Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
TANNER
D espite looking much happier today, Sarah still seems exhausted. Her gorgeous eyes are heavy, and she has little dark circles under them. I have a feeling that she didn’t tell me all of the details regarding what’s bothering her, and that’s okay. She will when she wants to.
But in the meantime, I’m going to do everything I can to help her relax and recharge over the next thirty-six hours or so.
I park in my driveway, and when Sarah looks like she’s about to walk over to her house, I hurry to her side and steer her back to mine.
“I need a shower ,” she says, her voice just this side of whiny.
“And you’ll get it. Trust me, I have a plan.”
“You have a plan for my shower ?”
“I do.” I kiss her cheek, unlock the door, and usher her inside.
Petunia jumps down off of her perch and rushes over to greet her human.
“Hi, beautiful baby.” Sarah picks up the feline and buries her face in the cat’s fur. Her shoulders sag, as if in relief. “Did you have a good day watching the water? You’re so smart. So pretty.”
The feline purrs and rubs her face against Sarah’s in ecstasy.
“I’ll be right back,” I inform them both.
I make my way to my en suite bathroom and start the shower, check that her clothes, toothbrush, soaps, and all the girlie things are ready for her, and then walk back out to find Sarah standing at the wide windows, the cat still in her arms, rocking back and forth.
“Your shower’s ready for you, madam.”
She turns and grins at me, then kisses the cat before setting her back on the loveseat.
“Awesome. Lead the way.”
With her hand in mine, I lead her back to the bathroom.
“I took the liberty of grabbing a few things from your place, but if you would rather have something else, just tell me, and I’ll go fetch it.”
“This looks great. Those are my favorite pajamas.”
“I know.”
“It’s, like, three-thirty in the afternoon.”
“I know that, too.”
Her lips twitch into an amused smile. “Isn’t it a little early to be in pajamas?”
“Not really. I don’t plan on us going anywhere, so we might as well get comfy for the rest of the day. I’m thinking lots of food, TV, and hell, whatever else we come up with is in order.”
“I kind of love that plan.”
She boosts herself up onto her toes to give me a smacking kiss, and then she shoos me out of the room so she can take her shower.
“I could stay. Wash your back.”
But she just laughs, plants her hand in the middle of my chest, and pushes me out.
“I won’t be long,” she promises through the door.
“Take your time,” I reply and press my hand to the door before walking away to leave her to enjoy her shower and set the rest of my plan in motion.
“You didn’t pull the stuff out of the fridge like I asked,” I inform Petunia, who simply swirls in a circle and begins to bathe herself in the afternoon sunshine. “I see you’re concerned about it. But no worries, I have it all covered.”
I scored some brownies laced with caramel, along with salted caramel ice cream, from Huckleberry Delight, and I even hit up the grocery store to make sure I have all her favorite snacks around.
“She should have options,” I inform the cat, who just continues with her bath.
It’s a warm late spring afternoon, so I push open the accordion doors and let in the salty breeze.
The cat doesn’t ignore me now. She rushes out onto the deck and sits in front of the glass railing with wide, excited green eyes.
“Here, I bought you a bed for out here.” I set the fluffy, pink bed that I found the other day next to her, but she just hunkers down on the bare floor and blinks at me. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”
“Are you having a conversation with Petunia?”
I turn to answer Sarah, and my tongue has suddenly cemented itself to the roof of my mouth.
Holy fucking hell, she’s gorgeous. Her wet hair is combed but tousled around her shoulders. Her face is clean of makeup and dewy from the goop she uses on it.
And in those pajamas—shorts that have tacos all over them and a matching T-shirt that says Let’s Taco-bout It —she’s just?—
“Why are you staring at me like that?” she finally asks.
“Because you’re hot as hell, Sarah.”
She snorts and then actually laughs, shaking her head. “Right. This isn’t exactly a sexy look, Tanner, but you said I should get comfortable.”
I cross to her and tip her chin up, drag the pad of my thumb across her plump lower lip, and examine her eyes.
They’re better. Not nearly as shadowed as before, but there’s still just a hint of it there.
