She was halfway to the door when he said, his tone miserable, “What am I supposed to do?”
“You could start by admitting you love her,” she said, relieved that he’d asked.
“I do,” he said firmly.
Cora Jane smiled and turned back. “Not to me. I meant to her.”
“I was afraid that was what you meant.”
“For a man who braved death, probably more times than either of us would like to count, why are you so scared of three little words that could give you everything you want?”
When he started to reply, she held up a hand. “Never mind. I know. You’re thinking if she doesn’t say them back, it’ll be humiliating, maybe leave you with a broken heart.”
He nodded. “Something like that.”
“You feeling real good with the way things are now?”
A smile played at the corners of his mouth. “Point taken.”
She gave a nod of satisfaction. “Good. I knew you were smart. And for whatever it’s worth coming from me, she does love you. Not a question in my mind about that, or I’d never have set foot in here.”
“Thanks, Cora Jane.”
“No thanks necessary. Just do right by my girl.”
“I’ll try,” he responded.
She gave him one of her fiercest looks. “And do it soon, too,” she ordered. “Jerry’s getting impatient. I can’t hold that man off much longer, and we’re waiting on the two of you before we set our wedding date.”
“Pour on the pressure, why don’t you?”
She laughed. “Best way I know to get things done.”
And then she left him to think about what she’d said.
* * *
Despite his reassurances to Cora Jane the day before, Ethan still wasn’t a hundred percent sure what was right. Maybe things had turned out exactly the way they were meant to. Unfortunately that thought left an empty place inside him.
He’d almost convinced himself to live with that lonely destiny when he walked the few blocks from his home to the clinic Thursday afternoon to meet the kids for this week’s outing. At the edge of the parking lot, he stopped in his tracks.
There was Samantha, sitting on a bench beside Cass, who was staring at her with the rapt attention of a starstruck fan. Cass’s face was transformed. The sullen teen was gone, replaced by an animated young girl. In that instant, all the feelings he’d been denying he had for Samantha—the ones that ran so much deeper than a longing for a quick roll in the sack—surfaced. There was so much about her he had yet to discover, but he already knew just how deeply she cared about people, including—thank God—him.
Drawing in a deep breath, he took his time before joining them, stopping to chat with the parents, bestowing hugs on the kids as he helped them into the van.
A few of the parents had clearly recognized Samantha, but they didn’t seem unduly disturbed by her presence now that the situation had been clarified by the paper.
When he could no longer put it off, he walked over to stand beside them—the woman he’d fallen for and the girl who’d been his biggest failure to date. Thanks to Samantha, though, Cass’s view of her future was changing.
“What’s going on?” he asked, looking from one to the other.
“Samantha’s going to start teaching acting classes right here in Sand Castle Bay next week,” Cass said, her eyes alight. “And if I’m any good, which we all know I am, she’s going to introduce me to her agent.”
Then with an impish gleam in her eyes, she added, “And I’m going to star in next summer’s first production at her playhouse.” She nudged Samantha with an elbow. “I know you didn’t promise that, but I am going to earn that lead role.”
Cass’s delight was palpable, but it scared Ethan even more than her announcement that Samantha was staying. Even though he’d known she planned to stay, this confirmation made it feel even more real. More important, it eliminated any last chance of him forgetting her.
Samantha caught his gaze. “I always keep my promises,” she said quietly, clearly understanding his worries, at least where Cass was concerned. “Always.”
Hearing the firm, reassuring commitment in her voice, Ethan felt the last of his reservations ease. “Okay, then. You planning to come along today?”
She stood up eagerly, surprising him a little. “Sure, if I won’t be in the way. What’s on the agenda?”
“Bungee-jumping,” he said, just to see the quick rise of panic in her eyes, but it didn’t come.
“Sounds like fun,” she said, her gaze never wavering.
“We are so not going bungee-jumping,” Cass said, rolling her eyes. “Can you see Mrs. Gaylord if you took her precious son to jump off some bridge?”
“Darn, and I was so looking forward to it,” Samantha claimed.
He laughed. “Just one more thing I need to remember, I guess. You’re a daredevil.” He glanced at the teenager, whose fascinated gaze kept shifting from him to Samantha and back again. “Cass, hop on the bus. Make sure the kids aren’t going wild. We’ll be right there.”
Samantha grinned at him after Cass had gone. “You know you just ruined her day. She thought she was about to witness what could turn out to be the hottest gossip in Sand Castle Bay, even better than the front-page news in the local paper a couple of weeks ago.”
“I’m sure she’ll survive the disappointment,” he said wryly. “I’m more concerned with whether I’ll survive life with you.”
“You won’t know unless you try,” she teased.
He took a deep breath and said, “Then I guess I’d better try.”
She smiled slowly. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
Ethan took another very deep breath and made a giant leap, one far scarier than bungee-jumping. “Want to elope this weekend? I’m pretty sure there’s a beach in Hawaii calling our names.”
For the first time since they’d met, he’d surprised her. Her mouth was agape.
“Excuse
