Chapter 35 Avery
Avery
In the end, they settled on kickball, roped in some nearby teenagers who were happy to lend their soccer ball, divided up the teams, and the match got started.
Tanner, on the opposing team and fielding way out by the fence, seemed to have recovered his equilibrium.
He’d been thrown off his stride earlier and, although Avery was still brooding, the ruffled self-doubt in his eyes had disturbed her.
He was usually better at hiding his insecurities; it was an uncomfortable reminder that he still had them.
Although he’d swiftly buried them again.
Bouncing on his toes with a grin, he caught Avery’s gaze, pointing at her with double index fingers and executing a pantomime slash across his own throat as Kash stepped up to the plate.
“Charming,” said Bel next to her, and mimed stabbing Tanner in the heart, making him throw back his head and laugh.
Leo appeared on Avery’s other side. “How’re things?” he asked.
“Well, I was doing alright until some stupid kids egged my car last night,” Avery grumbled, sliding her arm around his waist and resting her head on his shoulder.
“Tell him about the texts,” Bel prompted, keeping her eyes focused on Kash with steely concentration.
Intercepting the mournful look Gemma sent them from center field, Avery stepped away from Leo with a sigh and unlocked her phone. “Yeah, it’s been a great week in general. I’ve had some more shitty messages.” She showed Leo her screen, pulling up the last text she’d received.
Unknown:
If people saw you how I see you, they’d run a mile.
Bel’s mouth set in a hard line. “Gutless asswipe.”
“That’s fucked up.” Leo’s eyes went to Tanner. “Have you shown him yet?”
Avery shrugged, keeping her voice low. “Haven’t really had the chance.”
“You should—he’d want to know. And maybe talk to Chief Martinez,” Leo suggested with a jerk of his head toward the rangy form of the police chief.
“I think that’s overkill at the moment,” she said, trying to downplay how much it was bothering her. She’d grown to loathe the sound of her notifications, would have left her phone in a drawer if it weren’t for her mom.
Bel scowled. “I don’t. I’ve told you to take screenshots and block the number. But any more messages and I agree with Leo.”
“In other news, Tanner bought me a Jeep.” Avery attempted to change the subject. “It turned up at his house yesterday and he just handed me the keys.” The car was still parked on his drive at the moment because she couldn’t bring herself to take ownership of it.
Bel’s attention flicked back to the game. “What a jerk.”
Avery nearly agreed, until she noticed Bel was laughing.
Leo sniggered. “I guess when you’re paid as much as he is, a car is small change. It’s not the huge gesture it would be to someone else. Money and fame can switch people up, Ave.”
“I mean, yes, I get that. And Tanner deserves his success. In some ways, it’s changed him for the better.
Being able to provide for his mom was huge for him.
And he seems solid, despite the celebrity lifestyle.
Reliable, even. Maybe . . .” Her voice trailed away.
She wasn’t sure she could describe how Tanner made her feel.
And she definitely wasn’t sure she could trust it.
“He might be solid, but he never looks that steady,” Leo huffed. “His fidgeting drives me nuts.”
Bel’s gaze was penetrating. “I think the steadiness is there when you know where to look for it. Not everyone in the public eye behaves like a jerk, Ave. I get the impression he’d be there for you if you needed it.”
The thought sparked a resistant protest in the back of Avery’s mind. “Maybe,” she said again, the word weighted with doubt.
Poised on the edge of raw vulnerability, she wanted so badly to trust Tanner, liked him way too much to fall out with him.
But the car was ridiculous. He had to see that!
She wasn’t some hanger-on who would settle for crumbs in a relationship as long as she was given a credit card to max out and a pat on the head.
Avery told herself it didn’t matter anyway.
He wasn’t offering her what she needed and she’d left the car keys on the table in his foyer, so that was that.
A trickle of sweat ran down her chest. Like most of the girls, Avery had chosen to play in her shorts and a bikini top.
Half of the field lay in shade, the other half baked in the sun.
Every now and then, the lightest thread of a breeze tugged on the highest branches of the trees, but closer to the ground it was still and heavy.
The muggy air felt oppressive and a band of dark cloud was gathering in the distance.
Shit. She’d forgotten to check the weather. Avery hoped any summer storm would hold off until after she’d gotten to her mom’s house. She hadn’t had time to deal with the gutters yet.
Across the field, Tanner stripped off his damp tee and tucked it into the waistband of his shorts.
