Emily pounded on Gabi’s door to no avail. Either her sister had gone to Grandmother’s for the holiday, was off somewhere with friends, or—and this was what Emily feared—was hiding out.
She called Cora Jane’s first. It was Samantha who picked up. “Any sign of Gabi over there?” she asked Samantha.
“Nope. Grandmother said Gabi insisted she had other things to do.”
“Well, she’s not home, or at least she’s not answering the door,” Emily reported.
“Did you look in the garage? Is her car there?”
Walking with her cell phone in hand, Emily crossed the small patch of lawn in front of the brick town house and tried to get a glimpse inside the garage, but the windows were too high. “I can’t tell,” she said in frustration. “Maybe I should call Dad. It’s possible she’s spoken to him.”
“Afraid not,” Samantha said. “He arrived here an hour ago. He said he hasn’t talked to her for a couple of weeks.”
“Off with the boyfriend?” Emily speculated.
“I suppose that’s possible,” Samantha said. “But I don’t like this, Em.”
“Neither do I,” Emily admitted.
“If she were spending the holiday with that man, don’t you think she’d have been so excited, she’d have mentioned it?”
“Absolutely,” Emily agreed.
“Well, if she doesn’t call at some point today to wish us all a happy Thanksgiving, then I say we need to go back tomorrow and do a thorough search for her,” Samantha said. “I’m really worried.”
Emily thought of her plans with Boone for tomorrow. If they had to be sacrificed in order to make sure her sister was okay, well, that’s just the way it had to be.
“I’m taking off from here now,” she told Samantha. “See you later. Don’t you dare eat all the turkey before I get there.”
“Trust me, that bird won’t come out of the oven until you and Boone are on the premises, even though Dad’s already grumbling about needing to leave to get back to Raleigh. Grandmother’s dug in her heels this time.”
Emily laughed. “Good for her. Once in a while it’s good for Dad to discover that the whole world doesn’t revolve around him.”
After she’d disconnected the call, Emily walked around the town house one last time, looking for signs of life, but it appeared eerily quiet. She was tempted to knock on a couple of the neighbors’ doors but knew Gabi would never forgive her for stirring up talk. She’d also admitted more than once that she barely even knew the people who lived around her. With the hours Gabi worked, she never saw them.
Emily fretted over her sister’s whereabouts and her odd behavior all during the drive to Cora Jane’s. She was convinced it had something to do with this man none of them had met, but with Gabi determinedly mum on that subject, she couldn’t prove it.
At least worrying about her sister kept her from analyzing her situation with Boone to death. She knew as they got closer and closer, the complications were going to get increasingly difficult to resolve. She didn’t think he saw that. He seemed to be living in some dream world in which love conquered all...or in which she gave up everything to be with him. She wasn’t sure which. Either way, it threatened to be a problem.
When she finally pulled into the driveway at her grandmother’s, she saw that Boone and B.J. had just arrived, as well. Unaware that she was there, B.J. was already racing toward the house. Boone, however, spotted her and crossed the lawn to meet her.
“Good timing,” he said, pulling her into his arms and kissing her.
“Here? Now?” she said, startled.
He grinned. “Lost my head,” he said. “Are you complaining?”
“No, but I think you might have some explaining to do,” she said, gesturing behind him.
Boone turned around to see B.J. standing there, a puzzled expression on his face.
“Hey, buddy, look who’s here,” Boone called out, his too-cheerful tone a sign of his nervousness.
Rather than running to meet them, B.J. remained where he was.
“Oh, boy,” Boone murmured under his breath. He took Emily’s hand. “Let’s go face the music.”
“Hey, B.J., don’t I get a hug?” Emily asked.
After a moment’s hesitation, B.J. flew into her arms. When he released her, though, he gave his father a quizzical look. “Dad, how come you were kissing Emily?”
“For the same reason you just hugged her,” Boone said. “I’m happy to see her.”
