Читать книгу Sand Castle Bay - Sherryl Woods, Sherryl Woods - Страница 12

5

“Bad news, boss,” Pete Sanchez announced when Boone called him to check in after finally getting home from Castle’s and getting an exhausted B.J. into a bath and then to bed.

Pete was Boone’s manager of restaurant operations. Though Pete was a year younger than Boone, he’d come to him with ten years of solid experience. Single and eager to be on the go, he spent most of his time overseeing the restaurants in Norfolk and Charlotte, taking the burden of travel off of Boone. Even so, he’d come straight back to North Carolina the minute residents and business owners had been allowed back on the barrier islands.

“Tell me,” Boone said. If the usually low-key Pete thought the news was bad, it probably rose to the level of disaster.

“Looks like the restaurant’s been flooded one too many times, and the last repairs must have been made with poor quality materials. When we pulled up the carpets, we found sections of rotting floorboards all over the place.”

“Blast it!” Boone muttered.

“It gets worse,” Pete disclosed direly. “We discovered mold behind some of the drywall on the side closest to the bay, where the water stayed high the longest. A lot of mold. It’s pretty pervasive.”

“You have to be kidding me,” Boone said, thoroughly frustrated. If there was extensive mold now, even as quickly as it could appear after a flooding incident, this definitely hadn’t happened overnight. Nor had those sections of floor rotted since this last hurricane blew through. These were most likely things his inspectors should have caught before he bought the property.

Exhaling a sigh, he concluded he’d just have to consider this a lesson well-learned. Next time, he’d hire an actual contractor to go over any potential real estate purchase to assure that the inspection wasn’t superficial or in the seller’s favor.

“Why didn’t you call me on my cell?” he asked Pete when he had his temper under control. “I could have gotten Tommy over there today to take a look.”

“I tried, but I guess the service is still spotty,” Pete responded. “One of the cell towers blew down or something. I did get through once and tried to leave a message, but it cut me off before I could explain what was going on.”

Boone pulled his cell phone from his pocket and noted the call logged in early in the afternoon. It must have come in while he’d had the noisy chain saw going. “Sorry. I was tied up over at Castle’s.”

“I knew that, so I didn’t want to make a big deal out of something that could just as easily be handled tomorrow. I thought about calling Tommy myself, but I figured he was there with you. You’d told me you wanted him to get Cora Jane’s roof fixed. I know how you feel about making that a priority.”

“It’s okay, Pete. None of this is your fault. I’ll call Tommy now. We’ll both come by first thing in the morning so he can assess the damage and give me a timetable for the repairs.”

“You talking daylight?”

“Or thereabouts,” Boone confirmed.

“You want me there?”

“No, give yourself a break,” he told the night owl. “I’ll handle this one. How about meeting me there around nine and we’ll come up with an action plan. Looks like I’ll need you to stick around here longer than we originally talked about. Is there anything you need to get back to right away in Norfolk or Charlotte?”

“No, both restaurants are good,” Pete assured him. “You have excellent management teams in place.”

Boone chuckled. “You pretty much have to say that. You hired most of them.”

“Doesn’t make me biased, though. If they screw up, that’s on me, too.” He hesitated, then said, “I’ve been thinking we could probably start looking for that fourth location you talked about once things around here settle down.”

“You getting bored, Pete?”

“Maybe just a little,” he acknowledged. “You know I love doing the start-ups.”

“Well, we’ll get serious about the next one soon,” Boone assured him. “Start compiling the market research for me, okay?”

“Will do,” Pete said eagerly. “In the meantime, should I cancel the ads announcing the reopening for this weekend?”

“We’ll decide that after I’ve been through the place with Tommy. Maybe it’s not as bad as you thought at first glance.”

“This is bad,” Pete warned him. “If that mold has spread beyond what I saw, we’re talking major renovations.”

Boone thought of the compromise Cora Jane had reached to get Castle’s reopened. “Is the kitchen operational?”

