When the meeting finally wound down and people started gathering their things, Grace caught Reese’s arm.
“Thank you for agreeing to be part of this,” Grace said. “I hope it isn’t hard or awkward for you to work with Roan.”
She made sure her tone was light as she said, “We were kids when he left. Now he’s just someone I used to know. Not a big deal.”
“Oh good,” Grace said. “I was worried it might feel like too much.”
“No way. This is a great idea. Put your worries aside.” Reese held her breath, hoping God wouldn’t strike her for such a blatant lie.
Outside, Reese pulled her coat tight against the December cold. Snow was starting to fall, tiny flakes catching in the glow of the porch light. She was halfway to her car when she heard footsteps behind her.
“Reese. Wait.”
She turned. Roan stood at the bottom of the steps, hands in the pockets of his jacket.
“What is it?”
He walked across the yard, stopping a few feet from her. Close enough that she could see the green of his eyes in the dim light, far enough that it was still safe.
“I just wanted to say that it’s nice to see you.” He dragged a hand through his hair. “And I’m sorry for how I left.”
She stared at him, anger catching in her throat. “Whatever. It was forever ago. We were just kids.” She waited once more for the strike of lightning. Fortunately, it didn’t come.
He nodded, looking down at the ground. “Yeah, I guess so. But still, it was a terrible thing to leave without saying goodbye.”
“On prom night.”
“Right. Even worse.”
She shivered and pulled a knit cap from her bag, tugging it over her hair. “If you think breaking the heart of the girl who would have given up every dream just to have you by her side sounds terrible to you, then try a thousand times worse than terrible. You broke my heart.”
“I’m sorry for the pain I caused you.” He stepped closer. “Losing my mom—I couldn’t handle it. Going with you to New York would have just dragged you down with me. Your father was right, you know.”
She drew in a sharp breath. “My father? What does he have to do with any of it?”
For a second, he looked surprised, then resigned. “Never mind.”
“No, you owe me the truth. What do you mean?” A snowflake landed in her eyelashes. She brushed it aside.
He shifted weight from one foot to the other, not meeting her gaze. “Your dad told me to leave town. To let you go, instead of running after you to New York. He was very clear that I would ruin your chances for a professional dance career.”
“He said that?”
“Yeah. He told me to go with Jason. And to stay away.”
“And you did it?”
“He was right,” Roan said flatly. “You and I both know it.”
She shook her head, swallowing back the tears that wanted to spring to her eyes. “What I know is that you wrecked me. For years. I couldn’t trust anyone. Wouldn’t let anyone in. It’s no surprise that I’m not married. I couldn’t risk feeling that way ever again.”
The look of devastation on his face nearly broke her. But she clung to the anger that had fueled her back then. The only thing that kept her moving. Kept her in toe shoes. Rage.
“He told me he’d call in Walter’s loan on the farm,” Roan said. “If I didn’t go.”
Her mouth dropped open and she stumbled backward. “That can’t possibly be true.”
“You can choose to believe whatever you want.” Roan lifted both shoulders. “But I’m telling you what happened.”
