18. Chapter Eighteen - Tanner
Tanner
"I hate to say it, but I don't think flowers are such a great idea," Luca sputters during our call and I sigh. First Reed, now him, why does everyone say that?
He's still not my biggest fan, but I think, slowly but surely, I'm getting there. It might just take a bit of time to convince him that I would be the perfect brother-in-law.
"I bet she's not even opening the door for them."
"And that's why I ordered vases along with them and left instructions to put them on the porch," I point out, "I'm even tipping them extra to give the flowers a little extra zhuzh and to include one of the heartfelt messages I sent them for every delivery." Not to sing my own praises but I thought of pretty much everything. Summer won’t be able to escape my wooing.
"What does that even mean?" I can hear him shake his head. "What if she falls in love with the delivery guy instead?"
"Hah! I thought of that too and told the florist to send one of their women." I grin, then start cursing under my breath when I realize what time it is.
"Don't you think flowers are a little impersonal?" he continues while I hurry to my living room, almost slipping on my freshly cleaned floor.
Sitting down in front of my couch, laptop on the coffee table, I open it up and roll my shoulders. It's almost time for the weekly Walker Game Time and Adam was pretty insistent that this week all of us attend, in a tone that made me imagine him cracking a whip while shouting “I’m ordering you to have fun.”
"I'm slowly working my way to sending her desserts, because who can resist a brownie with a sweet message written on top in chocolate?" Luca mentioned she loves them when we first brainstormed my 'getting Summer back' wooing strategy. I've got to find a bakery I like, though, because so far, the samples I had bakeries send to me, quite frankly, weren't 'blown away' level and that's the level I need here if I want a chance with her. If I'm seeing this through, I better do it right. "Or do you have anything else in mind?" The question tumbles from my lips as I start my laptop. "I could camp in front of her doorstep, but that would likely get me a charge for stalking. Would you rather I grab my guitar and do a little singing action in front of her house? But may I just remind you that it's still your neighbors who are going to witness that? I don’t think they’d be thrilled."
"You’re right. No love songs and no stalking, please," he concedes, and I chuckle.
"That's what I thought."
"Still," Luca continues, "it might be a romantic gesture, but Summer is not the kind of woman you can persuade just by sending her flowers or brownies. Man, you've got to do something more personal. Did you talk about anything in Amsterdam that could help? Because mark my words, you're not going to win her back with this generic shit."
Something we talked about in Amsterdam… I tap my chin, thinking back to our conversations. We talked about, well, the Red Light District, the sex museum, and… Ah. I think I got something.
"Well, what is it?"
"I'm going to tell you another time. Because I'm meeting up with my siblings and I need to go. Talk to you later, Luca. Bye."
And then I quickly drop the call before jumping onto the next, albeit video, one. My screen is split as always, one of the squares showing me, then there's Reed, Jackson, Adam, and Zoey.
"Zoey?" I furrow my eyebrows, confused. “You made it!” Reed breaks into laughter at the grimace I'm pulling.
"Long time no see," she says sheepishly, and Adam grins over her shoulder. He finally looks a bit better. The bags under his eyes have disappeared and judging be the lack of a deep wrinkle between his eyebrows, I’d say he’s in a fairly good mood.
"So happy you made it," Jackson adds in a passive-aggressive tone. Zoey and I shoot each other an annoyed look—at least, I think we do, it's hard to tell through a screen.
"So, what are we playing today?" Reed asks and cracks his fingers, seemingly very motivated to show off his skills to Zoey.
"Car racing?" I suggest, gaining some enthusiastic nods from all the screens. "Do you know how the game works, Zoey?" I ask as we start to pull up the game, and she glares at the camera.
"Please, Tanner. I grew up with you lot." She rolls her shoulders. "Also, Adam let me practice for the last two days.”
“Oh, we're going to wipe the floor with you," Reed teases her with a chuckle and I shake my head at him as we all pick out our characters for the race.
