Chapter 12
CHAPTER TWELVE
TANNER
“ D o whales have ears?”
I can’t help but smile as I listen to the little boy talking his father’s ear off as they walk around the gallery. He’s full of questions.
“Yes, they even talk to each other,” the dad replies.
“What? They can talk ? I want to talk to a whale.”
“They have a language we can’t understand,” is the father’s reply.
“I’m gonna learn it.” The boy’s face is set in determined lines as he follows his dad to the next piece of art to examine.
It’s early in the day, and these two are my first customers. Wayne won’t be in for a while yet, and I usually take this time to answer emails, place orders, and balance my books.
But today, I just want to enjoy the art in my showroom and check out the deliveries that came in yesterday.
I took a lot of shit from my friends when I was a kid whenever I said I wanted to work with art. I can’t draw a stick figure to save my life, but I’ve always enjoyed studying paintings, sculptures, and just about any other art form out there.
At the sound of the bell above the door, I glance up and see the man with his boy walk out, and I begin my own journey through the space.
I have something for everyone. Cowboy bronzes, paintings of wildlife, and landscapes portraits.
It’s an eclectic collection, but I’ve had success with it.
A lot of success, actually.
I straighten a canvas, then dust off a bronze piece of a woman holding a kitten, and I realize that this piece reminds me of Sarah and Petunia.
I don’t have a place for it in my house right now, but if it doesn’t sell soon, I’ll consider it as a gift for Sarah.
With a half smile, I walk into the small storeroom next to my office. Wayne unboxed several new pieces yesterday afternoon, but we still have to catalogue them and get them ready for sale.
My phone rings in my pocket, and I’m surprised to see my aunt Becky’s name on the display.
“Well, good morning, favorite aunt.”
“You know, those words would mean so much more if I weren’t your only aunt.”
I laugh and remind myself that I need to get down to Newport to visit her. “How are you today?”
“Well, I’m doing fine, and I’d be better if this kitchen would ever get done.”
“Are you still having issues with that?” I scowl at nothing in particular. “Do you want me to call someone?”
“No, they should be finished this week, thank all the gods above. Anyway, that’s not why I was calling. Do you remember Ally Macky?”
“I don’t think so.”
“You know, she lived in that house on Cherry Lane that had the gargoyles on the eaves, like she lived in a damn castle or some such thing?”
“Oh, I remember the house, yeah. The new owner had the gargoyles removed.”
“Good, they were awful. Anyway, do you remember her?”
“Not really. She was a lot older than me.”
There’s a slight pause. “She’s my age . ”
I grin. “Exactly. A lot older than me.”
“I’m going to pull on your ear the next time I see you for that.”
I rub my free ear, already dreading it.
“What about her? Did she die or something?”
“Oh, goodness no. Why? Did somebody die? You never tell me the gossip.”
“Focus, Aunt Becky.”
“Right. Anyway, Ally told my friend, Eunice, who told my other friend, Franny, that you’re living with Sarah Pedersen.”
“Wait. This is why you asked if I remember Ally?”
“It’s all for context,” she insists and sniffs. “Is it true?”
“You can move out of Huckleberry Bay, but apparently, you can still get all the gossip.”
“Not from you . Answer the question.”
“Yeah. I’m living with her.”
I explain to her how the situation came to be, and when I’m finished, she sighs in my ear.
“That’s damn romantic.”
Now I sigh in confusion. “It’s romantic that someone broke into her house? Twice?”
“Obviously, you don’t read the romance books, my boy. I’m assuming that she’s not just sleeping on the couch.”
“No. She’s not. We’re not going to get into where she’s sleeping, Aunt Becky.”
She laughs on the other end of the line now. “No, let’s not. Bring her to see me, why don’t you? Or, I’ll come up there. I miss you, and I always had a soft spot for your girl.”
“I know you did. We’ll arrange it. Oh, and Aunt Becky, someone did die.”
“What? Who?”
I tell her the little I know about Sarah’s mom.
“They were horrible people,” Becky says softly. “I don’t like to say that about anyone, because there’s always some good in someone, but those two were just horrible. I felt for those kids, and I’m relieved that they both turned into good people, despite the shit they came from.”
My eyebrows climb in surprise. Aunt Becky never swears.
“They’re both doing great,” I assure her. “Now, what other pieces of gossip do you have?”
“None to share,” she says. “Watch your back, Tanner. I know you want to protect Sarah, but I need you to be careful, too. I don’t think I’d ever recover if something happened to you.”
