The Edge of Forever by Barbara Bretton

Author:Barbara Bretton [Bretton, Barbara]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Romance
Published: 2012-04-17T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

“Call me when you get back to New York.” Hunt, his voice uncharacteristically shaky, embraced Meg in a hug so strong she was afraid her ribs would crack. “Do you have my number?”

Meg patted the pocket of Joe’s jacket, which still lay across her shoulders. “Right here,” she said. “I’ll put it in the Rolodex as soon as I go back inside.”

“I could do it for you,” Hunt said. “Just take a minute.”

Joe stepped forward, and Meg watched as he extended his hand to the younger man. “No more delaying, man,” he said, not unkindly. “You’ve had four cups of coffee and three goodbye scenes. It’s time to make your exit.”

Hunt took Joe’s solid hand in his own large and bony one and Meg watched as Hunt’s ever-present control faltered. Joe patted him awkwardly on the shoulder and said something Meg couldn’t quite make out. Hunt nodded, and even though his Adam’s apple was contorting with emotion, she could see that he was reassured. Despite the chill wind that blew steadily across the driveway, Meg felt warmed from within, filled to overflowing with love and hope in a way she hadn’t felt warmed in many years.

“Let us know what happens with that gallery owner,” Joe said, plunging his hands into the pockets of his trousers. “We’ll be thinking about you on Monday.”

Hunt rolled his eyes dramatically in an attempt to regain his old insouciance. “I’m the one who has to sidle up to those bourgeois types and get them to open their minds to me.”

“They will,” Meg said, thinking about the scope and brilliance of the young man’s work. “And then they’ll open their galleries.”

Hunt snapped his suspenders with his thumbs and opened the door to his van. “I’m off,” he said. “Andy Hardy Conquers the Big Apple.”

“You’ll conquer it, Andy,” Joe said. “Keep the faith.”

Joe put his arm around Meg, and she moved closer to him. Hunt climbed into the van and closed the door. He looked young and thin, and it was painfully obvious that his sophisticated veneer shattered before real emotion. Meg’s heart went out to him, for he reminded her of herself not too many years earlier.

The engine roared to life, and the headlights flashed on, their glare blinding her for a moment. Gears clunked as Hunt shifted into reverse.

“Drive carefully!” she called out, shielding her eyes from the bright white lights.

Hunt saluted them with a beep of the van’s horn and began to ease slowly down the driveway, disappearing around the first curving turn.

Next to Meg, Joe cleared his throat. “Can you tell me why I feel like a parent?”

“I’m the wrong one to ask. I feel like I’m sending my firstborn off to war and I’m only a few years older.”

A strong gust of wind rocked them on their feet. “Come on,” Joe said. “Let’s go inside.”

The house seemed very still after the night noises outside. It was a pleasant stillness, one that reminded Meg of just how alone she and Joe really were now that Hunt had left to seek his fortune.

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