Chapter Five
THE HEAT OF the fire warmed Grace, but she was still shivering, and she knew it had more to do with nerves than cold as she stood in the wet grass beside Reed. Even the heavy musk of burning wood wasn’t enough to erase Reed’s alluring scent. If confidence and loyalty had a scent, it would smell like Reed. The thought was odd, given how badly he’d hurt her by leaving town, but it was there in her head, as real as the man standing beside her. He looked like a million bucks in drenched denim and soaked cotton, while her sisters had made fun of her city dress—a simple princess-waisted summer dress with diamond patterns and an A-line skirt—amplifying her insecurities about not fitting in with the country setting.
“Sorry I startled you this morning,” Reed said as he stepped closer, his arm brushing hers.
Had he always insisted on standing so close? It wasn’t exactly awkward standing there with him, but it wasn’t completely comfortable, either. She didn’t know how to react to the tingling his touch sparked, or where to start in the whole coming-clean process. But she didn’t like anyone knowing she wasn’t in complete control and said, “It’s okay. Sorry if I was bitchy, but nobody warned me you were here.”
“Who could have warned you? Nobody knew about us back then except my aunt and uncle.” He glanced at the people climbing out of the creek. “It’s like we were some kind of dirty little secret.”
She swallowed hard against the truth. “We were a secret, but not dirty. Just young and stupid. Sable and Sophie knew. They both covered for me sometimes, remember? But I think Sable gets a kick out of shocking me.”
He laughed softly, eyeing her rebellious sister, who was playing the guitar across the lawn. “I had forgotten about Sable knowing. I guess we don’t owe her one anymore.” His gaze swept down Grace’s body, and an appreciative smile lifted his lips. “You look incredible tonight.”
“Thanks, but according to Brindle and Morgyn, my dress looks matronly.” She tugged at the wet material clinging to her legs. “It’s perfect for a summer party in the city, but I sort of stick out like a sore thumb here.”
“That was always part of our problem.” His expression turned solemn. “You were never supposed to fit in or look like everyone else, but you thought you were. You thought being different was a bad thing, when really, you were meant to stand out. You outshone everyone back then, Grace. And you did the right thing, breaking things off with me and leaving town to follow your dreams. I was just too young and blinded by my feelings to see it.”
The sincerity in his voice cut through her like a knife, but the old hurt rolled in again and came out without warning. “I didn’t want to end things with you, but you said you’d never leave Meadowside.” And then you did. She swallowed those words, but holding them in made her feel like a bomb ready to explode, and she started breathing harder. “I can’t do this here.”
“No hiding from the truth, remember?”
She lowered her voice to a harsh whisper as partygoers began gathering around the fire. “I’m not hiding, but I’m not going to air our dirty laundry around all these gossip mongers.”
He put a hand on her lower back, guiding her away from the bonfire. “Then let’s do it in private.”
Unsure if she wanted to lay her heart on the line after all, she glanced up the hill toward the parking area and considered leaving, but how could she? She’d ridden over with Sable, and her sister would need her truck to get herself and all her gear home.
“Come on,” he said, urging her toward the hill with his hand on her back again. “I’ve got a jacket in my truck you can use to keep warm, and we’ll find someplace private to talk.”
Her pulse quickened at the idea of being alone with him, even though she knew once they started talking, her hurt wouldn’t allow for any line crossing. “You’re soaked. Maybe we should do this another time.”
“I’m fine, and we’re doing this now,” he said sternly.
“When did you get so pushy?”
His eyes narrowed. “Since kissing the woman who still sets my world on fire after a freaking decade.”
There was no mistaking the authority in his tone, and Lord help her, because all her loneliest parts were waving surrender flags. “I have to tell Sable I’m getting a ride home.”
She headed for Sable, and he moved with her. “Reed. I can do this alone.”
“Right. Sorry.” He shook his head as if he hadn’t realized he’d been following her and crossed his arms, watching as she slipped her feet into her sandals and headed for Sable.
She felt the heat of his gaze blazing a trail behind her and Sable’s hawklike focus on her up ahead. By the time she reached Sable, she was annoyed about being caught in a web of inspection.
Sable stopped playing her guitar and called out, “You leaving with Reed?” so loud that everyone around her looked over.
Great. Grace would probably be the talk of the town at Gossip Central, aka Stardust Café, tomorrow. She made a point of answering loud enough for everyone to hear. “He’s just driving me home. I’ll see you there.”
