“But he’s bound to be intrigued, don’t you think? You do have an incredibly shapely bottom, after all. And Ethan hasn’t dated a lot since his fiancée dumped him. He needs someone just like you to get him back into the game.”
“Hold on,” Samantha said as Emily’s offhand remark sank in. “His fiancée dumped him? After he came home from Afghanistan?”
“I know. Really tacky, huh?” Emily said, her expression sobering. “I’d like to give that woman a piece of my mind.”
Samantha agreed. “It was definitely a pretty shallow reaction, assuming it was about the loss of his leg,” she said.
“Oh, it was all about that,” Emily confirmed. “Boone says she told him she couldn’t be with someone who wasn’t whole or perfect or something like that.”
“That’s disgusting. No wonder he’s so sensitive about how people are likely to react,” Samantha said, seeing their conversation in a different light. “He admitted he’d expected me to be shallow and vain. Maybe it wasn’t all about me being an actress, the way I took it. Maybe he feels that way about all women these days.”
Emily’s eyes widened. “He did not accuse you of such a thing! Of all the unmitigated gall. He hardly even knows you. There’s not a shallow, vain bone in your body.”
Samantha sighed at the surprisingly ardent defense. “I don’t know about that. In my business I do spend a lot of time looking in the mirror and fretting over wrinkles.”
“But that’s just the business you’re in,” Emily said, loyally waving off the suggestion. “You don’t judge other people by those standards. You’d never look down on someone who’s not perfect.”
“No, I wouldn’t,” Samantha agreed, thinking of that one moment when she’d gotten a real glimpse of vulnerability in Ethan’s eyes. He’d expected to be judged or, worse, to be pitied. She couldn’t imagine any man wanting pity, but for someone who’d demonstrated so much courage, it would be even more humiliating.
And Ethan, who’d once caught her attention with his charm, good looks and football prowess, was courageous. She had no doubts about that. Even in this morning’s brief encounter, she’d realized the kind of strength it must have taken for him not only to survive his injury, but to move forward, to not accept limitations. In her view, that made him someone to be admired, and lifted her old secret crush to a whole new level.
Even so, she scowled at her sister. “Do not put me in that position again,” she said flatly. “Ethan and I are adults. We’re bound to run across each other in the next couple of weeks with all the wedding hoopla. We don’t need you and Boone manufacturing excuses to throw us together. Understood?”
“Okay, fine,” Emily conceded unhappily. “I was just trying to do something nice.”
“The only way you could have been any more obvious would have been to send him over there with a big fat bow around his neck and a sign that said Keep Me.”
Even as the words came out of her mouth, Samantha caught the worrisome gleam in her sister’s eyes. “Oh no, you don’t. Your meddling days are over.”
“If you say so,” Emily replied dutifully. “But just so you know, I’m an amateur. The real pro, Grandmother, hasn’t even gotten started.”
And that, Samantha thought wearily, was scarier than just about anything else her sister could have said.
* * *
Cora Jane took one look at the sight of Ethan Cole and Greg Knotts walking into Castle’s and slipped into the kitchen and called Emily.
“Have you finished with the dress fitting?” she asked, lowering her voice to a whisper.
“About five minutes ago,” Emily said. “Why? And why are you whispering?”
“Because I don’t want anyone to overhear me,” Cora Jane said.
“Uh-oh,” her granddaughter said, chuckling. “What is it you don’t want Jerry to hear?” she asked pointedly, referring to Castle’s longtime cook who was now courting Cora Jane. “What are you up to?”
“Stop asking so many questions,” Cora Jane ordered. “Just pack up your sister and get over here to the restaurant.”
“Hold on,” Emily muttered. Seconds later, she was back on the line. “Does this have something to do with Ethan Cole? Is he at Castle’s?”
“Just walked in,” Cora Jane confirmed. “Now, will you get Samantha over here, or do I need to get Gabriella involved?”
To her annoyance, Emily laughed. “What’s so funny?” Cora Jane demanded.
“Not a half hour ago I promised Samantha I’d stop meddling, but I warned her that you hadn’t even gotten into the game yet.”
“Well, now I see my chance,” Cora Jane said. “Can you do this, or do I need to call and tell her I’ve slipped on the kitchen floor and think I might have broken my hip?”
“Heaven forbid!” Emily said fervently. “I’ll get her over there. You just keep Ethan from getting away.”
“Not a problem,” Cora Jane said, “even if I have to sacrifice Castle’s reputation for fast service to accomplish it. The man may not get his meal for an hour. Hurry up, honey bun. I don’t want him to get too suspicious.”
“Something tells me that ship has already sailed,” Emily said. “But we’ll be there as quickly as I can round up Samantha and get her out the door. She seems just a little obsessed with playing with the baby. I think her biological clock started ticking the second she picked up Daniella Jane. Frankly, I recognize the signs, because that kid does the same thing to me.”
“All the more reason to see that Samantha and Ethan fall head over heels for each other by the time you and Boone head off on your honeymoon,” Cora Jane said.
She hung up on Emily, found the server assigned to Ethan’s table and warned her to take her time placing their order, then plastered a smile on her face and walked over to say hello.
“Good to see you, Greg,” she said to Ethan’s companion. “Ethan, I have to say I’m surprised to see you here. Did you finally come by for that meal I promised you after you took such good care of Rory Templeton and helped him get the rehab he needed so he could go back to work?”
Ethan gave her a sour look. “I’m here because I lost a bet,” he admitted.
Greg grinned. “I outran him,” he explained. “The man’s so arrogant, he didn’t think I stood a chance.”
Cora Jane chuckled. “Well, whatever brings you by, I’m happy to see you, though I imagine you’ll be around quite a lot over the next couple of weeks.”
“That seems to be the plan,” Ethan said, clearly not overjoyed about it.
“What he meant to say, Cora Jane, is that he’s looking forward to the wedding,” Greg interpreted. “We’re still working on his manners now that he’s back in polite society.”
“Bite me,” Ethan murmured in an undertone, though he managed a contrite look for Cora Jane’s benefit. “Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize on my account. I’ve heard plenty worse. Now, tell me, has your waitress taken your order?”
“She has,” Greg said cheerfully. “She told us it should be right out.”
Cora Jane nodded. “Let me check on it. The kitchen’s been pretty backed up today. I’ll have her refresh your drinks while you’re waiting.”
As she was walking away, she overheard Ethan say, “She’s up to something. You mark my words.”
No sooner had he made the statement than he added, his tone a mix of triumph