by Tara Randel
Silence filled the room, broken only by the sound of a steady brush over wood as Heidi worked. There really wasn’t any more to say.
“Flipping houses is good,” she finally said.
He chuckled. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
Her hand stopped as she looked at him. “Reid, you’re doing something you like and that’s productive. You haven’t checked out completely. That counts for something.”
Did it though? His grandmother hinted that he was needed at the office. His mother didn’t push, but the sorrow in her eyes said it all. She hated that her husband and son were at odds. Even Logan questioned Reid’s decisions.
Yeah, leaving town was becoming more appealing all the time.
Until he met Heidi’s gaze. The concern for him, how she had his best interests at heart, seemed to be the only thing keeping him here. Until her house was finished, that is.
His chest grew tight. “Maybe.”
A door slammed down the hallway, followed by the jingle of keys growing closer. An older man stuck his head in the open doorway. “Hey, Reid. Here to clean.”
“We should be out of here soon.”
Mac nodded and went about his business.
“We should probably clean up,” Heidi said. She gathered the used cloths covered in stain and stuffed them in the plastic store bag.
“Not a good idea.”
“Why not?”
“Didn’t you read the warning label?”
“On what?”
“The stain can.”
She shook her head.
“Not safe,” he told her. “By keeping the materials separate, we can avoid hazards. Working with chemicals can be tricky. And sometimes dangerous if not stored properly.”
Instead of arguing, she nodded and took the used cloths from the bag to carry to the sink in the corner of the room. She rinsed the brush and cloths while Reid stored all the unused supplies in the bag.
It wasn’t long before they had everything tidy. Heidi looked over at her caddy. “Can I keep this here until it dries?”
“Sure. You can pick it up Monday when the center opens.”
“I can’t wait to show it off. Serena, Carrie and the others will be so jealous of my awesome skills.” She snapped her fingers. “Hey, maybe we could schedule this workshop for a girls’ night out.”
Girls’ night? And give his grandmother an edge? He could imagine the wily woman sending more of her candidates his way. Reid groaned. “No chance.”
“Okay, only serious woodworkers. I get it.”
“Thanks.” He joined Heidi at the table to appreciate her fine effort. “I’m impressed.”
“You should be.”
He glanced at the wall clock. “It’s nearly nine.”
“Really? Wow.” She smiled at him. “I had fun today. Thanks.”
His gaze fell to her lips. His heartbeat kicked up and he found himself wanting to kiss her. But that couldn’t happen. “You’re wel—”
His words trailed off as the lights went off and a door slammed somewhere in the distance.
“What the...”
Moving through the darkness, and bumping into a table or two, it took Reid a minute to locate the light switch. When it didn’t work, he stepped into the hallway. “Hey, Mac,” he yelled. “We’re still here.”
He heard keys in the distance, then, “Sorry, Reid. I thought you’d left.”
“Just turn the lights back on and we’ll split.”
Long seconds later, the overhead lighting flipped on. As his eyes adjusted to the sudden flare of light, Reid said, “Mac turns off the main panel at night.”
He turned to face Heidi and froze. She had one hand on the table as if to balance herself, trying desperately to breathe. Her chest hitched, her eyes were not focused and she made funny noises in her throat.
“Heidi?”
He inched closer. When she didn’t respond, he began to softly stroke her arm.
“Hey, it’s okay. I’m here.”
She blinked. Her gaze became clearer as she dragged in air. In her hand, the brush she’d been holding, shook. Reid gently took it from her. “Heidi?”
He watched her throat move as she swallowed. “I’m okay,” came her hoarse reply.
“What happened?”
“The dark. I...don’t do good in the dark.”
He frowned, then remembered the times she’d begged off going anywhere at night unless it was well lit. He thought she was just being prickly, the new kid in town, but now...
“How long has this been going on?”
Her words stuttered. “S-since I was a kid.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
She pushed away from the table, tucking strands of hair that stuck to her damp neck into the ponytail. “Nobody knows.” She shot him a terrified look. “And you are not going to tell anyone. Swear to me.”
“No, I won’t. I promise.”
She nodded and continued drawing gulps of air.
Reid grabbed their belongings, handing Heidi’s purse to her, then he gently steered her from the room.
“Where are we going?”
“Outside. You need fresh air.”
Remarkably, she didn’t put up a fuss. When his hand slid down her arm to her hand, he laced their fingers tightly together. Once in the parking lot, he led Heidi to her car, the heel of her boot catching in a crack in the asphalt. When she stumbled, he caught her, pulling her close. Their gazes locked and after a static moment, Heidi eased away.
Reid ran a hand over his head, shaken at seeing Heidi so distressed. She leaned against the car hood, her gaze pinpointed on a lamppost located in the distance on Main Street. Reid didn’t want to rush her, so he moved next to her, their shoulders brushing, and he waited.
When she finally spoke, she kept her gaze on the beacon of light. “I told you my mom and I moved around a lot when I was a kid. We never stayed in one place for very long, unless she was into some guy, and even then, that never lasted. But during those brief periods, she would mostly forget I was alive.”
