Page 74 of Save the Last Dance
She knew as well as he did they weren’t going to be able to overcome the last barrier that separated them. His unwillingness to compromise on having kids had already cost him his first wife. Now, he was breaking Nina’s heart, too, when she’d warned him that she couldn’t afford that kind of pain again.
He wanted to say something—anything—to put off the inevitable. Or change her mind. Or…
Hell, he didn’t even know anymore.
But before he could say anything she walked away to admire Ally and Ethan’s decorating before entering the dining hall. Leaving him with the weight of failure on his shoulders once again and a need deep in his gut to figure out a solution.
“Want some help,Nina?” A feminine voice asked from behind her as Nina strode toward through the dining hall toward the kitchen.
While volunteers dragged tables into a new configuration and decorated the corners with hay bales and mums, Nina’s heart was in pieces. Absolute, tiny pieces. All she wanted to do was find a quiet place to cry for an hour or two before making an appearance at this dance that the rest of Heartache was so excited about. But she couldn’t ignore the kindness in the voice behind her.
The voice of Mack’s niece.
“Thanks, Ally.” She couldn’t hold back the smallest sniffle as she blinked a few times. Waiting for Ally to catch up, she laid an arm on the girl’s shoulders. “Have I mentioned how much I appreciate you bringing Gram to the salon with you on her hair appointment days?”
“Oh, sure.” Ally waved away the thanks. “Totally no trouble. Mrs. Spencer is everyone’s favorite customer. She keeps us laughing all day when she’s there.”
Nina guided her past some workers stringing yellow and orange lights overhead until the roof was a canopy of bright harvest colors. Retreating into a corner near a refreshment table, she gestured toward a folded tablecloth.
“If you want to put on the linens, I’ll check how the mulled cider is coming along.” Nina had been inspired by the spiced brew Mack had brought her that night they’d watched the color guard team practice on the football field. The hot drink would be perfect for the dance.
“Sure.” Ally shook out the white cotton cloth while Nina opened the top of the electric carafe on a serving tray nearby. “Can I ask you something, like, personal?”
More than ready to think about anything besides Mack and the fact that he was leaving town tomorrow—maybe even tonight—Nina nodded. “Of course. I’m hoping we’ll get to see more of each other now that I’m staying in Heartache.”
Ally evened up the hems of the cloth on either side of the table. “You left town when you were eighteen, right? Wasn’t that a really good thing for you? You opened a business, left the small town stuff behind…I mean, it was fun, right?”
Caught off guard and wanting to say the right things, Nina took a moment. Gathered her thoughts. She set the lid back on the carafe while a new band warmed up on a stage across the hall.
“I left under very unhappy circumstances.” She swallowed hard, being honest. “It was actually very painful even though I’d always wanted to leave. Looking back, I wish—more than anything—I’d stayed long enough to work out my problems here. Then, I could have moved on with a clear conscience.”
Ally gave up all pretense of helping, taking a seat on a folding chair against the wall beneath a pass-through window to the kitchen. Her yellow skirt puffed out with the movement.
“I hate it here, even though today has actually been really great.” Ally glanced around the dance hall, her eye lingering on the lights overhead. “But I’m crazy about Ethan and he doesn’t want to leave. Plus that girl who helped me with the straw maze, Rachel…she could use a friend nearby.”
“I know things are hard at home, Ally.” Nina’s heart broke for the girl. “I was seriously overlooked by my parentsand it just…sucked. But your parents love you and I don’t think they have any idea how much their lives are spilling over into yours right now. Plus, you’ll never get this time back. You could still have the most magical senior year ever with Ethan. And you have a new friend who could turn out to be as important for you as you’ve been for her.” Nina shook her head. “I would not walk away from things now, just when Heartache is going to start being really good to Ally Finley.”
“That would be interesting to see.” A smile curled one corner of Ally’s lips. “I guess I can stick it out through graduation.”
Nina rushed to hug her. “Yes. Please do that.”
Ally squeezed her back. “Ethan is pretty great incentive. But I’m also glad that my grandmother seems better.”
“She’s a wise woman,” Nina admitted. “And I’m sure she’d have a very frank opinion about you leaving town.”
Ally burst out laughing. “You think?”
“And now, I’m in town.” Nina gave Ally’s fingers a quick squeeze before she moved back to the carafe and set it on the table. “You can help me figure out what kind of restaurant would do well here, and I’ll make sure I’m around if you need to…maybe…vent.”
“I know nothing about restaurants.” Ally got to her feet and started taking clean cups from the food service window to set out on the table around the carafe. “That’s more Uncle Mack’s department, right? Wouldn’t you rather have my help figuring out how we can get Uncle Mack to stay in town?”
Nina nearly lost her grip on a stack of cups. She juggled them just in time, but not without a lot of clattering as she imagined sharing a business with Mack. But they’d never have or a business—or anything—together.
“Sorry.” Ally took a few of them from her. “Guess I inherited a little too much of Gram’s frankness.”
“No. I mean, it’s fine if you did.” Nina set down the rest of the dishes. “I ought to realize by now that I tend to wear my heart on my sleeve.”
“We’ll keep working on him,” Ally assured her. “I can tell he’s really crazy about you.”