“I find that just about everything you do is sexy.”
“What if I belch?”
“Adorable.”
“Steal the covers?”
“I have plenty of blankets.”
“What if I only want to watch romantic movies with absolutely zero action in them, and I want you to watch them with me?”
“Am I allowed to fall asleep during said movie?”
“Absolutely not.”
I grin and rub my nose against hers. “I’ll happily do it and make the popcorn.”
“Wow, with extra butter?”
“You bet.”
“Okay, I have one more, and it’s the most important.”
“Hit me with it.”
“What if I decided that I absolutely hate college football?”
That one makes me pause. Sarah knows how much I love football, especially college ball.
But I shrug a shoulder. “As long as I still get to watch it, I can live with that unhealthy and unwise decision.”
She snorts and then presses her lips to mine. She smells fresh and faintly of citrus with something spicy, like cinnamon.
“Feel better?” I ask softly.
“ Much better.” She goes in for a second kiss. “Thanks.”
“If you don’t mind, I thought we could have an early dinner out here on the deck, and then we can just snack later. I bought a bunch of stuff. We can even watch a romantic movie if you want.”
“I was hoping for action,” she says with a sorrowful sigh. “But if you have your heart set on romantic, I can deal with that.”
I nip at her chin and then set her away from me and walk to the kitchen. “We’ll watch whatever you want.”
“What’s for dinner?” She leans on the counter and then lifts her nose in the air and sniffs. “Are there brownies in the house?”
“Yep. They’re for later. Dinner is hoagie sandwiches, and yes, I’ll add potato chips to yours, which I still think is the weirdest thing I’ve ever witnessed, but hey, I’m not here to judge.”
“People eat chips with their sandwich,” she says reasonably and hops up onto the counter, swinging her legs back and forth. “Why not in it? It all tastes the same and goes to the same place.”
“It’s just not the order of things.” I shake my head as I slice the bread in half and then turn to her. “What do you want on it?”
“Pastrami.”
I blink at her. “I have ham or turkey.”
She giggles and reaches out to tousle my hair. “I know, I was kidding. Turkey’s great. Cheese is a given.”
She lists off her favorite ingredients, and I get to work building her sandwich. When I set it in front of her, she grins and then smashes it down, effectively crumbling all the chips.
“Yum,” she says after taking a huge bite. “Thanks. I’m going out on the deck.”
“I’ll be right behind you.”
After putting the finishing touches on my own sandwich, I follow her outside and sit across from her.
“You put your chips on the side,” she observes.
“Like normal people,” I agree, making her smirk. “I like seeing you happier than you were yesterday.”
“Yeah, well, me too. I’d had a shitty few days, that’s all. Work stuff, mostly, but after a nice dance on the beach with the sexiest man ever, and a conversation with Luna last night, I felt a lot better. Today was a good day. I had a coworker try to pull one over on me, and I totally stuck up for myself. It felt good. She’s pissed, but she’ll get over it. Or she won’t, but I don’t really care.”
“Good for you.”
She reaches over and plucks a chip off my plate, then pops it into her mouth.
“How are you ?” Her face is suddenly serious.
“I’m great.”
“No, how are you? Not small-talk stuff. I’ve been so consumed by my own issues, I haven’t checked in on you, and that’s pretty shitty of me.”
“I really am fine,” I reply and reach across the table for her hand. “In fact, I haven’t been this great in a long damn time. You don’t need to worry about me. Also, I have some good news for you.”
“I love good news! Tell me.”
“Well, I have a client who comes in a couple of times a year. She’s an excellent customer and is an art lover. She doesn’t just buy for herself, but also for others as gifts.”
“I like her already.”
“Well, she asked me if I had any new watercolor work. Of course, I immediately thought of you. I explained to her that I didn’t have anything at the gallery, but that I’m very close with a talented artist who works mainly with watercolors. She’d like to see your work. She’ll likely buy several pieces. No rush, of course.”
Her mouth opens and closes, and then she sets what remains of her sandwich down and frowns at me.
“Why did you do that?”
The lump in my belly forms. The one that always does when it feels like I’ve done something wrong where Sarah’s concerned.
