Chapter 10
Hannah
I eyed Tanner for a moment, trying to figure out if he really wanted to hear about my career, or if he was just being polite.
I was relieved when I realized that he really wanted to know.
He was waiting until I was ready to talk, but he wasn’t the least bit distracted.
It actually felt almost uncomfortable to have all of his attention focused on me because I really couldn’t remember what that was like.
I took a deep breath. “I’d really like to build something similar to what I had in Seattle. I know the population in Montana is smaller, but the competition wouldn’t be as fierce. The traveling would be difficult, but I’m hoping that I can eventually get to a place where I can hire contractors in different cities like I did in Washington. I guess I could work somewhere in Billings to pay the bills, but I loved what I was doing. Weddings were my specialty, and it meant a lot to me to be able to give the bride and the wedding party exactly what they wanted. A bride needs to feel beautiful on her special day, and it’s rewarding to be part of something that’s so important to a woman.”
“I’m sure you were incredible at it,” Tanner mused. “You have a special talent for connecting with people, Hannah. You always did. Is there some reason why you can’t just start launching that business now?”
“Quite a few of them,” I said earnestly. “I need to raise capital, which means I need to get my personal freelancing off the ground and make some money. I also need to gain a reputation here first. I’ll have to do advertising, which is a huge expense. It would be helpful if I could get business by referrals from other weddings I’ve done here. I have decent savings because I sold my part of the partnership, but without some groundwork first, I could run through that money in a hurry.”
“Can you take on partners like you did in Seattle?”
“Possibly,” I considered. “But I’d have to find and get to know those potential partners first. Quality was everything in our business. We got a lot of special event referrals from previous clients. Honestly, it would probably be better if I do this on my own. We don’t have the big cities here that we did in Washington, and I’m not sure if this business could support a few partners. I’d be better off expanding with contractors in the future.”
“Did you do individual clients and not just weddings?” he asked.
“We did in the beginning,” I explained. “But we got so busy with special events that we focused more on those. We were also occupied with coordinating the events we weren’t handling personally. I really wanted to expand and streamline things online so we could do more contracting for individuals who needed home service, but my partners were happy with the money we were making from big events. I think we were all afraid that the business would become impersonal, and that letting a ton of people we didn’t know personally sign up to contract for us could kill our reputation.”
“Not necessarily,” Tanner contemplated. “I understand that quality has to be your main focus, but you could keep it controlled with vetting standards and a required company training. That could be done by video. You live close to Billings, which is the most populated city in Montana. You could trial it there and a few other cities where those services might fly well, and build from there. You could have a mobile app built, and use a website online.”
Honestly, that was the dream for me. Eventually, I wanted to branch out nationally to cities that would be more profitable. “Going national is the big dream, but I need to build a brand. That can take a long time. Weddings and special events will still be important if I go that route eventually, but I’d like mobile services to be accessible to everyone. I think the services would appeal to working moms, busy professionals, people with mobility issues, and elderly people who have a hard time getting out to a salon.”
“Is this already being done by other companies nationally?” he questioned.
“Yes. But I honestly think we’re behind in this country on mobile services accessibility, and the business is in demand. I’m not saying I won’t have competition, which is why branding as the best and most recognized company in mobile services is important.”
“How would you feel about having a silent partner? Basically just an investor to fund the startup for the trial in Montana?”
I looked at him in surprise.
It took me a moment to realize that he was talking about himself.
I shook my head. “Tanner, the company could fail. It’s a risk. Building slowly is a lot safer.”
“I’m willing to take that risk. I believe in your expertise and your business savvy in this business to make this work and grow in the future. I can help in some areas. It is my job to buy businesses and restructure them. I’m also an expert on branding.”
“I realize that,” I said hesitantly. “But you build huge corporations. What this company could make would be peanuts to you.”
“I’m not looking to make a profit, Hannah. I want you to be happy, and this is important to you. I’ll fund anything you need for your startup and carry the company expenses until you’re profitable. You don’t have to pay me back.”
I looked at him, appalled at the suggestion. “No,” I said adamantly. “That is not what an investor does. There has to be a profit in it for you if the company succeeds, and you need to be paid back for the money you’d be investing.”
His expression was stormy, but his voice was calm as he said, “It’s what a friend does for a friend. I’d never miss the money. Think about it. You could start this business soon. It would take a while to do the prep work, but wouldn’t you rather be working on your dream while the market is still emerging and developing?”
“Obviously, I would,” I admitted. “But not at the expense of someone else.”
He shrugged. “Fine. We’ll work something out. I’ll take a small partnership percentage until I’m paid back, and then step out of the business altogether.”
That idea was completely insane. If he was taking the risk, he deserved to keep a partnership percentage, even if he was a silent partner.
“What kind of percentage are we talking about here?”
He threw out a number that was so miniscule that it was laughable. “Do you know how long it would take to just get your money back?” I asked.
It would probably take him decades to recoup his investment.
“It doesn’t matter,” he said nonchalantly.
“It matters to me,” I answered.
“I was a total dick to you at one time, Hannah. I’d like to make that up to you by being a good partner of some kind. This isn’t exactly a sacrifice for me,” he said obstinately.
God, I’d forgotten how stubborn Tanner could be at times.
