Page 14 of The Corner of Heartbreak and Forever
He helped her into the truck, and said, “At least not the clothes anyone else saw.”
He closed the door and sauntered around the truck to the driver’s side as if he hadn’t nearly made her swallow her tongue.
REED WAS SCREWED. Royally messed up. He put on the heat in the cab of the truck for Grace, but he was sweating like a bulldog. She’d always heated him up from the inside out, but now that they’d kissed, he couldn’t stop thinking about doing it again. They had things to work out, but man…
He tried to focus on the road, but he couldn’t think past Grace being beside him again. Had she always been there, even in her absence? Was that why he’d never fallen for anyone else?
As if guided by echoes of their past, he drove to the Majestic Theater at the edge of town. The stone theater had more character than any other property for miles around. He parked at the front entrance, which was curved, bowing outward in a semicircle, with a black-and-white painted marquee above a set of weathered maroon and glass double doors that read MA EST C(the “c” was missing the curve at the top). The side entrance was taller, with two grand, and horrifically marred, stone pillars with ionic capitals on either side of the arched doorway, and above, the frieze, or the horizontal portion above the columns, had alternating patterns of triglyphs and metopes usually found in Greek architecture. Reed imagined the building in pristine condition, with its low sloped roofs of varying heights, which made it look as if it were layered. The front doors were flanked by boarded-up spaces where windows had once been, giving the building the appearance of a sleeping, aged monster.
Reed wanted to get his hands on the beast and bring it back to its original beauty. It had been abandoned since they were kids, which had made the field behind the building the perfect make-out spot. His pulse kicked up, remembering the night they’d both lost their virginity in that field.
Good times.
He felt Grace glaring at him.
“Seriously? Here?” She laughed under her breath.
“I thought we weren’t hiding from our past.” He stepped from the truck and grabbed his extra pair of jeans from behind his seat, aware of Grace watching him as he stripped off his drenched jeans.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Taking off my wet clothes.”
“Oh my gosh.” She turned and looked out the passenger window.
“It’s not like you haven’t seen me naked before.”
“Still! That was years ago!” she snapped, shielding her eyes with her hand. “You keep clothes in your truck?”
“Pants and a shirt. I’ll have to go commando.” He finished putting on his dry pants and then came around to help her out.
She scowled as she climbed from the truck. “Did you say that just so I’d think about you being naked under those jeans?”
“No, but now that you said that, it’s a nice benefit.” He chuckled as she rolled her eyes.
“I just can’t believe you brought me here.”
“Where did you want me to take you? It’s not like the house I bought came furnished, and besides, I’m still renovating, and you’re staying with your parents. Come on, it’ll be like old times.”
“No, it willnot. You promised to keep your lips to yourself.”
“Yeah, butyoudidn’t.” He grabbed hold of her hand with the tease and led her around the theater, to the very spot where they’d spent dozens of nights lost in each other’s arms. She tried to pull her hand free, but he held on tight. He knew his Gracie, and she would storm off and walk home before she’d admit to wanting to kiss him. He wasn’t about to let that happen. They needed to talk.
She finally stopped trying to yank free and said, “Wait. I just realized what you said. I thought you were just here helping your uncle. You bought ahouse?”
“I told you I’m not going anywhere. I’ve been here for four months, and your parents’ porch is the last of my uncle’s company’s commitments. I’ve made solid investments. I can afford to be picky and only take on projects that I’m excited about. I’ve got some irons in the fire. I’m joining forces with my uncle so he’ll never be in this position again. It’s about time Cross and Son made our debut.”
They stopped walking and both looked out over the abandoned railroad tracks, the boundary line between Meadowside and Oak Falls. They’d always sat on the Oak Falls side of the tracks, though as far as Reed remembered, it hadn’t been a conscious decision. Now he wondered if it really had. He’d have done anything to make sure Grace was comfortable.
“Cross andSon.” Her expression warmed. “That’s great, Reed. That’s what you had hoped to do when we were kids. But does that mean your father never came around?”
He gazed into the darkness, trying to mask the anger toward his absentee father that never failed to simmer just beneath his skin. “Nope, but I’m over it. The last thing I need in my life is someone who doesn’t want to be there.”
“That’s a shame. I’m so sorry. I’d hoped you two might one day have a relationship.”
She looked sweetly sexy with his sweatshirt hiding her gorgeous figure, and genuinely hurt for him, with an unsure look in her eyes. Her hair was wild from their struggles in the creek, and her long legs were like roads to a treasure trove of smart, sassiness, and sultry seduction. As gorgeous as she was, it had always been Grace’s heart that he’d been most attracted to. She’d worried endlessly over him, her siblings, and mostly Sable, who acted like the last thing she wanted was an overprotective sister. He’d secretly wondered if that big heart of hers might become her downfall, causing her to decide not to leave home for college, or when she did, to come running back, giving up her dreams to make sure they were all okay.
But Grace had proven to be even stronger than he’d imagined. Not that he’d hoped she’d give up her dreams for him, but he’d worried she might. He’d been so conflicted back then, he’d supported her dreams instead of confessing how much he’d wanted her to stay.
