* * *
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.