Chapter 26
Miss Eleanor came into The Bike Shop the morning of the theater’s grand opening. He stifled a sigh, knowing he was in for another lecture. “Morning Miss Eleanor,” he called out cheerfully.
“Don’t paste that fake smile on your face, young man,” she said, her sharp eyes missing nothing.
And it had been a really, really long time since someone had called him a young man.
“What’s this nonsense that you and Tori aren’t speaking? Did you even help her with the last-minute details of the opening?”
“Trust me, Victoria has everything covered.”
She pinned him with a long, hard stared. “Tori has given her heart and soul to restoring this theater. She’s worked tirelessly. And look at all she accomplished. And she stood up to that fool son of mine when he offered her a ridiculous sum for the theater.”
Miss Eleanor’s impassioned defense of Tori made him shift uncomfortably. He knew Tori had put hours and hours into restoring the theater, and she’d done a remarkable job. But it didn’t change the fact that they had gone their separate ways. At his insistence, but still.
He set down the wrench he’d been holding. “That doesn’t really change things, though, does it? She lied to me.”
“Did she? Or did she just not tell you everything about her past? You know, no one is obliged to tell everything they’ve done in the past. Some things are better left unsaid, unknown. And she must have had her reasons for not wanting people to know who she was.”
“But—”
She cut him off. “Gavin Sloan, do not ‘but’ me. She’s a hardworking, wonderful young woman.”
He was fairly confident that Tori hadn’t been called a young woman recently, either. He shoved the thought aside.
“I think you’re foolish, clinging to some kind of grudge against her. You two worked great together and accomplished quite the feat by reopening the theater. It looks wonderful. Better than before. And she’s got a show opening tonight.” She came over to the counter and double-tapped it with one finger. “And you’re coming tonight to show your support, aren’t you?”
“I… I’m not sure.”
“Gavin Sloan, you’re better than that.” She scowled at him, pivoted abruptly, and walked out of the shop.
He let out a long sigh, confusion swirling through him like a restless tide. Maybe he had been a bit too hard on her. He’d let his hurt feelings cloud his judgment, acting more from a place of wounded pride than anything. He’d been so surprised to learn she’d kept her past a secret from him. He’d thought he knew her so well. But as Miss Eleanor pointed out, Tori must have had her reasons for coming here as simply Tori Duran.
He stalked across the shop, grabbed a tire, and headed back to replace the flat on the bike he’d been working on. But even the methodical tasks of fixing the tires did little to quiet the conflicted thoughts racing around his mind. Nor did it help him make a decision about tonight. The right choice eluded him.