“Good to go and spotless,” Pete confirmed.

“And we know the deck is solid,” Boone said thoughtfully.

“What are you thinking?”

“That we could serve on a limited basis out there temporarily. We’re at the end of the season. Tourists will be pouring in here again by the weekend, based on what I heard from the local officials earlier today. I’d hate for the wait staff to lose out on the kind of tips they get this time of year.”

“You’d want to keep them all on, even with limited seating?”

“Dividing the tips more ways would be better than laying ’em all off, don’t you think?”

“And you’re not worried about our reputation if we can’t handle the usual crowds and can only serve a couple of specialties, rather than our full menu?”

Boone chuckled. “If anyone’s in a rush or out here to review the food, I imagine we can put a good public relations spin on keeping our kitchen open, our food selections limited but high quality, and our people working, despite being damaged by a hurricane.” He thought of Gabi. “I know just the person to draft a press release, in fact. I imagine she can make us sound like benevolent angels.”

Pete laughed. “If she can pull that off for a couple of guys like you and me, she’s a magician. Get that done and I’ll have it distributed. Might as well do a preemptive strike and generate some good buzz.”

“Now you’re getting into the spirit of this,” Boone said. “Put that press release on the list of things we need to finalize when I see you in the morning.”

Pete chuckled. “You are such a glass-half-full man,” he praised. “I don’t know how you do it. Even after Jenny, well, let’s just say it’s one of the reasons I love working for you. I know this was lousy news, yet you’ve turned it around, come up with a plan and are ready for action.”

“That’s why they pay me the big bucks,” Boone joked, thinking of how often he’d gotten by on practically nothing just to keep the first restaurant afloat in the early days. “And making sure the action really happens on schedule is why I pay you the big bucks. See you in the morning, Pete.”

As soon as he’d disconnected that call, he punched in the numbers for Gabi’s cell phone. Other than Cora Jane’s, hers was the one Castle number he’d memorized. She’d be the closest if he ever saw a need for a family member to get here in a hurry. He’d last used it just before the storm to make sure that someone was coming to get Cora Jane away from the danger zone. He’d known she’d never choose to go on her own. If she ever found out he was behind Sam Castle’s appearance on her doorstep, she’d be furious, but he was willing to take the heat to keep her safe.

Now Gabi answered, her voice sleepy. “Boone? What’s up?”

“Sorry, did I wake you?” he asked.

“No, just settling down.”

“I promise not to keep you long.” He explained about the crisis. “Any chance I could hire you to draft a press release for me on short notice? Pete’s worried people will be disappointed if we’re not operating at full capacity.”

“And you want them to see that you’re open at all just for the benefit of your employees and your customers, even though the situation isn’t optimal,” she summarized.

“Exactly. Can you do something with that?”

“Of course I can. Leave it to me. Is the fax machine at the restaurant operating? Or do you want me to email you the document?”

“Send it by email. That’ll be more efficient for distribution, I think.”

“Perfect. What time’s your meeting with Pete?”

“Nine.”

“You’ll have it well before that. And if anything about your plan changes, just give me a call and I can do a new draft on my iPad and get it right back over to you.”

“You’re an angel, Gabi.”

“Seems to me your halo’s pretty shiny, too,” she teased. “Want me to spread the word about that to anyone in particular?”

“I don’t need you to talk me up to Emily,” he said, grasping exactly what she was getting at.

“Why not? It couldn’t hurt.”

“Stick to PR, not meddling, please. Don’t make me regret calling you.”

“Okay, since you asked so nicely, I’ll focus on the task assigned for now.”

“Will you let Cora Jane know why Tommy and I are running late?”

“Don’t worry about that. You did more than your share to help out today. We’ll see you when you get there.”

“Thanks, Gabi.”

He hung up wondering what the odds were she’d keep her nose out of his personal business. Given her genetic makeup, probably not all that good.