“What do you mean?”
“Exactly what I said. Why would you do that? I told you the other day that I’m not ready to sell my art in a gallery, and then you go behind my back and offer it up to the first person who comes sniffing along?”
“Whoa.” I hold my hands up and shake my head. “You’re overreacting.”
“I am not .” Sarah pushes her fingers through her still-damp hair in agitation. “This puts a lot of pressure on me.”
“It puts zero pressure on you.”
Now she stares up at me like I’ve just grown a second head.
“I just said that there’s no rush. I mean that. She’s not in a hurry. Listen to me,” I insist when she turns away and stares out at the water.
“I think I’ve heard enough.”
“No.” My voice is firm now, surprising her into whipping her head over to stare at me in surprise. “You haven’t. You told me just yesterday that your dream is to paint for a living. This opportunity isn’t quite that yet, but you have to start somewhere. Do you think that I can look into your eyes and see how fucking unhappy you are and then sit back and do nothing until you decide that you’re brave enough to do it yourself?”
“Fuck that,” she says, this time surprising me. “This isn’t about you , Tanner. It’s me. My art. My time. My job. If I want to sell it, I will, and it’s not up to you to decide whether or not I’m being brave enough to do it. Maybe it’s something that I just want to keep for myself because it means something to me. If I choose to share it with the world, it’ll be under my own goddamn terms. I won’t be forced into anything just because you’ve decided to be a knight on a white horse and swoop in to rescue me. I don’t need to be saved, Tanner. I’m doing great just as I am.”
“Right.” I nod and push my own plate aside. “You’re right. I should mind my own fucking business. Except, spoiler alert, you are my business.”
“Not everything I am is up to you. Isn’t it okay, and normal, to have an off day? An off week? Hell, some people have an off year. I had a bad week, and it got to me. That doesn’t mean that I have to be brave and turn my life upside down. I just got it flipped in the right direction as it is, and maybe I’m not ready for a big change right now. Not because I’m not brave, but because I need a little calm for a while.”
“I shouldn’t have said that. You are brave.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t have said it, but it’s how you feel.” She licks her lips and pets Petunia when the cat hops up on the table. “I kind of hate that everyone sees me as this broken, hurt woman when I’ve pulled myself up, worked a job, and I’m putting my life together pretty damn well. If you’re not happy with where I am in my life, maybe we’re not ready to be together.”
And with that, she scoops up the cat and walks out on me, marching right for her house.
I hear her slam the door shut when she gets there, and I swear ripely.
“You’re a fucking idiot,” I mutter to myself as I clear the plates away and carry them to the sink.
I should leave her be for a while. Let her calm down.
I lean against the counter, and then decide, fuck that.
When I get to her front door, I knock loudly.
She doesn’t answer.
So, I knock again. “Come on, Sarah, I want to talk to you.”
She cracks the door and glares at me through tear-filled eyes, and it’s almost my undoing.
“Hey, don’t cry.”
“Just go away, Tanner.”
She tries to close the door, but I press my hand against it, stopping it.
“Please let me in, Sarah.”
Finally, she just walks away, and I set off after her. The house isn’t that big, so there’s not far to go.
“I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings,” I begin and then take a step back when she whirls on me and advances like we’re in the ring and a million dollars is on the line for the winner.
“You didn’t hurt my feelings , you nitwit. You pissed me off. I don’t need you to decide what’s best for me. I can do that by myself.”
“You’re right. You’re more than capable. And I did see you hurting and thought I could swoop in and help. But, and hear me out here, the client would likely pay several thousand dollars for each piece, Sarah.”
“I don’t—” She stops. Stares. “You accidentally said several thousand dollars.”
“No accident. And she’ll be there whenever you’re ready. There’s no pressure.”
“Felt like pressure, Tanner. Thank you for trying to help me. I know it came from a place of kindness and care for me, but?—”
“Love.” I shake my head and walk to her, no longer afraid that she might poke my eyes out, and cup her face in my hands. “It came from a place of love. Because I love you, and I want you to be happy. If that means that you want to work at Gordy’s, great. If you want to sell art, cool. Hell, if you want to sit on my deck all day with your cat, I’m down for that.”
