Текст книги "Love Surfaced"

Автор книги: Michelle Lynn

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Текущая страница: 8 (всего у книги 17 страниц)

eleven

“TANNER,” I MANAGE TO SQUEEZE out in a normal tone.

He doesn’t ask permission, doesn’t wait a minute before breaking the space between us, his arms wrap tight around me. I nuzzle my head into his chest, my own arms disobeying me, gripping him tight. I inhale the scent of his light-citrus scent cologne. It’s not what I’m used to, which disappoints me. Has he changed. Then, I mentally chastise myself for thinking he’d be the same guy from two years ago.

When I take a step back, his lips turn down before his eyes move up and down my body in a painfully slow pace. Even though I shouldn’t, I welcome the attention. They always had a way of making me feel sexy, like I was a piece of candy just out of reach from his grasp. Just like that, I’m back to two years ago when our chemistry reached the highest level that neither of us could deny.

“You look good.”

He smiles, and I bite my lip.

“Strike that. You look amazing.”

My teeth nail down my lip a little harder, and I fear blood will soon ooze out.

He chuckles. “Glad I can still make you nervous.”

His amusement is a double-edged sword. I want to join in because he knows so much about me, but then again, I want to slap him for making my willpower weak from him just being him.

“Congratulations.” I ignore his compliment, wanting this conversation to veer away from looks and feelings. Pleasantries will sure keep my heart in check.

“I haven’t made the team yet.” He shoves off my comment.

“Your dad says you’re pretty much a shoo-in.”

“Well, things can change in a tenth of a second.” He raises his eyebrows.

I know he’s talking about us, not swimming.

“You’ll make it.”

“The last thing I want to talk about is swimming, Piper—unless we are actually in the water, playing a game of Truth or Dare.”

He winks, and I can barely contain my body’s desire to melt into a puddle. With the mere mention of Truth or Dare brings memories of his hands on me.

“Um . . .” Mute-stricken, I stand in the one spot, smoothing my dress down, fidgeting with anything that allows my vision to veer away.

“I’m not going to stand here and pretend that—” He stops.

I look up when Curtis comes along side of me. I watch Tanner’s expression change from happy and carefree to sad and tense as he notices Curtis’s arm gliding behind my back. He authoritatively grabs my waist, pulling me toward him. Tanner fixates on Curtis’s hand on my hip and then moves up to meet my eyes. This unfaithful feeling comes over me, as though, I’ve somehow cheated on one of them.

“Hey. Tanner McCain, right?” Curtis releases his grip on me for a second to hold his hand out for Tanner.

Tanner shakes it and then watches the hand return to rest on my body. “Yeah,” he mindlessly says. Then, he stands a little straighter. “You Piper’s guy?” He nods his head in my direction.

“Curtis. Curtis Zeker,” he introduces himself.

“Zeker and Son?” Tanner questions.

My head flies up with his mention. Why is he familiar with Curtis’s family’s firm?

“Soon-to-be Zeker and Sons,” Curtis says proudly, emphasizing the S.

“Oh, congratulations.” Tanner appears unimpressed, nodding his head a few times.

“I’ll be graduating—”

“That’s great, man. Sorry, but I gotta catch up with my friends,” he interrupts Curtis’s well-rehearsed spiel. Tanner focuses on me, disregarding Curtis completely. “You’ve gotta great girl here. Don’t blow it. I’ve seen it happen before, and man, does the bastard regret it afterward.”

Without even a goodbye, he turns around and takes a seat at the table with his friends. He immediately grabs a beer from the bucket in the middle of the table before twisting the cap off with his T-shirt and flicking it into the nearby garbage can. He clicks bottles with his friends, and they all congratulate Brad on his upcoming wedding. Watching Tanner portray an act of indifference brings tightness in my chest from guilt.

Then, the guilt transforms to anger.

Why should I feel guilty for dating someone else? He’s the one who destroyed what we built.

If only my heart would sync with the rationalization in my brain right now . . .

