Restoring His Heart. Lorraine Beatty
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like this. He glanced over at Laura. “So, I take it your family is close?”
“We are. My older brother, Matt, lives here in town with his two children. He teaches at the community college. He’s getting married next month to his high school sweetheart. His first wife died of cancer.”
“That’s tough.”
“It was, but then Shelby came back to Dover. She’d had some serious health issues and came here to stay with her grandmother while she recuperated. She had no idea Matt lived next door, but once they saw each other again, all the old feelings came back.”
“Just like that?”
“No, but they worked things out and now they’re getting married. My other brother, Ty, is a cop in Dallas. He’s single. He was shot recently and he’s still recuperating. We’re hoping he’ll be able to come home for Thanksgiving.”
“What about you? No one special? Like the pastor, maybe?”
“What? No!” Her cheeks turned pink. “He’s married. Besides, I don’t have time for a relationship. I’ve got too much work to do. Especially now.”
“So what’s this Keller building the pastor mentioned? Another restoration project?”
“In a way. See that old building on the corner opposite my dad’s store? That’s the Keller building. It used to be a pharmacy way back when. When I was a kid, it was a candy store. I’ve been trying to save it for three years, but nothing has worked out. It’s going up for auction in a few weeks and I’ve run out of options.”
“Is there something special about that building, like this gazebo?”
“If you mean is it part of the history of this town, then yes. Is it a landmark? Officially, no. Mr. Keller would never cooperate with getting it designated. He owned that whole block at one time. I’ve been unable to find funding or grants, anything that will keep it from being sold to some developer who will either tear it down and use it as a parking lot, or put up some kind of modern building that would destroy the charm of Dover.”
Adam tried to imagine the corner with a parking lot or a sleek office building. He might not like small towns, but he could fully understand her concern. And he admired her devotion. “What do you plan to do with it?”
“A senior center. A place for them to gather, share their experiences and their life skills with others.”
“Interesting.”
She shrugged, a small smile on her lips. “I like older people. They are so wise and knowledgeable about life. They have so much to teach us. But most people today are too busy to listen, let alone pay attention.” She took another piece of pizza from the box. “As long as we’re sharing, it’s my turn to ask a question. Why do you do the crazy, risky stunts you do? I don’t understand.”
“For the thrill. You never feel more alive than in that moment when you plunge down a hillside.” He looked into her eyes and the skepticism and disapproval in them pierced his spirit. She’d just told him about wanting to save an old building for senior citizens and he talked about jumping off a cliff. Suddenly his lifestyle felt petty and insignificant.
“Is that the only time you feel alive?”
He didn’t know how to answer that, so he fell silent, and took another bite of his pizza, hoping she would move on to another topic.
“Is that all you do? Drift from one adventure to another? You don’t have a real job of any kind?”
Adam grew uncomfortable with the direction this conversation was going. He didn’t like talking about his personal life and Laura Durrant had a way of making his love of extreme sports seem trivial. “I have a few endorsement deals.”
“So, people pay you to wear their clothes or use their gear?”
“That’s the general idea behind endorsements.”
Laura wiped her hands and took the last swig of her drink. “I thought so. I recognized your type right off.”
“Oh, really? What type would that be?”
She counted them off on her fingers. “Never done an honest day’s work in your life. Only concerned with your own life. No thought of anyone else. No idea how to love anyone but yourself.”
The fierce tightness in his chest made it difficult to breathe. She’d seen through his shield with the precision of a surgeon. When had he become so transparent? He’d have to be more careful. Keep his guard up. He couldn’t give her a chance to see any more. “You don’t pull your punches, do you?”
“Let me ask you, do you have one close friend? Someone who would stick by you no matter what?”
Adam ran down the list of people he knew, the guys who followed him around. Could he count any of them as a true friend? The truth hit him like a shard of ice in his heart. “No.”
“I rest my case.” Laura slid off the tailgate and closed the box of pizza. “Time to get back to work. We can’t rebuild until we take it all apart.”
Sucking in a breath, Adam tried to ignore the sting of his new realization. He had no real friends because he’d never wanted any. Casual friendships were easy to walk away from. Anything more was messy and complicated. But now he wondered what his lack of relationships had really cost him.
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