Page 29 of The Corner of Heartbreak and Forever
She rolled over, nearly squishing Clayton, and hugged Greedy Boy, thinking about Reed’s confession. She had been so upset hearing about hisalmostengagement, she hadn’t slowed down enough to think about what he’d gone through and how much that betrayal must have hurt. She glanced at the curtains, wishing he were there so she could talk with him about it.
She grabbed a handful of M&M’s from the nightstand and shoved them in her mouth. She reached for another handful and stopped herself. If she was going to eat like this, she needed to sign up for a gym. Three weeks of eating junk would add at least five pounds to her hips.
Unless Reed and I can work it off.
Pleased with that idea, she ate a few more M&M’s, deciding she’d start running tomorrow morning. Even if they worked off the junk food, she was used to exercising in the mornings, and she might go stir crazy if she didn’t.
She scrolled through her other texts and read one from Sable—Hank just came into my shop. He said the café’s buzzing about you and Reed.
Great. Hank and his wife, Pearl, owned the Stardust Café. Now that they were in their late seventies, their daughter, Winona, basically ran the place. Reed’s voice sailed through her mind.Let them talk all they want. Pretty soon nobody will remember a time when we weren’t together. Most of all, you.He was so sure of himself, and he always had been. It was one of the many things she loved about him.
She sent Sable a quick reply.Thanks for leaving the front door open for me. I was afraid I might wake the dogs.
Sable’s reply came seconds later.I took care of that when I got in at 2.Her text ended with a winking emoji. Sable flaunted her sexuality like a flag, much like Brindle.
She read a text from Sophie next.Did you get your GREED on last night? I want all the details!Instead of texting, Grace called.
Sophie answered on the second ring. “That good, huh?”
“You have no idea, Soph. I’m still recovering.” She went into the bathroom and turned on the shower.
“It’s about time you fed your hunger for that man.”
She wasn’t even going to pretend she hadn’t compared every man she’d gone out with to Reed. “You know I’m all about being careful and making sure I know where I’m headed.”
“That’s why we’re besties. We could have come from the same womb.”
“Then tell me if I’m crazy, please. You can’t tell anyone this, but he was almost engaged, and she cheated on him. He says he was never in love with her. Am I nuts to believe him? When we’re together, it’s like the past decade was a blip in our lives and we were meant to find each other again. But that only happens in fairy tales, right? I’m being stupid?”
“I hate cheaters, andno, you’re not crazy or stupid. You’re following your heart. You followed it to New York City, and you made your dreams come true. Why not enjoy Reed? You know he’s your forever-kiss guy.” Sophie’s family had a long-running belief that the person someone was destined to be with was the one whose kisses lasted long after they left the room.
Reed’s kisses had lasted for years. “Maybe so.”
A call beeped through, and she saw Amber’s name on the screen. “That’s Amber. I’ve got to take it. I start teaching the class this afternoon. I’ll text you later.”
“I forgot to tell you, Nana signed up for your class. Have fun with that! Bye!” Sophie’s grandmother, Nina, who everyone calledNana, was like a grandmother to Grace, and she was known around town for celebratingeveryholiday and event as if it were her last. She also had absolutely no filter. Sable and Brindle could have been her daughters.
Grace switched over to Amber’s call. “Hey, Amb. Don’t worry. I’m going to be there well before the class. I was thinking I’d come over a little early to get set up.”
“Sounds good. I wanted to let you know we had a fifth signup. My friend Janie, the erotic romance writer, will be joining you.”
“That’s great. This should be fun. Janie is blind, right?”
“Yes. That’s why I was calling. She said if you email her the documents, she has a program that can read them to her. Are there any materials that will need to be handled differently?”
“No. That’s perfect. Other than the class outline, everything is verbal and done in class on the computers. Send me her email address and I’ll send her the information.”
They talked for a few more minutes, and after ending the call, Grace took a shower and got ready for the day. She took extra time with her hair and makeup, excited to see Reed this morning, glad he was working on her parents’ porch. She peeked out the curtains, but the porch was empty. She smelled the flowers he’d given her, which sat on the nightstand beside the bed, where her mother must have put them after they left for their date. Feeling like she was walking on air, she dressed in the cute navy miniskirt and white silk tank she planned to wear to class and slipped her feet into a pair of strappy sandals. She snagged her phone and messenger bag with her work for the day in it and headed down to the kitchen for coffee.
Reba greeted her with a nose to the crotch. Grace shifted sideways and pet her. “Good morning to you, too, Reba. Where’s your sister?”
“Sit, Reba,” her mother said.
The pup plopped down on her butt, her tongue lolling out of her mouth as Grace set her bag on the counter.
“Dolly went with Dad to the library,” her mother said, and handed Grace a cup of coffee. “How are you, sweetheart?”
“Fine. Thanks for the coffee.” She took a sip and glanced out the side door, looking for Reed’s truck. He wasn’t there yet. She thought about texting to see when he would arrive, but that felt a little clingy, so she turned away from the door.
