Take Me Home

by Elks, Carrie

  That’s when he saw her. Sitting on a bench in the square – the same bench she’d sat on that first day they’d met. Her feet were propped up on the seat and her arms were wrapped around her knees, hugging them tight. For somebody who’d just had everybody in the Moonlight Bar – including him – wrapped around her little finger, she didn’t look happy.

  It only took a minute to cross the square to join her. She looked up as he reached the bench, but she didn’t move.

  “Hey.” He sat down next to her. “You okay?”

  “Yeah.” She sighed. “I just needed some fresh air. It’s hot in there.”

  “It’s cool out here.”

  “You’re telling me. I’ve got goosebumps on top of goosebumps.” She looked down at her bare arms.

  He shrugged his jacket off and laid it across her shoulders, not bothering to ask for permission. He knew enough about her already to know she would have insisted he keep it, and he wasn’t in the mood for bullshit.

  She was cold. He could make her warm. Simple.

  “You were good in there,” he told her. “Really good.”

  A ghost of a smile passed her lips. “Thanks. Though it’s an old favorite. I can’t tell you how many times we’ve performed that one. It always gets people going.”

  “I guess it resonates with everybody. Who hasn’t been up at one in the morning thinking about somebody?”

  She nodded, pulling his jacket sleeves across her chest.

  “You have an amazing voice. Better than half the ones I hear in the business. Have you ever thought of becoming professional?” he asked.

  She looked up at him, the moonlight making her skin glow softly. God he wanted to touch her. “I like things the way they are.”

  There was no conviction in her voice. No truth. It sounded like a line she’d rehearsed too many times. “You like living in a dead end town serving shitty eggs for a living?” he asked her. “And spending every Friday night gossiping with old women who are more interested in who’s dating who than what’s happening in the real world?” He curled his fingers into his palms, wondering where his anger had come from.

  “I teach piano, too,” she replied, raising an eyebrow.

  He laughed. A short, humorless laugh that made him wince. “That’s bullshit. You don’t get to have a talent like you do and hide it away. You have it for a reason. You should be out there, recording songs, putting them in front of the industry.” He turned, his eyes staring straight at hers. “I could help you.”

  “I don’t want your help,” she told him, pulling her lip between her teeth. “I don’t need it. I’m fine here. I have a good life, people who need me. I can’t walk away from my responsibilities.”

  “I got away.”

  “You were lucky enough to have a big family who could take care of each other when you were gone.”

  Maybe she was right. He never had to worry about who was going take his dad for doctor appointments or make sure he ate something every day. Gray got to travel the world and leave it to Gina and Becca and his brothers.

  Maddie didn’t have that luxury.

  “Your mom has Ash, too,” he pointed out, to himself more than her.

  Maddie winced. “Ash has her own family. She shouldn’t have to look after us.”

  “So how come she’s the one who left?” Gray asked her. It all felt wrong. As though she was throwing excuses out to cover something else up. “Didn’t you go to Ansell? Why did you come back?”

  Maddie paled. “You know about that?” Her bottom lip wobbled, and he wanted to make it stop. God, he wanted so many things but had no idea how to make them reality.

  “I heard you went there for a while then came back. You didn’t graduate?”

  She swallowed. “No.”

  “Why not?”

  Maddie looked down at the sleeve of his jacket, her fingers twisting the cotton. “It doesn’t matter,” she said. He had to lean forward to hear her. “I’m here and this is where I’m going to stay.”

  “So that’s it? You stagnate because your mom needs you? You’ll regret it if you do.”

  Her head lifted and he could see the moon reflecting in her watery eyes. “Maybe I’d regret it more if I left. Not everybody succeeds, Gray. Not everybody gets the life they’ve always dreamed of. You might have gotten the fairytale, but there are nightmares out there, too. Sometimes it’s better to stick with what you know.” She stood and pulled his jacket off, holding it out to him.

  “Keep it.”

  “I’m heading home. Can you tell Tanner for me? And make my excuses to Becca?”