“I hear the pay for that is really bad these days.”
“I was a prick in my delivery back there, and I regret it. I’m sorry. You’re brave and hardworking, and you’re doing damn well without me butting my nose in.”
“Yes. I am.” She firms her chin, but her eyes have softened, which tells me that I might almost be out of hot water. “Please don’t do something like that again, even when it’s done with love. I don’t want you to feel like you have to do things for me. But, I’m totally open to you doing things with me.”
“I can definitely live with that. I guess I should throw away that letter of resignation that I’d written up for you to give Gordy.”
Her eyes widen, and then she laughs. “I do love that you’re a smartass. It’s kind of fun.”
I wake the next morning to Sarah’s phone beeping with an alarm.
“What’s that?” Sarah murmurs, still half-asleep and reaching for her phone, as I sit up and drag my hand down my face. “Holy shit, is someone trying to break in?”
“Not here,” I reply grimly and yank on a pair of jeans. “Your place. You stay here. Do not leave this room. Call 9-1-1 and stay put. Promise me.”
“I’ll stay. Calling now.”
I don’t turn on any lights as I slink through the house to the back door and crack it open just a couple of inches so I can see what’s going on out there. If someone is breaking in, I don’t want to alert them that we know. I don’t see any extra vehicles in the driveway.
But I do see a flashlight in the house.
Someone’s fucking in there.
“What’s happening?” Sarah whispers behind me, making me jump.
“I told you to stay put,” I whisper in her ear and pull her back away from the door.
“I called the police, and they’re on the way. Is someone out there? I don’t see a car.”
“No car, but there’s someone in the house.”
“Oh my God, Tanner.”
I can hear the sirens down the block and rub my hand soothingly over Sarah’s back. “Police will be here any second, and they’ll take care of it.”
There’s a knock on the back door, and I don’t even bother to tell her to stay put while I go answer it.
“Hawk,” I say in surprise. “You guys work around the clock?”
“Shift work,” he says shortly. “Whoever was in there is gone now.”
“Impossible.” I shake my head and step outside with him. “The alarm went off less than ten minutes ago. I saw someone walking around in the house with a flashlight. There’s no way they’ve already left.”
“Well, they did,” he says grimly. “Left the door open again, though, and I’m hoping we’ll find prints. There were none from the last sweep that weren’t supposed to be there, which tells me they glove up.”
“Who the hell would want to steal anything from me?” Sarah demands as she joins us. “I don’t have much of anything, Hawk. Honestly, if they just asked me, I’d likely give them whatever they want. I don’t have anything of value.”
“Have you pissed someone off lately, Sarah?” Cullen asks as he walks out of the house and joins us.
“I don’t think so. Why?”
He passes her a sheet of paper that’s been placed in a clear evidence bag, and she reads aloud.
Bitch,
Where the hell are you? We need to talk. You have some explaining and apologizing to do, and I’m sick of waiting.
I’ll be back.
“There’s no signature. And it’s typed, so no handwriting for me to obsesses over.”
“That would have been too easy. Who’s mad at you?” Hawk asks her.
“I don’t—” But then she frowns and starts to shake her head slowly. “No way. That can’t be it.”
“It could be. Tell us,” Cullen replies, and takes out a notebook to jot down notes.
As Sarah relays an incident between herself and a coworker named Angela, I feel myself get more and more pissed off. She didn’t tell me about this, although she did say she had a run in with a coworker.
“I basically told her to kiss my ass, in way nicer words,” she finishes. “And then I found out that the whole thing was a lie. She wanted to go to a concert. Her kid was at her mom’s house.”
“So, she wanted you to fill in for her, and you said no,” Hawk summarizes. “That sounds pretty ordinary to me. It’s not like you slept with her husband, or you have a kid bullying hers or anything.”
“No, nothing like that. But she was mad. She’s still not speaking to me, not that I really care. I needed the day off.”
“Anyone else that has a grudge?” Cullen asks. “Ex-boyfriend, or maybe your ex-husband?”