Reid remained quiet. She wouldn’t meet his gaze.
“I’m not sure what, exactly, happened to make her that way. She never said. Once I was older and on my own, I tried to understand why we were always moving and why she didn’t form close relationships with anyone. I guessed there was maybe some kind of trauma in her childhood. Once I studied the topic, I realized the signs were there, but as a kid, I was oblivious to the dynamics of her behavior.”
How should he respond to that? He wasn’t sure. He kept listening.
“When I was real little, the places where we bunked weren’t too bad. Usually these were friends with decent homes.” She cleared her throat. “Though, as I got older, the places we stayed in weren’t very nice, or clean. Lots of times there was no electricity. People coming in and out.” She stared at the night, sounding monotone like she was reciting this story as if someone else had lived it. “This one afternoon, my mom said she was going to the store. We were rooming at an old run-down motel. She told me to lock the door and she’d be back later. I waited and waited. Eventually, it got dark and the lights didn’t work. I was scared, so I crawled under the covers, unable to sleep until she got home.”
“But she didn’t?”
He felt her nod. Hot anger flooded Reid over her mother’s neglect. How could a mother, any person for that matter, do that to a child?
“The next day she still hadn’t returned. I stayed at the window, watching for her, worried, but nothing. Later, lots of people started arriving. It got dark again and still my mom didn’t show. I crawled into bed, but there was lots of noise outside. Loud laughs and yells, bottles clinking. Even at that age I knew there was a party going on.”
“How old were you?”
“Fourteen.�
��
He closed his eyes.
“I was doing okay until people pounded on the door. Tapped on the window. I froze. Couldn’t move. Then the knob jiggled like someone was trying to get inside. I ran into the bathroom, slammed and locked the door, straining to hear if anyone managed to break in. They must have moved on, but I was a wreck. The next day I left.”
No wonder she acted strange when the lights went out or were too dim. She relived that night every time. And he, her so-called friend, had never understood why.
“Then you came to Golden.”
She finally looked at him, her eyes sparkling with unshed tears. “We’d been in Golden the summer before. I met Alveda outside Sit A Spell when my mom begged for change.” She paused. A slight smile touched her lips. “My mom went in for coffee and Alveda started up a conversation with me. I could tell right away she saw how it was. As usual, my mom took her time, so Alveda went to Frieda’s Bakery to get me a sandwich and juice.” She laughed, without a shred of humor. “I ate it like I hadn’t eaten in weeks.”
He saw red. “Had you?”
She dipped her head. “Yes, but our meals were, um, limited.”
He nodded, his fury at the news hard to accept.
“Just before she left, Alveda slipped me a bag with more goodies and a piece of paper. Told me if I ever needed anything, night or day, to let her know. Later, when we’d left Golden, I looked at the paper. It had a phone number and address. I couldn’t call her—we never had a phone—but at least I could find her. After that night in the hotel, I hitched my way here.” She met his gaze. “You know the rest.”
“But I don’t. How did you end up permanently with Alveda?”
“We worked something out.”
Which didn’t tell him much, but after the emotional journey she’d just confided, he wasn’t going to press. “So, your mom just gave you up?”
“Pretty much.”
Shocked to the core, he tried to find the right words, but there were none. “Heidi, I don’t know what to say.”
“Don’t say anything, Reid. In fact, forget I said anything.”
“I can’t do that.”
“Fine, but at least don’t look at me with pity.” She pushed away from the car and turned to him. “I’m not that little girl anymore. Okay, the dark still freaks me out, especially when it’s so thick I can’t see my hand in front of my face, but what happened doesn’t own me.”
“I didn’t think it did.” He brushed an errant curl from her forehead, pleased when she relaxed. “You’re amazing, you know that?”
“Hardly. There are kids out there who’ve had it a lot worse than me.”
“Maybe, but you were able to grab the lifeline that Alveda offered. You changed your future. You did that.”
“Yeah. I did.” She shook her head. “I can’t believe you saw me like this.”
“It’s nothing to be ashamed of, Heidi. Besides, we go way back. I’ll never let you go through anything that terrifying by yourself again.” He paused. “But I gotta ask, how did you hide your fear all this time?”
“I’m a pro. I knew when to remove myself from a situation that would make me...relive that night...before I got upset or anyone caught on.”
“But then you had to go through those times alone, when you were scared.”
She sent him a wobbly smile. “Well, usually I don’t find myself in a community center when the building lights suddenly go out.”
His heart squeezed at her attempt to lighten the mood. “Which makes me a lousy friend. I should have noticed before now.”
She placed her hand on his arm. The heat went straight to his heart. “No, Reid. How could you? I never told you. Never let on. There’s no way you could have known.”
“Thanks.” His throat was thick with emotion. “For telling me about that night.”
“I don’t know what else I could have done.”
“You could have told me to mind my own business.”