“I’ll be careful,” I assure her, just as the bell over the door jingles. “I have to go. I have customers.”
“Alright, then. Have a good day, honey.”
“You, too.”
I stop short when I walk out to the showroom and see Sarah stomping back and forth.
“What’s wrong?”
“First, don’t yell at me. Yeah, I walked here alone, but it’s literally like two blocks, and I’m just so pissed off that I had to get the hell out of there on my break.”
I nod slowly, watching as she breathes hard and grinds her teeth together in absolute rage.
“Wanna talk about it, pretty girl?”
“I want to fucking punch something. ”
I cross my arms over my chest and let her pace and work off some aggression. I’ve never seen her this angry, and it’s spectacular and a little frightening, all at once.
“Who pissed you off?”
Her eyes narrow on me, and I worry that I should have waited to speak to her, but then she blows out a breath and seems to sag as she lets just a little of the rage go.
“Angela is a stone-cold bitch. ”
“This is the one who lied to you about why she needed her shift covered last week?”
“Yeah. Listen, I don’t give two fucks if she doesn’t want to talk to me. I don’t care. ”
“Don’t blame you.”
“But apparently, me giving her no reaction has pissed her off all over again, and now she’s stealing my tips.”
I straighten, the rage she let go now filling my chest. “Excuse me?”
“All of my cash tips. I’ve had sixteen tables already this morning, which is a shit ton. Looks like tourist season is starting early. Anyway, only five of those put their tips on their credit cards. The rest were cash.”
“And she’s swooping by to snatch it up before you get the chance?” I guess, and she nods emphatically.
“I caught her. But when I called her out on it, she just shrugged and said, ‘ Well, I guess if you were a better server, people would tip you.’ ”
“Oh, fuck that.”
“Right?” She jabs her finger into the air, pointing at me. “ Right ? I’m so mad. I bet she’s copped more than fifty bucks from me.”
“You need to talk to someone right now , Sarah. Not me, but Gordy or Sunny.”
“Oh, I plan to. I just knew that if I did in that moment, I would make a scene and probably get fired.”
“Make the fucking scene.” I stalk over to her and take her hands in mine. “For once, just make the goddamn scene, Sarah. Throw the biggest fit that Angela has ever seen, and make it crystal clear that she’s not to fuck with you ever again.”
“I’m going to,” she decides and grabs my face on both sides, yanks me to her for a hard kiss, and then pushes away. “I’m going to right now.”
She stomps away, and knowing that I can’t miss this, I march right behind her, locking the gallery door on the way.
Her stride is hard and purposeful, and if I were Angela, I’d be damn scared right now.
“She thinks she can fucking steal from me?” Sarah rants, her voice shaking with anger. “I won’t have it. I will not have it.”
Make that terrified. I’d be terrified if I were Angela, and I make a mental note to never piss her off like this.
It’s a wrath no man has any business evoking from a woman. Not if he values his neck, anyway.
Sarah yanks the door of the diner open, and I have to move fast to catch it so it doesn’t slam in my face.
“You,” Sarah says loudly, pointing at Angela. “In the back, now.”
“I have customers,” Angela begins, but Sarah snarls at her.
“I said now .”
Sunny and I share a look, then follow the other two back to the break room.
“What’s happening?” Sunny whispers to me.
“Angela’s been stealing Sarah’s tips all morning.”
“Oh, hell no.” Sunny makes a move to walk over and take care of things, but I put my hand on her shoulder, stopping her.
“Let Sarah fight this battle.”
“You’ve been swiping cash off of my tables all goddamn morning,” Sarah begins, shooting daggers at her foe. “You can hate me all day long, but you won’t fucking steal from me, Angela.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She examines her chipped nails, as if she’s not worried in the least about what Sarah has to say, although her eyes do slide over to see that Sunny and I are listening. “People just don’t tip piss-poor waitresses. You should step up your game.”
“Uh-oh,” I mutter when Sarah’s already heaving chest quickens. “You might want to call the cops. I have bail money.”
Sunny just shakes her head.
“I’m going to file charges,” Sarah says, her voice much calmer than her body language. “I’m filing charges for the stolen tips, and for you breaking into my house.”
Angela’s jaw drops. “Wait, what? I didn’t break into your stupid house. You don’t have anything that I want.”
“Obviously I do, because you’ve stolen it from me. And now that I think about it, my tips were low the other day, too. I think you’ve been skimming off my tables ever since I wouldn’t cover your shift just so you could go to a motherfucking concert. And you’re going to pay for it.”