Or maybe she was really trying to deliver that message to herself. As she made her way back to Reed, every step brought a thrum of anticipation followed by a pang of anxiety.
Reed fell into step beside her.
“It’s like you’re ready to step into the shoes we filled all those years ago,” she said, even though she didn’t know if that was true. She needed boundaries, more rules, or something. Feeling out his intentions gave her a modicum of control. “I outgrew those shoes. I’m sure you did, too.”
“I don’t want to fill those old shoes, Grace,” he said as she slowed her pace. “I’m just not afraid to admit that I still feel something for you, and I don’t want to pretend otherwise.”
She stopped walking and studied his face for a moment. He was dead serious.
“Ready?” he asked.
“I honestly have no idea, but I have a feeling we need to find out.”
He cocked a grin and returned his hand to her lower back as they ascended the hill, as if he already knew the answer, sending her stomach into knots again.
“That’s what you said the first time I convinced you to meet me after school,” he reminded her. “Remember?”
Yeah, she remembered all right. They’d seen each other at football games, and she’d ended up searching for him when their teams went head-to-head. Then she’d seen him in town at the public library, where she used to hang out with Sophie. He’d asked her to meet him there after school one day, and that had been the start of it all.
“I’m going to take that smile as a yes,” he said as he opened the door to his truck and retrieved the jacket he’d promised. He held it up, and then his expression became pinched and he tossed it behind the front seat. “Hold on.”
“What’s wrong with that jacket?”
He ignored her question and dug around back there, pulling out a navy hooded sweatshirt. He helped her put it on, and the smile that crept across his lips as the soft cotton tumbled down her hips was one of sheer pleasure.
“That’s better, Gracie. Just like the old days.”
“In the old days my clothes wouldn’t be wet.”
He helped her into the truck and said, “At least not the clothes anyone else saw.”
He closed the door and sauntered around the truck to the driver’s side as if he hadn’t nearly made her swallow her tongue.
REED WAS FUCKED. Royally screwed. He put on the heat in the cab of the truck for Grace, but he was sweating like a bulldog. She’d always heated him up from the inside out, but now that they’d kissed, he couldn’t stop thinking about doing it again. They had things to work out, but man…
He tried to focus on the road, but he couldn’t think past Grace being beside him again. Had she always been there, even in her absence? Was that why he’d never fallen for anyone else?
As if guided by echoes of their past, he drove to the Majestic Theater at the edge of town. The stone theater had more character than any other property for miles around. He parked at the front entrance, which was curved, bowing outward in a semicircle, with a black-and-white painted marquee above a set of weathered maroon and glass double doors that read MA EST C (the “c” was missing the curve at the top). The side entrance was taller, with two grand, and horrifically marred, stone pillars with ionic capitals on either side of the arched doorway, and above, the frieze, or the horizontal portion above the columns, had alternating patterns of triglyphs and metopes usually found in Greek architecture. Reed imagined the building in pristine condition, with its low sloped roofs of varying heights, which made it look as if it were layered. The front doors were flanked by boarded-up spaces where windows had once been, giving the building the appearance of a sleeping, aged monster.
Reed wanted to get his hands on the beast and bring it back to its original beauty. It had been abandoned since they were kids, which had made the field behind the building the perfect make-out spot. His pulse kicked up, remembering the night they’d both lost their virginity in that field.
Good times.
He felt Grace glaring at him.
“Seriously? Here?” She laughed under her breath.
“I thought we weren’t hiding from our past.” He stepped from the truck and grabbed his extra pair of jeans from behind his seat, aware of Grace watching him as he stripped off his drenched jeans.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Taking off my wet clothes.”
“Oh my God.” She turned and looked out the passenger window.
“It’s not like you haven’t seen me naked before.”
“Still! That was years ago!” she snapped, shielding her eyes with her hand. “You keep clothes in your truck?”
“Pants and a shirt. I’ll have to go commando.” He finished putting on his dry pants and then came around to help her out.
She scowled as she climbed from the truck. “Did you say that just so I’d think about you being naked under those jeans?”
“No, but now that you said that, it’s a nice benefit.” He chuckled as she rolled her eyes.
“I just can’t believe you brought me here.”
