Harbor Street (Cedar Cove #5)(45)

“Would you like to invite the Beldons to dinner?” Corrie didn’t feel like cooking, but she needed something to occupy her mind, otherwise she’d sink into an abyss of memories.

Roy lowered the newspaper. “Isn’t that a bit last-minute?”

“I guess.”

Her husband laid the paper on the floor. “Something’s bothering you, isn’t it?”

She nodded, hesitant even now to mention her suspicions.

Roy stood, holding out his arms. Corrie didn’t need a second invitation. He hugged her hard, and she sighed contentedly as they sat together on the sofa. She couldn’t recall when they’d last cuddled like this. Their lives were so busy and, with Linnette living in Cedar Cove, Corrie should be happy. But most of the time she wasn’t.

“Are you thinking about those postcards again?” Roy asked.

“A little…I’ve been wondering about something. I realize we promised never to discuss it, but do you think—could it possibly be—”

“No.” The word was clipped, abrupt, shutting her out.

“But—”

“Just like you said, Corrie, we promised never to talk about that again and we haven’t. It isn’t the person you think, so you can drop that idea.”

“You know this for a fact?”

“No. Come on, Corrie, that was a lot of years ago.”

“I know.” Like dusk, sadness settled over her and she leaned closer to her husband. Roy might not want to talk about it, but that didn’t stop her from remembering. All these years she’d struggled to forget and, for a while, she’d succeeded. Now…now it seemed the memories wouldn’t leave her alone.

“Let’s go to that movie,” he suggested, pulling Corrie to her feet.

“Okay.” She went to collect her coat and when she got back, she saw that Roy was ready, too. They drove to the sixplex cinema on the hill; because they hadn’t bothered to check times, they chose the next available movie, which started in half an hour.

The theater was crammed; the foyer and concession stands had long lines. Everyone in Cedar Cove seemed to be out and about.

“Look!” she whispered as they stood in line for popcorn, “Grace Sherman and Cliff Harding are here. Behind us.”

Roy shrugged as if unconcerned.

“This is big news,” she explained, linking her arm with his and bending toward him so as not to be overheard. “The last I heard they’d split up.”

“Were they married?” He sounded puzzled.

“No,” she said and elbowed him for being obtuse. “But close, I think. Everyone thought Cliff was going to give her an engagement ring. Then they broke up and no one knew why.”

Roy seemed uninterested, but Corrie could tell he was listening. “I saw them together one time since, and that’s it.”

“So they’ve had a change of heart. It happens.”

“It happened with us,” she told him.

From the way he looked at her, Corrie knew he didn’t appreciate being reminded.

“Well, I hope they’re back together,” she murmured.

After waiting in line, Roy and Corrie reached the concession counter and ordered drinks and popcorn. They exchanged greetings, then discovered they were attending the same movie.

“Olivia and Jack were going to meet us here, but they canceled at the last minute,” Grace explained. “Jack had to go into the office for some reason.”

“Yeah. Know what you mean,” Roy said as he paid for their popcorn. Corrie held the bucket and one drink. “See you two inside,” he said. He returned his wallet to his back pocket and picked up the second drink.

“Save us a couple of seats if you can,” Cliff said, eyeing the crowd.

“Sure thing.”

The movie had apparently received good reviews because the theater was filling up fast. Corrie and Roy found a place to sit near the back but didn’t see four adjacent seats anywhere. Christmas was only a week away and amidst all the frantic preparations, people were obviously looking for a relaxed afternoon.

Grace and Cliff entered the theater, and Corrie pointed to the two seats directly ahead of them.

Cliff and Grace made their way past several other people and took the seats in front of Corrie and Roy.

“This is the best we could do,” Roy said, leaning forward.

“Hey, I feel fortunate to get a seat at all,” Cliff told him. “Thanks.”

Roy set the bucket of popcorn between him and Corrie, and they shared that while the music and advertisements played. Corrie noticed the loving way Grace rested her head on Cliff’s shoulder. There was something so touching about this that Corrie couldn’t help being affected. It had been the same way with her and Roy when they’d first reunited.

She’d been a college freshman when they met and they’d quickly fallen in love. After a while, they were constantly together. Roy was a star athlete, the football team’s quarterback. He was a campus hero, attractive to all the girls, admired by all the guys. There was even talk of his being drafted professionally. He had such promise, such ambitions.

They’d broken up when she discovered he was seeing someone else. She’d been devastated. To this day, he swore he hadn’t slept with this other girl; he insisted one of their friends had lied to her. She believed him, but she also knew he’d been under tremendous pressure. In the middle of the football season, when she needed to see him, he’d made it clear he didn’t have time for her. Apparently, Corrie just wasn’t in his league anymore.