“I suppose.”
A car zoomed by, a fume of gas exhaust left in its wake. Reid suspected Mac had finished for the night.
“Heidi, I—”
“I think I’m going to head home, Reid. It’s been a long day and I’m tired.”
He agreed because what else could he do? Especially after she’d bared her soul to him?
All he could picture was the brave little girl who’d grown up to be this incredible woman and friend. Scratch that. After how his heart had cracked as he’d listened to her story, she’d become even more important to him than a friend.
Now he just had to figure out what to do about it.
CHAPTER EIGHT
“GRANDMOTHER, WE HAVE to call a truce.”
Seated in the formal living room at Masterson House on Sunday afternoon, Reid stared at his grandmother calmly.
“Why, Reid, whatever do you mean?”
“Don’t pull the innocent act with me.”
Her hand covered her heart. “Me?”
Rising, he shoved his hands into his pants pockets and stalked to the window. Sunlight streamed in through the clear glass. Outside, life teemed; from the spring blossoms opening wide to welcome the warm sun, to bees buzzing from flower to flower searching for pollen. A rabbit darted across the front lawn.
He grinned. He was sure Heidi would have a comment about the animal as it scurried away. She had lots of opinions. When they were younger, they’d had a great time debating issues, but now, he wanted her outlook on everything. Wanted to listen to her for hours as she pointed out the good things in this world.
And yet Heidi hid her traumatic childhood from everyone.
He still couldn’t wrap his mind around her story. It explained so much. So many little things he’d overlooked when they were growing up. Yet she’d become a strong woman, maybe because of the trials she’d endured, working diligently to move past the things that would have broken another person. Perhaps that was why, whether she knew it or not, Heidi viewed life with hope.
His grandmother’s voice cut into the thoughts that had been running through his head ever since Heidi had shared her secret. “Reid, please tell me what you mean.”
Reining in his frustration on all fronts, he turned. His grandmother sat in her favorite chair, regal as a queen. Despite her meddling, he loved her to his core.
“Grandmother, your interference in my life has to end.”
“What interference, dear?”
Tamping down his aggravation, he began to pace the old wood floor covered by a large tapestry rug. “The women who accidentally show up when I’m eating lunch or stopping for a cup of coffee.”
“Perhaps the women were running errands.”
“Really? You’re going with that?”
“I will admit, I do see lots of different people in my travels about town.” She gave an effortless shrug. “If I mention to one or two of them what you’re up to, I can’t control their actions.”
He sank down at the end of the couch, his arms resting on his thighs as he faced her. “I don’t need you finding me a girlfriend.”
“You haven’t been doing a very good job on your own.”
“Maybe there’s a reason.”
“Like what? Making me happy in knowing you have someone to share your life with? Denying me great-grandbabies?”
He kept from rolling his eyes, the eternal question why? echoing in his head. “When I find the right woman, things will be different.”
“But Reid, you’re not even trying.”
He began pacing again. “I have a lot going on. There are two renovations happening and there’s another house I’m interested in buying.”
“You’re truly never going back to the family business?”
He met her gaze, needing her to understand. “Not right now.”
She nodded, not wit
hout sorrow lining her face.
“All right then.” She clasped her hands in her lap. “These houses of yours. Do they make you happy?”
“Sure,” he said, looking out the window so she couldn’t read the reservation on his face.
“You don’t sound very convinced.”
“It’s different than Masterson Enterprises, but as fulfilling.”
“You sound like your grandfather.”
Reid turned to see his grandmother’s smile.
“He tolerated the office but loved working with his hands. I think you tolerate flipping houses but love the thrill of making deals in the office.”
He couldn’t deny her analysis. It was true. His grandfather had tolerated the business world. Pops’s brother had left Golden, never to return, which necessitated Pops remaining involved due to family loyalty.
Reid’s father had eventually taken the helm and built the company and because of that, didn’t intend to give Reid any amount of control. It wasn’t like Reid wanted to run the company alone, in spite of what his father thought. He had good ideas to offer clients, which his father saw as competition.
Reid was at a crossroads but hadn’t yet decided which fork in the road to follow. “You know I can’t work with Father.”
“I do.”
But the truth was, his father wasn’t getting any younger. Someone would take over whether his father liked it or not. It wouldn’t be Logan. As things stood, maybe not even Reid. Would his father want to sell? The idea made Reid cringe.
“He hasn’t made any plans for retirement yet, has he?”
“Not that I’m aware of.”
If only he and his father could talk, a real conversation, not his father telling him how to do his job or which clients he could handle, then they might have a chance. Unfortunately, run-ins with his dad always pulled them further apart instead of solving their problems.
Maybe his idea of leaving Golden was smart. Yes, he loved his hometown, but despite that, he wasn’t sure if he and his dad could ever find common ground.
Both he and Grandmother were silent, lost in their thoughts until his mother came into view.
She glimpsed Reid and a big smile crossed her face. “It’s my busy son who’s finally come to visit his mother.”