“So, that’s the infamous Tanner McCain, huh?” Curtis says next to me.

Unable to tear my focus away from Tanner, I answer, “Yeah.”

“I’m not impressed,” he sneers.

My head flies up, ready to defend Tanner, but I stop myself from coming to his defense and ignore Curtis’s comment instead.

“I’m going to go help my mom.” I step away from him.

“Are you okay?” He grips my wrist, and the force alarms me.

Tearing out of his grasp, I cock my head. “I’m fine. Just want to make sure she doesn’t need me.”

We silently question each other. He appears to be working through a tough math problem, and mine are interrogating what caused him to become angry.

“Okay.” He cocks his jaw out, not believing a word from my mouth.

Truth be told, he shouldn’t.

Evading into the safety of my house, I give a quick wave to Lana and my mom at the counter, getting the buffet ready.

“Piper, are you okay?” my mom calls out.

“Yep.” I jog up the stairs to my bedroom, lock my door behind me, and collapse on the bed.

I fight the tears threatening to break through my cement wall barrier I built after Tanner left. I push back all the emotions wrestling inside of me after seeing Tanner. I need to come to grips with this and find some sort of balance for the next few days. After crawling along the bed, I crouch on the ground by my window and peek out to all the people below me.

Opening the window a crack, I feel like I’m in high school again when I would spy on Brad and Tanner in the pool. Tanner’s laugher floats up through my open window, and my heart skips a beat. I watch his casual manner of tossing compliments off his shoulders and throwing them back to his friends. The way he handles himself is nothing short of amazing. It’s too bad that there’s a crap load of falsehood behind it. If I didn’t know the true Tanner, I’d assume he was the perfect male like everyone else does. But my heart doesn’t recognize those flaws—or dishonesty is a better way of putting it.

I lean against my wall, bringing my knees up to my chest, fighting with myself to gain some sort of composure. I got this. Standing up to my feet, I tell myself that I’ll see this through.

Throw yourself into Curtis, and Tanner will stay away.

The more he keeps his distance, the easier these days will be.

With my hand on the doorknob, I inhale a big deep breath right as a hard knock surprises me. In less than one second, my confidence vanishes.

“Who is it?” I say, my voice shaking.

“Bea! Open the fucking door.”

I twist the brass knob, and she strolls in, shaking her head at me.

“What the hell is going on?”

“Nothing,” I lie.

“Bullshit. Why are you hiding up here?” She plops on my bed until she notices that my window is cracked open.

I swear under my breath because I forgot to shut it. “I’m not. I needed to put on some lipstick.”

“Stop lying. Tanner shows up, and you disappear. You’re talking to me,” she says way too loud for my preference.

I stomp over and shut the window. After it’s secure, I turn to her. “Will you keep your voice down?”

“What? Are you afraid that everyone will know you’re still pining away for Tanner? Hate to be the one to break it to you . . . everyone’s aware.” She pushes herself off the bed and walks to the window.

“Now, who’s sneaking a peek?” I cross my arms over my chest.

“Your tits are about to pop out. Seriously, since when do you dress so . . . revealing?”

My head tilts down, and I examine my dress. It’s cute—yellow, tight-fitting across the breasts, cinched at my waist, and then flares out until mid-thigh. Cocking my head, I can see what she’s talking about now. I’m usually a just-above-the-knee kind of girl. “I bought it yesterday. You don’t like it?” I ask defensively.

“I didn’t say I didn’t like it. It’s just more their style.”

Her head points to the outside, to Bayli and her friends.

“Don’t be upset. I get you want him to realize what he gave up, but I think you’re going about it wrong.”

“I did not get this dress for Tanner,” I say with false conviction.

Bea stands up and walks toward me. Taking my hands in hers, she fans them out to my sides. “You don’t need to look like a slut to grab his attention. I witnessed the whole sordid unfolding of the two of you out there. He only looked at your face until you backed away from an extremely loving hug, might I add. You should really be happy that Curtis wasn’t out there because everyone felt like they were intruding in your moment.”

