Chapter 14 Tanner
Tanner
Staying in his mom’s house, after so many years away from Pine Springs, was like trying to push his feet into a new pair of skates. A tight fit.
Neither the reception nor the individuals were the problem, even though it had been strange to get his head around Henry’s presence here and there.
But Tanner liked the guy and he could see how good he was for his mom.
There wasn’t much he wouldn’t put up with to see her so happy and, with Reid promising to visit at the weekend, he looked forward to catching up with his brother, too.
No, the main problem with staying there was a size issue. Something Sam or Arlo would kill themselves to crack a dirty joke about.
He was just too damn big for his mom’s compact house.
With every shower, Tanner smacked his elbows against the tiles, his head against the fittings. The ceilings were low and his feet hung over the end of the bed in the spare room. He felt like a full-sized human in a hobbit house.
Thank God he’d bought this place for his mom—the childhood home he’d grown up in had been far smaller.
And since when had his mother started to shrink?
Tanner was sure she was shorter than before.
She definitely had a few more lines on her face, although most of them were happy ones.
And even the odd thread of gray among the blonde.
He found this proof of time passing disturbing.
It pulled on emotional threads that were already taut in his chest and made him want to reach for his wallet.
“You ready to replace your car yet, Mom?” He kept the question as casual as he could.
Cassidy gave a dismissive snort. “Nope.”
“The new Range Rover Evoque looks nice.”
“I’m happy with the CR-V.”
Glancing over, Henry gave him a kind, knowing smile before continuing to slice the vegetables. “I’m sure your mom’ll let you know if she needs anything.”
Cassidy leaned over Tanner’s shoulder and wrapped her arms around him, her chin on the top of his head. The kitchen chair let out a worrying creak. “It’s so good to have you here. I can’t believe I get to keep you close by for a while.”
“I’m happy to be home, Mom.” With the ink still drying on the Rapids contract, it was a relief to know that the decision was made.
He just needed to sort out his own place now.
“Sam’s got a house to show me later. He’s just about to complete a renovation on a Victorian farmhouse. He sent me the link and it looks good.”
His mom beamed. “I love that boy! Haven’t seen him recently. Bring him around soon, will you? Kash, too.”
“Why not ask them to join us for lunch on Sunday, when Reid’s down?” Henry suggested.
Tanner looked around. “You might need a bigger table, Ma. We could go shopping for one?”
Cassidy pinched his earlobe but she laughed as she did it. “I like my table just as much as I like my car. I don’t need a new one.”
Her eyes danced, forcing Tanner to smile with her.
It was so damn good to see his mom looking so well.
He’d never take her health for granted, but the memory of scary days when she’d dragged herself to the laundromat with a gray pallor and a cough that left her sweating were fading to a grim blur.
His success had given her the option of where and how much she wanted to work.
A muscle jumped in Tanner’s cheek. What if he couldn’t always make sure that she had that choice? What if he had to have surgery on his shoulder and he couldn’t get it back to full strength?
“You make it so difficult for me to show off,” he grumbled, trying to force a grin to his lips. “How’s a guy supposed to tell you he loves you if you won’t let him buy stuff?”
“Sweetie, I have a spoiler alert for you and I want you to listen good.” His mom clasped her hands to either side of his cheeks. “It’s not love if you have to buy it.”
Yeah, nope. Tanner wasn’t falling for that one.
He’d slogged his guts out to get to this point purely to look after his family—and anyone in his circle who needed it.
The pressure and the responsibility were downsides he bore willingly.
After all, there were firefighters out there taking risks every day.
Scientists pushing the boundaries of knowledge.
Frickin’ astronauts exploring the outer reaches of space.
He was hardly going to whine about being paid a ridiculous amount of money because he could shoot a puck.
Things had fallen into place for him ever since Avery had made that sacrifice in the PS High parking lot. He hadn’t deserved his good fortune then, and he didn’t really deserve it now. His money should at least do some good where it could. While it could.
With her on his mind, Tanner took a conversational swerve to change the subject. “Avery Delgado was at the lake for Sav’s Bach Bash.”
“Avery?” His mother’s smile was warm. “I haven’t seen her in a while either. How’s she doing?”
