the
