Page 50 of The Corner of Heartbreak and Forever
“And I should really go for a run later. Will you go with me?”
“What is with you and exercise? You’re gorgeous.”
“It keeps me sane. Relieves stress.”
“Why are you stressed?” He drew her into his arms again. Some people lived on deep breaths; he lived on moments with Grace.
“I’m not right now, actually. I just realized that. But I’m used to working out a few times a week, andnothorizontally. Everyone has their crutches. You work with your hands all day—andnight. My job is mentally taxing, and sometimes I feel like I need to give all that mental chaos a breather.”
“I get it, and I’ll go for a run with you anytime you’d like. But it might be more fun to head out for a hike or, I don’t know, play Frisbee or something.”
“I love both of those ideas!” Her phone rang, and she pulled it out of her back pocket. “Ugh.Speaking of mental chaos, this is work. Sorry. I’ll try to be quick.” She stepped off the porch as she answered the call and walked toward his truck. “No, Satchel. That’s not how this works.” She held up one finger, indicating she needed a minute, and walked away, speaking sternly into the phone.
Reed locked up and sat on the porch steps. Ten minutes later he was still waiting. He walked down to the creek so she wouldn’t feel pressured and sat in the long grass listening to the leaves rustle and the gentle trickle of the water. Most creeks had an earthy, pungent smell, but the creeks in Virginia had always smelled sweeter to him than those in Michigan. The same way the small towns seemed friendlier and the air felt crisper. None of that was true, of course. He was well aware of his bias toward his hometown. He’d missed the closeness of the community and the ease of the friendships while he’d been in Michigan. His life had been a race. First trying to outrun his heartache and later focusing on anything except the emptiness inside him. Losing Alina had been a relief, and though losing his business had been painful, looking back, that business had only been a mask, a safe distraction from what was missing from his life.
He felt Grace’s presence behind him before he heard the swishing of grass or smelled her sweet perfume. He pushed to his feet, trying to read her troubled expression, and gathered her in his arms. “Whose butt do I need to kick?”
“You can’t fix it that way. Besides, Satchel would take one look at you and run the other way.”
“Satchel? What kind of name is that?”
“His real name is Samuel, but Samuel isn’t exactly an artistic name. He’s the casting director, and he’s wonderful. But the lead actor in the play is apparently being a real numskull. He hooked up with one of the cast members, and he’s decided to be a jerk to any guy who looks at her. What is wrong with men, anyway? It’s like the minute they sleep with a woman they think they either own her or they’re over her. There’s no middle ground.”
“Are you really asking me that? You don’t think women are the same way?”
“Of course not.”
He arched a brow.
“What? I’m not mean to women who look at you, and trust me, most every woman who walks by checks you out. Even my sisters.”
“And how do you handle it? Do you say, ‘Yeah, he’s hot. Go for it.’”
She knocked him with her shoulder. “Seriously?”
“Don’t tell me the minute we slept together you thought youownedme,” he teased.
“We hadn’t even slept toge—”
“Glad you see my point.” He gave her a chaste kiss and draped an arm over her shoulder as they headed for his truck. “So, what did Satchel expect you to do about it from four hundred miles away?”
“He’s just keeping me in the loop. In theory, the staff should be able to deal with and manage the chaos. In reality, it can be like herding cubs, and sometimes they’ll only listen to Mama Bear.”
“Just let me know if you need backup.”
“I can handle it. But from now on I’m only hiring castrated males and women who will agree to wear chastity belts.”
Twenty minutes later they entered the Stardust Café. Every red vinyl stool at the counter in the casual, retro-style café was taken, and the booths were nearly as packed.
“Y’all come right in here and sit at the counter.” Winona Hanson, a fortysomething redhead powered by enough sass to fuel a steam engine, waved them over. Speaking to a brunette sitting at the counter, she said, “Ali, would you and Walter mind taking that corner booth, please? I have a bone to pick with these two lovebirds.”
“We can sit in the booth,” Grace offered.
Winona crossed her arms, locking her forest-green eyes on Grace. “Oh no youcannot.”
The brunette slid off the stool, revealing a very pregnant belly, and threw her arms around Grace. “Gracie! Ali Parker, remember me? Big Ali? Well, AliLarsonnow. I haven’t seen you in ages! The town’s all abuzz about you two.”
“Ali!” Grace’s surprise was evident in the pitch of her voice. “Oh my goodness, you look incredible! And you’re having a baby!”