Pretty soon, it's clear that Zoey is indeed not the best at this game, blaming it on her limited motion in one arm. But I’ve got to hand it to her, she's definitely the best shit talker of this round.
"I'm going to kick your ass so hard you can taste the dirt from under my shoe!" she curses when she drives right into a trap Jackson left on the racetrack.
"Damn," I chuckle right before crossing the line as the winner. "Good thing we're not doing the swear jar anymore."
"Please, Tanner. It would have been full before I even opened my mouth." She rolls her eyes. “I’m just blending in here.”
Jackson chuckles and shakes his head at her. "You're not completely wrong."
"Of course I'm not." She grins. She might have pulled back, but she still knows us very well.
Once the race is done, she lowers her controller with a theatrical sigh. "I'm calling it. It's because my arm is in a cast."
A mischievous twinkle appears in her eye as she fixates every one of us with a hard stare on her screen. "I'm telling you, as soon as this thing is off, I'll want a rematch. And then I'm going to wipe the floor with you until you shit gravel."
"Zoey!"
Adam scolds her, and she rolls her eyes at him. "Say it with me, everyone. I am a grown woman, and I can curse if I want to." She grins and shoots Adam a knowing look, which he returns with a sheepish smile. And even Jackson's face softens, just the slightest bit.
Looks like they’ve talked. Thank God. Who would have thought this whole clusterfuck of a situation would actually work out like this? I sure didn’t.
"And if you can curse, I can curse," Zoey adds, and I give her a proud nod.
Reed, Adam, and Jackson fall into a heated discussion on whether that means they will stop swearing during our weekly game calls—Reed masterfully defending his use of curse words while Adam tries to convince him to go without.
Another discussion I'm not keen on involving myself in. So I reach for my phone, my eyebrow lifting almost to my hairline when I see a message from Zoey.
Zoey: How's mission win-her-back going?
I look at her on the screen to find her studying me curiously.
Tanner: So-so. Ambushed her to explain myself, and now I'm laying low for a bit. How are things on your end?
Once she's read the message, she looks straight at the camera and rolls her eyes, making me bite my cheeks to keep from laughing as she types her answer.
Zoey: I'm going up the walls.
I can't help but let a chuckle burst free, which I quickly disguise as a cough.
Adam is staying with Zoey for now—at least until we can think of something else or rotate. Thankfully, her broken arm is not her dominant one, but leaving her to live alone isn’t exactly the best choice right now. She can’t really cook for herself, or carry anything, much less wash her hair.
And while she'd all but begged Adam to go home and let one of her friends stay over instead, he wasn't deterred. In a group call we had he mentioned not wanting to entrust our currently defenseless sister to strangers we’ve never met and I hate admitting it, but he might have a point. Especially considering what happened to Summer, even with two mobile arms.
Honestly, I think he also enjoys the fact that it's pissing her off. Maybe that’s the punishment he came up with for her as a payback for lying.
Zoey: I think Adam's still angry with me.
Zoey: He's barely talking to me. Only if necessary.
Tanner: Well, did you apologize?
I study her face on the little screen. Her eyes widen, and she hides her face behind her hand, dragging it down over her features, like she hadn’t even considered that.
Zoey: No. Not yet.
Tanner: Well, maybe start there.
Tanner: He knows you didn’t do it maliciously. Have a little heart to heart talk with him, I’m sure you’ll make up in no time. As long as you’re honest.
Usually, Adam's a pretty forgiving guy. Maybe that's something that comes with age. I just hope that doesn’t mean I need to wait fifteen years for Summer to be in a space to forgive me.
"So, guys, what's the verdict?" I finally ask, stopping their argument.
"There’s no way I’m going to stop cursing," Reed says passionately, crossing his arms in front of his chest and glaring at his camera.
"Just like Adam would never stop swearing when he's behind the steering wheel," Zoey adds with a giggle.