  “Don’t you want to know if you won the contest?”

  He took a step toward her, reaching out to cup her jaw. Her skin was as soft as he’d imagined. Warm, too, in spite of her shivers.

  “You’re better than this,” he whispered, his thumb brushing her bottom lip.

  “I’m not.” Her voice cracked. “I’m Maddie Clark. Ashleigh’s sister. I’m the girl nobody sees because there are so many better things to look at. I’m not you, Gray. I’m not star material. And I’ve come to terms with that.”

  A single tear rolled down her cheek, her jaw, and it felt like somebody was twisting every muscle inside him. He wiped the dampness from her skin, his gaze dropping to her lips. God, they were perfect. Pink and full and slightly open.

  “Maddie.” His throat was tight as he leaned closer. “Maddie Clark.”

  Her lips were trembling. Her eyes were wide, full of questions he didn’t have the answers to. He swallowed hard, feeling the need to kiss her hot in his blood. He wanted to consume her until he knew all the answers. Kiss her until she understood every one. Pull her body against his until she knew how much he desired her.

  He slid his hand around her neck, angling her head until her gaze met his. And for a moment he drowned in them. In her. Unsure if he’d be able to breathe again.

  “I should go.” She pulled away, leaving his hand dangling in mid-air. “I’m sorry.”

  Gray watched as she hurried across the square, his brows scrunched together as she ran through the gate and onto the sidewalk. Within moments she was gone, disappearing into the shadows, and he was all alone.

  What the hell just happened? He wasn’t certain, but one thing was for sure. He didn’t like it one bit.

  * * *

  Maddie hurried along the sidewalk, clutching Gray’s jacket tightly across her chest. The smell of him clung to the cotton. Warm and masculine, it made her stomach flip with the memory of his expression. He’d been about to kiss her, of that she was certain.

  But she had no idea why.

  Was it sympathy? Or some crazy flashback to Ashleigh? Her cheeks burned at the thought. She’d been so close to closing the gap between their lips. All it would have taken was a roll of her feet and their mouths would have touched. She swallowed hard as she turned the corner onto her road, mortification wrapping around her as she spotted her house at the end of the block.

  She was such an idiot. Had she really cried in front of him? She ran her fingers along her cheek. Any dampness was gone, but her skin was still heated. And maybe that wasn’t a surprise.

  Because Gray Hartson had almost kissed her. Even worse, she’d wanted him to. Felt the need for him drumming through her veins until she could barely concentrate on anything else. And for a moment – just one perfect slice in time – it had felt so right. As though a woman like her could be with a guy like him.

  Until reality hit her like a Mack truck.

  Maddie knew she was okay looking. But she was no Ashleigh. Growing up in her beautiful sister’s shadow had taught her that looks were currency. They bought you attention and admiration, and guys like Gray Hartson.

  She knew from an early age that she’d never be that kind of girl. So she made people laugh or was kind to them. Did things that built other kinds of connections. When all else failed she’d hide away in her music. Her happy place.

  And they might not have bought her a life like Ashle
igh’s – living with a rich husband in an expensive house with two beautiful children – but she’d never wanted that kind of life. Here in Hartson’s Creek, she knew who she was. Where she stood. She had friends, people she took care of. It was a good life.

  So why did her heart feel like it was cracking in two? She let out a sigh as she turned into the pathway to her home. The porch light was on, the way she’d left it, but the rest of the cottage was dark.

  Once inside, she checked on her mom, who was sleeping soundly, then walked to her own bedroom with that jacket still warmly wrapped around her. She’d give it back tomorrow – or maybe give it to Becca to pass back to Gray. She wasn’t sure she could have another conversation with him without revealing herself to him.

  Or fearing he wouldn’t like what he saw.

  Kicking her shoes off, she laid down on her bed, breathing in the warm scent that clung to his coat. She shook her head and stood up again, laying it on her desk chair before sitting back on the mattress.