“Where did you want me to take you? It’s not like the house I bought came furnished, and besides, I’m still renovating, and you’re staying with your parents. Come on, it’ll be like old times.”
“No, it will not. You promised to keep your lips to yourself.”
“Yeah, but you didn’t.” He grabbed hold of her hand with the tease and led her around the theater, to the very spot where they’d spent dozens of nights lost in each other’s arms. She tried to pull her hand free, but he held on tight. He knew his Gracie, and she would storm off and walk home before she’d admit to wanting to kiss him. He wasn’t about to let that happen. They needed to talk.
She finally stopped trying to yank free and said, “Wait. I just realized what you said. I thought you were just here helping your uncle. You bought a house?”
“I told you I’m not going anywhere. I’ve been here for four months, and your parents’ porch is the last of my uncle’s company’s commitments. I’ve made solid investments. I can afford to be picky and only take on projects that I’m excited about. I’ve got some irons in the fire. I’m joining forces with my uncle so he’ll never be in this position again. It’s about time Cross and Son made our debut.”
They stopped walking and both looked out over the abandoned railroad tracks, the boundary line between Meadowside and Oak Falls. They’d always sat on the Oak Falls side of the tracks, though as far as Reed remembered, it hadn’t been a conscious decision. Now he wondered if it really had. He’d have done anything to make sure Grace was comfortable.
“Cross and Son.” Her expression warmed. “That’s great, Reed. That’s what you had hoped to do when we were kids. But does that mean your father never came around?”
He gazed into the darkness, trying to mask the anger toward his absentee father that never failed to simmer just beneath his skin. “Nope, but I’m over it. The last thing I need in my life is someone who doesn’t want to be there.”
“That’s a shame. I’m so sorry. I’d hoped you two might one day have a relationship.”
She looked sweetly sexy with his sweatshirt hiding her gorgeous figure, and genuinely hurt for him, with an unsure look in her eyes. Her hair was wild from their struggles in the creek, and her long legs were like roads to a treasure trove of smarts, sassiness, and sultry seduction. As gorgeous as she was, it had always been Grace’s heart that he’d been most attracted to. She’d worried endlessly over him, her siblings, and mostly Sable, who acted like the last thing she wanted was an overprotective sister. He’d secretly wondered if that big heart of hers might become her downfall, causing her to decide not to leave home for college, or when she did, to come running back, giving up her dreams to make sure they were all okay.
But Grace had proven to be even stronger than he’d imagined. Not that he’d hoped she’d give up her dreams for him, but he’d worried she might. He’d been so conflicted by then, he’d supported her dreams instead of confessing how much he’d wanted her to stay.
Trying once again not to get mired down in their past, he waved to the grass, still holding her hand. “Want to sit or take a walk?”
“Walk,” she said quickly, giving away her nervousness.
They followed the railroad tracks, as they’d done so many times before, along the open fields that ran behind the buildings at the entrance to town.
“Nothing’s changed,” she said. “It’s hard to believe they never fixed up the theater.”
She glanced up at him through long, dark lashes, and electricity arced between them. It wasn’t just the sparks of sexual tension heating up the air; it felt complicated and layered, and it vibrated with as much hurtful history as it did hopeful sensuality. She shifted her eyes away, and he felt her hold his hand a little tighter. Good. He wasn’t alone in his confusion.
“Some things have changed,” he said, “but until they’re willing to sell the theater to someone who wants to pour blood, sweat, and tears into it, it’ll remain empty.”
“Good luck with that. People around here have had the same jobs, the same lives, forever.” She winced. “Sorry. That probably sounded snotty.”
“No, it’s true. But it’s one of the things I like about it here. I like that the place we came together is still the same as it always was and that the library still has our initials carved in a tree out back. And that the diner where my aunt and uncle took me to celebrate every birthday is still here and run by the same couple.” He stopped walking and turned toward her. “And I like that you’re here, and that we ran into each other. I never stopped thinking about you, Grace.”
Her lips parted as if she was going to say something, but just as quickly, she pressed them together.
“Why is this so hard for you, when everything between us used to be so easy?”
She fidgeted with the hem of his sweatshirt, and he grasped for something to get her talking.
“I put an offer in on the theater.”
Shock registered in her eyes. “You…? What are you trying to do? Re-create the past?”