* * *

Emily’s gaze kept drifting toward the parking lot. It was midmorning, and there’d been no sign of Boone. Castle’s had been swamped from the minute they’d opened the doors at six. Word seemed to have spread quickly among the locals that they were open for business, at least with deck seating. After an initial trickle, there in time to see a glorious golden sunrise, there hadn’t been a vacant table the rest of the morning.

No one had complained about the limited menu, either. The coffee was strong. The eggs, bacon, toast and grits were plentiful. Everyone seemed thoroughly happy with the limited selection. The baskets of free mini-pastries Cora Jane insisted on putting at each table were a huge hit, too. And the long-time regulars had been delighted to see Emily, Gabi and Samantha working side by side with Cora Jane again.

With the help of two waitresses, Emily and her sisters had managed to keep things moving, but they hadn’t had a minute to deal with any more of the cleanup inside.

Now with the customers thinned out, Emily was finally able to take a deep breath. She carried a cup of coffee to a table by the railing where she could see the ocean...and the parking lot.

“Looking for somebody?” Samantha teased when she joined her, propping her sneaker-clad feet on an adjacent chair with a sigh of relief.

“No, why?”

“You’ve spent a lot of time with your eyes peeled to the parking lot. I just thought you might be wondering where Boone is.”

“Well, he did say he’d be here today at the crack of dawn,” she said. Years of doubts and bitterness crept into her voice. “Despite Grandmother’s faith in him, I guess he can’t be taken at his word, after all.”

“He called Cora Jane right after we got here,” Samantha reported. “And he spoke to Gabi last night to explain.”

Emily stiffened. “He spoke to Gabi? Why?”

“He had some work he wanted her to do for him.”

“What kind of work?”

Samantha grinned. “Please do not tell me you’re jealous of your own sister?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m just wondering when he and Gabi got to be so tight that he’d ask her for help? Why not you? Or me?”

“Maybe because Gabi’s the one with public relations experience,” Samantha said patiently. “If you give me two seconds, I can explain all this and put your mind at rest.”

Emily knew she was overreacting, looking for excuses to judge him so she could keep him at a distance, so she drew in a deep breath and nodded. “Explain away.”

Samantha described the mess they’d found on closer inspection at Boone’s restaurant, Boone’s solution for working around it and Gabi’s role in spreading that word.

“This morning he had to meet with the people doing the cleanup over at his place, see for himself how serious the problem is and make some decisions,” Samantha concluded.

“And Tommy Cahill? Where’s he? Boone promised Grandmother he’d be working on the roof today. They’re predicting thunderstorms later this afternoon. We’ll be underwater inside, if he doesn’t at least have a tarp down up there.”

“Tommy’s with Boone, checking to see what repairs are needed. He’s meeting his crew here at eleven.” Samantha glanced toward the parking lot as several pickups turned in. “And there they are now. Right on schedule.”

She slanted a look at Emily. “You might want to cut Boone some slack. He spent all day here yesterday, even though he had his own worries. He put Cora Jane and Castle’s first.”

“You’re right,” Emily admitted, knowing that once more she’d misjudged him. “I know I’m just looking for reasons not to get along with him.”

“Because you’re scared,” Samantha suggested.

“Scared of what?”

“Falling for him all over again.”

“Not going to happen,” Emily insisted, though Samantha had hit the nail on the head.

Samantha grinned. “We could take bets on that, little sis, but I never take money from the delusional.”

* * *

After her conversation with Samantha, Emily went inside the restaurant, grabbed her laptop and slipped into one of the booths, hoping to get a little bit of her own work done before she was needed to wait tables or do more cleaning. She had a list of suppliers she wanted to check for the availability of their ski lodge furniture. With a deadline staring her in the face, she couldn’t afford to deal with anyone who didn’t have most things in stock in sufficient quantities. She didn’t have the luxury of waiting for custom pieces.