“You were happy to see Aunt Cheryl the other day, but you didn’t kiss her like that.” B.J. said, proving once more that he took in everything.
Emily had to swallow a chuckle at Boone’s blushing reaction. “Yeah, Boone, why didn’t you kiss Aunt Cheryl like that? And who, by the way, is Aunt Cheryl?”
“She was my mom’s friend, not a real aunt,” B.J. chimed in helpfully. “She doesn’t live here anymore, but she came home for Thanksgiving.”
Emily lifted a brow. “Is that so?”
“And she’s married to an ex-football player who’s built like a truck and she has five children,” Boone supplied. “And that is why I didn’t kiss her the way I just kissed Emily.”
“Yeah, I guess Uncle Dave wouldn’t like it, huh?” B.J. said.
“No, he wouldn’t,” Boone confirmed. “Any other questions?”
Emily and Boone waited as B.J.’s expression turned thoughtful.
“You used to kiss Mommy like that,” B.J. said, his tone wistful.
Boone sighed and hunkered down in front of him. “Yes, I did,” he said softly. “Because your mom was the most important woman in my life for a very long time.”
“Does that mean Emily’s important now?” B.J. asked.
Boone glanced up at Emily, then nodded, looking his son in the eyes. “It does. Is that okay with you?”
“Is she going to live with us?” B.J. asked.
“Maybe someday,” Boone told him. “But right now we’re really good friends.”
B.J. seemed to absorb that news, nodding eventually. “I’m hungry. Let’s go eat.”
“Yes, let’s go eat,” Boone said eagerly. “Go on in and let Ms. Cora Jane know we’re here.”
“Oh, she knows,” B.J. said. “She’s been watching out the window.”
Of course she was, Emily thought, barely containing a laugh. If they thought B.J.’s cross-examination had been awkward, it was probably nothing compared to what was in store.
* * *
Boone watched closely as Sam Castle greeted Emily as if she were a business colleague, rather than his youngest daughter. His hug was superficial, his words little more than the expected “Hello. How are you?”
Emily’s response was just as restrained, though Boone thought he saw the longing in her eyes for more. The hug she received from Jerry was far more exuberant and heartfelt. Surely Sam Castle had to see that and recognize what genuine affection looked like.
“Mother, can we eat now?” Sam asked with a touch of impatience. “Or are we waiting for Gabriella, too?”
“Gabi won’t be here,” Cora Jane said. “It might be nice, though, if we gave Emily and Boone a minute to have a glass of wine and an appetizer before we rush them in to the meal.”
Emily gave her grandmother’s hand a squeeze. “It’s okay. I know Dad wants to get back home. He gets palpitations or something if he’s away from work too long.”
Cora Jane didn’t seem impressed. She scowled at her son. “This is Thanksgiving, a time for family to be together and to count our blessings. It is not a day to rush through a meal on a time clock.”
To Boone’s surprise, Sam looked vaguely chagrined by the criticism. “Sorry, Mother.”
Samantha and Emily exchanged a stunned look that Boone interpreted to mean his apology had to be a first.
Just then the phone rang and Cora Jane reached for it at once, her eyes filled with worry. “Gabi, is that you?”
Boone glanced at Emily, who appeared to be hanging on every word of her grandmother’s end of the conversation. She held out her hand.
“Let me speak to her,” she commanded.
Cora Jane waved her off. “Your sisters are here. They send their love. We all miss you. And I expect you here for Christmas. No excuses. Is that understood?”
Boone gave Emily a quizzical look. “What’s going on with Gabi?”
“We have no idea, but Samantha and I are convinced something is. I stopped by her place before driving over here and there was no sign of her. She didn’t offer any real explanation for not being with us today, at least not to Samantha or me.”
Cora Jane disconnected the call just then. “Well, she told me she had to be at work first thing tomorrow, so the drive over here for the day just didn’t make a lot of sense.”
