Chapter 20 Tanner #2
Her face still averted, Avery let out a low sigh and he saw her fingers flex on her thigh before she spoke.
“I lost myself for a while after my dad left us to be with her mom. And my mother . . . wasn’t coping.
” She chose her words carefully, her voice small.
“I guess there was some twisted pleasure in that for Paige, because she was hurting from her parents’ divorce, too.
But when things began to smooth out a little and I made more friends, that didn’t feel like the right kind of justice to her when she really wanted her parents back together. ”
“But you’re adults now and it’s all in the past. Surely it’s time to move on.” Tanner frowned.
“You’d think, wouldn’t you?” said Avery, nibbling on her thumbnail. “But Paige doesn’t see her dad much anymore so she’s kind of adopted mine instead. She meets his expectations and he builds her up. It’s all pretty surface level, but it suits them both.”
Tanner heard the sense of betrayal buried in her words, and he respected Paige and Joseph Delgado all the less for being so casually cruel. “Your dad and Principal Harris seem pretty happy together.”
“Yeah, somehow it works. And long may it continue.” Avery sounded doubtful.
“Maybe your mom’s better off without him.”
She took a while to consider his words. “I just wish she would either get angry or get over it. She’s been stuck in a holding pattern of sadness that’s kept her as trapped as Paige.”
Tanner tapped on the steering wheel, and a quick sideways glance showed him how the light played across Avery’s face through the windshield, bathing her freckles in dappled orange. “And you? How do you feel?”
“Disillusioned,” she said, eventually. “And let down. But resigned.”
He hummed an acknowledgment, fighting the urge to touch her in some way, offer comfort that was long overdue.
“He told us he was moving out the same day I got your first text from college. It was one of the reasons I didn’t answer.
” Avery’s fingers twisted the charm on her necklace and Tanner winced at the timing.
“He came home with takeout and we all had a lovely, relaxed meal together before he said that he’d fallen in love with Ottoline. ”
For a while, he thought Avery might leave it at that and the silence drew out between them. But finally, she found more words and they spilled from her like too much wine poured into a glass.
“My father always played fast and loose with the truth. He’d say things with such style and conviction, it felt rude not to believe him.
He wasn’t cruel or unkind. Just a master of subterfuge and self-interest. And I remember thinking, when he finally said he was leaving, how strange it was to actually believe the words that were coming from his mouth.
” She huffed out a sound of empty amusement.
“Mainly because his suitcase was by the door and it was already packed.”
“And your mom didn’t see it coming?”
“She’d known for years that he had other women.
We both did.” Avery rubbed at a non-existent mark on her skirt.
“But she had status and security, a beautiful house, a nice car—all the trappings. Plus a job she enjoyed in human resources. And they worked together, carpooled sometimes. You probably didn’t know, but alongside being mayor, he was a part-time consultant at the same company she worked for.
They were so intertwined she didn’t know where he stopped and she started. And she loved him.”
“Fuck.”
No wonder Avery was so against relationships, so slow to trust; the fallout from her parents’ split must have been seismic. The icy realization dawned on Tanner that telling her about the whole Bethany Jenner shitshow would be unwise in the extreme unless he wanted her to run for the hills.
“When he finished his goodbye speech, he opened the floor up for questions,” Avery continued, injecting some humor into the memory.
“I had so many I didn’t know what to ask first, so I said nothing.
My mother wouldn’t even look at him. And when he left, he told me to remember he was only ever a phone call away if I needed him.
But that was crap.” Her voice lowered and Tanner had to strain to hear the last part.
“I needed him plenty but he was never there.”
“I’m sorry, Stretch.” Not for the first time, he wished he was better with words. She deserved so much more than the bare minimum. “I can’t even imagine how tough that must have been.”
“It was.” Avery looked out of the window again. “And now we’re best if we keep things light. I don’t rely on him. He doesn’t expect much from me. We have dinner every couple months and it suits us both.”
“You don’t seem to argue.”
“You have to care to argue. And neither of us really care. He’s always been caught up in his own world and his own plans. He’s not that interested in mine.”
Tanner found it hard to relate. Even when he’d lived hours away, he’d called his mom twice a week and her support had always been invaluable. He was holding back about his shoulder only to save her from worrying, not because she wouldn’t listen if he needed her to.