“Bea?” I ask her to remain on task, which is impossible to accomplish sometimes.

“Yeah, right. So, Tanner likes this.” She drops my hands, and they flop to my sides. She shadows my body, which negates her point that Tanner only wants my mind. Seeing the confused expression splashed across my face, she laughs. “The whole you, Piper. He loves your sweet side, your smart side, your mad side—well, maybe not your angry side too much.” She shakes her head to focus. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m sure he loves the package you come in, but it’s not what sold him on you. So, take this ridiculous dress off, and be yourself. Once you’re comfortable, I pray it will help the tense atmosphere lingering overhead ever since Tanner walked through the door.” She giggles, going back toward the window. “And I’m mighty pissed I never met this Dylan previously.”

I laugh. “I knew you liked him.”

I point my finger at her, and she shakes her head before sneaking another peek.

“I lust him. Very different. Now, if I could just muster the confidence to say two words to him . . .”

Her honesty is refreshing, and I’m positive that I’m the only one who ever sees this caring side of her.

“He’s so sweet. Don’t let his bad-boy facade fool you. Under all those tattoos is a big heart.”

“Shit. Forget it then. I want the bad boy who is going to sneak me into the corner and finger me until I bite a chunk of flesh from his shoulder.”

“Bea!”

“I love getting a rise out of your innocent ways, but seriously, I’m not looking for some sappy clinger.” She sinks to the floor, propping up on her knees while staring outside.

“Number one, I’m not some innocent virgin coming back from confession. Number two, you need a little sap.”

I kneel down next to her by the window, and we look out like junior high girls spying on their crushes. I guess we aren’t too far from that analogy.

“I wish I had a picture to show you. Dylan has definitely changed over the past two years I’ve seen him.”

Bea’s interest is all on him in this moment. “Yeah, well, training for the Olympics has stepped Tanner up to a whole new level. I’m worried it’s gone to his head a smidge. Just do me a favor, Piper. Make him beg.”

She never turns her attention to me, and my shoulders slump from her assumption that I’ll forgive him.

“You don’t have to worry about me falling to my knees,” I say quietly.

Bea turns to me, taking my now melancholy self into account. “I wish I didn’t, but you can’t help it. If he comes after you, you’ll cave.” When I don’t respond, she places her hand on my shoulder. “I’m not saying it’s good or bad. It’s just the way it is. You love him, and if he loves you, you’ll need to forgive him.”

I don’t say anything. Instead, I stand up. “I should get back to Curtis.” I open my door to emerge out of the room.

“Piper,” she pleads.

But I double-time it down the stairs to get away. She’s right and we both know it.

But the question is, does Tanner know it?

By the time I walk through the door, Tanner’s already sitting down with Curtis, Dylan, and our dads. He’s leaned back into his patio chair with an ankle propped up on his knee, taking a long pull from his beer. I nibble on my cheek and walk over to the empty spot between the Tanner and Curtis. Since Dylan is on the other side of Curtis, I have no choice.

Turning my body, I cross my legs toward Curtis, ignoring my body’s reaction to Tanner’s gaze currently pinned on my back. I’m amazed that, after so many years, I can still sense them on me. The worst part is, I like it—strike that, I love it. I can’t help but enjoy the fact that Tanner is staring in my direction.

“So, Curtis,” Tanner begins.

My hands knot in my lap, worried what this conversation is going to bring.

“When do you take over your daddy’s company?” The disdain in his voice is easily heard.

Curtis offers his attention, grabbing my hand in the process. He leaves me with no choice but to swivel my chair to face Tanner. Tanner smiles before he notices Curtis’s hand entwined with mine. Raising his vision back to us, he cocks his jaw to the side and swipes his beer from the table.

“I will be joining him, not taking it over.”

Everyone quiets, and I concentrate on my leg bouncing up and down under the table.

Sitting up straighter, Tanner places his bottle down and rests his elbows on either side of his chair. “He doesn’t trust you with it?”

“Tan,” Dylan interrupts.

Tanner disregards him with a hand in the air.

