Samantha was more stunned by Ethan’s late display of loyalty than Wade’s. “Ethan did all that?” she murmured, bemused. “Why?”
“Because he loves you, you idiot. He was standing up for you.”
“But he wants me to go away. This whole brouhaha came close to accomplishing that,” Samantha protested, trying to make sense of it. Had he been doing her one last favor so he could let her leave with a clear conscience?
“I’d say that this proves otherwise,” Gabi insisted. “Wade thinks so, too.”
“Or maybe Ethan found out I’d decided to stick around and this was some sort of peace offering,” Samantha speculated.
Gabi regarded Samantha intently. “Whatever it was, what are you going to do about it?”
“Nothing,” Samantha said wearily. “Ethan made his wishes perfectly clear. Whether I go or stay, he’s done.”
“And you don’t think he’s allowed to change his mind, or to wake up and regret what he said?” Gabi protested. “Come on, Samantha. Whatever happened to second chances? You’d want one if you’d done something stupid.” She smacked her forehead in an exaggerated gesture. “Oh, wait. You did.”
“What did I do?”
“You caved in to Emily’s ridiculous insecurities and went to that party inside a cake, putting your reputation and Ethan’s at risk.” She held up a hand when Samantha started to argue. “I know I didn’t help the situation. By the time we finished pressing you, we didn’t leave you a way out. I get that.”
“Bottom line, no matter who pushed me, it was not a big deal, or it shouldn’t have been,” Samantha said defensively. “Anybody with half a brain could see it was nothing more than a bachelor party prank. It happens all the time. Nobody ever gets this worked up over it.”
“Because nobody else is local war hero and respected physician Ethan Cole or actress Samantha Castle,” Gabi reminded her. “As wrong as it was for Ken to splash that picture on the front page with that whole bit about you being a stripper, I can almost see why he did it. People eat that stuff up, especially when such big names are involved. And let’s not forget that Boone is a proud son of Sand Castle Bay, too.”
“I’m a has-been Broadway and TV actress,” Samantha argued. “Even with your excellent prowess at spin, you couldn’t have gotten something this silly in a major news outlet.”
Gabi gave her a challenging look. “Want me to try?”
Samantha shuddered, knowing full well that it wouldn’t be that huge a test of her sister’s PR skills. “Absolutely not,” she said flatly. “This needs to die down and go away.”
“And then what?”
“And then I will go on with my life, build this theater, teach a few classes and create a fulfilling life for myself right here where I can hang out with family.”
“Where does Ethan fit in?”
“He claims he doesn’t want to,” she insisted.
“Oh, for heaven’s sake, haven’t you heard a word I said?” Gabi protested impatiently, waving the newspaper. “This says otherwise. Give the man a break.”
“I am not the one who broke us up,” she said stubbornly.
“But you are the one who’s letting pride stand in the way of a reconciliation,” Gabi said. “This act by Ethan, that’s his apology. Now it’s your turn.”
“But—”
Gabi’s gaze was unrelenting. “Fix this, Samantha. You’ll regret it if you don’t. And make no mistake, it is up to you. Grandmother, Emily and I can’t do it, not with all the clever meddling in the world. You’re on your own, just the way you claimed you wanted to be from the beginning.”
Samantha regarded her sister wearily. She knew Gabi was right. Unfortunately, this was one of those rare times when she wouldn’t have minded a little well-meant meddling.
* * *
Cora Jane had vowed to stay out of the middle of this ridiculous spat between Samantha and Ethan, but with two stubborn wills involved, she could see their whole future disintegrating unless someone with better sense stepped in. She left Jerry in charge at the restaurant and, ignoring his advice to stay well away from either of the injured parties, she drove to Ethan’s clinic.
Inside, she nodded toward the back. “Is Ethan with a patient?” she asked Debra.
“No, ma’am, but he doesn’t like being disturbed.”
Cora Jane smiled. “I think he’ll make an exception for me.” When Debra reached for her phone, Cora Jane shook her head. “Maybe you should just pretend you never saw me.”
Debra shrugged and put the phone back.
Cora Jane found Ethan in his office, a clutter of files spread out on his desk, though his back was turned to the mess and he was staring out the window.
“I came to thank you,” she announced, startling him.
He whirled around and regarded her warily. “Cora Jane,” he muttered, his tone not especially welcoming. “What brings you by? Everything okay? Did you get cut or burned or something?”
She smiled at his attempt to turn this into a medical visit. “Nope. Like I said, I came to thank you for going to bat for my girl.”
“Samantha would have been okay without me,” he said. “Still, I figured I owed her a little backup. I understand you did your share of rabble-rousing in Ken’s office.”
“I did, but I’m not the one who persuaded him to print a retraction or got to the bottom of who was behind this in the first place. I’m afraid I was too busy ranting to ask the right questions or make the right demands.”
“Well, the record’s straight now,” Ethan said. “All’s well that ends well.”
Cora Jane gave him an impatient look. “That’s it? You see this as the end of things?”
“No other way to look at it,” Ethan said.
She studied him for a full minute, then shook her head. “You think she needs to come to you, don’t you? You want Samantha to reach out, put her heart on the line again, prove she really wants you.”
Ethan actually flinched at what she could only assume was a direct hit.
“She’ll never do it,” Cora Jane told him. “It doesn’t mean she doesn’t love
