Chapter 24
Tori tried to talk to Gavin over the next few days, but no luck. He wouldn’t answer the messages she left on his phone. She swung by The Bike Shop multiple times, hoping to catch him there. Each time Jonny said Gavin wasn’t there, but the guilty look on Jonny’s face confirmed that Gavin was avoiding her.
A constant stream of reporters besieged her. Bothering her at the theater, chasing her down when they spied her on the street. She’d chased away more reporters than she cared to count. Each one wanting an exclusive story. Each one wanting to be the one to break the news on when she might come back to New York City and return to Broadway. She never said a word to any of them.
And she would swear that in the last few days the people in town were even more mad at her, if that was even possible. The icy glares she got when she walked to the theater and passed anyone were filled with anger. She could feel their stares burning into her back as she walked by them. It was as if the whole town had turned against her.
She sat at her desk with the opening just days away, wondering if anyone would even show up for it. Would all the seats be empty in a collaborative effort to show her how angry they were for keeping her true identity a secret?
But she’d been trying to help the town. Get the theater back up and running. But now she just felt alone and misunderstood, with no chance to ever feel like a real part of the town. And if the opening failed? The theater failed? Then what was she going to do? Disappointment and despair clung to her every move, her every decision.
She looked up in surprise as Miss Eleanor strode into the room. “Here.” Miss Eleanor dropped some papers on her desk. “I’m making an offer on the theater.”
“Why?” She glanced down at the papers and frowned, confused. “But why would you think I was selling the theater?”
“Selling it to Cliff. He made an offer didn’t he?”
“Yes, but?—”
Miss Eleanor cut her off with a wave of her hand. “I want it to stay a theater. Not get torn down for some monstrosity that Cliff would build, or turned into some ill-conceived place he thinks the town needs, but we don’t.” Miss Eleanor shook her head. “I thought better of you, Miss Duran. Thought you realized the historical significance of the theater for this town. I thought… Well, I was wrong. And if my offer isn’t more than Cliff’s, I can come up with some more money. But I’m hoping you’ll accept this. For the good of the town.”
She rose from her desk and walked slowly around it to stand in front of Miss Eleanor. “I don’t won’t your offer, don’t accept it.”
“Have you already sold it to Cliff?” A brief look of panic, quickly hidden, darted across the woman’s face.
“No. I haven’t sold it to Cliff. And I’m not selling it to you. I’m not selling it to anyone.”
Miss Eleanor’s eyes narrowed. “You aren’t?”
“No, I love this theater. I want it to be a success. I’d planned on staying here and managing it, but I’m not certain that’s a viable plan anymore.”
“Because?”
“Because it’s obvious that no one in the town trusts me. It was hard enough to try and feel like I might—just might—begin to feel like part of the town. But now? People either stare at me or glare at me. And neither one is very welcoming.”
“You did keep your true identity a secret from all of us.”
She shifted uncomfortably under the woman’s piercing gaze. She could no more tell Miss Eleanor the whole truth than she could tell Gavin. “I… I had my reasons,” she said weakly.
Miss Eleanor gave her a long glance. “I see. Well, I assume they were good reasons?”
She hesitated. Were they good reasons? She knew they were. But just saying she’d grown tired of her fame, of Broadway, sounded lame even to her own ears. “They were. They are.” She hoped she sounded confident.
Miss Eleanor paused and looked at her closely for a long moment before nodding once. “Then, okay. A woman is allowed to keep parts of her past a secret if she wishes.”
Tori had the distinct feeling that Miss Eleanor was talking about herself as much as she was talking about Tori’s choice to keep Victoria Duran a secret.
For a moment, she felt a brief bonding with the woman, so she decided to confess her fears. “I’m afraid we’ll have our big grand opening and the seats will be empty. Or just a few people scattered around. If the opening fails, I’m afraid the theater just won’t make it. I tried so hard, and all this work might have been for nothing.”
“Hmph. Not if I can help it.” Miss Eleanor shook her head. “And I think you should stand your ground. Stay here if you want. Or go if you need to. I’m just ashamed I acted like an idiot after seeing that article. That I didn’t just come here and ask you to explain. Not that you had to give me the exact reason. Just assure me there was a good reason.”
And just like that, Miss Eleanor was the first person in Magnolia to show her some grace. A weight lifted off her shoulders, and she felt like she could finally take a breath.
Miss Eleanor took Tori’s hands in her own wrinkled ones and squeezed them. “I’ll be here at the opening, front row, and so will a good crowd if I have anything to do with it.”
A flutter of hope began to grow in her, easing the knot of anxiety that had been with her constantly over the last few weeks.