“Then she is at home?” Emily said. “Why didn’t she come to the door when I knocked?”
“I didn’t question her about where she was spending the day,” Cora Jane said. “She’s a grown woman. I assume she’s with friends.”
“Gabi doesn’t have friends,” Samantha said. “She has coworkers. I don’t think they’re close.”
“Like somebody else I know,” Emily said with a pointed look at her father.
Boone saw the scene deteriorating rapidly. Apparently Jerry did, too, because he stood up. “Cora Jane, let’s get that turkey on the table. You’ve outdone yourself this year. We don’t want the meal spoiled.”
“Good idea,” she said at once, following him into the kitchen.
“Let us help,” Boone said.
Emily and Samantha were on his heels.
“We’ll all help,” Emily said.
The only person who hung back was Sam Castle. Boone saw the lost expression on his face and almost felt sorry for him. Whatever his reasons for distancing himself from his family over the years, he had a hunch Sam had come to regret it but had no idea how to go about fixing it. Since Boone had the same sort of dysfunctional relationship with his parents, he recognized the signs.
“Give your father something to do,” Boone encouraged Emily, nodding in her father’s direction.
She seemed startled by the suggestion, but after taking a look at her father, she apparently saw what Boone had seen.
“Dad, come on. Nobody gets to eat without helping to get everything onto the table.”
For an instant, Sam looked startled, but then his lips curved slightly. “I’ll carry the mashed potatoes and gravy,” he offered. “That is, if you trust me not to make off with them. It’s my favorite part of the meal.”
Cora Jane gave him a startled look. “I never knew that.”
Sam actually winked at her. “See, even at your age and as wise as you are, you haven’t learned all there is to know about me.”
After an instant of stunned silence, Cora Jane chuckled. “And that’s another thing I’d forgotten, you actually do have a sense of humor.”
“I’ll try to show some evidence of it more often,” Sam promised.
When the moment had passed, Boone claimed the bowl of stuffing. “This is mine,” he announced, heading for the dining room.
“I can carry the cranberry sauce,” B.J. offered.
The turkey was left to Jerry, who brought the golden bird to the table and presented it as if it were the crown jewels.
“My best ever,” Cora Jane said, standing at Jerry’s elbow. “If I do say so myself.”
“Hey, I had a little bit to do with it,” he grumbled. “I was the one in here basting it.”
“With me looking over your shoulder to make sure you did it right,” Cora Jane retorted. “Other than that, you lifted the turkey off the counter, put it in the oven, then took it out at the end.”
“And if I hadn’t, it would have been on the floor,” he insisted, giving them a wink.
She gave him an indulgent look. “That’s what you think. The man is starting to think he’s indispensable to me.”
“I know I am,” he corrected.
Boone watched as Sam took in the exchange with dawning understanding. He waited to see if he would comment, but he didn’t. There was no denying, though, the smile that settled on his lips.
Cora Jane just shook her head. “Okay, enough of this. Let’s take our places, thank the Lord for our blessings and enjoy sharing this meal together.”
During the prayer, Boone glanced around the table and realized it was the first time all day he’d truly felt like part of a family. The meal he’d shared earlier at Jodie’s had been tense, and there’d been none of the teasing and laughter that were commonplace with the Castles. Sure, a few issues had come up, but in the end, Cora Jane somehow brought them all together as a family.
He gave Emily’s hand a squeeze before releasing it. She smiled at him.
“Do you realize this is the first Thanksgiving we’ve been together since we were in college?” he said.
“It’s the first time I’ve been back for the holiday,” she admitted.
He held her gaze. “What was the draw this year? The huge turkey?”
“No way.”
“Me?” he asked hopefully.
“You, B.J., the whole family,” she said, her tone heartfelt. “Suddenly I have a whole new appreciation of the importance of family and the kind of love that Grandmother has always shared with us.”
“Oh?”
