Page 57 of The Corner of Heartbreak and Forever
“Really? You won’t mind?”
“Absolutely. Let’s do this, Gracie. It’ll be fun to see you in action.”
Cheers rang out, and in the next second, the ladies were hugging one another—and Reed—and making plans as they headed inside the house.
As he led Janie and her pup into the dining room, she said, “Thank you for sharing Grace with us today. I promise we won’t always barge in like this.”
He took in Grace’s smile as she opened her laptop, chatting excitedly about casting and production calendars. This was something else his house—their house—had been missing from the day he’d bought it. He could create beauty, but insurmountable love and friendships could only come from the heart.
Their house was becoming ahome.
“You’re welcome anytime, Janie. It’s not barging in when our door is always open.”
Chapter Eighteen
AFTER ONLY A few days of staying with Reed, Grace felt like she had never lived anywhere else. Monday morning they’d picked up the rest of her things from her parents’ house, including Greedy Boy. The giant bear now sat on a beautiful, tufted velvet antique chair that Reed claimed he’d brought home because they’dneededit, but Grace had a feeling he’d bought it for the bear. His ever-present nostalgia was just one more thing she loved about him. Nothing beat waking up in his arms and creating new memories and future dreams with the man who knew her best, except maybefinallybeing able to openly spend time with their families. They’d taken Roy and Ella to the Stardust Café for dinner last night. It was wonderful to see how protective Reed was of his aunt and uncle and how loving they were toward him. They’d extended that warmth to Grace as if she’d always been part of their family. This morning she and Reed had jogged into town as the sun rose over the mountains and talked about all the things Reed could do with the Majestic. They’d even arrived at her parents’ house early enough to have breakfast with them before Reed started painting the porch.
Now it was midafternoon, and Grace was in the gazebo working through emails about her next production, while also stealing glances at Reed painting the gingerbread around the porch. He was shirtless, his jeans riding low on his hips as he stood on the ladder, steadying himself with one hand on the edge of the roof as he painted. Reed had worked with her group Sunday morning straight through the afternoon. Grace had since had time to read the whole script, and while it needed a few adjustments, it was a beautiful mix of generations, with themes of old-fashioned family values and modern youth all wrapped up with more than a hint of rebellion and an overwhelming amount of humor. She and the girls continued meeting in Amber’s bookstore, as Grace had promised to teach the class in order to help her sister gain customers. That’s why they’d decided to make flyers asking for volunteers for the play, and distribute them at local shops and at the high school. Anyone who was interested could meet them at their class. Nana and the girls had taken charge of that endeavor yesterday, and Grace hoped they’d get at least a few willing participants. The girls were so excited, she didn’t want them to be let down.
Reed looked over, his cheeks lifting with that sexy, crooked smile that always sent shivers of awareness through her. She loved him so intensely. She hadn’t known what she was missing.
She blew him a kiss just as her phone rang, and her stomach sank when Satchel’s name appeared on the screen.
“Don’t kill the messenger,” Satchel said before she could say a word.
She sighed heavily. “What’s Keagen doing now?” She listened to a litany of complaints, from his bitching about the talent of the supporting actors to his unprofessional behavior onset. Another call beeped through, and she glanced at the screen.Amber.“Hold on, Satchel. I have another call.”
She switched over. “Hey, Amber.”
“Grace, you’vegotto get over here.”
“Why? We don’t have class today.”
“My phone has been ringing off the hook,” Amber said in a hushed and hurried tone. “You didn’t tell me you put flyers out. My store ispacked.”
“I don’t think the girls put them out yet, but that’s good news. Do you need help with the register? I can be there in fifteen minutes.” The perfect excuse to end her call with Satchel.
“Just get here. I need more than register help.”
After ending the call, she told Satchel to deal with the issues and reminded him that she was supposed to be taking time off. Then she went and filled Reed in on where she was headed.
He wrapped his arms around her. His skin was warm from the sun, and when he touched his lips to hers, she wished she could stay right there in his embrace forever.
His phone vibrated, and he pulled it out of his pocket, quickly scanning a text. “It’s Roy.”
“You can get back to him. I have to run to the bookstore.”
He tightened his grip as he slid his phone into his pocket. “I’ll callhimlater and kiss younow.”
Twenty-five minutes later, which was totally Reed’s fault for kissing her until she almost forgot Amber was expecting her, she walked into the bookstore. Or rather, shesqueezedin. There was barely room to inch into the store, as people filled every aisle.
“Grace!” Amber waved from behind the counter, looking a bit frazzled.
“Grace?” someone called out from the back of the store. “I can help with makeup!”
Suddenly people began calling out to her as the crowd pushed forward like concertgoers trying to get backstage. Energy radiated through the shop, as real as the encroaching crowd. Grace mouthed,What’s going on?to Amber as she pushed through a gaggle of girls hanging around the checkout area.
Amber held up a flyer, and Grace quickly read it. WANT TO BE A STAR?COME TO THESTORYTIME BOOKSTORE!WE NEED ACTORS AND VOLUNTEERS FOR…It went on to describe the play and list all the areas in which they needed help. Grace was overwhelmed with the realization that all these people had come out to help.