  She wasn’t a teenager anymore. She didn’t get to make the kind of decisions she had when she was naïve. She’d done that once before and look where it got her? Alone and afraid in New York, calling her sister at midnight and begging her to come and save her.

  She wouldn’t put herself in that position again. Better to be alone and safe than with somebody and vulnerable.

  Even if it was becoming almost impossible to fight her feelings.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “Aunt Gina says stop working and come outside,” Logan said, craning his head to where Gray was working in the attic. “There’s a beer out there with your name on it.”

  Gray wiped the sweat from his brow and looked down at his brother. “How was church?”

  “Boring without you,” Logan said, grinning. “I was promised crowds of screaming girls outside. And Tanner just sat in the corner looking green. I told him that last whiskey wasn’t gonna do him any good.”

  “I think it was the five before it that hurt him,” Gray said, climbing through the attic door. “And the six beers.” It was hard not to laugh at Tanner’s hangover.

  “He’s drinking a bottle in the garden right now. Said something about kill or cure.”

  Gray followed his brother down the stairs and through the kitchen. Aunt Gina was cooking up a storm, muttering to Becca who caught Gray’s eye. She rolled her own at him.

  “Do you need any help here?” he asked as his aunt opened the stove and squealed at the smoke coming out.

  “No. Go outside with your brothers and get out of my hair.”

  “You coming?” he asked Becca.

  “In a minute.” She nodded. “I figure I’ll let you get all the boy talk over with first.”

  Logan passed him a beer as they walked outside. Tanner was laying on two chairs, his face inclined to the sky, eyes closed as he listened to Cam. The younger twin was regaling him with stories of his last game.

  “You carried on playing with a head injury?” Tanner asked, his eyes still closed. “Are you crazy?”

  “I wanted to win.” Cam shrugged. “The rush was incredible.” He grinned as he spotted his older brothers walking out. “Gray must know what I mean. I’ve seen your face when you walk out on stage.”

  “Kinda like his face when Tanner made him sing Karaoke of his own song,” Logan said, grinning. “Man, that made me laugh.”

  Tanner shook his head. “I can’t believe we lost to Becca and Maddie. I could have sworn we were a sure thing.”

  “They won fair and square,” Logan said, glancing at his phone and wincing. “They got the biggest cheer.”

  “Don’t remind me,” Tanner complained. “Becca was shoving it in my face all night.”

  “I gotta make a phone call,” Logan told them, his jaw set hard. “I’ll be right back.”

  “Restaurant problems?” Gray asked Cam as the older twin walked around the front of the house.

  “He’s lost five staff since Friday to a rival place. Any more and he’ll have to close temporarily. He was bitching about it the whole way here.” He shrugged and took another mouthful of beer. “Talking of bitching, how are you finding the old man?”

  “He’s being his usual asshole self,” Tanner muttered. “Everything Gray does with the plumbing is wrong.”

  “Is it bad that I was relieved he stayed in bed today?” Cam asked. “I can take about ten minutes with him, but a whole afternoon? No way I want to listen to him dissecting every play I made last season. I’d have to win the Superbowl single handed to make him happy.”

  Gray pressed his lips together. Yeah, it was bad, but he felt exactly the same way. Though his father’s health was improving, he was still nowhere near well. And having all of his children in the house at once was proving too much for him.

  “Hey, how’s that girl you were seeing?” Tanner asked Cam, opening his eyes a chink. He immediately shaded them with the palm of his hand. “Alice was it?”

  “Andrea. And we ended things. She nagged too much.”

  “Big surprise,” Tanner muttered.

  “How about you, Tanner?” Cam asked, raising an eyebrow. “Are the girls pushing down your door in New York?”

  “I saw you looking at Maddie Clark,” Tanner said to Cam, ignoring his question. “She’s grown up and looking better than her sister.”

  Gray lifted the bottle to his lips. He’d barely slept last night. Too much thinking about Maddie and their conversation in the square.

