Page 21 of Save the Last Dance (Take the Backroads #1)

Mack switched on the vehicle’s engine and cranked the heat, angling the vents toward her to keep her warm. He would have preferred to apply himself to the task personally, but after giving her a tough time about flirting with him, he wasn’t going to suggest it.

“A rich friend doesn’t necessarily make the best investor.”

“Yes. And wasn’t that an expensive lesson for me?” Even in the dark, Mack could see her roll her eyes.

“More than half of all start-up companies fail in their first four years.”

“But I aligned myself with someone who didn’t put the business first. Worse, I didn’t protect myself with any kind of partnership contract that spelled out who was responsible for what or what would happen if someone got ill or ran away with a client’s groom.

” She shoved a hand through her windblown hair, swiping back pieces that fluttered along her cheek.

“Next time you’ll know what to watch out for.” He pointed to the back of the car. “Want me to put the roof up? ”

“No. I like being out with the top down. But as far as the future is concerned, I’m beginning to think there won’t be a next time for me running my own business.

” She held her hands next to the vent blowing warm air.

“Even if Olivia returns the money to our account and wants to move forward, obviously I wouldn’t be able to work with her again.

And even if I could, it’s become clear to me that Gram needs me here. ”

“I don’t understand.” He studied her in the glow of the dashboard lights, her profile more finely drawn and delicate as she aged, and yet her face so familiar too.

How many times had they sat in her truck or his car after a date, talking about plans for a future—their future?

“You’re not seriously considering staying in Heartache permanently? ”

“I’m doing more than considering it.” She tucked her hands under the throw blanket again and drew it up to her chin. “As soon as I can settle things in New York…I’m going to come back here.”

The moon dipped lower on the horizon while night birds called overhead and Mack’s whole world seemed to shift. Part of him rejoiced at having her living in the same state. Maybe they really could explore something between them, something that didn’t have to end after the Harvest Fest.

But another part of him realized she was moving here to support the only family she had—her grandmother. Nina would want a family of her own one day, something Mack couldn’t offer her.

“You’re a wanderer at heart.” He’d always thought that was something she had in common with her parents, whether she cared to admit it or not. “I can’t imagine you’d be happy settling here.”

“Oh, really? You can’t chase me out of town before I’ve even moved back.” She hugged her knees closer under the blanket, so the light fleece covered her bent legs like a tent.

He was bowled over with memories of sharing a blanket with her. They’d been young for the kind of intimacy they’d found, but…wow. She’d been his first. And there’d been a lot of fooling around in parked cars.

When he took too long to answer, her smile slowly faded.

“Is my being here a problem?” The tone of her voice warned him his quietness had stung her.

“Of course not. But you always wanted to be in a big city for more culture and more business opportunities.” Had she really done a one-eighty on that? “Maybe you ought to consider Nashville. You’d still be a in a bigger city, but you’d be close enough to drive down here on the weekends.”

“Nashville?” She rested her hands on top of her knees and then settled her chin on her hands.

“They eat cupcakes there, too, you know.”

She laughed and the sound was better than the music they’d been blasting out of the speakers earlier. There was a soft sweetness to her laugh that made him feel like a genius for being the cause of it.

“I’m not sure if I can ever market to brides successfully again. What if they hear about my last business where my partner swooped in and stole a groom?” She straightened the blanket and for an instant, the fabric covered his hand where it rested on the seat.

The realization that a part of him was under the blanket with her did fierce things to his self-control.

“Still, you should think about Nashville. You’d have a bigger market there. And it’s not just brides who order cupcakes.” He heard himself trying to convince her and wasn’t quite sure why.

Was it really for her sake? Or was he just trying to bring her closer to him? He had to be careful about that in case she got the idea that he was angling for a future.

“I don’t know, Mack. I’m looking at Heartache with new eyes lately.

But even if I hated this town, I would still move back here because Gram needs me and she wants to stay in her own home.

I owe her as much help as she’s willing to take.

” She spoke with a fierceness that didn’t surprise him.

