“You okay?” Maxine looked at her closely, concern in her eyes.
“I will be now that he’s gone. Oh, and you know that rumor that’s swirling around town that he’s buying the theater from Tori and tearing it down?”
“Yes?”
“Well, he’s not. She turned him down.” A rush of gratitude toward Tori for standing up to Cliff flowed through her.
“She did?” Maxine’s eyes widened. “I figured she’d sell to the highest bidder and head back to Broadway.”
“Guess not.” Beverly shrugged. But she wondered just what Tori’s plans were now.
“Well, I feel better about going to opening night with Dale now. I didn’t want to support her if she was selling the place.”
“Right. And we should make sure the rumor of her selling dies and people show up for the opening, because we all want the theater to be a success, don’t we?” They needed the whole town to rally behind Tori now.
“We do.”
Chapter25
Tori headed over to The Bike Shop. She asked for Gavin and Jonny blushed and stammered when he said Gavin wasn’t there. Enough of this. She shook her head in frustration and strode toward the back of the shop, pushing aside the curtain to the door of their repair room. There was Gavin, his hands greasy, standing over an upturned bike.
His eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed in irritation. “Thought I told Jonny to say I wasn’t here.”
“He has been saying that. Each time I come by. But I didn’t listen to him today.”
Gavin sighed and turned back to the bike with a dismissive shrug. “Well, you should have. We don’t have anything to say.”
She walked up closer to him, stepping over scattered tools and parts, determined to make him listen. “But I think we do.”
He set down the rag he was holding, making no attempt to wipe away the grease, and turned back to her. “No, we don’t,” he said, his words brittle with finality.
“So you’re just never going to talk to me again? I never lied to you. I just didn’t tell you every detail about my past. I bet you haven’t told me everything about your past.”
“I did. And I told you about Anna. And how I never wanted to be involved with someone that the media flocks to.”
“I’m not like that. I walked away from all of that.” She watched his face, hoping to see some crack in his stony expression.
“Really? Did you?” Gavin snapped. “How many reporters do you think have come to town in the last few days?”
“I haven’t spoken to any of them except to ask them to leave,” she insisted, her frustration mounting.
He pinned her with a fierce look. “I know you’re selling the theater to Cliff and heading back to Broadway. Don’t lie to me.”
Exasperated, she stamped her foot. “Gavin, I’m not lying. You’re not listening to me. I was never selling it to Cliff. He wanted to buy it, but I turned him down.”
“You did?” He looked skeptical. “How do I know I can believe you?”
“Because it’s the truth. And I turned down Miss Eleanor’s offer to buy it too. I want to stay here and run the theater. Make my life here. I want…” She took a deep breath, gathering her courage. “I want to stay here… with you. See what happens between us. I… I care about you.” There, she’d laid her feelings bare. And she wanted to kiss him again, to hear him laugh, to share little tidbits about her day when she saw him in the evening. She wanted that and so much more.
He stood there silently watching her, then finally said, “I don’t trust that you won’t run back to the limelight. Leave. And I don’t know why you couldn’t tell me about your past. Why you hid it from me.” His tone held the tiniest bit of hurt that he couldn’t disguise.
“I didn’t tell anyone about what I used to do. I just wanted to be Tori for a change. Have people like me for me, not for being an actress.”
He crossed his arms, his expression unreadable. “I’m not sure what you want me to say here.”
“I want you to say you accept my apology. That you’ll give us a chance. That everything will be okay.” Her heart thundered, clinging to her last shred of hope.
“I’m sorry. That’s not something I can give you. I’ll accept your apology, but it won’t make any difference. We can’t be together. We can’t.”
