Beau
"What you mean is it's an absolute shithole," Rein mutters, swiping his hand through his hair.
We've been taken on a tour of Cox Stadium, named after former mayor Walter Cox. From the stands to the field to the hallways and locker rooms, it's grim.
Inside, there's peeling paint, broken tiles, exposed wiring, and a putrid smell of mildew and stale sweat hanging in the air.
The bathrooms are a horror show, the concession stand looks like a relic from decades past and is crawling with pests, and the outside doesn't fare much better. The parking lot has potholes everywhere, the stadium walls are falling apart, and the seats are cracked, sun-faded, and half of them don’t fold anymore. A few are outright missing.
We've been left to our own devices by Dex, the facilities manager who has been showing us around.
Rein and I have wandered out onto the field where the turf is patchy and uneven, scattered with bare dirt where grass should be and divots deep enough to twist an ankle.
I crouch down and pull out a clump of grass. It comes out way too easily.
Rein squats down beside me and stares at my hand. "Not a good sign."
"No. But it was nice seeing your grandma," I say, shifting the focus to something better since it was really wonderful seeing her again.
"Stop doing that glass-half-full thing. It's annoying," he says, his lips stretching into a playful grin.
"We need to find a stadium, Rein."
He breathes out through his teeth. "I know. I know."
"We're running out of options." We have three in Gilberton, and this one we're viewing is the last one.
"I know, I know."
"And I'm not saying this to annoy you with glass-half-full optimism, but this place does have one big pro going for it."
That being the vacant lot right next to it, which just so happens to be for sale.
Given we bought the team together, there's money left over to buy it, and if we did, we could expand parking, build a training center, even add retail, apartments, or offices to generate steady revenue and make the stadium area part of a bigger community hub.
The one ginormous con, though?
The vacant lot sits smack bang next to his family's resort and casino.
"Sabrina is in negotiations to secure that land, though," he reminds me. He mentioned it as we drove by it on the way over. "Not exactly fired up to get into a bidding war with my sister."
"Maybe we can come to some sort of agreement?" I suggest, which earns me a skeptical look.
"This is my family we're talking about, Beau. Win at all costs. Remember?"
My lips press into a hard line. "How could I forget?"
We both get up. "Let's tell Dex we need to think about it and we'll be in touch with him shortly. There's something else I want to talk to you about."
"About the team?"
"No." He shakes his head, his eyes sharpening, like he’s locking onto a decision. "About us."
"The people of Gilberton are going to think we're traitors if they find out we travel to another town's diner just so we can talk," I say as we slide into the same booth we were in a few weeks ago in Clovelly.
Rein shrugs but doesn't smile, clearly weighed down by whatever it is he's going to tell me.
I try to keep my nerves in check, not liking not knowing what it is.
We order drinks and loaded fries, but they've run out of pickled jalapenos, which seals the deal; this will be the last time we come here.
"I have to tell you something," he says, and it almost sounds like the beginning of a confession, with the dramatic pause and all.
"Okay."
I brace myself. He opens his mouth, and…the server arrives. Once she's gone, Rein dives straight in.
Although, maybe straight isn't the right word.
"I've been doing some thinking. About us." His brow is creased, and he's not looking me in the eye, intensely focused on twisting the napkin around his fingers instead. "About…my feelings for you."
Something about the way he breathes out the word feelings makes my heart beat harder. "Go on."
He lifts his head, his eyes meeting mine.
"I'm in love with you, Beau. And it's more than friendship love.
It's romantic love. And I know that me saying this risks our newly re-formed friendship, but I couldn't face not telling you.
I've learned my lesson, and I am never going to repeat the mistake of not making more of an effort to make sure we talk about things, like I should have done after the accident.
So, yeah, there it is. Bomb has been dropped.
" He drops his gaze to the napkin again. "Thoughts?"
"Ummm…well, the first thing that springs to mind is aren't you straight?"
"I am. This isn't about other guys. It's only about you. I'm in love with you."
My don't get your hopes up cheer squad don't even bother showing up. It'd be useless if they did anyway. "I cannot tell you how much I've wanted to hear you say that."
"Really?" His left eye twitches. "Even after all this time?"
I snort. "What? You thought I was only into you when you were young and hot?"
"Hey, I may not be young anymore, but I am still incredibly hot."
"You are." I reach across the table, untwist the napkin from his fingers so I can take his hand in mine, and say, "Not to mention modest."
"I realize you may need to take some time to process, but…how are you feeling?"
"I'm feeling a lot of things," I answer, tuning into my emotional radar to get a read of what's going on with me. "I'm happy, of course. I'm in shock that this is happening. I think we have a lot to unpack. And…"
"And what?"
I look up at him as heat stirs deep in my core. "And I can't help wondering what it would be like to kiss you again…among other things."
"Other things?" Our eyes lock like laser beams. Sexual laser beams. "Like what?"
I love that he's challenging me, that he wants to hear me say it, since I'm pretty sure he's got a good idea of what I mean.
"Like make love to you, Rein."