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Clark stared at her, his chest filling with awe. “I know I haven’t known you very long,” he began, his voice low and reverent. “But I can’t imagine even half of the stuff that you’ve gone through. You might be one of the strongest people I’ve ever met.”
Valerie’s amber eyes glowed as they held each other’s gazes. And, as if in slow motion, she began to bend toward him. Clark didn’t give himself time to second-guess what was happening as he dipped his head, meeting her in the middle. Warmth flowed through him the moment that their lips touched, and he realized that although he might have had plenty of kisses in his lifetime, there had never been a single one quite like this.
The kiss lasted for a long moment, and by the time they pulled away, his heart was racing. Clark reached up a shaking hand, brushing a bit of hair back behind Valerie’s ear, and her eyes fluttered closed as she leaned into his touch.
She nuzzled against his palm for a few heartbeats before her eyes opened once more. But where there had been warmth in her luminous irises just a short time before, there was now uncertainty lingering in her gaze, and Clark’s brows dipped together in concern.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Nothing, it’s just…” Valerie paused, biting her bottom lip. He could tell that she was considering her words carefully, and he didn’t want to interrupt her, so he sat patiently as he waited for her to continue.
“I like you,” she said, finally. “I really do. But I want to be very clear that I have no intention of staying here long term. I might not know if I want to continue acting, but that doesn’t mean that I plan on staying in Snowy Pine Ridge. And I don’t want to start something that will only end up getting both of us hurt.”
The apples of her cheeks grew more and more pink as she spoke, and Clark’s heart pounded in his chest. For the last three days, Valerie had been nothing but honest with him as they’d talked about everything under the sun. And he knew that it was time for him to do the same with her as well.
“I know that,” he answered, nodding his head slowly. “I know that you don’t plan to stay. But the truth is, before you showed up, I had resigned myself to living an unexciting life right here. No romance, no thrill. And sure, I liked it all well enough. But since you showed up, it’s kind of thrown a wrench in things. And while I know that we won’t last, that doesn’t change the fact that you woke something up in me that I haven’t felt in a really long time. So I’d like to see that through, if you’re down. And maybe just continue getting to know each other a little bit more?”
He had to remind himself to continue to breathe as he waited for her answer, her amber eyes roving over his face. But when her lips tugged up at the corners, turning into a bright, radiant smile, relief coursed through him.
“All right,” she said with a nod of her own. “Let’s keep getting to know each other.”
Clark smiled back at her, dipping his head to press a quick, chaste kiss to her lips before pulling away. Valerie’s stomach let out a loud, angry growl, making him laugh.
“And now it sounds like we need to get you fed.” Clark smirked at her. “Want to go to Frosty’s with me?”
“I would love nothing more.”
He grinned at her as he extended a hand, helping Valerie to her feet. When she stood, she didn’t pull her hand out of his. Instead, she intertwined their fingers, giving him a soft, tentative smile as they walked hand in hand toward Clark’s truck.
CHAPTERTWELVE
Shelley smiled to herself as she signed the final form for the equipment that they were renting for the showcase, making a mental note to fax them all over tomorrow. When she was done, she leaned back in her chair, taking in all the neon lights and the animated sounds that surrounded her.
She had decided to work at one of the tables in the arcade, craving the noise and the bustle over the quiet of the office. A few kids darted from machine to machine, eagerly yelling back and forth to each other as they played their games. Shelley smiled to herself, wondering when the last time was that she’d played one of the games that the rink had to offer.
Blowing out a breath, she pushed herself to standing and gathered up the papers that she’d been working on. She needed to talk to Rudolph and let him know that everything would be completed as of tomorrow. The last she had seen him, he’d been working at the snack counter, and as she turned the corner, she found him still standing there, serving up hot dogs and French fries to a group of kids.
Shelley waited behind them patiently, not wanting to interrupt. But Rudolph also didn’t so much as glance her way as he began handing out the food to the children. Just as she was about to walk forward, the door to the arcade was pulled open, letting in a blast of cold air.
She glanced in that direction, and immediately had to do a double take once she realized who it was that had just walked through the door. Clark Mitchell…. And the movie star everyone had been talking about, Valerie Bernard.
The two of them weren’t touching, but they shared an open, eager, and surprisingly tender smile that had Shelley immediately wondering what the two of them were up to. Clark’s dark brown eyes roved over the space, and he gave Shelley a friendly wave when he spotted her.
They approached her, and Shelley didn’t miss the fact that their hands brushed up against each other’s as they walked. She threw a glance at Rudolph, wondering if she should try to speak to him now or wait until after the class a little bit later.
To her surprise, the older man’s face had turned pale, and he seemed to be deliberately not looking in the approaching couple’s direction.
Shelley’s brow furrowed, but she didn’t have time to ask what was going on before Clark and Valerie were standing in front of her. Affixing a winning smile on her face, she turned toward them.
“Hey, Clark,” Shelley said, beaming and pushing all thoughts of Rudolph out of her mind as her gaze swung to the woman at his side. “And you must be Valerie, rumor had it we had a movie star in town. I’m Shelley, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
She extended a hand toward the other woman, who took it with a sweet smile. But just as Valerie opened her mouth to speak, people began to approach her. There were three women tittering to each other, smiling at the movie star excitedly as they clutched pieces of paper and napkins to their chest.
Valerie’s eyes darted toward the women, clearly realizing that they had recognized her, before turning an apologetic smile toward Shelley.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you too,” Valerie said. “But could you excuse me for a second?”
She nodded as the star turned toward the women, greeting them all affectionately as Clark and Shelley slid toward the background.
