“We were teenagers,” she said, though she smiled at the memory. “Adults shouldn’t have to do that, especially not single adults. We shouldn’t need to explain ourselves to anyone.”
“I’m just trying to be respectful of Jodie’s feelings,” Boone said, “as out of line as they might be. Why stir up trouble if we don’t have to? And there’s B.J. to consider.”
“I’m not suggesting we start making out in front of him,” Emily said. “I just think we could hang out together.”
“And that’s what we’re going to do today,” Boone said.
She heard the frustration in his voice and touched his cheek. “But it’s making you a little crazy, isn’t it? You’re worried he’s going to jump to some sort of conclusion and wind up being hurt or maybe blab about this shopping trip to his grandmother.”
“Either one is a possibility,” he retorted.
“Stop anticipating problems. I promise to be on my best behavior. I won’t jump your bones in front of your son.”
He finally smiled. “And now you’ve gone and planted that idea in my head,” he said. “I’ll be thinking about it all day.”
“Good,” she said with a wink. “Maybe it’ll motivate you to find some alone time with me before I head back to Los Angeles.”
He grinned. “Already working on it, so don’t tease unless you mean it.”
“Oh, I mean it,” she said, her tone heartfelt.
The outlook for this visit had just gotten a whole lot more interesting.
* * *
Boone, like most men he knew, would rather be tortured than spend time in a mall. Somehow, though, Emily’s enthusiasm was contagious. Even B.J. didn’t complain about trying on half a dozen different pairs of jeans and enough shirts and sweaters to outfit his entire class. He did balk when she tried to persuade him to try on dress shoes as well as the expensive sneakers he swore he couldn’t possibly live without.
“You can’t wear sneakers to church,” she argued.
“I already have fancy shoes,” he protested. “They pinch my feet.”
“Which is exactly why you need new ones,” she said as Boone smothered a smile. She frowned at him. “You could back me up here.”
“Son, Emily’s right. As long as we’re here, you should get new dress shoes. Your old ones are too small.”
B.J. scowled at him. “Only if you do, too.”
Emily’s face lit up. “Oh, what a great idea! Boone, have you ever tried these Italian leather loafers?” She picked up a pair from the display and handed them to him. “Feel how soft they are.”
“Soft,” he muttered, unimpressed. At those prices they ought to whisk him through the air like a blasted magic carpet.
“You have to try them,” she insisted, corralling a sales clerk and giving him a list of shoes to bring out for him and for B.J.
A dozen boxes appeared a few minutes later. Boone regarded them incredulously. “Come on, Em. Really?”
“You’ll thank me later.” She beamed at the two of them. “Isn’t this fun?”
Boone exchanged a tortured look with his son, but she was having so much fun, he could hardly bolt from the shoe department and spoil it for her.
Several hundred dollars later, they left with loafers for him, sneakers and dress shoes for B.J. and a pair of three-inch heels that Emily hadn’t been able to take her eyes off of the entire time they’d been in the shoe department. Boone had insisted she try them on, taken one look at the effect they had on her gorgeous legs and told the clerk to wrap them up.
“Boone, you don’t have to buy me shoes. I can buy my own.”
“It’s the least I can do after all the time you’ve spent helping us shop today,” he said, then leaned in to whisper, “Besides, I can’t wait to see you wearing those and nothing else.”
Her cheeks had flamed at that, but she’d stopped arguing.
Unfortunately, the comment had also left him wanting a whole lot more than he was likely to get this afternoon. He wondered if they could skip the food court and head back to Sand Castle Bay, but B.J. was already dragging them in that direction, his mind set on pizza, tacos and heaven knew what else.
Boone glanced over at Emily. “Nothing like a little frustration to keep things interesting, huh?”
She gave him an innocent look. “Frustration? I have no idea what you mean.”
“Then you’re a stronger person than I am,” he commented.
Either that, or she was getting a kick out of knowing that he was regretting all those blasted rules he’d insisted they abide by.
* * *
“And then I had two slices of pizza and a beef taco,” B.J. was telling Cora Jane excitedly. “And a large soda.” He frowned. “That might have been a bad idea, because Dad had to stop twice on the way home so I could pee.”
Cora Jane chuckled, then glanced pointedly at Boone. “Don’t you need to go over and check on things at your restaurant?” she inquired innocently.
Boone nodded at once. “I do like to make sure things are under control on the weekends when it’s especially busy,” he confirmed.
“Maybe Emily could ride along,” Cora Jane said. “B.J. can stay here with me and show me everything he bought today for school.”
“Are you sure?” Boone asked, though she’d just offered him the chance he’d been dying for all day to be alone with Emily.
“Absolutely,” Cora Jane said. “And after all this excitement, I imagine he’s pretty tired. If he falls asleep, he might as well spend the night. Jerry’s coming by later, so I’ll have plenty of backup.”
Boone grinned at her, then bent down and kissed her cheek. “You are an angel.”
“She’s a meddling matchmaker,” Emily muttered under her breath, but she was smiling. She certainly didn’t argue with her grandmother.
“Watch your tongue,” Cora Jane told her. “I could take back my offer.”
“No, please,” Boone pleaded. “Come on, Emily. Let’s get over to the restaurant so I can see if