“That’s not it. When my dad retires, it’s ours.” Curtis releases my hand and mimics Tanner’s poised position on the edge of his seat.

My leg bobs faster.

“Ours?” Tanner questions.

I unscrew the cap to my water, guzzling the coolness down my dry throat.

“My brother and me. We’ll be partners,” Curtis clarifies.

Tanner chuckles. “Oh, I thought you might be talking about you and Piper.”

I almost spit out the sip of water I was about to swallow.

“You okay there, Piper?” Tanner draws his attention back to me.

I nod, attempting to swallow the water before it lands on the table.

“How did you two meet anyway?”

“At a charity event.” Curtis straightens his back, proud of his family’s work with numerous charities.

“How generous. All dressed up in your tux, and I’m positive Piper was a knockout in some expensive gown.” Tanner’s eyes don’t waver from mine.

“Well, no. Piper was working the event. She was the coat-check girl.”

My eyelids fall, and my shoulders slump from his admission.

“Oh.” Tanner chuckles. “Coat-check girl?”

He looks at me, and I bite my lip, my nerves frazzled from the complete embarrassment.

Then, Tanner’s hand covers my knee under the table, stopping it from shaking up and down. With one squeeze of his hand, my knee halts bouncing. I should stop him. Curtis could notice, or worse, he could touch my leg at the same time. The feel of Tanner’s hand on my skin is more than I can bear, and damn, I wish he’d venture further up my leg.

“How cliché. Rich boy saves worker girl,” Tanner says.

As good as his hand felt a second ago, it’s like scolding hot water burning my skin.

“Screw you, Tanner,” I whisper.

“Damn, Tanner,” Dylan remarks, shaking his head.

Not wanting any of this drama, I stand up, Tanner’s hand falling off my thigh. Resorting to childish behavior, I disappear past the side of the house to come to grips with what he said.

Truth be told, I’ve always hated the way I met Curtis. When Curtis asked me for my number at the end of the night, I tried to push away the thought that he was slumming it. I mean, it’s not like I was dependent on the job to eat, but I never liked the savior mentality that came with the scenario. Then again, maybe it was Curtis driving it to seem that way. He’s constantly throwing his family’s money into everything we do. He’s treated me like a princess, but sometimes, I feel like he buys me elaborate gifts because he thinks he should, not because he wants to.

“Piper,” Curtis calls out to me.

I stop at the side of our garage. “Sorry,” I apologize for running away and deserting him.

“Hey.” He holds my hands in his. “You never have to apologize. I guess the magazines are wrong. Tanner McCain isn’t some grounded athlete. If you ask me, he’s an ass.”

I don’t miss the sincerity in his voice, but he hasn’t rebuked the stereotype Tanner classified me in.

“He’s acting like one, that’s for sure.”

The shock from Tanner’s words is still shaking me. It was not the Tanner I loved.

“I need to ask you something.”

Oh God, here it comes.

“Should I be worried?”

He’s so concentrated on me that I’m not sure I can lie. Maybe I should tell him the truth?

“Worried?” I act nonchalant and confused about his question.

“There seems to be something between the two of you. Did you guys used to date?”

Shit, he’s asking me point-blank.

Squeezing his hands, I’m not sure if I’m trying to reassure him or me. “No. He’s my brother’s best friend. He’s just being protective.” The lie slips too easily from my lips.

“Okay.” He believes me with no question. Without giving it a second thought, he changes the topic. “I’m sorry, but I have to go. My dad called, and he needs me to come in early tomorrow morning.”

I’m positive he wouldn’t have cared if I’d told him the truth.

He releases my hands and places his palms along my cheeks. Tipping his head down, he rests his forehead on mine. “Will you be okay though, if I leave?”

“Yeah.”

I’ll just stay locked in the room. Anxiety and panic rise in me because Curtis was supposed to be my shield from Tanner and it leaves me vulnerable. Of course, Curtis wasn’t much of a shield a minute ago.

