“Sure.” Seeing Rayne smile at him made Emilio’s stomach twist. “I guess I’ll see you around.”
Rayne’s smile faded, and he fixed Emilio with a more serious look. “Your mother and Steve have told me how you feel about me being back in town. If you want me to stay out of your way, I’ll do my best. I can’t promise we won’t cross paths at all because of this place,” he said, making a sweeping gesture to encompass the auditorium. “But I don’t want to make things more difficult for you either. Despite what you might think, I’m not a complete asshole.”
Emilio’s face grew hot, and he wondered what his mother had told Rayne. He was going to have a chat with her himself. “I’m fine. I was wrong about your plans, and anything else… well, that was dead and buried years ago. It doesn’t matter anymore.” He gave a careless shrug. “I doubt I’ve thought any more about you than you’ve thought about me, and we’re both grown men.” It was a lie, but Rayne didn’t have to know that.
“We are,” Rayne agreed. “Which means we should be able to talk honestly without any bullshit. If you ever want to drop some old baggage, you know where to find me. If not, I’m not going to push myself on you. Like I said, I’m not trying to make things difficult.”
Emilio couldn’t hide his surprise at the offer. Part of him thought it was a bad idea, since dredging up the past would serve no purpose other than to remind him of the crushing pain he’d felt when Rayne had broken up with him. Yet another part couldn’t help but be curious. Had Rayne changed? Had Rayne missed him at all?
The pain was there anyway, whether he talked to Rayne or not. Just seeing Rayne was all the reminder he needed. Maybe talking would help him find a way to get through the next few weeks or even aid in finding a little closure. That’s what his mother seemed to think, after all.
“I suppose having coffee might be okay,” Emilio said slowly, watching to see if Rayne would backpedal.
But Rayne’s expression brightened as if Emilio’s suggestion had been exactly what he hoped to hear. “I saw that coffee shop on Main Street. Maybe we could meet there? When are you free in the next few days?”
Again Rayne managed to surprise him, and Emilio wondered if what Rayne really wanted was to smack Emilio in the face with his success. If he wanted to be fair, he could admit he was probably being paranoid, but he couldn’t think of any other reason Rayne would be eager to talk to him.
“I have evening rehearsals every day except tomorrow,” he said, wishing he could change his mind. Now it was too late, and he consoled himself with the thought that if things got unpleasant, he could always get up and leave. He shrugged one shoulder. “If that doesn’t work for you, it would have to wait for a week or so.”
“Tomorrow is fine,” Rayne said. “What time?”
“Considering that the sidewalks still roll up around here at nine, I suppose… seven?” He almost added a snippy comment about Holiday Pines not being Atlanta, but he managed to hold his tongue.
“Sounds good to me.” Rayne’s smile reached his eyes and warmed them as he looked at Emilio.
“All right.” Emilio took one of his business cards out of his shoe bag and held it out. It suddenly occurred to him that Rayne might have a significant other who’d accompanied him and who Emilio might have to meet. He didn’t know why he’d never thought about it before, but for all he knew, Rayne could be married. “I’ll be there. Here’s my card with my cell number if you need to cancel.” He held the card out.
Rayne took the card and tucked it into his pocket. “I’ll see you there at seven,” he said.
“See you.” With that, Emilio nodded a farewell and then headed down the aisle toward the stage, mindful of Rayne’s instruction to use the stage door. He needed to change his shoes and put his street clothes back on, and he found himself oddly reluctant to do that in front of Rayne.
He wasn’t certain what they were going to talk about, but maybe his mother was right, and talking to Rayne would help him move on. Whatever happened, though, it couldn’t be as bad as their last serious conversation—after all, Rayne had already broken his heart.