While it would be nice to start my business immediately, it wasn’t practical, and I didn’t want to take money from Tanner.
We weren’t friends.
We didn’t even know each other anymore.
I had no idea what his motivations were right now, and they weren’t making any sense to me.
Even if my company took off, there was no guarantee it would fly high. Salons failed every day.
“I’ll think about it,” I said noncommittally.
Really, there wasn’t much to think about.
Tanner and I were essentially strangers now, and I couldn’t be partners with someone I didn’t know and trust.
I was attracted to him, and part of me wanted to believe that he’d changed and that he wasn’t the man he’d been when we’d broken up. But my brain was still telling me to run as far away from Tanner Remington as I could get.
Tanner shot me a frustrated look, but he changed the subject. “What does your schedule look like this week?”
I shot him a puzzled look, wondering why he wanted to know what my week looked like. “It’s not as busy as I’d like it to be. I don’t have anything major happening until Saturday. I have a big wedding in Helena. I do have a long appointment tomorrow with Anna Remington and Lauren. I take it that I have you to thank for that appointment tomorrow.”
“I’d like to take credit, but I can’t,” he answered. “I told my entire family the truth about what happened with us. I’m sure Kaleb told Anna, and she researched the reputation of your old business. I haven’t actually talked to her about it. I’m glad you’re going to meet her though. You’ll like her. Lauren just relocated, and I know she doesn’t like going to the local shop. She hates the relentless gossip that happens there.”
I knew exactly how she felt.
I’d worked in that shop, and although the people were kind sometimes, they loved to speculate about other people’s lives while they were getting their hair done.
“I like Lauren,” I said with a smile.
“She became a big city girl, and I think the gossip makes her crazy. She probably forgot what it’s like to live here,” Tanner said with a chuckle. “You two should get along well.”
“We always did,” I said wistfully. “We just never got to spend a lot of time together. I hope she didn’t hate me when she thought that I left you for another guy.”
“It’s good to have her back,” Tanner commented. “And she’s happy to be back home except for some of the small annoyances of living in a small town. And no, she doesn’t hate you. I’m sure the news has gotten around about what really happened by now. She and Anna have become pretty close, and they seem to get tighter every day.”
That made sense. Both of the women had come from a big city and were now trying to adjust to living in a small town.
“What made you decide to tell your whole family the truth?” I asked curiously as I pushed my plate away and reached for my water.
“I was wrong,” he said gruffly. “I own up to my mistakes. Mom already knew the truth. She and Joy are tight. I’m starting to think the only one who completely believed that you took off with another man was me.”
“And a large part of this town who didn’t know me very well,” I reminded him.
“I didn’t come out and tell anyone in town about my theory,” he said unhappily. “But I wasn’t willing to talk to them about you, either. So there was plenty of room for them to make their own conclusions.”
He was right.
Given no explanation, some of the people in this town would make their own assumptions in a heartbeat.
“It’s over, Tanner,” I said softly. “Maybe there were some things I should have done differently, too. I guess I didn’t think you’d listen, and that I’d tried everything to make you remember that we were supposed to be a couple. Maybe I should have gotten in your face and made you listen. I was younger and I ran from my heartbreak.”
Tanner shook his head. “I understand why you did what you did. I think you gave me plenty of chances. You were there for me for years, Hannah, and I took that for granted. I think I convinced myself that I was working hard for us, but I got caught up in the company’s success and forgot what was really important. I don’t blame you for leaving. I wasn’t there for you. I left you emotionally and physically while I was pursuing world domination.”
He sounded genuinely remorseful, and as much as I’d hurt back then, I didn’t want Tanner to beat himself up. “It was a long time ago, Tanner. You’ve apologized, and we’ve both moved on with our lives. I don’t think anyone goes through life without making some mistakes, and it was a crazy time for you.”
“It’s hard to forget that I wasn’t there for you, and you sacrificed a lot for me,” he said grumpily. “I always knew I had your support, but I never supported you and what you wanted. Hell, I didn’t even listen to you.”
I could feel his remorse, and I hated it.
What he’d done to me was eating at him, and there was no reason for that anymore.
“It wasn’t always that way,” I said quietly. “You were a good man, Tanner. I think anyone could get lost in the kind of success KTD had so quickly.”
Deep inside, I really wanted to believe he was the amazing man I’d fallen in love with at one time. After all, I had seen more of that man during our long relationship than I had the business obsessed Tanner.
“I was a dick. I made you promises I never kept. Think about the possibility of that partnership, Hannah. I can’t change the past, but I’d like to make up for it by helping you reach your goals here in Montana.”
Is that what that offer was all about?
Did he feel guilty about not supporting my career so many years ago?
That seemed pretty pointless since I went on to become successful beyond my wildest dreams in Seattle.
Tanner had never held me back.
I’d done that to myself.
I shook my head. “You don’t need to do that. We haven’t even seen each other in over seven years, and I did end up in a successful business. We’re basically strangers now.”
He caught my gaze, and the look in his eyes was so intense that a shiver ran down my spine.
“You’ll never be a stranger to me, Hannah,” he said huskily before he stood and started taking the dishes to the kitchen.
He didn’t explain that comment or add any details.
In fact, he didn’t say another word about it as we cleaned up the kitchen together.