“Hardly. Do you think I want to relive losing you all over again?” He let that sink in for a minute. The property was a smart investment. The closest movie theater, a large cineplex, was thirty minutes away and about as personable as a highway. Reopening the theater would not only offer local entertainment, but it would also provide employment opportunities and hopefully stir up the economy for the small town. But those weren’t the main reasons he’d purchased it.
“It came on the market a few weeks before I got back to town. I had no idea we’d find each other again beyond a quick hello when you were here to visit. Breathing new life into historic buildings is what I do for a living. This theater might not be designated as historic, but it’s an iconic landmark to the area, and to me. I feel good when I’m here. Some of my best memories took place right behind this theater. Why wouldn’t I try to buy it?”
“It’s just surprising, that’s all. Suddenly you’re back and you’re buying up property. My mother said you were some type of historic preservation expert, but…”
“I don’t know about expert, but I love what I do,” he said humbly, downplaying the fact that he’d been one of the leading preservationists in Michigan. None of that mattered. He hadn’t become an expert for notoriety. He’d followed his passion.
“I couldn’t pass up a chance at restoring this beauty. The deal isn’t sealed yet, but I’m hoping it comes through. It’s the perfect project for Roy and me to kick off our business.” He’d purchased it on his own, but if this deal came through, Cross and Son would be known for making it shine. “But I don’t want to spend our time talking about work. Tell me what you were about to say back at the creek.”
Her eyes shifted away again.
“Come on, Gracie. Since when have you shied away from speaking your mind?”
“Since speaking my mind means bringing up the things that hurt most.”
He reached for her other hand, and she didn’t try to pull it away, which surprised him. “All the more reason to get it out in the open. We’re either going to be friends or we’re going to be lovers, but we’re not going to be enemies.”
She shook both hands free and set them on her hips with an appalled expression. “When did you get so full of yourself?”
“I’m not full of myself. We said we weren’t going to hide from the truth. I’m just throwing it all out there. Here, you want me to start with the hard stuff?” He pushed a hand through his hair and paced a few steps before stopping and meeting her gaze again. His chest constricted, but he wasn’t going to let that stop him from finally saying the things he never could.
“It sucked that you chose college over me, but I get it. Maybe I didn’t then, but who can process that at eighteen? I loved you, Gracie. When you left, you tore my heart out.” He shrugged, pained by the hurt in her eyes, but he was tired of harboring bad feelings and tired of the bullshit he’d put up with in Michigan. He was never going to live his life in the dark again.
“Then why did you tell me you wouldn’t ever leave this place?” Her voice escalated, and she crossed her arms.
“Because I didn’t plan on leaving. I didn’t want to leave.”
Her fingers pressed into her flesh. “Right. That’s why you left less than a month later. At least I was strong enough to be honest and end the relationship. You hid behind what you really wanted to do.” Her hands flew out to her sides. “Why couldn’t you have just told me that you didn’t want to be with me anymore? Why did you play that stupid game and pretend like you wanted me to follow my dreams? To make it easier for you to do what you really wanted?”
She’d totally lost him. “What are you talking about?”
“Don’t play games with me, Reed. You wanted to talk about this.”
“You’re damn right I do.” Irritation surged within him. “You can’t seriously believe I ever wanted anything but to be with you. I told you I’d wait for you. It was you who said I’d be wasting my time.”
“Because I never wanted to make my life here!” She accentuated her statement by pointing at the ground.
“Right. So why are you pissed at me?” He stepped closer, searching her eyes for a hint of what he was missing.
“Because you left, Reed! You hightailed it out of here as fast as you could! You couldn’t leave for me, but someone or something made you feel enough, or love enough, or—” Her eyes glistened with tears, and she turned away.
“Grace…”
“Don’t. Is this what you wanted?” She faced him again, tears streaming down her cheeks, and his heart cracked open. “To see that you hurt me?”
“Hell no.” He reached for her, but she pulled away. “Gracie, stop. You’ve got it all wrong.”
She swiped at her tears. “It’s not hard to see the truth. You should take me home.”
He pulled her into his arms, resisting her struggles. “No. You can be as mad as you want, but I’m not leaving until you hear the truth.”
“I didn’t come with you tonight to relive everything.”