His hands leave my face, and his lips press to my forehead. “I’ll call you tonight,” he says. Then, he digs in his pocket for his keys.

“I’ll tell my parents you said goodbye?”

“Please.” He steps into me, giving me a chaste kiss across my lips. “You’re the best. I promise to make it up to you.”

I kiss him again to induce some sort of arousal to bottle up while he’s gone, but he backs away. I can’t help but assume he isn’t too worried about Tanner.

“I saw you eyeing that Marc Jacobs purse the other day at the store.” His lips turn up into a cat-ate-the-canary look.

“Be careful going home.” I ignore his comment about the purse because I don’t want his forgive-me present.

He’s halfway down the driveway when I hear his Mercedes beep. Without a look back my way, he slides into his car and rolls down his window, waving to me. “See you later, beautiful,” he calls out. Then, he steadily drives down the street.

“Beautiful, huh?” Tanner’s deep voice mocks behind me. “Another cliché, huh?”

“Jealous, huh?” I sneer, never turning around before walking to the front of the house.

twelve

AFTER CURTIS LEAVES, I RELUCTANTLY VENTURE into the kitchen to help my mom and to keep the hell out of the backyard. If Tanner stays outside, I should make it through tonight unscathed.

As I mindlessly cut the rolls, his words from out by the garage bring butterflies to my stomach. I want him to be jealous. I want him to know what he ruined two years ago. Mostly, I want him to want me because I want him more than I should.

Then, I think about Bea and her words about forgiveness. How can I forgive him for almost ruining everything Brad strived for? Tanner’s lucky he didn’t ruin his own chances at the Olympics. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be sporting the cover of Swimming magazine.

At some point in my life, I guess I might not have to forgive him, but I do need to deal with him. If Brad can still be his best friend, I should really stop obsessing over his actions. I think it hurts that Tanner lied to me and so many others. The deceit is what makes me question him most.

“You’re thinking pretty hard over there.” Lana sits across the counter from me, sipping her chardonnay. “Want to talk about anything?”

Not with you.

“It’s nothing. Just the wedding,” I lie. Lately, I’ve been no better than Tanner on this front.

“Oh, don’t be upset. I’m positive your time is coming soon.” She refills her glass.

I’m guessing her elbow has been permanently bent that way for the last two hours. Lana tends to drink a little heavy at times, especially at parties.

“It’s not—”

“Can you imagine the ring you’ll get from Curtis Zeker? I bet it will come from a robin egg–colored box.” She winks as though it’s sly. “Probably a bigger ring than your mom’s and mine combined.”

She beams with more excitement than me in this moment. The last thing I want is for Curtis to propose. It’s only been two months.

“Believe me, Curtis knows how to buy happiness.” My voice is tainted with disdain.

Most girls would love a guy like Curtis doting over them. I’m confused why I don’t. I love the high-end things he buys me, but I desperately wish my heart would swell and fully open for him. But having experienced true love with Tanner, I doubt I’ll ever feel the same for Curtis. Would I be settling for second-best?

“I can imagine. Lucky girl.”

How can Lana be so oblivious to the fact I love her son?

Shrugging my shoulders, I walk over to the fridge to pull out the tomatoes, onions, and pickles to place them on a plate for the hungry masses outside.

“You’ve always been so low maintenance. I think a guy like Curtis might be a waste on you.” She downs another sip of wine, her cheeks already rosy.

The shock I feel from her words startles me, and the pickle jar slips from my grasp, shattering into a million pieces, only making Lana scream. That, in turn, brings all the boys barreling into the house.

“What happened?” My dad rushes over, bending over to pick up some of the pieces of broken glass.

“It slipped out of my hands,” I softly say to my dad.

He smiles. “Well, let’s clean it up.” He stands up and disappears down the hallway.

“I got it, Mr. Ashby.” Tanner squats down next to me, grabbing up the larger pieces.

I mop up the smaller pieces and the juice with paper towels.

“Don’t worry about it,” I whisper.

Tanner places his hand on mine, igniting a shiver to run up my arm.