Nina’s love was a formidable thing. “But I’ve realized since coming home that I don’t hate it.

If anything, I’ve remembered there’s a lot to love about a small town. ”

“Like that everyone knows your business? And makes no pretense of asking about it?” He couldn’t believe she’d consider life in Tennessee again after how fast she’d ditched it before.

“Some people view that as being part of a caring community,” she pointed out.

“Do you?” He found it tough to believe she’d changed her mind. She hadn’t been back here that long.

“I guess I do. I’ve seen that there are a lot of caring people in this town and I wouldn’t mind being a part of that.

” She stared up at the sky again, her eyes tracking the blinking light of a low flying airplane.

“Although when Kaleb Riggs asked me to come to work for the craft beer place his family runs, I’m pretty sure he was hitting on me more than caring about my professional well-being. ”

“You’ll get a lot of that.” His buddy Vince hadn’t been the only guy in town who’d been crazy about Nina. She had a natural warmth that made people gravitate to her.

“I doubt that. And anyhow, I’m not interested.”

Mack tried to take that as a cue to leave, even reaching for the stick shift to back up the car.

He’d met her tonight out at the football field because she’d asked him to.

They’d cleared the air about Jenny and put another piece of the past to rest. He should consider that progress.

But with the liquid fire of attraction still simmering in his veins after that kiss they’d shared, he couldn’t just leave it on that note.

“Meaning you’re not interested in Kaleb,” he clarified. “And as for you and me, we only agreed on no kissing, at least for tonight.”

He might not be able to offer Nina a long-term relationship. He knew how she felt about family. Kids. But they were here together now and he wasn’t the only one experiencing this attraction.

“Um, belatedly. But yes, I suppose I eventually came to my senses and made the safer choice.” She hugged her arms around herself and watched him with wide eyes.

If he had his say, neither of them would be thinking about safer choices the next time they sat alone in a car parked under the stars. He wanted to share a blanket with Nina Spencer again and remind her how good they could be together—for whatever however long they had left.

“Do me a favor, though, and keep the dinner invitation in mind. You can even consider it rationally, if you prefer.” He checked his rearview mirror and forced himself to be disciplined where she was concerned. “Just please…think about it.”

“You’re going to win, Ally.” Ethan whispered the words in Ally’s ear as they sat together in the grandstand at the Heartache Fairgrounds, surrounded by the rest of their classmates.

They were waiting for the Harvest Festival Committee to choose one of the students’ designs for a straw maze they’d submitted as part of a math class competition.

“No, I’m not,” she whispered back, still surprised that Ethan Brady wanted to hang out with her a week after their first “sort of” date.

He’d taken her to the local corn maze for inspiration for their math project.

He hadn’t kissed her, but he had definitely been looking at her differently since then.

If not for The Incident at the salon the day before that, her life would finally be looking up even in spite of her new weekly appointments with a psychiatrist. But as it stood, she felt suspended between happy and worried, afraid every minute that her secret would get out and that Ethan would discover she was seeing a shrink.

Or worse, that he’d find out why. Her healing cuts started to itch as she thought about them and she squeezed the gray cuffs of her hoodie to reassure herself the marks were hidden.

“Are you kidding me?” Ethan leaned away from her to study her face. “Your maze design is by far the best. I have no idea how we ended up in the same class because you’re, like, a million times better at algorithms than me.”

Ally’s face heated despite the chill in the air.

She’d never told Ethan about the fact that she’d only let her grades slip to get her parents’ attention.

She was starting to realize having a relationship with him—if he really did like her that way—might not be easy when she’d hidden so much from him.

“Not really. I was just inspired when we took that trip to the corn maze. That was a good idea.” She hoped reminding him of a fun day would distract him from the math thing.

“But I don’t think the committee will pick my design because it’s got too many nooks and walls.

It’d probably take way too many hay bales to make it. ”

Ethan flipped a lock of dark hair out of his eyes. “Like there’s a lack of hay in this town?”

She knew he still resented the nonstop chores of farming and living the lifestyle his family had imposed when they’d started their organic food co-op and market.