Austin’s mom had been right. Jessica had wanted to do everything, and frankly Everly was surprised the little girl was still awake.
A few people waved at Everly, their knowing glances flitting to Austin, but she didn’t mind. She was in love with her fling, and there was no hiding that now. Probably the only one who didn’t know was Austin himself. The thought sent a nervous laugh through her.
“What’s funny?” Austin asked.
“Oh . . . nothing.”
He didn’t press her, and that was probably a good thing. They reached the truck, and Austin opened the passenger door for her, then set the blanket on the back seat. When he climbed into the driver’s side, she asked, “Where are we going?”
His gaze cut to hers, and he smiled.
“You’re not telling me?”
“Nope.”
She gave a mock sigh. “You’re like an excited little kid.”
“Pretty much,” he said with a chuckle.
There were no other cars on the road since the fireworks were still in full swing, and it soon became obvious that they were headed toward the theater. So, maybe it had something to do with the renovation.
Sure enough, Austin parked in front of the theater, then looked over at her.
“Ready?”
“We’re watching a movie by ourselves?”
He grinned. “Good guess, but no.” Then he opened his door and came around the truck to open hers.
She slid off the seat, and he grasped her hand. For some reason her heart was thumping hard as he led her to the dark building. Most of Hidden Hollows’ businesses were closed down for the Fourth, and the movie theater was no exception, something that wouldn’t have happened in a larger city.
He unlocked the side door, and they stepped into the darkness. Soon enough, he turned on lights, and the movie theater began to take shape. The first theater was completely done, and now that’s where moviegoers were watching movies, and the second theater was nearly completed. Everly had seen the first theater’s renovation, and she had to admit that she’d loved it.
The concessions were also updated, and the main lobby would go under construction next.
“Come on,” Austin said, moving the taped barriers to the unfinished theater.
“Do I need a hardhat?” she teased.
“No, you’ll be fine.” There was a smile in his voice, but he sounded a tad nervous as well.
Then he tugged down a tarp that was covering the top of the inner doors leading into the theater room. Above the door was a wide brass name plate with the words inscribed: The Bruce King Theater.
Her dad.
“Austin!” she gasped. “What is this?”
“I talked to the mayor, and she agreed that we could dedicate the theater to your dad since he was such an avid patron.”
Everly stared at the name plate as her eyes burned with tears. “I don’t even know what to say, I can’t believe it. My mom is going to be stunned.”
“When we do the ribbon cutting for the grand re-opening, the mayor wants you and your family to say a few words about your dad.”
Everly wiped at the tears that had fallen onto her cheeks, then she buried her head against Austin’s chest and wrapped her arms about him. She was crying, but she didn’t care. Austin pulled her tightly against him and pressed a kiss against her hair.
“I can’t believe you did this.”
He ran his hand slowly over her back, and after a few moments, he said, “I have another surprise for you, although this one you might not be thanking me for.”
She drew away and looked at him, but he was smiling. “What is it?” she whispered, hardly daring to believe anything could stun her so much as the theater being named after her dad.
He linked their hands and led her through the theater doors. Inside, he turned up the lights all the way. The hallway leading to the theater screen and seats was newly painted a dark gray, and hanging on the wall was a series of framed pictures.
Everly stared at the posters from the craft store, posters of her paintings.
“Is this your choice of decoration?” she whispered, hardly able to talk.
“They’re a placeholder for what I hope can be the real deal.” Austin released her hand and pulled out a folded piece of paper from his back pocket. Then he unfolded the paper and handed it over.
Everly tore her gaze from the row of black and white pictures of iconic movie stars painted in black and white and looked down at the paper in her hand. It was an invoice signed by Mayor Stewart, and an attached check was at the bottom. For thousands of dollars.
“The city wants to commission my art for the theater?”
“Yeah,” Austin said. “I showed the mayor your work, and she agreed that it would be perfect for the new theme of the theater. When I talked to her about the value of having original artwork, and not printed posters, she agreed to take my proposal to the budget committee.”
Everly’s hands were trembling, and her throat was too tight to respond.
“Yesterday, they approved it, and cut the check,” Austin said. “The only question now is if you’ll accept the commission.”
She blinked back tears before they could drip onto the invoice she held. “Austin . . . this is . . . I . . .” She threw his arms about his neck and held on tight. “Yes, I’ll do it. Yes!”
Austin chuckled as he scooped her close and lifted her off the ground. “Good. I’m so glad because I would have felt like an idiot in love if you’d said no.”
Everly stilled. Had he just said . . . “Austin . . .”
“I love you, Everly,” he rasped against her ear. “I know it’s fast, and I know I’ve caught you off-guard, but it’s the truth.”
His words created a path of fire to her heart, and she was pretty sure she was going to spontaneously ignite. Or cry. Or both. She drew away enough so that she could kiss him. He kissed her back, and soon he had her back up against the wall below her framed pictures. She gripped his shirt, holding him close, never wanting to release him. Each day with Austin only got better.
When they both had to breathe, Austin said, “I have one more surprise for you, babe, but it has to wait until tomorrow.”
