His First and Last (Ardent Springs #1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

bad happened, it was his own fault for bringing her in here.
    She’d expected the theater to be even darker than the lobby, but she had to blink several times when Spencer opened the door. Sunshine poured through holes of varying sizes in the roof. Water-damaged seats rolled out before her, some torn, others shredded to nothing, their burgundy velvet upholstery fallen victim to something with incredibly sharp claws.
    Lorelei squeezed tighter to Spencer until he whispered over his shoulder, “Not that I’m complaining about this sudden longing to be near me, but you’re making it hard to breathe.”
    Her arms loosened enough to let his lungs expand, but not enough to allow air between them.
    “Thanks,” he said, then led her down the left side aisle, stopping halfway down. “This is what we’re looking at.” He raised his face to the ceiling. “We’ve put tarps over the holes several times, but they either blow off, or the animals work at them until they slide over.”
    She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Couldn’t reconcile this mess with the place she’d loved. The place that had served as her home away from home for so many years. The screen sported a dark stain along the left third and a deep gash in the upper right-hand corner. The curtains that had draped the walls lay on the floor as if someone had dropped them all at once, leaving exposed brick behind them.
    The feeling hit too close to home. This structure reflected what had become of Lorelei’s life. What she had let it become. For too long she’d ignored the signs of decay. Let outside forces tear at her self-esteem and batter her dreams. If she were forced to describe what it looked like inside her head, Lorelei could present a picture of her current surroundings with a one-word caption—
This.
    She asked the same question she’d been asking herself for months.
    “How did this happen?”
    Spencer shrugged and shook his head. “Neglect. Apathy. Greed. Take your pick.”
    “Your committee really thinks you can fix this? Twenty thousand dollars would barely make a dent. You’re fighting a lost cause.”
    A lost cause. Something Lorelei knew well.
    “The twenty K is more a show of good faith. We have a written agreement with the Baler Group, owners of this theater and six other small movie houses between here and Memphis, that if we help raise the funds, they agree to do their part. They also agreed not to sell the building out from under us or this would all be a waste of time.”
    He pointed up to the balcony. “Believe it or not, things aren’t as bad up there. The leaks are mostly by the screen, and the raccoons seem content to stay down here. The concession counter could be replaced with something used to start with. Popcorn machines aren’t much.”
    Spencer had always managed to see the good in things. The possibilities. That was something she’d loved about him. No matter how moody or hateful she’d been, Spencer saw the good in her. Saw the potential of what she could be beyond the stubborn face she showed to the world.
    “So?” he said, tossing a wet shingle out of his way. “You in?”
    Staring at the wreck surrounding them, Lorelei knew nothing in this endeavor would be easy. But maybe she didn’t need easy.
    Maybe she’d gone down the easy road for too long.
    “I’m in. I have my doubts, but I’m in.”
    When Spencer didn’t respond, she turned to read his face. There it was. That twinkle in his eye he’d always gotten when Lorelei proved him right. He’d known she’d cave as soon as she saw the condition of the theater.
    The idea of someone knowing her so well, better than she knew herself, made her stomach clench. Lorelei stepped back, putting more distance between them. She wasn’t the simple teenage girl he’d once dated. There were open wounds Spencer knew nothing about.
    “You ready to go?” Spencer smiled, but she could tell he knew she’d withdrawn. “My gut is telling me it’s time for