  He’d been a hair’s breath away from kissing her. Could still smell the sweet fragrance of her perfume if he tried hard enough. It was messing with his head, this attraction he had for her.

  No matter what he did, he couldn’t get her out of his mind.

  “She’s a beautiful girl.” Cam shrugged. “But I’ve sworn off women. At least until I retire from the NFL.”

  Was it weird that Gray’s shoulders felt lighter at that?

  “What about you, Gray?” Tanner said. “Any stories about actresses or singers you can tell us?”

  “Nope.”

  “Oh come on. At least one of the Hartson brothers has to be getting some.” Tanner sat up, but his face remained ashen. “You have to fight them off. I see all the comments on your Instagram pictures.”

  “I haven’t. My publicist deals with that.”

  “Some of them put their phone numbers and describe everything they want to do to you. You should call them.”

  Gray lifted an eyebrow. “I’m not interested in a hook up.”

  Cam tipped his head to the side, his eyes scrutinizing his brother. “What are you interested in? Settling down?”

  “No.” Gray frowned. “I’m not looking for anything permanent. I’m not looking for anything at all. But if I ever do, I want a connection. Some emotion. I’m sick and tired of sex just for the sake of it.”

  “Whoa. I never thought I’d see the day when one of my brothers would say that,” Becca said, grinning as she walked out to join them. “And if you don’t mind, can we change the subject? Because the thought of any one of you having sex is going to ruin my Karaoke winning high.”

  “Shut up,” Tanner told her. “It was fixed. You only got all those cheers because you paid for them.”

  Gray finished his beer and put the bottle on the ground. When he looked up, Cam was looking at him, a speculative expression on his face. As though he could see right through Gray’s brain to the thoughts inside.

  He hoped to god it was just an illusion. Because if he could read Gray’s thoughts, he’d probably think he was crazy. Because they were full of the girl who happened to be his ex-girlfriend’s sister.

  If that wasn’t a mess, Gray had no idea what was.

  * * *

  “Your father’s feeling well enough to join us for breakfast,” Aunt Gina said a few days later as she poured out four glasses of orange juice. “Isn’t that wonderful?”

  “Great.” Gray took a sip of his juice and tried really hard to smile.

  “That is w
onderful,” Becca said, jumping up from the table. “I’ll go help him.”

  When she’d left the room, her bare feet slapping against the floorboards in the hallway, Aunt Gina glanced at him. “It’s a shame he couldn’t get up while your brothers were here. Maybe they can come visit again soon.”

  Logan and Cameron had left early the Monday morning after Tanner’s party, making hurried excuses as they raced to catch their flight. Tanner had left a few hours later.

  Gray already missed them like crazy, which was stupid considering how little he’d seen them in the past few years. They’d made promises of coming to see him in L.A. when he was back there, but he knew it would take a lot of organizing to get them all in the same place at the same time again.

  “Here he is,” Becca said as she walked with her father into the kitchen. He held tightly onto her arm as he shuffled along. Gray stood and pulled a chair back and Becca helped him sit down.

  “Orange juice?” Aunt Gina asked him.

  “Just a dash.”

  Gray could feel the atmosphere in the kitchen change. It was like somebody had dimmed the lights and turned the volume down.

  “What’s happening at work today?” Aunt Gina asked Becca as she buttered a slice of toast.

  “We’re having a new still fitted and the bosses are bitching like crazy about the loss in production, so I’m going to put in my headphones and pretend I can’t hear them.” Becca shrugged. “Oh, and I’m still lording it over Gray that I beat him at Karaoke.” She winked at him, and he raised an eyebrow back at her. “Did I tell you about that?”

  Aunt Gina laughed. “About a hundred times.”

  Becca shrugged. “It’s not often I get to beat a Grammy winner. I’m thinking of putting it on my resumé.”

  “I was thinking of putting it on my next album cover,” Gray told her. “The second best singer in Hartson’s Creek.”

  “Third, really, if you count Maddie,” Becca pointed out with a grin.