“You’re killing me, Austin,” she whispered as she moved her hand through his hair.
He grinned then pressed a soft kiss just beneath her jaw, his whiskers tickling her neck.
They spent another hour in the theater while Austin showed her the details of the renovations. And they might have kissed by the concessions and the ticket booth, and again in the finished theater while sitting in the middle seats of the middle row.
And it was a miracle that Everly slept at all, especially considering that Austin said he had another surprise for her. But when she woke up Sunday morning, she was also surprised to see that she’d slept until nine.
She scrambled out of bed and started the shower. She’d be meeting Austin and his family at her mom’s place at ten for the brunch, and Everly had a feeling that her mom had invited more people than usual. Many in Hidden Hollows were curious about Austin as well as any updates on Brandy and Brock.
After her shower, Everly dressed carefully, choosing a summery dress in pale yellow. She checked her cell phone and saw that Austin had texted a couple of times. Everly grinned as she read them.
Good morning, gorgeous.
Still sleeping?
Do you want me to pick you up?
She wrote back. I slept in. I’ll meet you there. Then she added a heart emoji. It wasn’t lost on her that Austin had told her he loved her, but she hadn’t said it back. She knew she was in love with him, but she also wanted to tell him separately and not in response to him telling her.
She hoped he wasn’t annoyed about that, but his plentiful kissing last night and his texts this morning told her he wasn’t. Everly wasn’t even sure her feet touched the ground as she hurried down the stairs after feeding Snatches.
Not only was she looking forward to the brunch, and being
with Austin and his family, but starting tomorrow, she was going to order the art supplies to get started on the paintings. She was a genuine commissioned artist now. A working artist! It was still mind-boggling, and she doubted she’d ever get used to the fact. Laughing at herself, she pulled onto Main Street and headed toward her mom’s.
Apparently, she was the last to arrive, and she walked past the Hayes’ tan minivan and Austin’s white truck on the way.
She didn’t knock or ring the doorbell, instead she walked into her mom’s home. Sure enough, Aunt Janice and Uncle Stanley were there, along with several of her cousins. Also, a few Hayes were there, not ones in Brock’s direct family, thank goodness.
“Everly!” Jessica called out, and ran to her.
Everly hugged the little girl. “How was the hotel?”
“I got to sleep on a rolled bed,” Jessica stated proudly. “And Grandma did my braids.” She turned around to show her two French braids.
“Very pretty,” Everly said. “I love them.” She caught Mrs. Hayes watching them from across the room.
Mrs. Hayes smiled, and Everly smiled back.
Then Austin showed up at her side. He slipped an arm about her waist and kissed her cheek. “Hello, beautiful.”
Everly cheeks warmed. “Hi, handsome.”
He chuckled and tightened his hold around her waist. “Your mom has been talking my mom’s ear off. I can’t decide who’s the bigger committee queen.”
Everly looked over to where her mom was in conversation with the larger group that included the Hayes cousins. The food was great, and the conversation lively. Everly’s favorite part was how Austin stayed close to her, either holding her hand, or keeping his arm about her chair.
She knew that her mom was taking surreptitious glances at them, but Everly didn’t mind.
As the brunch wound down and most people were heading out the door, Austin said, “I want you to take a walk with me.”
“Okay,” Everly said, meeting his gaze. The request wasn’t totally strange, but the timing was. “Just me?”
“All of us, in fact,” he said. Then he also invited his parents and her mom.
So, the whole crew set off down the sidewalk, Jessica skipping along. Austin told everyone they’d just have to wait and see where they were going. They walked through the quiet streets of Hidden Hollows, beneath the rows of trees lining the sidewalks. About two streets down, Austin turned into another neighborhood.
“Hey, this is where Lizzy lives,” Jessica said. “Are we going to Lizzy’s?”
“Not today,” Austin said, squeezing Everly’s hand.
Their mothers were talking about the upcoming fall festival in Hidden Hollows, and Mr. Hayes had grabbed Jessica’s hand.
Then Everly saw it—a house two doors down that had a For Sale sign on the front lawn. It was one of those older homes that looked like it had gone through some extensive renovations already. Not that Austin couldn’t handle renovations . . . What was he thinking? As they neared the house, her heart was trying to gallop out of her chest.
Because her initial thoughts couldn’t be true, could they?
When Austin turned up the walk to the house, tears burned in her eyes, and she couldn’t have spoken if someone offered another art commission.
He stopped on the porch, released her hand, then produced a key to unlock the front door. No one said anything as he pushed the door open and stepped inside.
“Well, come in and tell me what you think,” he said, motioning for them to come inside.
“This is the old Anderson home,” her mom murmured, stepping past Everly. “It’s been changed a lot, though.”
Everly stepped into the entry, but still couldn’t speak as everyone filed past her, walking into the kitchen, the living room. Mr. Hayes wandered down the hall with Jessica asking a million questions a minute as she held onto her grandpa’s hand. His murmured voice faded, and the women were opening the pantry doors in the kitchen, then they went out the kitchen door that led to the back yard.
