Page 62 of The Corner of Heartbreak and Forever
Reed was blown away. “I know very little about running a theater, but you guys are way ahead of me. I still have to do all the work, remember? That’s going to take a long time. I’ve got meetings scheduled next week with subcontractors to discuss the project, and my buddy Graham Braden, a structural engineer, will come down and help me out when I’m ready. But hiring is a long way off, and while I thought I’d hire people to run it, you’re talking about really specific experience. I’m not sure we have that around here.”
“Sure we do.” Ella looked adoringly at Grace. “She’s just living someplace else. But Grace could teach someone.”
“Oh, Ella, I don’t know about that,” Grace said. “But if you start small, I’m sure you can find someone with enough experience to get it off the ground.”
“I know just the person!” Meggie exclaimed. “I had a client, Mr. Mosby, who’s niece was in theater in Chicago. Mr. Mosby said she was talking about moving back to Whisper Creek to be near her mama, who’s been living overseas for the past few years. Her mama had married a rich French man and, well, I guess he found a younger model. Mr. Mosby said she was over the moon about the reunion. Can you imagine? After all those years? Why, I think I’d cry a river if I went that long without seeing my mama…”
She continued talking, but Reed’s mind had taken a detour, and now he was thinking about Frank again. Tension puddled in his gut, seeping through his veins, until his jaw was so tight he stepped away from the group to keep them from noticing.
Meggie followed him and said, “Anyway, if you go that direction, I’d be happy to reach out to Mr. Mosby and connect you two, if you’d like.”
Reed gritted his teeth, trying to temper his frustration. Why couldn’t he put Frank out of his head? “Thanks, Meggie. I’ll keep that in mind. I think we’ve seen enough. I appreciate you coming out.”
“Okeydokey. I’ll see you at settlement. You just give me a holler if you need me between now and then.” She winked at Grace and said, “But I’d imagine you’ll be a little busy as long as Grace is in town.”
They headed outside, and after Meggie drove way, Grace said, “Are you okay?”
His gut reaction was to say yes, to shrug off his angst and move on, but the concern in Grace’s eyes deserved the truth. “Just trying to shake off some history of my own.”
“Frank?” she asked. “Maybe you just need to talk to him. Hear what he has to say. He is your father, Reed.”
Reed shook his head and pointed to Roy. “That man is, and always will be, my father.”
“Son, I love you—you know that—but you are one stubborn son of a gun.” Roy held his gaze as he closed the distance between them.
“You want me to talk to that guy?” Reed tried to temper his anger, but it bubbled out in his rising voice. “The guy who turned his back on me? Who tossed me in your laps with no regard for what life plans you had?”
“Hey,” Ella said sharply. “Don’t you go there, sweetheart. The minute you were born, you took hold of our hearts and you’ve never let go.”
“I’m sorry, Ella. I know that,” he conceded. “I didn’t mean it like that. I meant—”
“Weknowwhat you meant,” Roy said. “And we know how difficult this is for you, because we’re just as tormented by his reappearing in our lives. But he’s your fathe—”
“No,” Reed hollered. “You’remy father. You will always be my father. As far as I’m concerned, he’s just the man who supplied the sperm. No more important than an anonymous donor.”
Sadness washed over Roy as he placed his hands on Reed’s shoulders and spoke solemnly. “No, son. I’m the lucky man who got to raise you. But he’ll always be your father. You can’t deny blood any more than you can deny that a part of your mother lives on in your love of history.”
Reed tried to twist out of his uncle’s grip, but Roy held him too tight. “I’m finallyhappyandwhole, and you want me to put it all on the line for a guy who couldn’t give his own son the time of day?”
“No,” Roy said, hands tightening on Reed’s shoulders. “I want you tothinkabout this long and hard before you run from it.”
“I’ve never run from a thing,” Reed seethed.
Roy’s gaze darted to Grace for only a fraction of a second, but that was long enough for Reed to connect the dots back to when he’d left town after high school.
Roy lowered his hands and said, “You feel whole right now because you think you’re in control and because you have us and Grace and a project to bury your thoughts in. But that anger you’re carrying around will eat away at you worse than anything Frank could ever say. All I’m asking is that you think about talking to him and deal with the anger before it deals with you.”
“I have nothing to say to him,” Reed said tightly.
“You don’t have to convince me, son,” Roy said. “Just ask yourself one question. When you have children of your own, what will you tell them about your father? That he came to talk to you and you turned him away? Are you going to spread your anger to your children? Have them hate the man for what he did to you? Because I sure hope we raised you better than that.”
Ella stepped tentatively toward Reed. “We love you, honey, and we’ll support whatever you decide.”
“Will you?” Reed kept his eyes trained on Roy, who nodded curtly, then headed for his truck.
Chapter Twenty-One
TENSION ROLLED OFF Reed like gusts of wind as he climbed rigidly into the driver’s seat, his jaw working overtime. He started the truck and gripped the steering wheel so tight his knuckles blanched. Grace knew of only one way to tame that type of emotional turmoil—complete and utter sidetracking.