“I’m sorry,” he says.

I hate that damn sweet voice. The sincerity practically brings me to tears. All of this overwhelms me. I should have refused to be a part of the wedding festivities, but I knew my mom needed help, and the last thing I wanted was for her to overdo it.

“Okay.” I brush off his apology because I don’t want a scene, and he doesn’t need to know how much I still ache for us.

My dad enters the kitchen and hands Tanner the broom to clean up the mess I made. . Everyone decides to go back outside leaving the two us alone in the kitchen. and the close proximity to him only unnerves me.

“I’m truly sorry, Piper. It just took me by surprise.” Oh, he’s apologizing for his smart-ass comment earlier, not ripping my heart out.

I hold the dustpan as he focuses on sweeping the glass into it. He never looks down to me, and I desperately wish he would.

“It’s just odd, seeing one another.” I offer him an out, giving him the benefit of the doubt.

He glances behind us, confirming we’re alone. “It’s more than that, Piper. If I’d known you were involved with someone—”

“Brad didn’t say anything?” I ask, constantly double checking others aren’t coming in.

“No, but I’m not surprised by it.”

I stand up and dispose of the glass in the trash bag. Then, I bend back down to finish. He sweeps the remaining particles into the dustpan, and I silently throw them away. When he walks back into the kitchen, I’m staring outside at all the carefree people enjoying their night. Only a few are observant ones that can tell the turmoil I’m in.

“You guys don’t talk about me much?” I ask, turning around.

“No. I stopped asking about you a while back.”

He adds no more, and I don’t push it further.

I wash my hands and dry them on a towel before facing him. He’s leaning against the counter, his hands gripping the edge, showing the small muscles in his forearms.

“How’s Colorado?” I make small talk.

“It’s all right. I train most of the time.”

I raise my eyebrows at his comment, and he shakes his head.

“Not letting it go yet, huh?” he asks.

“You cheated, Tanner,” I solemnly say.

He shakes his head. “So, that’s it? You’re never going to listen to my side of this?” He pushes off the counter, stalking toward me.

“I don’t need to. You told me all I needed to know that day in your bedroom.” I slide over to the left to dodge his advance.

He follows, his body inches from mine. “Damn it, Piper. Why are you so stubborn?” He places each of his hands on either side of my body.

I rear my head back at his angry voice. “You failed more than me that day, Tanner. You failed yourself, and your team. It was a conscious decision,” I argue.

He cocks his jaw in disbelief. “My back. I was out. Brad—”

“I don’t want to hear your lame excuses.” I throw my hand in between our two heated faces.

I duck under his arm, but he grips my wrist, whipping me around. My eyes pin his hand on my arm, and he releases his grip. The anger in me that never went away surfaces immediately.

“They aren’t excuses,” he says through clenched teeth.

“Listen”—I hold my hand up—“let’s just get through our time here together. I’m sure we can be cordial, and after the wedding, you can go back and deceive people into thinking how hard you train and how you’re an all-around great guy. I’ll stay here and teach at the community college, and then I’ll marry some ordinary, everyday guy and pop out some kids.” I might be acting a little dramatic.

He walks toward me again, faster than I can move to escape. Caging me against the fridge, his hands press above my head. “You’re telling me that it’s gone? My body doesn’t burst fireworks in your body anymore? Me pressed against you right here”—he pushes his body flush against mine—“doesn’t make your heart beat faster, your breathing stagger, from the mere memory of me being deep inside you? When you dipped into the pool outside, floods of recollection from our Truth and Dare games, like when my fingers snuck under your bathing suit, doesn’t come to mind?”

His mouth is inches from my lips, and I hold a deep breath. With my panties wet and my heart pounding in my chest, I attempt to gather a speck of control before I grab his hand and guide it to where I want it to go.

“No.” I shake my head, my teeth nibbling on the inside of my cheek.

“Hmm.” Two of his fingers move down my arm, and he takes my wrist, resting on my pulse. “You’re a liar.”

“Oh, I’m not the liar,” I contradict him.

