“If you two will excuse me, I have to go; some people are leaving.” Alice leaned up to kiss Rafe on the cheek before she turned to go, leaving him two of them staring at each other.
“I should go too, if you need anything Rafe, I’m sure you will figure it out.” She spun around to leave, giving him a focused view of her ample derriere. He shook his head to clear the thought, before he followed her.
“What the hell is your problem Lacey, why the cold shoulder?” He was there beside her, waiting for a response, but she simply smiled up at him, though the smile didn’t reach her eyes.
“I’m not being a very good hostess; I apologize Rafe. Is there something you need?” She blinked at him and he let his gaze linger just a second too long on the fullness of her bottom lip as it protruded just slightly.
“I’m good right now, I just thought we would talk a while.”
“Fine you want to talk meet me at the house later, I have to go get some things for mom.”
He had no chance to respond as she walked away, putting the ball in his court. As he worked his way through the room, he was reminded of the actions in a small town like this. There were no store owner or churchgoer unaccounted for crammed into the tight walls of the townhouse, making him think of Lacey once more. She had obviously done well for herself, though she never communicated that to him. Now that he thought about it, it had been a long time since they had written anything at all. He had to wonder what had changed for her so much since then. Not to mention Lacey was no longer a kid sister, she was in fact a full grown woman and a beautiful one at that.
How did life go by so fast? What exactly had he missed, really? He knew the only way to find out was to stay and have a real conversation with her. He made his way outside to take the drive to his old home, and wait for her to show up.
Lacey
Why did he have to be so attractive… so damn good looking? She wanted to hate him, to be angry but when he stood in front of her all she wanted was to kiss him, expressing her love for him that had been buried since she was a child. She knew better than to even consider it, after all he was her step-brother and if that weren’t enough reason she knew better than to think a tall and gorgeous man like Rafe would have any kind of feeling about her at all.
She glanced around the room, noting her mother was still chatting happily with a few ladies from church. She knew she would be fine for a few hours while she went to the house to pick up some things… and talk to Rafe.
Slipping into her car she found herself putting the top down, enjoying the feel of the heat on her face on such a sad day. It was the trip that made her relax, the air blowing on her face and the idea that her life was finally on track, and she was exactly where she wanted to be. She felt her heart lurch as she pulled up to the house and saw his bike parked there. There was something intensely sweet in how he had pulled right back into the same spot he used to park so many years ago. In some ways it was as if he had never even left, and had never left her.
Taking a deep breath, she opened the front door, moving inside to find him sitting on the couch, sorting through hundreds of pictures on the table in front of him. He glanced up at her and then back down to them
“I’ve missed a lot I guess?” He held up a picture of her in her prom dress, causing her to roll her eyes and snatch it out of his hand.
“Well, that was your choice wasn’t it Rafe?” She left walking into the kitchen to sort through the fridge to find something to drink. She settled for a bottle of water and she felt him come in the room behind her.
“Ok, so I get it your pissed Lacey, you’ve made that abundantly clear. What the hell are you so mad about?”
“I’m not mad Rafe, not now. IN fact, I just feel sorry for you now, for missing out on everything your father was.”
He sighed loudly, “I had a situation Lacey, something you wouldn’t understand. You think I don’t feel it, but I do. But even that is between me and dad, what does that have to do with you?”
She wanted to scream at him, tell him how he had deserted her leaving her alone when she needed him most. She felt the words form in her throat, but she couldn’t let them out. Instead, she moved the conversation on.
“You can have some of those, the pictures I mean. We made copies of everything.”
He glanced down at the pile, and then back up at her. “Thanks, I will.”
She left the room then, wanting to be anywhere but there, with him and his intense look as he watched her move around the room. She went into her old room, almost laughing at the way it had all stood still, the same pictures and stuffed animal strewn about in various groups, somehow sorted since that was how she did things.