“I love him but I don’t respect him. He loves me but he loves himself more.” There was zero self-pity in Avery’s voice, just a weary acceptance.
His admiration for her resilience swelling like a rolling wave, Tanner was hit by a dogged urge to do something nice for her that wouldn’t encroach on her boundaries. Give her a reason to smile.
“You know what we should do?” A spontaneous thought burst into his head before he had time to consider its value.
“What’s that?”
“We should throw me a housewarming party. Tomorrow.”
“You’re kidding, right?” Avery blinked. “Why tomorrow?”
Genius idea, Stone. Pull out a fucking Band-Aid to cover a decade of emotional trauma and have yourself a get-together. Tanner gave an internal cringe but pushed onward.
“Why not? The first load of my stuff arrives in the morning. I can pick up some food and drink, ask some people over, and we’ll make the rest up as we go.”
Avery’s face lost some of its tension. “You make it sound so simple.”
“It is simple, Stretch.”
“You’ve barely moved in. You’re not even settled.”
He shrugged. “No one will care.”
“Who would you ask?” Avery studied him with interest, as if he was suggesting something so extraordinary it fascinated her.
“No idea.” Tanner tapped an idle tattoo on the wheel. “We could start with your crowd. Get Sam and Kash over, plus anyone they want to ask—they know a ton of people. Savannah and Griff would probably come, too. I’ll message the guys on my new team. It’ll be a good way to get to know them better.”
“There’s not much time to sort it out.” Avery straightened the shoulder strap of her dress, a smile spreading over her lips. With effervescent bubbles fizzing in his chest, Tanner had to struggle to keep his focus.
“All we need is food, drink, and pool floats. How hard can it be?”
It turned out it wasn’t that hard at all.
Sam embraced Tanner’s request for guests with enthusiasm, and the kitchen and yard were filled with people, only some of whom he recognized.
Everyone brought food with them, and most brought alcohol too—especially his new teammates.
Bowls, bottles, cans, and dishes covered the surfaces in the kitchen, and no one raised an eyebrow at the unpacked boxes piled high in the foyer.
Bel and Drew concocted a wicked punch recipe, adorned with chunks of floating pineapple and liberally laced with gin. With every new batch they made, the alcohol content went up.
Patting himself on the back for his impulsive stroke of genius, Tanner left some of the Rapids guys to a heated discussion on skiing versus snowboarding and meandered from the kitchen out into the sunshine.
“Tan, my man!” It was hard to tell if Sam was quite literally punch-drunk or just high on life as he waved Tanner over to a small, disparate group on the pool deck. “Come meet some more people.”
Spotting Avery’s red hair among them, Tanner slid willingly into a gap beside her and, when his fingers accidentally brushed the band of warm, bare skin just above the waistband of her denim shorts, he felt the jolt in his groin.
“You know Jackson, but this is his far better half, Leah.” Sam draped his arm across the shoulders of a diminutive pixie with clouds of dark hair.
When Jackson growled and pulled her away, Leah just laughed, raising a hand in greeting.
“And then we have Florence and Liam, Luke and Thea, Dougie and Summer and, finally, Hazel and Otto.”
“It was Luke who came round to prop up my workshop,” Avery told Tanner.
“We’ve already met.” Tanner nodded at the tall blond guy whose joinery outfit had been finishing off Sam’s snagging list in the house over the past week.
“My brother’s on duty, else he and Elenie would have joined us,” Thea said.
“Your brother?” Tanner squinted against the brilliant blue of the summer sky.
“Roman Martinez—Pine Springs’ chief of police. We’re twins,” Thea explained with a smile. “Florence is the baby of the family.”
“Ah, I see. I’ve heard a lot about him already. It’s a shame he couldn’t make it.” Reminded of their conversation in the diner, Tanner snaked a glance at Avery, who fluttered innocent eyelashes, making his lips twitch.
“I know all these guys already from the Rusty Barrel,” she said. “Apart from Hazel and Otto who are diner regulars. You won’t remember because you had your back to them, but they were sitting behind us when we were there last week.” Her gesture took in the elderly couple.
“Gotta love small-town living.” Tanner grinned, shaking hands with Otto.
“Gorgeous house you’ve got here.” Hazel swirled the ice in her punch.
“The boys have done you well, haven’t they?