She’d been jotting notes and scanning websites for a while when she noticed B.J. standing quietly by the table.

“Hey there,” she said with a smile.

“What’re you doing?” he asked, sidling closer.

“Looking for furniture.”

“Can I see?”

“Sure,” she said, sliding over to make room for him.

He crawled onto the bench and knelt, leaning into her. The feel of his body with its little boy smell caught her off guard. She’d never really thought much about being a mother, but suddenly what she guessed were faintly maternal instincts were coursing through her. How about that? she thought, surprised and not entirely dismayed by the sensation.

She observed the way his brow was knit with a frown, the tip of his tongue caught between his teeth as he studied the screen intently. She’d seen that same expression on Boone’s face a time or two, when he was deep in thought. Finally B.J. turned to her.

“That stuff would look kinda weird in here,” he said hesitantly.

Emily laughed at his apt assessment. “It definitely would,” she agreed. “It’s not for here. Tell me why you think it would be wrong, though.”

“It’s all dark and it’s too big.”

“Precisely,” she said. “You have a good eye. Now, can you think of anyplace where it might look right?”

“Someplace really big,” he said eventually.

“Do you think it might look good in front of a great big stone fireplace?” she asked.

His eyes lit up. “You mean like one of those places where people go in the winter to ski?”

“That’s exactly it,” she said, impressed once more. “It’s for a new ski lodge in Colorado.”

“Cool. I think it would be better if it were red, though.”

“Why is that?” she asked, laughing at his boundless confidence in expressing his opinion.

“Because red’s my favorite color. It’s the color of fire trucks and candy apples.”

“And you like both of those things.”

“Uh-huh,” he said, then sobered. “And it was the color of my mom’s car. The one she picked out before she died.” He met Emily’s gaze. “Daddy bought it for her as a surprise for her birthday, but she never got to drive it. She got too sick.”

Emily swallowed against the lump in her throat. “I’m sorry.”

“Sometimes I miss her,” B.J. confided.

“Of course you do. My mom died a while back, and I still miss her, too.”

“Do you ever cry?”

“Sure. Do you?”

“Uh-huh, but I try to be brave, because I know talking about her makes my dad really, really sad.”

Emily suddenly wanted to gather him close and hold him until he could shed all the tears he’d stored up. It wasn’t her place, though. Instead, she said gently, “I’ll bet your dad would want you to talk about your mom anytime you need to. Even when it makes us sad to talk about someone, I think it always helps if we can remember them with someone else who loved them.”

B.J.’s expression brightened slightly. “You really think so?”

“I really do,” she said. “Where’s your dad now?”

“He’s still at his restaurant. I was bored over there, so he called Ms. Cora Jane and she said it was okay if I came over here with Tommy.”

“Does she know you’re in here with me?”

“Uh-huh,” he said, then flushed guiltily. “She sent me in to tell you to get back outside and get to work.”

Emily laughed, immediately suspicious that it hadn’t been Cora Jane’s sole motive. “Did she really? Well, how about we don’t tell her that you forgot? We’ll tell her that I asked for your expert opinion on the job I’m working on. That’ll make you my consultant.”

“Really?” he said, his eyes wide.

“Sure thing,” she said. “But I guess my break is over. I’d better do what she said and get outside.”

And later she’d have a few words with her grandmother about deliberately sending B.J. inside for the sole purpose of nudging the two of them a little closer. She had a feeling there was going to come a time when she’d regret that it had worked so successfully.

* * *

Boone had arrived at Castle’s and stepped inside the restaurant just in time to overhear his son’s conversation with Emily. Her insight and her tenderness caught him by surprise, but it was B.J.’s fear of upsetting him that made his heart ache. He slipped back outside before they caught sight of him.

“Weren’t they in there?” Cora Jane asked, looking puzzled by his quick retreat.

“They were there,” he said tightly.

“Why do you sound angry about that?”