“But I will say one thing. I do think you need to talk to Gavin. He was surprised to hear the truth… and a bit hurt, I think. Hurt that you didn’t at least share with him.”
“He won’t talk to me. Won’t take my calls. Jonny always says he’s gone when I stop by The Bike Shop.”
“He’s as big a fool as I am. We both should have known you had a good reason for keeping your past a secret. People in a small town often think we should know each other’s business. But you know what? We shouldn’t. People should be able to have some secrets. Especially if they don’t hurt anyone.”
Acceptance. She had one person in town on her side.
“And the people in town will come around. Or at least most of them will. They’ll move on to some other bit of gossip.”
“I guess Magnolia isn’t that different from Broadway in that regard.”
“I’m sure the gossip will die down there, too.” Miss Eleanor dropped her hands and stepped back. “You go find Gavin and make him listen to you. Then… he’ll do whatever he does. But you’ll at least have tried to make him understand.”
But how would he understand if she couldn’t tell him the whole reason, the real reason she left Broadway to hide out on Magnolia Key?
Cliff walked into Coastal Coffee that afternoon, the bell over the door jingling merrily to announce his arrival. Beverly sucked in a sharp, startled breath at the sight of him. “We’re closing, Cliff. Find somewhere else to eat.”
He glanced at the hours posted on the door. “Says you’re still open for forty-five minutes.”
“Closing early.” She glanced down at her clenched fists and slowly uncurled them, annoyed that he could get this kind of reaction out of her. Any reaction out of her.
“A guy can’t even get a cup of coffee?” He tossed her one of his charming grins, the one she remembered so well.
But she was immune. “There are other places in town to get one.”
“But you have the best coffee on the island.”
“I do. But we’re still closing.” Why did he insist on coming around? Especially with their history. With the way he’d just disappeared from her life. After they’d planned a life together. But she’d made a life for herself. A good life. Without him. Look at her now. A successful businesswoman with no need for him or any man in her life. But especially not Cliff.
She folded her arms and turned her back on him. He reached out and touched her arm, but she shrugged his touch away.
“Don’t be like that. I’m sorry. I was just a kid back then.”
“So was I. A heartbroken one.” Her words were filled with the bitterness she still felt, the old wounds still poking her.
“But that was in the past. You can’t hold a grudge forever, can you?”
“I can.” She turned back to face him. “And the rumor that you’re trying to buy the theater only adds to my extreme dislike of you.”
He scowled. “Okay, I admit, I tried to buy it. But Victoria wouldn’t sell it to me.”
“She wouldn’t?” Now that surprised her. She figured after all that had happened, Tori would cut and run.
“No. She was afraid I’d tear it down.”
“And was that your plan?” She cocked her head, watching his face closely to see if he would tell the truth.
“It was.” He shrugged. “Going to build a modern hotel. The island needs at least one of them. And if I can get the town council on my side for the property at the end of the boardwalk, we’ll have somewhere decent to stay there, too.”
“We have plenty of charming places for people to stay. We don’t need modern and new.”
“Then the town will just die away.”
“I don’t think so, Cliff. This town is stronger than you think.”
Maxine came striding out of the kitchen, her eyes flashing. “Cliff, what are you doing here?”
Beverly almost smiled at her friend’s defensive, protective attitude. And would have if she wasn’t so furious with Cliff.
“Just getting a cup of coffee,” he said casually, implying he had every right to be here.
“I asked him to leave, but… he’s not being very agreeable to the suggestion.”
Maxine walked right up to him and shoved a finger at his chest. “Cliff, just go. Beverly doesn’t want you here. And don’t come back, okay?” Her words came out fiercely protective.
He stared at Maxine for a moment, then turned his gaze back to her. “I never can do anything right in this town, can I?” With that, he turned and strode out the door, letting it slam behind him.
Beverly let out a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart.
“You okay?” Maxine looked at her closely, concern in her eyes.
“I will be now that he’s gone. Oh, and you know that rumor that’s swirling around town that he’s buying the theater from Tori and tearing it down?”
“Yes?”
“Well, he’s not. She turned him down.” A rush of gratitude toward Tori for standing up to Cliff flowed through her.
“She did?” Maxine’s eyes widened. “I figured she’d sell to the highest bidder and head back to Broadway.”
“Guess not.” Beverly shrugged. But she wondered just what Tori’s plans were now.
“Well, I feel better about going to opening night with Dale now. I didn’t want to support her if she was selling the place.”
“Right. And we should make sure the rumor of her selling dies and people show up for the opening, because we all want the theater to be a success, don’t we?” They needed the whole town to rally behind Tori now.
“We do.”