“I didn’t break into your house, you stupid bitch,” Angela yells back. “But yeah, I took your money. It’ll teach you a fucking lesson not to be a cunt to your coworkers.”
“And that’s all I need,” Sunny says brightly. “Angela, collect your things and get out of here.”
“No way,” Angela counters, shaking her head wildly. “I’m not getting fired over that sack of trailer-trash garbage. She’s lying about all of it. She’s just like her mother, probably hiding the money so she can make me give her more for drugs. That’s what those people do.”
Now, the woman sounds like a lunatic and is changing the story again.
“That’s enough,” Sunny snaps, but Sarah’s already flown into action, her fist reared back, and I snag her around the waist and hang on with all my might, preventing her from clocking Angela in the nose.
“Let me at her,” Sarah snarls, but I hold on tight.
“She’s not worth it,” I say into her ear. “She’s already lost her job. Don’t you lose yours, too.”
“I don’t care about the job.”
But I know that she does, and we watch together as Angela rants and yells, but she gathers the stuff out of her locker and turns to Sarah.
“You’re going to pay for this, you piece of shit.”
“Oh, good, more threats. I’ll add it to the complaint I’m going to file today.”
Before Angela can rage anymore, the cops show up, two younger guys that I don’t know by name, and they escort Angela out the front door.
Sarah’s shaking now, still breathing hard, when Sunny approaches her.
“I assume Gordy called the cops,” she says and lays her hand on Sarah’s shoulder. “I’m pretty sure the whole restaurant heard that fun exchange. Shake it off, honey. She’s not worth this. You go home and gather yourself. I’ll call in Willow. She’ll cover once I tell her what happened.”
“No,” Sarah says, and takes a deep breath, settling herself. “I’m okay. I can finish the shift. Unless you’re firing me.”
“I should,” Sunny says. “You didn’t handle that in the best way. You should have come to me, and then we would have figured things out. But that woman has been antagonizing you for a while now, and I suspect I would have lost it, too. Now, let’s get back to work. I’m pretty sure the people out there are pissed off by now.”
She walks away, and Sarah just turns and thuds right into my arms.
“Hey.” I squeeze her tight and kiss the top of her head. “You can do this, babe. Call me if you need me.”
“Thanks. I’ll need wine later. Maybe tequila.”
“We can do that.”
She squares her shoulders and goes back to work, heading for the kitchen to pick up orders.
I hear her apologize to Gordy, who just shakes his head and mumbles something about dramatic women, but he winks at her, and she smiles back at him gratefully.
It seems the storm has passed.
“I brought ice cream and root beer,” June announces as she walks into my house, holding the bag in the air. “Sarah loves a root beer float.”
“Who doesn’t?” I ask and take the bag from her. “Thanks. We’ll add this to the cupcakes. You’ll all pass out from a sugar coma.”
“Nah, we can handle it,” Luna replies as Wolfe gently rubs circles on her back. “Do you have tongs for the cheese?”
“There are special cheese tongs?” I ask. “Can’t we just use our fingers?”
“Savages,” June mutters, and Apollo walks through the door. “Oh, look, the king of the savages has arrived.”
“Thanks for noticing.” He smiles and saunters over with a bag of his own. “I brought the tequila. I also have chips and salsa.”
When I called everyone after returning to the gallery, we decided that we needed to have dinner tonight, with all of Sarah’s favorite things, to help her work off the rest of her anger.
“Sunny should be dropping off Sarah any minute,” I inform them, but the back door is already opening, and in walks Sarah.
“Is everyone here?” she calls out. “There are a million cars in the driveway.”
She stops short when she sees us all gathered in the kitchen, and her pretty eyes fill with tears.
“Uh-oh,” Apollo mutters. “She’s gonna blow.”
“We thought you could use some tacos,” Luna says and crosses to Sarah to give her a hug. “Everyone needs tacos after a shitty day of laying the smackdown at work.”
“Let’s not forget the tequila,” Apollo adds, holding up the bottle.
June rolls her eyes, but Sarah gives him a watery laugh. “Thanks, guys. This is definitely what I need. But first, a quick shower to get the grime of the day off of me. Including the hex I’m sure Angela threw my way on her way out the door.”
“Let’s go.” I hold my hand out for hers.
“No sex while I’m in the house,” June calls after us, making Sarah laugh. “Absolutely none. ”
“I can’t promise anything,” I call back. When we’re alone, I hug her to me. “How you doing?”
