“I think I just got one of those red-light tickets on the way home,” I said as I breezed into the kitchen. “And I think you should have to pay for it since—”
I froze. Levi was not alone.
A man sat across from him at the table.
Blinking a few times, I was sure my imagination had to be playing tricks on me. But unfortunately, the smiling face was very real.
The man stood. “There’s my girl.”
My heart jumped to my throat. “Tanner, what are you doing here?”
He flashed a crooked smile. “Surprise?”
I wiped my sweaty palms on my shorts. “Yeah. It most certainly is.”
My eyes shot over to Levi, who stayed seated with his arms crossed. He looked troubled, but sympathetic—as if he were silently telling me he was so freaking sorry right now.
I’m sorry, too.
This was not the way this morning was supposed to turn out.
“I thought it was time to come home,” Tanner finally said.
With a bitter tone, I asked, “Why now?”
He nodded. “Well, to be honest, it’s been a long time coming. From the moment I found out you and Alex were moving down here, I’ve felt like I was missing out. I decided some time ago that I was going to come join you. But I didn’t announce it because I didn’t trust myself to follow through. I’ve just fucked up so many damn times with my son, and didn’t want to make any promises I couldn’t keep.”
“I’m seriously confused, Tanner. You barely came to visit him when we were in New York.”
He took a few steps toward me. “I know. This is less about Beaufort and more about where I am in my life right now, Presley. You guys just happen to be here right now. But this would be happening if you were in New York, too. I just needed to get to this place in my life first.” He sighed. “Look, I know I have a lot of explaining to do, okay? To both you and Alex. I hope you give me a chance.”
My eyes once again met Levi’s. The happiness I’d seen in his face the past few days was totally gone. It had been drained, replaced by the same fear, anger, and confusion I felt right now.
I turned to Tanner. “Why didn’t you call to let me know you were coming?”
“Would it have mattered? I thought about it, but in the end, I thought it would be better if I surprised Alex.”
“Where do you plan on staying?” I asked.
He looked around. “Well, given that this place has several rooms, I was hoping you’d let me crash here.”
Levi’s chair skidded as he got up from his seat. He opened the fridge and popped open a root beer, angrily tossing the bottle cap aside. Tanner likely thought nothing of it, but I could see the steam coming out of Levi’s ears.
“How long do you plan to stay in Beaufort?” I asked.
“I honestly don’t know.”
“How can you not know?”
He laughed. “If I didn’t know better, I would think you’re not happy to see me, Presley. I can’t say I blame you, okay? But know that I didn’t come back here to cause any problems. I want to spend some time with my son.” He turned to Levi before looking back at me. “Big bro told me about all of the stuff you got going on here, all the wonderful plans you have for Gramps’s place. You know, when I found out he’d left half of The Palm Inn to Alex, I worried what that would mean. I thought you were crazy for not selling. But Levi told me how much progress you’ve made. Where there’s a will, there’s always a way, I guess. And I’m really proud of you.”
“Thanks,” I muttered, willing my stomach to stop churning.
“I can’t thank you enough for helping out,” he told Levi.
Levi nodded.
“That’s right,” I said. “None of this would have been possible without Levi’s help. He paid for an entirely new air conditioning system, among other things.”
Tanner tilted his head. “I thought you were pushing to sell. What changed, Levi?”
Levi’s eyes met mine. “I guess you could say Presley’s passion rubbed off on me.”
My cheeks felt hot as tension formed in the air.
“Well, it’s cool that you’re seeing eye to eye on things now. That would’ve been a problem.” He looked between us before his eyes landed on mine. “So…uh, you didn’t answer my question. Is it okay if I stay here?”
“You didn’t answer my question as to how long you’re staying,” I retorted.
“Well, you know I started that new junior sports agent position a few months ago. I can do that from anywhere. I only have to travel to meet new clients, so I do most of my work from home. I was hoping to at least spend the rest of the summer here. I know Levi’s heading back to Colorado in a few weeks. Figured I’d be able to fill the void around here once he’s gone.”
Levi slammed his bottle down on the table.
As much as I wanted to please Alex, who I knew would want his dad to stay with us, my gut told me I needed to stop Tanner in his tracks. “Okay, well, I don’t know if you staying here is such a good idea right now.”
Tanner looked down at his shoes. “You know what? I shouldn’t have thrown all of this on you at once. I’ll stay at my mother’s for now. If you change your mind, that’ll be great. But I understand that you need to get used to me being here first.”
Silence filled the air for several seconds before Tanner spoke again.
“Look…I know I’ve been a shitty father, a shitty brother, and a shitty ex.” He looked between us. “But you two are still the closest people to me on Earth, so I feel like I can be open with you right now, even if we aren’t on the best of terms.” He took a deep breath in. “It’s taken me a while to get to the place I am today. I haven’t told you just how much I’d been struggling.” He exhaled. “You know about my gambling addiction. Well, I finally started seeing a therapist, which is something I should’ve done a long time ago. He’s treating me for not only the gambling issue, but for the generally self-destructive behavior that’s gotten me to where I am today.”
Levi swallowed, seeming to soften a bit for the first time since I walked in. “I’m glad to hear you’re seeing someone.”
Tanner nodded. “I look at my life now, and I honestly can’t tell you how I got to this place. I’m not gonna stand here and use my injury as an excuse either. I’ve made that mistake for far too long. Sure, the injury started my downward spiral, but I have to take responsibility for my actions.” He turned to me. “Everything I’ve done has been a choice—from hurting you, Presley, to the gambling, to not being there for Alex. And I’m so damn sorry.”
I’d known Tanner long enough to know when he was lying and when he was being honest. I believed he was sincere right now, although I didn’t necessarily trust that this newfound conscientiousness would last forever.
Fern waltzed into the kitchen, interrupting our conversation.
Her eyes went wide. “Well, well, well, looks like a party of three in here.”
Tanner smiled. “Hey, Fern. Good to see you again. It’s been a long time.”
“Sure has. What brings you home, son?”