“You left Samantha in charge at Castle’s,” Sam Castle said incredulously to Cora Jane. “Ma, what are you up to?”
“Up to? She practically kicked me out,” she told him, mustering up a suitable amount of indignation.
“Which was exactly what you wanted,” her son concluded. “You are not thinking that Samantha is your last, best hope to take over the restaurant, are you?”
“Well, why not? Anyone can see she’s at loose ends. On top of that, she’s falling for Ethan Cole. She needs a reason to stay here.”
“And you need to let her find her own reason,” Sam said. “Don’t trick her into this. You’ll just make her miserable and live to regret it.”
“Well, what would you have me do? You’re the one who said you thought she didn’t want to be an actress anymore. I’m giving her an alternative.”
“One she’s repeatedly made it plain she doesn’t want,” he told her. “Let her work this out for herself. Samantha has a very good head on her shoulders.”
“Oh, what do you know? How much time have you spent with her in recent years?”
He frowned at that, but he didn’t try to deny it. “Maybe that’s exactly why I can see things more clearly,” he said. “And I can recall how carefully she planned out the whole New York thing. She was every bit as thoughtful and meticulous with the details as Gabi and Emily were with their careers. Samantha will do that again as soon as she’s figured out what she wants next.”
“Will you object if she says she wants to take over Castle’s?”
“Of course not. But the restaurant was Father’s dream. You’ve kept it going. Maybe it’s time to let go.”
Cora Jane felt tears well up at the suggestion. “How can I do that? That’s our family’s legacy.”
“Then find the perfect caretaker, someone you trust to take it over, keep it the way you would.”
“You’re talking about Boone,” she said.
“You trust him, don’t you?”
“Of course. And he knows how important Castle’s is to this community. He wouldn’t turn it into something it was never meant to be,” she conceded.
Still, she waved off the idea. “That’s not something that needs to be decided right now. Did you make all those calls on the list I gave you?”
He grinned at her. “Of course. And every person confirmed that every little detail is handled and on schedule. This wedding is going to come off without a single hitch. You can stop worrying.”
“Maybe so, but checking and double-checking is the best way to be sure of that,” she told him. “And I don’t care if you do make fun of me, that’s exactly what I intend to do.”
He laughed. “Never doubted it.”
“And you’re going to help me,” she told him emphatically.
“Never doubted that, either,” he said, looking resigned.
She studied this man she’d borne but sometimes felt she barely knew. “You’re enjoying being a part of all this, aren’t you?”
“Surprisingly, yes,” he admitted. “So I suppose I should thank you for seeing to it that I do more than write checks.”
“No thanks necessary,” Cora Jane told him. “Just remember that it’s never too late to get things right.”
He bent down and kissed her cheek. “And thank you for seeing to it that I’m aware of that, too. I’ll head out and take care of those errands you wanted run now.”
Cora Jane watched him go, then smiled. Though she’d despaired about his relationship with his daughters for a long time, she thought those days were finally behind them. She’d keep a watchful eye, though, just in case.
14
After what Ethan had told her the night before, Samantha was not the least bit surprised when Cass Gray walked into Castle’s just after the restaurant’s three o’clock closing. She approached Samantha hesitantly.
“I’m not sure if you remember me from school yesterday. I’m Cass Gray,” she said in a rush. “I was wondering if you might have some time.” She glanced around the empty restaurant worriedly. “Is it even okay that I’m here? I saw the sign said Closed, but the door was unlocked.”
Cass’s gaze went to Gabi and Emily without waiting for an answer. They were seated in a booth with Samantha. She immediately turned pale. “I guess I’m interrupting. I’m sorry.” She turned to go.
Samantha stood up and touched her shoulder. “Cass, it’s okay. We hadn’t locked up yet. These are my sisters,” she explained, making the introductions. “And you’re not interrupting anything important. We were just talking about Emily’s wedding. It’s Saturday.”
Cass’s eyes lit up. “Come on. That is important! I heard about the wedding from Dr. Cole. He says he’s the best man.”
“Well, I actually think my husband-to-be is the best man,” Emily joked, “but Ethan’s a close second.”
Cass grinned. “You’re funny.”
“Oh, she’s a real stand-up comedian, all right,” Gabi commented. “I need to get her out of here.” She glanced at Samantha. “So we’re agreed about the whole girls-gone-wild thing for tonight?”
“I am,” Emily affirmed. “I can hardly wait to have one last crazy fling before I tie the knot.”
“You will not be having any flings,” Gabi chided. “Samantha and I have to answer to Boone.”
As Gabi led Emily away, Samantha turned to Cass and gestured to the booth they’d vacated. “What brings you by?”
Cass squirmed uncomfortably. “I wanted to ask you some more questions about how hard it is to be a working actress. That is, if I’m not being a bother.”
“It’s no bother,” Samantha assured her. Keeping Ethan’s concerns in mind, she still felt compelled to say, “It’s not easy, Cass. Only a very, very few become huge stars overnight. Most of us struggle to keep working. It takes real drive and determination to stick with it. And there are big differences between starting in New York on the stage and in Hollywood in films or in TV. Some people do commercials when they’re starting out. I still do.”
“As long as it’s acting, I don’t care what I do,” Cass said. “I like being somebody else for a little while.”
Samantha wondered if
