2. Tanner
two
Tanner
"D on't you look like the cat that licked the cream?" I tease my brother Turner. He finally got his head out of his ass and admitted his feelings for Hazy. The look on his face is priceless, just like a kid who got his hand caught in a cookie jar. From his expression, I think he had more than just his hand in the cookie jar. "Chill out, I was just kidding." I slap him on the back when he makes a choking noise.
"Enough. I'm fine now." He wheezes.
"Sorry, man. I'd hate to put you in a sticky situation." I laugh at my joke when I hear Dale introduce the next karaoke singer as another travel nurse singing her initiation song. The first notes of Whitney Houston's song 'I Will Always Love You' fill the bar with the sound of someone singing almost as poorly as Hazy.
"You're such a dick." Turner throws a bar rag at me, which misses. Laughing, I turn around, bend over, stopping mid-bend, my head snapping at the singing nurse on stage. She's pretty with long auburn hair. I wish I could see what color her eyes are, but I'm too far away. "Looks like you've been struck by Cupid's Arrow, brother." Turner laughs, slapping me on the back this time.
"Fuck me," I mutter as I pick up the rag and stomp behind the bar, trying and failing not to look at the woman on stage.
"Oh, how the mighty have fallen," Turner calls after me.
Without turning around, I lift my hand and give him a one-finger salute. Only to be met with laughter.
Damn it, if Turner isn't right. I've never felt this way about anyone before—like all I want to do is take care of her and make her the center of my world, which is crazy because I don't even know her name. I was too busy teasing my brother to listen to what Dale said when he introduced her.
"What's got you in such a bad mood?" My brother Tucker asks when I join him behind the bar. "It could be worse." He nods to the end of the bar where our oldest brother, Travis, is fighting off a bunch of horny bridesmaids. "At least we aren't Travis."
Most guys would be over the moon to have their pick of single, beautiful, horny women, but Travis is still nursing a broken heart, while Tucker only has eyes for Sky, even though he is too shy to act on it. I'm not sure they've even exchanged more than two words. On the other hand, I'm happy hanging out with my friends, playing cards, fishing, and doing guy things, but one glance at my mystery woman on stage singing her heart out makes me long for a wife and a family with her.
Yeah, well, I'm not going to save him, are you?" I side-step his question, still trying to understand my instant attraction.
Tucker's eyes widen comically as he stutters over his words and shifts his gaze to a group of women standing a few feet away. "N-no way." Poor Tucker. When he gets nervous, he stutters. I'm almost positive that's why he hasn't acted on his attraction to Sky.
I follow his gaze to where Sky stands, talking to our sister Tessa and the mystery woman from the stage, when an idea strikes me.
"Tessa's in charge of the bachelorette party. Let's make her save him." I leave Tucker to follow me as I work my way through the bar to where Tessa is talking to the two women.
"Hey, Tessa, you might want to save Travis from the bachelorettes." I bump Tessa's shoulder with mine, interrupting her conversation.
"Why do I have to save him? Where's Turner? It's his turn to deal with Travis. Just because Travis blew it with Grace doesn't mean he has to be a dick to every woman he meets."
"Turner and Hazel are too busy making out when they think no one is looking. Besides, the sooner this night is over, the sooner I can head to Derek's place for poker." Not that I want to play poker with my friends tonight. I'd rather hang out with the beauty in front of me with her forest green eyes and long auburn hair.
"Is that all you think about, hanging out with your stupid friends? Why don't you and Tucker save Travis?" Damn, the way Tessa says that makes it sound like all I do is hang out with my friends. Which I suppose is true, or it was true before tonight.
Not wanting my mystery woman, whom Tessa has rudely yet to introduce me to, to think that's all I do, I attempt to do damage control by reminding her that I do more than hang out with my friends. However, my mystery woman seems to have zoned out of the conversation.
Needing to bring her back into the conversation, I go back to talking about the bachelorettes. "No way. Those women are feral." I wrinkle up my nose. "They've already tried to shove money down my pants, screaming for me to take it off."
" It looks like you have your hands full, " my mystery woman says. We should probably go home. Sky and I are helping with the Hazmat training at the fire station tomorrow."
"You're helping at the hazmat training?" I look between her and Sky in surprise. "We've never had women help with training before. I'm Tanner, and this is Tucker, by the way. Since my rude sister didn't introduce us."
"Nice to meet you, Tanner, Tucker." She nods to me and then to Tucker. "My name's Rayne. They asked for volunteers to act as victims." She shrugs, but I see something lurking behind her beautiful green eyes—something she doesn't want to say out loud.
A loud screeching sound, like two stray cats fighting, cuts through the air. A glance around the room reveals two bridesmaids attempting to throw punches at each other, with an angry-looking Travis trying to separate them.
With a sigh, I realize it's time to save Travis from the crazy bachelorettes: "We'd better save Travis before he decides to let go of them and let them fight it out." I glance at Rayne, not ready to let her go yet. But knowing she'll be at training tomorrow makes it a little easier to let her go. "I'll see you tomorrow for training."
"Wait, what do you mean you'll see us tomorrow for training?" Rayne says, sounding breathless.
"We're all part of the volunteer fire department. We'll be the ones saving you tomorrow." I can't help but give her a wink at the shocked look on her face before I walk away.
Tomorrow can't come soon enough.