“My one and only ex-boyfriend is right here,” she says, pointing to me.
“No longer ex. ” I grin toothily.
“Trust me when I say,” she continues, “my ex-husband gives absolutely zero shits about me. It’s not the ex.”
“Think it over,” Hawk advises. “Good job on the security system, by the way. We’ll take a look at the camera footage, just in case there’s something to see.”
“Yeah, well, if she was staying there, the asshole would have gotten to her, even with the alarm.” My blood is fucking boiling. “The locks have been changed, and the security is tight. So, what, is this some kind of goddamn pro?”
Sarah swallows hard and slips her hand in mine.
“To be fair,” Cullen says calmly, “the security is good , for a residence, but it’s not fool-proof.”
“Let me put it this way,” I continue, frustration running through me. “If it was someone you loved, what would you do?”
Cullen and Hawk exchange a look, and then Cullen sighs. “I’d keep her with me, man. Move her in here, but make it look like she’s still renting out there. I’d keep her close, and I wouldn’t take chances. That’s what I’d do if she were my girl or one of my sisters.”
“The girl is standing right here,” Sarah reminds us all. “A grown woman who can make her own decisions.”
I look down at her, ready to argue, but she keeps talking.
“And I’ve decided that I’ll move most of my stuff in here tomorrow morning.”
All three of us grin at her.
“Good idea,” Hawk says. “And not just because he’s a man. There’s safety in numbers. You notice they didn’t try to break into the main house to see if you’re in there.”
“No,” she agrees softly. “They didn’t.”
“I’m going to talk with my boss about the possibility of a little stakeout,” Cullen says. “See if we can catch them in the act. In the meantime, stay alert. No alone time, unfortunately.”
“That means no walking to work,” Sarah adds.
“Absolutely not,” I say before either of the officers can. “I’ll drive you. Also, no walking the beach alone.”
“What?” Sarah gasps, suddenly more horrified at that thought than a stranger in her house. “But, that’s my thing. ”
“I’ll walk with you,” I offer, and when her shoulders droop, I rub circles on her back. “I’ll even hang back a little and not bombard you with small talk so you can enjoy it without me harassing you.”
“This is all a bunch of bullshit,” she mutters, then turns to me. “Not you, of course. We can walk the beach together, but this is all ridiculous.”
“Hopefully, we’ll get it wrapped up quickly,” Hawk says. “We’ll be in touch.”
Once they’ve driven away, Sarah and I walk into the kitchen, and I turn on the coffee maker. The sun will be up in an hour, so it’s not worth going back to sleep.
Not that we could if we wanted to.
“I don’t think it’s Angela,” Sarah says thoughtfully as she sits at the island and rests her chin in her hand. “I mean, she’s mad at me, but she’s not break-into-my-house mad.”
“Maybe it is your ex.”
Sarah scoffs and gratefully accepts the mug I offer her. “No. Definitely not. He likely doesn’t even remember my name at this point. He couldn’t wait to see the back of me, so I know he’s not longing for any kind of apology. Besides, I have nothing to be sorry for. It’s kind of the other way around there.”
She sips her coffee thoughtfully.
“Was there anyone you were friends with in California that was mad at you?”
“I didn’t have friends in California.” She sets her cup on the counter and braces it between her hands. “I wasn’t allowed to.”
I narrow my eyes. “Allowed?”
“It was against his rules. No friends. No outside interests. I was at his beck and call.”
“What about when he was gone?”
“Didn’t matter.” She shrugs a shoulder. “I did what he wanted, when he said. I didn’t make my own decisions.”
“Shit, Sarah. I’m sorry. I was trying to help with the art thing, but I acted just like him.”
“No.” She reaches over and covers my arm with her hand. “Absolutely not. You were acting out of love. He was a controlling ass. There’s a huge difference.”
“We’re going to find who’s doing this,” I promise her. “Huckleberry Bay isn’t big. They can’t hide for long. And when we do, I want just five minutes alone with them.”
“You’re sexy when you’re acting all alpha and protective.”
I don’t smile in response.
“I’m serious, Sarah.”