Austin shut the front door and gazed over at her.
She couldn’t meet his gaze though. Her heart had moved into her throat, and she looked about the rooms with blurry vision. What was Austin doing? Why had he brought them all here to look at this house? The answer was like a fiery dart to her mind, but she couldn’t grasp it all.
Finally, she turned to see him leaning against the front door, watching her, those brown eyes of his intent on her every movement, every reaction.
“What did you do, Austin?” she whispered.
“I put in an offer this morning,” he said. “And the realtor let me have the key for the day to show everyone around. Assuming my offer is accepted, I’ll be relocating Jessica and I to Hidden Hollows at the end of the month.”
Everly opened her mouth, then closed it, then swallowed. “Why?”
“I think I told you why last night.” He straightened from the door and walked toward her.
She was rooted to the floor. Couldn’t move. Wouldn’t move.
When Austin stopped in front of her, he cradled her face with his hands. “I love you, Everly, and I want to be where you are.” The edges of his mouth curved in the way she loved so much. “And I want my daughter to have a real home in a great neighborhood. So, I’m hoping you like this house too, because I have plans for us. If, that is, it’s okay with you.”
He leaned down and pressed the softest kiss on her mouth. “What do you say, Everly King?”
She curled her fingers in his shirt. “I like the house, Austin.”
“Good,” he murmured, kissing her again.
“And I love you,” she whispered. “So much.”
He smiled then. “I was hoping you felt that way. Or else things might be a bit awkward when we’re both trying to stake out the middle seats at the theater.”
She laughed, and it might have been a little bit of crying too. But Austin had started kissing her again, and she ran her hands up his chest, then locked her arms about his neck.
“Grandpa, look!” Jessica called out. “They’re kissing!”
A deep chuckle sounded from Mr. Hayes, but Austin didn’t release her.
“Let’s go see Grandma in the backyard,” Mr. Hayes said. “I think I spied a swing set.”
“Really?” Jessica squealed.
Running footsteps, followed by the quiet click of a closing door, then silence.
They were alone again, and Austin had drawn away, his gaze holding her captive as his thumb traced the edge of her jaw.
“I don’t think I can take any more surprises, Austin,” Everly whispered as warmth buzzed along her skin, pooling in her belly.
Austin’s eyes darkened as his mouth lifted into a half smile. “I think you need to get used to them,” he rumbled. “Because I’ve fallen in love with my fling.”
Everly laughed, then let him draw her back into his arms, his touch, his scent, his world, and she decided that she’d always welcome surprises from Austin.
Epilogue
Loving the Bad Boy
A Sneak Peek of book 4 in the Hidden Hollows series
By Shanae Johnson
Westley York stood outside the door of the newly remodeled movie theater. It looked to him much like the old theater, but with a clean face. Like a mother had come by and scrubbed it immaculate in preparation for church the next day.
West wouldn’t know anything about that experience personally. He’d only seen it in television ads and cartoons. He would have been lucky if there were laundered towels in the linen closet when he was younger.
It wasn’t Sunday morning. It was a Wednesday night as West made his way into the newly christened Bruce King Theater auditorium. He knew the newly renovated space was named after one of the theater’s patrons. West knew his family would never have anything named after them.
Well, maybe a jail cell.
But he’d made his way to the theater today because his favorite movie was playing. It was the movie whose main
character he was named after: The Princess Bride.
Unlike his previous visits, West’s shoes didn’t stick to the floors. Springs no longer protruded from the upholstery of the seats. The smell of stale popcorn, decades-old must, and rank oil were gone. Which was a plus.
West took his seat at the very back of the theater, in the aisle seat closest to the exit. The theater wasn’t even close to halfway full, which suited him. He always came to the movies during the off-hours. Then he could pretend he was sitting in his living room, watching a movie with a couple of friends.
An older couple made their way into the theater. The man glanced at West and frowned. He gave the woman accompanying him a tug, pulling her to his other side, the side furthest from West.
No, there were no friends here in this theater. Not with a reputation like his.
“Excuse me, but do you have your—?”
West held up his ticket stub before the usher could complete his question. “Are you going to ask everyone else in the theater too?”
The man’s nose twitched. West couldn’t remember his name; Jason or Jack or maybe Bill? West knew he’d gone to school with the guy. He’d been a theater kid and was always carrying around a video camera. He’d had the job of slinging popcorn at the movie theater since their junior year. Now he’d been promoted to usher. Clearly, the guy was moving up in the world.
Jason, Jack, or Bill—whatever his name was—turned on his heel without asking any other patron for proof of purchase. West was used to it. It’s why he chose the seat closest to the exit, an old habit from when he used to sneak in the theater as a kid. It was one of the few things his father had taught him.
But that was his past. West was now on the straight-and-narrow. Though he was trying to walk a righteous path, people still assumed his movements were crooked.
West couldn’t blame them. He’d earned his reputation as the town bad boy. Well, most of it, but not all of it.
Loving Her Fling Page 16