Page 100
“It’s not something I can explain. You’ve been a Crowley your whole life.” He looked toward the treetops and then to my wrist. “Your watch probably cost twice as much as the down payment on my granddad’s truck.”
I tucked my arm under the folds of my dress. “Grandpa left it for me in his will.”
“You have two cars.”
“I didn’t ask for the BMW. I told you—”
“I know.”
But do you believe me?
The silence and tension between us for the next few minutes was so thick I could’ve cut it with one of Mom’s spiky heels.
“Why don’t we just get out of here?” I finally asked, blinking away the burning feeling in my eyes. “Far away from Greedy Gratton, the fancy lemonade, all of it.”
“And go where?” His voice cracked. “We can’t outrun this, Eliza.”
“This”?
The burning in my eyes turned to tears. “We can try.”
“You’ve got rehearsal tonight.”
“I’ll skip.”
He ran a hand over his face. “You and I both know you can’t do that. And I wouldn’t want you to. Not for me.”
I brought my legs up and let my dress spill around them like a blanket, wishing I could hide under the light fabric and wake up to all of this just being a bad dream.
“I should get going.” Reed stood. “I promised Granddad I’d help him work on the B Field so we’d stop rolling our damn ankles before the championship.”
“I can talk to my dad about letting you guys use the main field for your practices,” I said.
He made a face. “Your dad will never let that happen. They’ve got a championship to get ready for too.”
But I can still try.
“I just think…” He ran his hands over his khakis. “Maybe we both have too much going on right now. I’m throwing slower than usual. I’ve been late to a few practices because I’ve been with—”
“I’ve been late a couple times too, you know.” I scooted back. “Maybe if you got a new battery for that watch sooner—”
“It belonged to my dad, Eliza, just like these.” He pulled at the chain around his neck. “I would think someone who wants to spend every waking minute in a broken-down old theater because her grandmother did would get that?”
Dizziness washed over me. “It’s old, but it’s not broken.”
“Exactly.” He dropped his head. “I don’t need you to buy me a new watch, Eliza—”
“I don’t want to buy you a new one—”
“You can’t fix everything…every problem I have. This is bigger than a radio on my bike or bee stings from the creek or a fancy new shirt.”
Is that what he thinks of me? That I’m just some rich girl looking for charity cases to fix?
The hollowness returned but instead of staying in my gut, it moved directly to my heart.
“I’m sorry. But I”—Reed took a deep breath in and then released it—“I think we need to take a break. At least until my season and your show are over. It…maybe it’ll help both of us focus on what’s important.”
“What’s important”?
