Page 26 of A Family Affair: The Ring
Genevieve was the name of the car he once said he loved almost as much as her.“Did you ever fix the heater?”She should not have inquired because the question held meaning and implied intimacy.Would you please get this fixed so I don’t freeze?she’d asked every time the temperature fell below fifty.Will would reach for the blanket resting on the backseat, tuck her in with a kiss and a gentleI’ll take care of my baby.
He cleared his throat, his cheeks shifting to a dull red beneath his tan.“I did get it fixed.”
She moved past him, toward the car that held so many memories.Their first kiss...the deep conversations...the drives back and forth to college…the promises and dreams and—
“I got her a new paint job because she was looking a little sad.”He opened the door, pointed.“What do you think of the seats?And check out the stitching.”
Silver stitching complemented the blue seats; clean, precise, sharp.“Very classy.I like it.”
“I had a whole new stereo system installed.Remember that time I blew out the speaker and…” His voice trailed as if in memory or an attempt toblockthe memory because she’d been with him.
Melanie slid her gaze to his.“Thanks again for your help last night.I really appreciate it.”
A nod, a shift from one foot to the other.Will used to do that when he wasn’t comfortable with a topic, and if he werereallyuncomfortable, he’d tap his hand against his thigh.Would sheeverforget his traits and behaviors?She recalled more about him than any of the other men who’d been in her life...
“So, since you don’t have any wheels and the rentals around here may be a bit scarce...I thought you could borrow Genevieve until you get your car.”
“You want to loan me your car?I can’t do that.”
Those blue eyes narrowed the tiniest bit.“Why not?”
How could he ask that?Couldn’t he see the reason?“Because it wouldn’t be right.You love that car.You always said nobody was getting near your car and you only let me drive it once and then critiqued me the whole time.”
A shrug, a quiet, “It’s just a car.Let me do this.”
Genevieve was not just a car and they both knew it.“Why?”
He opened his mouth to speak, cleared his throat twice, and darn if he didn’t tap his hand on his thigh.“Hell if I know, but it seems like the right thing to do and for once I’m not going to analyze it.I’m just going to go with it.”He reached into his jeans pocket, pulled out the keys.He still had the same Rolling Stones keychain, the one she’d given him when he bought the car.“I figure if you call your insurance company today and they send someone out, the body shop might be able to work on it by next week.Hard to say.You’re going to need a way to get around and why should you have to worry about a rental when this beauty is sitting in my garage?”
Did he really want her to give him the many reasons why this was such a bad idea?The challenge on his face said he was prepared for whatever she tossed at him, but there was also something else in his expression.Confusion?She owed him and maybe this was the first step to moving forward.The only question that pinged her brain and shot to her heart was if they were moving toward one another or away from one another?And then another question barreled straight at her, landed in the center of her brain.Which one did she want?
16
Will was a numbers guy who preferred to rely on facts and data to draw conclusions.Gone were the days of letting emotion and feelings impact his decisions, especially in relationships.He’d been burned once, and the scars were a reminder of the white-hot pain he’d suffered.
But he should have known that once Melanie walked back into Magdalenaandinto his life, the emotions would resurface and he’d lose his objectivity.Sure, he could pretend she didn’t affect him, could act as if he was neither happy or annoyed she’d returned, but he could only keep the scowl in place for so long.And keeping her from his thoughts?Probably going to fail on that one, too, unless he could find a diversion.
Delaney wasn’t the answer; neither was drinking or burying himself in work.He pondered other solutions, decided the answer to his predicament was a straight-up confrontation where he didn’t hide the anger that had plagued him for too many years.And maybe that would—
“I was wondering if you were coming home at all tonight.”
Delaney sat on the swing at the end of the porch, rocking back and forth, blonde hair brushing her arms, eyes bright, hands folded in her lap.Not happy.“What’s wrong?”
“Why didn’t you tell me that you were engaged to her?”
No sense pretending he didn’t know who she was talking about.“It was a long time ago.”Tears shimmered in those blue eyes, followed by a sniff.She was two seconds away from a full-on cry and he didnotwant that.“Look, Delaney…”
She held up a hand, shook her head.“Is it over?”
He was not going to have this conversation with her.“Of course, it is.Why would you think otherwise?”
A sad smile crept over her face.“Why?Because since that woman came to Magdalena, we haven’t shared much of anything—not a bed, a conversation, not much more than a dinner and even that’s been awkward.You’ve been avoiding me, and I thought it might be something I’d said or done, but it wasn’t me at all.”Another sniff, a swipe of her eyes.“You still care about her.”
“Look, we were over a long time ago.”Who’d told her about him and Melanie?And why had they done it?Small towns were notorious for spilling secrets, but they were also very good at keeping them.The people who knew about Will and Melanie were also the ones who wanted to protecthim, and that meant not talking about it—to anyone.
She stood, crossed her arms over her chest as though preparing for a cross-examination.Gone was the sad face, replaced with a blend of accusation and curiosity.“What happened?It must have been something for the whole town to stay quiet about it.Was she pregnant?Was it a forced engagement?Did she lose the baby?Did she—”
“It’s personal and I’m not going to talk about it.”