He shakes his head. “Piper, damn it. Let me explain.”

My hands land on his chest, and I push him away. “You had your chance two years ago.”

Here we are, back again to this carousel ride, with each of us on opposite sides. We’ll never be on the same side of this issue.

He holds his hands up in the air. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. You ran. You stopped answering my calls.”

“What were you going to tell me? Sorry?” I roll my eyes and cock my head back and forth. “Sorry you got caught.”

“You know what? Screw it. I’m not even sure why I want you to know the truth.” He ventures out of the kitchen, out the back door, and away from me.

I suck a deep breath through my clenched teeth as my fingers ball and release at my sides. “Bastard,” I mumble to myself, walking over to the kitchen sink to peer out the window.

Tanner sits at the table with his friends again, and Bayli’s friends are already flocking like vultures. They have him surrounded, and I watch with distaste as his head pings from girl to girl as they drill him with questions. My palms tightly grip the counter.

“Piper?” My mom walks in from outside.

I quickly turn around, appearing innocent.

“Curtis leave already?” She opens the fridge, taking out her signature deviled eggs.

“Um . . .” I try to focus on what she just asked me. “Yeah. He says bye.”

I step away from the window and meet her halfway, but she continues moving back and forth from drawer to drawer.

“Mom.” I attempt to distract her, but she doesn’t turn around.

“Yeah, honey?” She busies herself with a few of the dishes in the sink.

“Do you need anything?” I rush over, placing my hands in the sink.

If she looks out the window, she’ll notice that I was staring at Tanner, and she’ll know her intuition about Tanner and me is right.

She grabs the dish in her hands. “No, silly. It’s five small plates.” She rinses the dish off and places it in the dishwasher.

Just when I think I’m in the clear, she grabs a dishtowel, staring out the window. She turns back to me and then out the window again. Her face falls. The corners of her mouth couldn’t look sadder.

“Piper,” she sighs. “Do you want to talk?”

“Not really. No.”

“You sure?” Her hip rests against the counter, and she places the dishtowel down.

“Yep.” I begin to step out of the kitchen. I’m praying someone will walk through the back door and interrupt us, ask for something I have to get them.

For heaven’s sake, where the hell is Bea? When I glance out the door, I see her laughing with Dylan. She’s practically in his lap.

“Piper?” Mom questions as though I’m sixteen and came in past curfew.

“Nope, Mom. I’m not talking about it.”

“Did he hurt you?” she cautiously asks the question.

I can imagine the nightmare running through her head.

“Who?” I play dumb to buy myself some time for someone to interrupt.

She cocks her head. “Tanner, sweetheart. Has he hurt you?” she repeats the question.

“No, Mom—not physically anyway.”

Her face blanks, and she walks over to me, cupping my cheeks with her hands. “Oh, honey. I knew something bad happened. You came home that weekend and stayed in your room almost the whole time. Then, Tanner never came home from Colorado. I hoped it was a fling, something short, that didn’t involve feelings.” She raises my head to examine my eyes. “That was naive of me. There’s always been something between you two.” Her hands move down to my shoulders, and she pulls me into a hug.

“It’s fine, Mom, really. Just because we didn’t work out . . .” I don’t finish the sentence. “I have Curtis.” I change my tone to be more upbeat.

My mom pulls back, holding my shoulders in her hands. Her face lights up at Curtis’s name. “That’s right, and he’s a great guy, Piper.”

“Yeah.” I refrain from adding in more. As much as I love my mom and trust her, I’m not about to cry on her shoulder about Tanner. Especially when he’s twenty feet away.

Luckily, Brad bursts through the door before stopping in his tracks. “What happened?” He slowly shuts the outside door and tentatively walks over to us. “Is Grandma okay?” he asks, leaning into us.

My mom and I laugh, crinkling our brows, breaking apart.

“Yeah, she’s fine, Brad,” Mom informs him, pretending to fix the tray. “Just a mother-daughter moment.” She looks at me from the corner of her eye with a devilish grin.