“She’s fine.” Those would have been Avery’s own words. He knew it.
“Such a popular little thing when you were at school. Has she changed much?”
“Not really. She’s just taller. Her friends are a cool bunch and it was good to catch up—although she took a helluva hit to the head from a paddleboard paddle.”
Henry looked over from the stove. “Putting the literal ‘bash’ into Bach Bash.”
His mom spared Henry an eye roll for his awful joke before sitting down at the table. “Poor Avery.”
“Does her dad still live in town?” Tanner, greedy for any information he could get, took advantage of his mom’s attention while he had it.
“He moved out to Muskegon with Ottoline a couple years after they got together. I’ve not seen either of them since.” His mother shook her head. “He always looked and sounded too good to be true. So smooth and so sincere. I wasn’t surprised he did what he did but I was surprised by her.”
Tanner pictured Principal Harris at her desk on the morning he went to own up about the floodlight. It had surprised him, too. It must have taken Avery’s feet out from underneath her. He rubbed at his chest.
“And Avery’s mom?” he prompted. “She’s still local?”
“She found herself a place just outside of Pine Springs. Not that far. I haven’t seen her in years, though.
I guess the memories keep her away and, Lord knows, Delia isn’t much of a draw to bring her into town.
” Rising to her feet again, his mom rummaged in one of the cupboards for a plastic bowl.
She swept the peelings into it from the chopping board, always happier to tidy than do the actual cooking.
“Violet wasn’t in a good place after Joseph left her.
I don’t think she coped well—there were some worrying rumors floating about for a while. ”
Henry winced as he took a package of chicken from the fridge. They both hated gossip.
“That poor child. She’s really been through it,” his mom added.
Tanner felt sick.
He’d moved on, living the dream—filling his off-season taking luxury trips with family and friends, sampling the perks that came with his new salary instead of spending time in Pine Springs—while Avery had been suffering.
A couple of sporadic texts, a few months, and he’d given up on her because he was busy and his feelings were hurt. No wonder she hadn’t kept in touch.
So much space. Tanner’s shoulders dropped and he let out a long, easy breath.
“I could get a pool table in here.” He ran his eyes around the foyer of the farmhouse. It was certainly big enough.
“Only if you want me to whip your ass every time I visit.” Sam shrugged.
“Oh, please. You play like a one-armed weasel.”
“Hate to break it to you, bro, but weasels famously have legs, not arms.”
“If they did have arms and there was a single, poor little limb-challenged specimen, he’d play like you.”
In the doorway, Jackson Hale raised an eyebrow. He was a tall guy with fierce blue eyes and an even fiercer scowl, who was apparently responsible for the stunning renovation of the farmhouse. “Christ on a bike. There’s two of them,” he muttered in a “give me strength” kind of tone.
“Let them have their fun, Jax.” Kash grinned. “Then we can play grown-ups and get this signed off.”
Tanner could feel his smile growing as they continued the tour.
The property ticked every box he didn’t know he had.
The renovation was fantastic. Period features had been retained throughout, but they were paired with modern fittings in the huge open-plan kitchen and all the bathrooms for a touch of luxury living and maximum wow factor.
The spacious first-floor rooms boasted eleven-foot ceilings, with four large bedrooms upstairs.
There was a large barn in the grounds and a swimming pool.
The whole place was grand without being flash.
“The last bit of tiling will be finished in the next week or so and there’s still some landscaping work to be done,” said Kash, as they circled back around to the kitchen.
“We weren’t planning on opening the house up to viewings this early but I thought it might suit you.” Sam was grinning. He knew he’d sunk the putt.
“I was going to rent first. There are a few things I need to sort out before I buy.” Tanner raised his main concern.
The other three exchanged a look.
“Yeah, that makes it tricky because we want to use the capital from the sale for our next purchase. But I’m sure we can come up with a plan.” Sam didn’t seem concerned. Kash nodded.
“How about if I rent for a couple months, get settled in, and invest some capital into the business as an interest-free loan in the meantime?” Tanner had thought this out on the drive over. “I can get Arlo on the numbers and have him give you a call.”
“I’m good with that.” Jackson Hale pushed away from the doorframe.