She nodded. “It’s been quite a week. Helping with the opening at the safe house opened my eyes to a lot of things, Boone. I can’t wait to tell you about them. These women and kids...” Her voice trailed off and her eyes filled with tears. “You have no idea what they’ve been through and how blessed we are in our lives.”
“I think I have some idea,” he corrected. “Being here right now with your family has brought that home to me.”
“Even with all the fussing and fighting?”
“Even with that,” he confirmed. “You want to know why?”
“Why?”
“Because underneath it all, there was no mistaking the love.”
And that’s what he wanted for B.J., and for himself.
21
Emily felt as if she’d stolen a moment out of time when she, Boone and B.J. were in Charleston. For the first time since she and Boone had started seriously seeing each other, she didn’t feel as if they were under disapproving scrutiny...or even her own grandmother’s hopeful gaze.
She and B.J. had wandered along the Battery and then past the row of “painted ladies”—brightly colored houses along the waterfront called Rainbow Row. They’d bought souvenirs and Christmas gifts in a few shops, then gone back to the restaurant where they were to meet Boone after he’d concluded his meeting.
B.J. was happily sipping a soda, and Emily had a glass of sweet tea as they waited for Boone’s arrival. When he finally joined them, a half hour late, he looked harried.
“Everything go okay?” Emily asked after they’d ordered.
“It could have gone better,” he admitted. “The seller wanted me to up my offer to meet a competing bid. I told him it was out of line. We’ve been haggling over it ever since. I finally had to tell him to forget it. We’ll find another location.”
Emily frowned. “Oh, no. I thought the deal was all set, that you were just here to sign paperwork.”
“That’s what I thought, too.” He shrugged. “Pete’ll be disappointed, but things like this happen. If we can’t find another great location in Charleston by spring, we’ll opt for another city. Sometimes things just aren’t meant to be.”
Emily didn’t believe for a second that he was that philosophical. He was just trying
to keep his disappointment from casting a pall on the day. She gave his hand an understanding squeeze.
“Okay, tell me what you two have been up to,” Boone said. “I see a lot of packages. Have you spent all your money?”
B.J. nodded. “I spent my whole allowance,” he confirmed. “And Emily and I bought a Christmas present for you, but we’re not telling. It’s a surprise.”
Boone laughed. “I love surprises.”
“I’m not sure how thrilled you’re going to be with this one,” she said, thinking of the print they’d found of the historic old building he’d been planning to buy. As lovely as the image was, it would be a bittersweet gift now. She doubted B.J. understood the significance of what Boone had just told them about losing the property he’d wanted.
B.J. tugged on his father’s sleeve. “Dad, guess what? I know what I want for Christmas. I was gonna tell Santa, but Emily thinks I should tell you, too.”
Boone looked amused. “Oh?”
“A puppy!” B.J. announced, bouncing up and down. “Emily says we should find one at a shelter, because those puppies really, really need homes.”
Boone lifted a brow. “Something tells me this is about more than puppies,” he said, holding her gaze.
She shrugged. “Okay, yes. I seem to be feeling especially sentimental about puppies and people who need homes these days. When B.J. mentioned wanting a dog, I thought of the shelter.”
“It’s a great idea,” Boone said. “And since this is going to be your dog, B.J., you should get to pick him out. First, though, you have to assure me that you’re going to take full responsibility for him. You’ll train him, feed him, walk him and play with him.”
“Yes, yes, yes,” B.J. responded excitedly. “I’ll take excellent care of him.”
“Then maybe we should go back home right after our meal and stop by the shelter,” Boone suggested as their food was served. “I think since Emily encouraged this, she ought to have a say in the final choice, too.”
“Do I have to share in the responsibility, as well?” she asked, a teasing note in her voice.
“You bet,” Boone said. “Which means you might want to consider at least a month off over the holidays. I imagine it’ll take at least that long to train a dog properly.”
Sand Castle Bay Page 27