Adam's shoulders sag at that call-out, and Jackson and I burst into a chuckle.
"We could play Barbie's Horse Farm ," Zoey interjects, an amused twinkle in her eyes. "Or Animal Island . Don’t look at me like I grew a second head. I’m just saying they’re not very curse-worthy games."
"And they're also not very fun," Reed grimaces, probably remembering all the afternoons we’d spent with Zoey playing just these games, fighting against sleep and silently hoping to get into something with a little more action. Yet we never had the heart to ditch her.
"Yeah, they’re a veto from me," Adam adds.
Zoey turns to him with a glare. "Then shut your mouth about cursing." She grins and turns back to the screen, but I watch as Adam’s eyes remain on her.
Oh, he has definitely forgiven her. He’s way too happy about the fact she’s letting us in again.
He might not show it just now—after all, there needs to be a little educational moment for her in this whole mess after all—but I can see it. The little crinkles in his eyes, the way the corner of his mouth twitches as he fights a smile.
He achieved exactly what he wanted: All of us hanging out together, reminiscing over old times. Being a family.
And she might deny it all she wants and complain about going up the walls, but if she really was against Adam staying with her, she would have found a way to escape or kick him out.
"Anyway," Reed says, and all of us breathe a little sigh of relief as he changes the topic. "Adam, I just wanted to point out, if you're planning another vacation stint, I need to know at least two months in advance. The year is booking out fast."
"Alright," Adam nods. "But I think it's going to have to wait. I have a bunch of work to catch up on."
"And your girlfriend," Jackson adds, wiggling his eyebrows.
But Adam teases him right back, "At least you all know mine. When are they going to meet your mystery woman?"
“He’s got a point,” I grumble and cross my arms in front of my chest, playfully glaring at my camera.
I can see on Reed's face that he’s thinking the exact same thing. Jackson mutes his microphone, then looks somewhere behind his camera, and starts talking, waving someone over. Reed and I glance at each other, anticipation building, but… nothing happens.
"Well… not today," he finally says, amused, after unmuting himself while Adam starts to chuckle.
"What's so funny, big boy?" Reed asks him immediately, arms crossed in front of his chest.
"You know, that's basically what I did to Lily and she gave me a lot of shit for it afterward." His eyes also jump somewhere behind the screen.
Lily’s arm suddenly appears in the frame, showing us her middle finger.
"One of us. One of us," Reed starts chanting, holding his own middle finger into the camera with what I can only describe as a maniacal laughter.
"Speaking of girlfriends…" Jackson leans closer to his camera and wiggles his eyebrows. "Anything you want to share, Tanner?"
The call immediately drops into total silence, Adam and Reed staring at me—or what I presume is my spot on their screen.
"Nothing noteworthy," I say sheepishly. Then I correct myself. "Yet."
The other guys don't notice it, but I can see darkness washing over Zoey's face. Immediately, I reach for my phone again.
Tanner: Still not your fault.
I message her, and when she sees the notification pop up, she angles her phone away from Adam to read it with a poker face.
"So, if any of you got any good ideas for groveling, I'm all ears."
"Do you really wanna take tips from them?" Zoey whispers loudly, covering the side of her mouth with her hand as though she's telling me a secret.
"My idea so far is having flowers sent to her place." I shrug, startling when they all start to grimace.
“I told you,” Reed says with a sing-song voice, and I subtly scratch my chin with my middle finger.
"For real, though, that's so basic," Zoey says in her teenage, judgmental tone, and I immediately feel humbled. I honestly thought it wasn't the worst idea.
"Does she have a favorite animal?" Jackson asks. “Cats? Dogs? Guinea pigs?”
But Zoey immediately shakes her head in disapproval. "Don't you dare get her a pet."
"I'm not getting her a pet," I say. "But I might have an idea. Adam, have you talked to Rick recently?"
"As a matter of fact, I have. Why?"
“Because I have a favor to ask.”