Chapter Twenty
IN A SPAN of forty-eight hours a man could reunite and fall in love with his high school sweetheart, he could finish renovating a Victorian porch, and, Reed discovered, his house could become a home. What he didn’t expect was that just as quickly that home could become the place where his demons came back to haunt him. Reed stood in the kitchen, staring at the shoe box and wondering if it held the answers he’d always wanted or decades of hurt. Twice he’d driven by that damned hotel at the edge of town where Frank was staying. And twice he’d cursed a blue streak and driven away.
He still wasn’t ready to play that game of Russian roulette.
“I’m ready,” Grace said as she rushed down the stairs. They were meeting Meggie, Roy, and Ella at the Majestic to take a tour of the inside. “Sorry we ran late with the auditions today. I can’t believe how many people want a part in this play. I changed as quickly as I could.”
He closed his eyes for a moment to regain control of his emotions and felt her arms circle his waist. Her cheek pressed warm and loving against his back, and he reached behind him, keeping her close. She’d been careful not to push him toward seeing Frank, but he knew in his heart she thought he should. He also knew she didn’t need any more angst in her life. She had enough on her plate with running around town to coordinate the play, dealing with the director about her next production, which seemed to take hours of emails, texts, and phone calls, and handling the asshole actor who was causing problems on her current production. Reed wanted to head to the city and shake the shit out of him, tell him to grow up and do his fucking job. It was probably a good thing Grace was more levelheaded, because his unresolved anger and hurt toward Frank made him less than rational. He tried to concentrate on Grace and happier things, like the fact that he finished the porch two days early, celebrating this coming Friday night with their families at the barbecue, and buying the Majestic. He needed the distraction of that project now more than ever, as Grace’s—and Frank’s—departure loomed.
Grace spread her hands over his stomach and said, “How about if we move the box out of sight until you’re ready to deal with it?”
He turned and embraced her, telling himself to man up and look in the damn thing already. She smiled up at him, and it sliced right through the heartache to his very soul. Grace was what mattered, not his past. He’d never be able to bring his mother back, and no matter what Frank had to say, it wouldn’t repair the damage he’d done. It was time to close that door for good, and putting the box away was a start.
He pressed his lips to hers and then said, “I’ll put it away after we get back. Everyone’s probably waiting for us.”
They arrived at the same time as Roy and Ella and greeted them outside the theater.
“Grace, we’re excited to see your family Friday night.” Ella embraced Grace. “It was awfully nice of your mother to invite us.”
“Everyone is looking forward to it. Amber is even planning to close her bookstore early so she can be there.” Grace looked lovingly at Reed and said, “Reed did such an amazing job on the porch, Mom and Dad want to break it in properly. I think the words my father used were ‘timeless perfection.’”
“This get-together is a long time coming,” Reed said.
As Grace and Ella talked about the barbecue, Roy ran an assessing eye over Reed and slung an arm over his shoulder. “How are you holding up?”
When Roy had shown up at their house minutes after Reed had sent Frank away, he’d listened to Reed bitch 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 the popcorn counter?” 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 biggest win of 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 thick 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 to die for! 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’s Meggie.” 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 little whoop and 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 four hundred submissions.”
“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.”
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 Wishing 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 the hell 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—”
“We know what 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’re my 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.”
“Goddamn it.” Reed tried to twist out of his uncle’s grip, but Roy held him too tight. “I’m finally happy and whole, 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 to think about 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 as hell 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.