His tattoos were a blend of ink at this distance, his muscles a single, undefined slab.
He’d pulled on a baseball cap to shield his eyes.
She imagined the ends of his hair were stuck in a sweaty mess against the pillar of his neck, and her stomach swooped.
It was frustrating that she couldn’t see for sure.
Thea Martinez, also on the fielding team, caught her watching him. She followed Avery’s gaze, then swung back to her with a grin and made a big show of wiping her brow. Leah intercepted the action and giggled. Flushing, Avery turned to watch Sam take his kick and then it was her turn.
“Hold up, Boo,” yelled Arlo from second base. “I’m just gonna switch with One-Armed Waldo to give him a break. We need to look after our weakest links.”
“I could out-throw you if I still had the sling.” Tanner flipped him off. “Stay where you are and take notes, asshole.”
It was satisfying when she got her foot behind a poor delivery from Drew and managed to boot the ball into left field.
Scudding once over the crispy grass, it was scooped up in the outfield by Tanner as Avery rounded first base and took a chance on second with Arlo tracking her moves.
Sam, on third, headed for home just as Tanner released the ball like a rocket with his left hand.
It hit Arlo so hard between the shoulder blades that he pitched forward, face first, into the dirt.
“Damn, maybe you were right—I was aiming for Sam!” Tanner shouted from the outfield. “I’ll do better next time.”
Arlo clambered to his hands and knees as he fought to get his breath back. A smear of dirt spread across his chin; his shirt was filthy. Kash jogged over to check he was OK.
When Sam dropped down to retie his laces, Avery could see his shoulders shaking. Tanner took off his cap to ruffle his hair and replaced it, facing backward. He was whistling as he sauntered back out toward the fence.
The game halted until Arlo was upright again.
He held up his hand when he was ready to play on and one of the teenagers stepped up to the plate.
His kick flew straight at Drew, who snatched it easily out of the air, leaving Avery only able to jog to third.
It was the closest she’d been to Tanner since the game started.
When their eyes met, a sinful smile spread over his lips.
“Serves him right for talking so much shit,” he said, giving her a slow wink that she felt in her midriff.
And Avery couldn’t stop the laugh that bubbled in her throat.
They were finishing up when the first drops of rain fell. Avery gave another quick glance up at the sky.
“I’m gonna cut and run, guys,” she said to no one in particular, since Bel had already told her she was going home with Drew. “I need to get going.”
Tanner threw his car keys at Mats. “I’ll come help, Stretch.”
That stopped her in her tracks. “You’ll what?” Avery blinked at him.
“You’re going to your mom’s house to sort out her gutters, right?” Tanner said, dragging his t-shirt on over his head. “I’ll give you a hand.”
“With the gutters?”
“If that’s what you need.” He smiled softly and fell into place by her side.
“Because you know all about the issues with mulch.” She was struggling even more to deconstruct this offer than his purchase of the damn Jeep.
“No, Stretch.” And the patience in Tanner’s voice took a grip on her throat. “Because you might want another pair of hands and I’d like to provide them.”
The rain was coming harder already and Bel gave her a shove. “Take the help, Avery. You don’t have to do everything on your own.”
Tanner jerked his chin. “What she said.”
So, with a last searching look to check he wasn’t going to change his mind, Avery nodded. “OK. Let’s go.”
And the heavens opened as they jogged to her car.
Her mom rang Avery’s cellphone twice on their drive to her house. The first time, Avery let it go to voicemail, but when it rang again, Tanner plucked her phone from the center console.
“May I?” he asked.
“Sure.”
“Mrs. Delgado?” His voice was reassuringly steady as the rain battered against the windshield.
“I’m Tanner and I’m answering Avery’s phone for her because she’s driving.
We’re on our way over to you right now.” He paused to listen to her mom’s reply.
“We’ll check it out as soon as we get there.
I’m sure it’ll be an easy fix, so don’t worry.
And a bit of rain will be good for your yard—we haven’t had much recently, have we? ”
He chatted freely with her for the next five minutes, telling her about their game in the park and somehow managing to avoid any of the pitfalls that usually triggered her mom into a full-on meltdown—mentions of the past, non-existent friends, or plans for going out anywhere.
“Thank you,” Avery said when he eventually hung up.
Tanner just shrugged. “It was a phone call, Stretch. I’ve done more impressive things.”