“Then why did you come with me?” he challenged, and when she stared him down without responding, he said, “I’ll tell you why, Grace. Because whatever we felt in that creek tonight is too goddamn big to ignore. We were kids back then, but we weren’t too stupid to know that this”—he tugged her tighter against him, and the air rushed from her lungs. Her fingers dug into his sides—“was real. First love or not, I’ve never felt anything like I did when I was with you. And when we kissed tonight? Damn, Grace…”
He released her, but she didn’t let go, her eyes imploring him. His arms circled her again. “I didn’t leave for anyone else. It was the last thing I wanted to do. But I had to get the hell out of here. Staying here was too fucking hard. I saw you everywhere. Every time I got in my car, it was your perfume I smelled, your laugh I heard. When I went to the creek, it was you I remembered splashing in the water with. I get why you left, why you needed to leave. You did the right thing, Grace. I know that now, but you took a piece of me with you, and I have tried to find that feeling again, but…”
“You haven’t found it,” she said in a voice full of wonder, as if she’d been chasing the same ghosts.
He shook his head. “Not once.”
“My heart broke when you left town. I know that’s not fair. I was going away to school anyway, but I thought—”
“Whatever it was, you thought wrong, Gracie.” He moved his hands up her back, bringing her even closer, leaving her no room at all. “You broke me when you left, even though you’d always said you were destined to be a city girl, and I knew you meant it. I wanted it for you, for all your dreams to come true. I expected it. But it still tore me apart.”
“It broke me, too. I just couldn’t admit it, or I’d never have left.”
“After you were gone, I couldn’t see two feet in front of myself without seeing you, and once I left for Michigan, all of that made it hard to come back and visit, which is a whole other story. We both loved and lost, and I know I promised I wouldn’t kiss you again, but I want t—”
She went up on her toes and pressed her lips to his in a surprisingly gentle, tentative kiss. Her tethered desire was a fierce aphrodisiac, and he slid his tongue along the seam of her lips. When she opened her mouth, he pushed both hands into her hair, intensifying his efforts. Their kisses turned messy and urgent, both of them giving and taking in equal measure. Everything else slipped away, until there was only him and Grace and their mind-blowing connection.
They came away as slowly as they’d come together. Grace’s hands slipped from his sides. One covered her mouth, and the other touched her stomach. Her gaze drifted around them as if she was as dazed by their powerful connection as he was.
“It’s still real, Gracie.”
She looked as conflicted as he’d felt when he’d first seen her. “I shouldn’t have…We can’t do this.”
He took her hand in his and said, “We can.”
“It can’t go anywhere,” she said half-heartedly.
He couldn’t stop the grin he felt tugging at his lips. “I can think of several places it can go.”
A nervous laugh slipped from her lips, and he was glad to see her smile.
“Reed…” She took a step back and looked at their joined hands. “I think you should take me back to my parents’ house.”
As her hand slipped away, he said, “Grace—” But his voice was lost as she headed for the truck.
The drive to her parents’ house was tense and quiet, each lost in their own thoughts. He parked in the driveway, and for a minute they sat in silence, reminiscent of those last days before they’d broken up. Old ghosts coming back to haunt. Back then Reed had been a boy on the cusp of manhood, about to have the rug pulled out from under him. He wasn’t that boy anymore, and there was no rug to pull.
He came around to the passenger side and opened Grace’s door. When she turned to step out, he took her in a slow, sensual kiss, the way she used to love. He felt her go soft against him, and maybe it made him a prick, but he used the ability to read her body language to his advantage and took the kiss deeper. He kissed her until she was barely breathing, and then he continued making love to her mouth until she trembled in his arms. Only then did he draw away, leaving a trail of light kisses in his wake.
Grace’s eyes remained closed.
He slid his hand to the nape of her neck and whispered, “Breathe, Gracie. I’ll always be your greedy boy when it comes to your kisses.” She used to call him greedy boy because he could never get enough.
She blinked several times, as if she were trying to bring him back into focus, and then, without a word, she stepped from the truck. He walked her to the door, wondering what she was thinking. Hell, he didn’t know what he was thinking.
When they reached the porch, he leaned in to kiss her cheek, and she put her hand flat on his chest, stopping him from coming too close.
Flashing a shy smile, which felt familiar, and somehow also way too distant, she reached for the doorknob and said, “Thank you for tonight,” and walked inside, leaving him to wonder what she was thanking him for. The talk? The ride? The kisses?
As he opened the truck door, he glanced at her childhood bedroom window and caught her peeking out. His chest constricted as the curtains swished into place.
Welcome home, Gracie.