Clever lads.” She twinkled at Sam, Kash, and Jackson, her British accent instantly charming.
“I’ve had a few tours during the renovation and I call dibs on the guest bedroom with the cast-iron fireplace. ”
“You’ll have to get in line with the other jersey chasers, my love.” Otto raised a calm eyebrow. “If I’m using the correct terminology?”
Sam and Jackson both coughed into their drinks.
Taking the old lady’s hand, Tanner gave it a gentle squeeze. “Consider it yours. I like a woman who knows what she wants.”
“Don’t encourage her,” Leah warned. “She has no concept of boundaries as it is.”
Hazel didn’t even try to look affronted. “Not true at all,” she said candidly. “I merely find them inconvenient and unnecessary. If you let them, boundaries get in the way of all the things that are most interesting to find out.”
“That’s a fair point,” Sam agreed.
“You’re welcome any time you like.” Tanner tipped his head toward Avery. “The only jersey chaser you’ll have to contend with is this one. She’ll be using my outbuilding for a workshop.”
Avery jabbed him in the side but her scowl was soft. Her hair smelled of something sharp and fresh—maybe lemon, maybe mint. He had not the first fucking clue, but it was delicious. “It bothers him that there’s not more chasing on my part,” she said drily.
She wasn’t wrong.
He would kill for a little more chasing.
A trickle of sweat ran the length of Tanner’s spine as the sun sent shards of light reflecting off the surface of the pool. His t-shirt was sticky against his shoulders.
“I’ll give you a call about the rebuild as soon as I get the insurance sorted,” Avery told Luke.
“Whenever you’re ready.” Luke’s shoulder hitched by an infinitesimal degree. Tanner had already discovered that he was so laidback he bordered on horizontal. “I don’t need the full payment upfront anyway. And I can fit you in from the middle of next month.”
“What do you do?” Leah asked Avery, her eyes alive with interest.
“I’m an upholsterer and I usually work from home.” Avery pushed a few stray strands of hair out of her face.
“She had some damage to her workshop,” Tanner volunteered.
Leah and Hazel exchanged a glance.
“Been there, done that. Showed the arsonists who’s boss.” Leah spun a hammered silver ring on her thumb.
With an unamused glower, Jackson grunted, “Too soon, Raven. Way too soon for jokes.”
Tanner took a swig of his beer. That sounded like a story he’d have to extract from Sam later.
“It was just a tree branch through the roof. Nothing as serious as arson.” Avery brushed it off.
“Any chance you restore vintage or antique furniture?” Jackson asked.
“I do—and I can source it, too. A lot of the pieces I repair are thrifted or from house clearances.”
Sam and Kash exchanged a glance. “Why didn’t we think of this already?” Kash said.
“Think of what?” Avery looked between them.
“We need old furniture for staging our renovations. It’d be good to have some pieces to move between houses for photographs,” Jackson explained, his eyes keen.
“Sometimes people ask for them to be included in the sale, too. Can’t promise it’ll be much but I’ve got a list of things I could use straight off, if you’d be up for it. ”
It was the most Tanner had heard Jackson say in one go, and Avery’s face lit up. She looked radiant, excited. So beautiful it made his heart hurt. He wanted to squeeze her hand but didn’t. And it suddenly felt even warmer out here in the sun.
“Absolutely,” she said earnestly. “I’ll give you my details and we can work something out.”
“Think you’ll buy this place?” Thea’s question drew Tanner’s attention back to the group.
“Not sure at the moment but I’m considering it. I’m not in a hurry to decide.”
“You could even see what we take on next and then choose between the two,” Sam suggested. “We might—”
A chorus of yells interrupted him, followed almost immediately by a huge splash, as half of Tanner’s team took flying leaps into the pool.
“There goes my plan for a peaceful float in the sun,” sighed Florence.
Dougie, Liam, and Sam were already tugging off their shirts. Kash dragged Jackson with him in pursuit.
“Give us ten minutes to noodle-joust and I’ll make sure the pool is all yours.” Throwing the promise over his shoulder as he backed away, Tanner followed the others, the lure of the water too great to resist with the dial on his internal temperature set so high by Avery’s proximity.
“Boys,” he heard Hazel murmur behind him. “Less drama than girls but so much harder to keep alive.”