Page 31 of Save the Last Dance
She kicked herself for sounding like a twelve-year-old goofball.
Ethan shrugged. “If we’re leaving town together, we ought to at least hang out first. Don’t you think?”
Ally had been waiting forever to hear himsay something like that. How could a day that started out so awful turn out so amazing?
Too bad she didn’t have a chance in hell of escaping the house tonight. For a second she considered sneaking out after her parents were asleep, but she worried about the medicine she’d taken and the rawness of her arms that still throbbed.
“I would like that.” Her voice caught on the words, her emotions all tangled as she turned toward him. “But I can’t tonight because I’m…grounded.” It was the first thing that came to mind. “But I could tomorrow.”
“Grounded?” Ethan’s hazel eyes roamed over her. “Your life sure isn’t anything like I imagined, Ally.”
Was that good or bad? She was finally starting to get Ethan’s attention, but now she was lying to him about some things and keeping him in the dark about others. If only she’d waited to freak out about Rachel Wagoner’s stupid announcement, Ally might have been having the best day of her life right now.
“Believe me, it’s not the way I want it to be.” She edged closer, just in case he was thinking about kissing her. “But soon, I’m going to change all that.”
“If you’re going to dream, dream big.” Ethan reached and smoothed a strand of hair away from her cheek. “And I like how you dream.”
Ally’s mouth went dry at that small, barely-there touch. She swayed closer. Longing. Hoping.
“When can I pick you up?” he asked, surprising her out of her swoony moment.
“Hmm?” She blinked.
“Tomorrow. When do you want me to come by?”
“Um. Anytime after lunch.” Maybe by then she’d have slept off the sedative and today’s scary moods. She wanted to be able to focuson Ethan.
Maybe even snag that kiss.
“See you then.” He lingered for a second and she licked her lips.
Just in case.
“Yup, see you then.” She didn’t make any move to head inside, either.
A breeze stirred the scent of moonflowers twining down a nearby column. Stars filled the sky above the horizon. For a moment, she breathed in the scent of cinnamon gum as Ethan leaned closer.
“Night, Ally,” he said softly before he turned and stalked off into the night.
She leaned onto the rail with her elbows for a second until pain splintered through her sore arms. Straightening, she watched Ethan get into his truck and reverse out of the driveway. It should have been the happiest night of her life. Ethan had come over to ask her to go somewhere with him. He’d touched her.
Except that she hadn’t told him about the crushing weight on her chest that made her feel like the world was folding in on itself some days. She hadn’t mentioned that seeing him laughing with a classmate had sent her into the ER. It was the wrong way to start a relationship. Because this wasEthan,her crush.
Somehow, she’d find a way to make it work. By the time they left town together, they would be a couple and they would be old enough to be on their own. Ally couldn’t wait to start a new life far away from Heartache.
“So I canput you down to make some sandwiches?” Nina’s finger hovered over the touchscreen keyboard on her digital tablet. She’d visited the Owl’s Roost diner on theoutskirts of Heartache in the hope that she could get help with the Harvest Fest food. “That turkey, Swiss and pear combo sounds great.”
Rodney Baker had been running the Roost since she was a kid. He stared at her now as they sat in his office behind the kitchen. Just outside the door, the scent of bacon and sausage hung in the air while the cook shouted for wait staff to pick up their orders. Beyond the kitchen, Gram sat in a corner booth visiting with Mrs. Baker, who was an old classmate of Gram’s.
Rodney turned to consult a calendar on the wall.
“The festival is coming up soon,” he observed, scrubbing a hand over the bristly gray whiskers along his jaw.
“I only just came on board to help with the food service, but I’m sure we can pull it off.” Especially if he said yes to the sandwiches. She had vendors who’d signed on to provide country ham, smoked catfish, barbecue ribs and a few other specialties, but Owl’s Roost had sandwiches that would help round out the offerings for festival-goers. “If you choose to have your own booth, you can provide whatever menu items they want to feature, of course. Then we’ll fill in with whatever foods we still need through the kitchen on-site. We’ll make some seasonal fare, too.”
She’d already researched pumpkin and apple recipes and planned to visit with local farmers about providing fresh produce.
“How about a Heartache Cupcake?” Rodney teased, tapping the edge of her tablet. “You should make a note in there about that.”