“Ugh, I’m tired. But the day was fine. The rest of it, anyway. Let me take this shower, and I’ll be out to join everyone.”
“Is it okay that I did this? Invited everyone over?”
“It’s more than okay. I didn’t know that I needed it until I saw everyone. It’s nice to feel supported and loved, you know?”
“Yeah. I know.” I lean in and press my lips to hers. “Get comfy. The food’s ready when you are.”
“Oh, get started. Don’t make them wait for tacos.”
She saunters into the bathroom, and I return to the others.
“She says to go ahead and eat, and she’ll catch up when she’s done in there,” I inform them.
“Don’t have to tell me twice,” Wolfe says as he grabs a plate. “Hey, is anyone in the market for a car?”
“You’re selling cars now?” I ask him.
“Just this one. Someone dropped it off to be fixed three months ago. Been fixed for almost that long, but they haven’t come back to get it, or pay for it, nor have they responded to my calls or letters. So, I’ll sell it.”
“You can do that?” June asks. “You don’t have the title.”
“It’s abandoned property,” Apollo adds. “It’s likely on the form you sign when you leave your truck for an oil change, or something, that if you don’t come back to claim it within a certain amount of time, then you’re forfeiting the property.”
“Interesting,” June muses and pops a chip into her mouth. “Does that happen very often?”
“Thankfully, no,” Wolfe says. “I don’t have time to sell cars. It’s a pain in the ass, but I have to recoup the costs of fixing it.”
“What was wrong with it?” Apollo asks.
“Rear axle was shot and needed brakes and a general tune-up. But it’s good to go now.”
“I feel human again.”
Sarah walks into the room, and everyone gets quiet and stares at her, including me.
“I did get dressed, right?” She looks down at her T-shirt and jeans and then frowns at us. “Why is everyone staring at me?”
“So, are you in the market for a car, Sarah?” Wolfe asks her.
“Yeah, right,” she scoffs and makes a beeline for the taco buffet on my countertop. “I mean, I guess I could afford a car payment, but I really don’t want to. Huckleberry Bay is small enough to walk almost everywhere, and if I need to go to the inn, I can hitch a ride.”
She shrugs, and I share a look with Wolfe.
“How much are you asking, Wolfe?”
“Wait, you have a car for sale?” Sarah laughs and adds sour cream to her taco. “I definitely can’t afford your Ferrari, but thanks for the vote of confidence.”
“It’s a Honda,” he replies. “SUV. It’s not new by any means, but it runs great now that Zeke and I have had our hands in it.”
Her eyes narrow, and I can see the wheels turning.
“It was a car that someone dropped off for repair,” I explain to her. “They never came back to get it, and he just wants to get paid for the job and get the car off his property.”
“Basically,” Wolfe agrees. “Let’s talk about it. It would be a good car for you. I should have thought about it before.”
“I’ll have a look,” she says with a nod, her mouth full of food. “Look at me, adulting like a rock star.”
“So, I have to know,” Apollo says. “Did you knock the bitch on her ass? I don’t have many details.”
“I tried.” Sarah scowls at me. “But this one held me back and wouldn’t let me. I would have really cleaned her clock.”
“You prevented a girl fight?” Apollo demands, clearly disgusted.
“I prevented Sarah from an assault charge,” I counter.
“Ah, well, there is that,” Apollo replies.
“I don’t even remember Angela from when we were kids,” Sarah says with a frown. “Do you guys? She said she knew who my parents were, and that I come from trash, which isn’t wrong, but I don’t remember her.”
“She’s younger than us,” June replies. “By quite a bit, I think. But she might be about Scott’s age. Mid-twenties.”
“That makes sense,” Sarah says. “I wouldn’t have known her, then. Man, she hates me.”
“Well, to be fair,” Luna says, and winces, “she had it bad for Scott, from what I hear. Like, bad. And I think they dated a little, but he ended up breaking it off for some reason or another.”
“She must have gotten over it, because she had a baby with someone else. I think she was married.”
“Still, he scorned her, and you’re Scott’s sister, so it doesn’t surprise me that she wasn’t nice to you,” Luna says.
“The weird thing is, we got along just fine for a long time. Then, a few weeks ago, she decided to get all psycho on me.” Sarah shrugs. “Oh well, who knows what makes people tick? Not me. I need a margarita.”
“Coming up.” I assume the role of bartender and slice a lime in half. “Who’s in?”