“I’m not angry,” he said. He wasn’t sure exactly what he was feeling, but anger wasn’t part of it. Blind panic, maybe. Once again, he’d seen evidence of his boy bonding with a woman who would wind up leaving and hurting him. There were a lot of things in life he hadn’t been able to protect B.J. against, but he hadn’t anticipated needing to protect him from another loss quite so soon.

“I think I’d better keep him away from here for the next couple of weeks,” he said, trying to figure out how he’d pull that off without a major rebellion on B.J.’s part.

“Why on earth would you do such a thing?” Cora Jane asked, clearly mystified.

“He’s getting too close to Emily.”

“Seems to me that’s a good thing for both of them,” she replied.

“She’s leaving,” Boone reminded her. “Me, I know how that works, how it feels. He’s a kid. He’s already lost his mother. What if he gets attached to Emily and she walks out of his life? How’s he supposed to cope with that?”

Cora Jane regarded him impatiently. “I know you have your issues with Emily, but do you really think she’d be so cruel that she’d get close to B.J., then walk away without looking back? You’re not giving her much credit.”

“Why should I? She left me without a backward glance.”

“And we both know why she did that,” Cora Jane reminded him gently. “She was terrified that with one word, you could make her stay. Instead you didn’t even try. Worse, in the blink of an eye, you turned right around and married Jenny.”

He frowned at the hint of accusation he heard in her voice. “You actually think the breakup was my fault?”

She smiled at his indignation. “No, I think she broke up and your pride stopped you from trying to fix things.”

“You let her go because you loved her,” he accused. “How is what I did any different? I could see she’d never be happy here with me.”

“Really? Even though you could have offered her something I couldn’t, the future she really wants?”

“Cora Jane, she made it abundantly clear that a future with me wasn’t what she wanted.”

“Maybe not right that second,” she conceded. “But she loved you then, and I believe she loves you now. She just has to figure out how to have it all, that choosing you doesn’t mean sacrificing the career she wants. That’s a lesson that comes with maturity. I think she’s just about there now.”

Boone scowled at her. “Too late,” he said stubbornly. “What’s that expression—once burned, twice shy?”

“So you don’t believe in second chances? Seems to me you had a couple of them in your day. I recall sending my husband to the police station one night to bail you out when you got caught trying to buy beer with a fake ID. You called me instead of your folks.”

Boone winced. “I was an idiot.”

“But I didn’t hold it against you, did I?” she said, not denying the truth of his assessment.

“Because you’re a saint,” he joked. “Or maybe because you wanted something to hold over my head for a lifetime.”

“Or maybe just because I love you and know that your flaws are part of the bargain,” she said.

He sighed as he met her gaze. “I hear what you’re saying, Cora Jane. I really do. I just can’t take another chance, not with my heart and sure as hell not with my son’s.”

Left unsaid was the furor he’d stir up with Jenny’s parents if they got wind that Emily was back in his life. They unreasonably held her as accountable for any misery Jenny felt as they did Boone. If anything would bring them back to Sand Castle Bay on a tear, that would be it.

“There’s too much at stake,” he told Cora Jane. “Nothing’s worth the risk of hurting B.J.”

“Then I feel sorry for you,” Cora Jane said quietly. “Nothing in life comes without risk. Would you have given up the chance to have B.J. if you’d known ahead of time the pain you’d face when you lost Jenny?”

“Of course not.”

“That’s all I’m saying. If you want to experience the highest of the highs, then you have to take a chance that you’ll get the lows, as well.”

“I want my life—and B.J.’s—on a nice even keel,” he countered, knowing even as he said it that it was an impossible pipe dream.

“A noble goal, but an unrealistic one,” Cora Jane admonished. “Life doesn’t work out that way.” She held his gaze. “And you know as well as I do, Boone Dorsett, you’d be bored to tears if it did.”

Maybe. Maybe not. He sure would be willing to give it a try for a time.