“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
