Page 61 of The Corner of Heartbreak and Forever
When Roy had shown up at their house minutes after Reed had sent Frank away, he’d listened to Reed complain for a long time. Roy had always been good at knowing when to listen and when to push. The thing was, the few words he’d said were still battering Reed’s head.That man’s your blood, and where you take it from here is your decision. But keep in mind, your mama loved him, and she was no pushover.
He stood up a little taller for the man who had raised him and said, “You know that feeling when you’re working on an old foundation and you pull out a brick only to find that what lay behind it was never solid?”
Roy rubbed a hand over his jaw and lifted his brows. “So, you find a bit of decay, some crumbled mortar. Son, how many times has a poorly built foundation ever gotten the best of you? You’re a Cross. You find the best parts of everything, and you breathe life into them. It’s who you are at your very core. Nothing behind those bricks is strong enough to change that. The question is, are you strong enough to face it? I believe you are.”
Grace’s fingers slid into Reed’s, offering silent support. Reed thought about how they’d hidden their relationship and how much potential angst they’d saved by doing so. They could have challenged those old rivalries and they could have spent their senior year of high school arguing with their friends. His answer didn’t come easily, but it came just the same. “Sometimes just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should. Come on. I assume Meggie’s already inside? Let’s go check out our next project.”
Inside the lobby, Reed was as awestruck as the others, just as he’d been when he’d first seen the multicolored inlaid marble floors and intricate woodwork around the refreshment counter.
“Just like I remember,” Ella said as she wrapped her hand around Roy’s arm and snuggled closer. “It was right here at this counter that your uncle proposed to me.”
“At thepopcorncounter?” Reed laughed. “Real romantic, Roy.”
“It was more romantic than roses and diamonds,” Ella said. “He pointed to the soda fountain, which was right there at the time, and asked me what I wanted to drink. I told him it didn’t matter. I’d share whatever he was having.”
“And I said, ‘How about you share the rest of my life with me?’” Roy leaned down and kissed Ella. “If I were able to do it all over again, I’d probably do it just the same way. I caught you off guard and got you to agree to marry me before you had time to think about it. I’d say that’s the biggestwinof my life.”
“Oh, Roy.” Ella wrinkled her nose.
“I think it’s perfectly romantic.” Grace squeezed Reed’s hand. “It was on this property that Reed first told me he loved me.”
The look in her eyes told Reed she was remembering that night as clearly as he was. He’d told her he loved her behind the theater, as they lay kissing, naked as the day they were born, beneath a blanket of stars, only moments before they’d made love for the very first time. Afterward, as they lay in each other’s arms, basking in the aftermath, he’d gazed into her eyes and said,I’m going to marry you one day.And he’d meant it.
The heels of Meggie’s boots tapped out a hurried rhythm as she raced out of the auditorium in a red paisley dress belted around her thick waist, with a short jean jacket over it. Her blond hair was gathered on one side in a pretty braid, a few long, wispy bangs framing her rosy cheeks and bright brown eyes.
“Hey, y’all! I’m so glad you made it out. Isn’t this place just todiefor! Can you believe the shape it’s in?” Her arms moved animatedly as she spoke. “Gracie Montgomery, get on in here and give me a hug, girl!”
The amusement in Grace’s eyes was priceless as she embraced her old friend.
“Hi, Meg. It’s been a long time,” Grace said. “It’s nice to see you. You look gorgeous.”
“It’sMeggie.” She patted her hair and set one hand on her rounded hip. “Yes, I do look mighty fine, don’t I? After all those years of being thin as a twig, I finally got my groove on. Country livin’ will keep a girl in shape.” She dragged her gaze down Grace’s body, taking in her blousy blue top, skinny jeans, and high-heeled boots. “Looks like the city’s gotten its trendy claws into you.” She waved her hand and lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “Don’t you worry yourself none. I’m sure Ella can plump up those hips, give Reed something to hang on to. You must not have time to eat with your crazy schedule, Miss Big-Time Producer.” She gave a littlewhoopand headed back toward the theater, motioning for them to follow. “Wait until you see the auditorium. Reed sure got a steal on this baby…”
Grace looked down at her body as they walked in, and Reed pulled her close and whispered, “You’re perfect, baby. Thin, fat, in the middle, makes no difference. It’s what’s inside that counts.”
“My heart?” Grace said softly.
“Well, I was talking about what’s beneath those clothes, but your heart works, too.” He chuckled, dodging her hand as she swatted at him.
A look of awe came over Grace as she took in the auditorium’s domed ceiling, elaborate chandeliers, and balconies. “This is gorgeous, and it’s in amazing shape. I can’t believe it.”
“It sure is,” Meggie said.
As Meggie ran through the details of the property at breakneck speed, Grace whispered ideas to Reed. “There’s so much you can do here—presentations, weddings, outdoor movies. But you have to crunch the numbers. It’s easy to get carried away and excited, but it takes money to keep a theater afloat. And in a place like Oak Falls, you need to have a niche.”
The more ideas Grace had, the more infectious her enthusiasm became, and by the time they’d toured the whole facility, everyone was tossing out ideas.
“You could have Tweet seats,” Grace suggested.
“I hear they do that in the bigger cities, give away seats so people can tweet during the show and drum up buzz,” Meggie said. “I bet you’d have customers from all the neighboring areas.”
“And a mailer,” Ella offered. “We used to do them for Roy’s company when things got slow. People love to get mail.”
“Yes, but these days email works better, and it’s more cost-effective,” Grace said. “I read about one stage company that put a call out for original material, and they received more than fourhundredsubmissions.”
“That sounds like a job in and of itself, to weed through them.” Reed inhaled deeply.
“Yes, but it also gave the company an identity, a niche,” Grace explained. “They’re now known for producing original plays, and they have an audience of more than thirty thousand loyal followers from all over the world, not just their small town.”
