I shrug. “It’s fun.”
He walks over and grabs my wrist before I can pull out the serving spoons. “What’s fun is not unpacking this mess right here. Come on, let’s go out to the dock. We’re probably not going to have another seventy-degree day like this in a while, especially in February.”
I peer over at the sun shining through the window and give in. “Okay, let’s go.”
Tanner smiles triumphantly and nods toward the back door in the living room. “Go on out there and I’ll grab us some towels to sit on.”
I walk out the back door and slowly stroll through the backyard down to the dock. There are people out on their boats, enjoying the warm day. The water, however, has to be cold. I definitely don’t plan on finding out.
Tanner catches up to me and we walk the rest of the way to the dock together. I look up at him and it’s hard not to smile. He has such a fun, laid back presence about him. I feel comfortable around him. “Do you have to start work on Monday?” I ask.
He nods. “Yep. I already have projects I need to work on. Looking forward to it too. I have to drive out to Charlotte one day a month to meet with my boss, but other than that, I can work from home.”
We make it to the dock, and he lays our towels out. “Must be nice,” I say, sitting down on my towel. I stretch my legs out and tilt my face up to the sun. “I can’t complain. My office is closed on Fridays. A three-day weekend isn’t too bad.”
Tanner moves closer to me. “What do you usually do on your day off?” My answers seem boring compared to the life he lives. In a way, I’m too embarrassed to even mention it. Tanner bumps me with his leg. “Sophie? You okay?”
I bite my lip. “Yeah.”
His brows furrow. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know,” I say, shrugging. “Your life seems so exciting, and here I am, an old lady in a twenty-seven-year-old’s body.”
He bursts out laughing. “Let me guess, you sit at home and do nothing on your days off?”
I smack his arm. “No. I go to the grocery store and order things online. When I was with Warren, we’d go play golf and meet with friends.”
Grinning mischievously, Tanner pats my thigh. “Don’t worry, sunshine, I’ll help you find your wild streak again. From what I remember in high school, you were a firecracker.”
I groan. “That was so long ago.” But he’s right, I used to be fun. I let my relationship with Warren completely change me. My phone rings and I pull it out of my back pocket. I figured it’d be Ellie, but when I look at the screen, it’s definitely not. “Great,” I grumble.
Tanner’s gaze narrows. “Who is it?”
I show him my phone. “Warren. I have no clue what the hell he wants.”
Tanner holds out his hand. “Want me to answer it?”
A part of me wants him to, but I don’t want to be childish. “I don’t know,” I say.
His grin widens. “Come on, Soph. Firecracker, remember?”
Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath and hand him my phone. “Fine.”
Tanner chuckles once before putting on a serious face. “Hello,” he answers, his voice deep and sexy. He puts it on speakerphone so I can hear.
There’s silence on the other end, but then Warren clears his throat. “Uh … is Sophie around?”
Tanner waggles his brows. “Hold on, she’s in the shower.” He holds the phone away from him and calls out, “Babe, you almost done in there? You have a phone call.”
I try not to laugh. “Yeah, I’ll be out in a minute.”
Tanner brings the phone back to his ears. “She’ll be here in a sec.” He sets the phone down on the dock and puts it on mute. “Let’s leave him hanging for a while.”
We both laugh and I stare down at my phone. “Wonder what he wants.”
Tanner huffs. “You don’t think he wants you back, do you?”
I scoff. “Please. He can forget that shit. Him cheating on me was the best thing that could’ve happened.”
Tanner moves closer. “You sure? It seems like you two have a lot of history.”
I look right into his eyes. “I’m positive.”
His gaze drops to my lips. “Good. I’m starting to enjoy being around you.”
He moves closer, and I know I should stop him, but I can’t. His lips touch mine and I melt into him. He lays me back on the towel, his body covering mine. “Is it time to practice again?” I ask.
He kisses me again. “Yep. I’m thinking we should take it up a notch.” He glances around the backyard and I do the same. His neighbors aren’t close by which does give us a little privacy.
“Take it up a notch how?” I wonder.
He slides his hand over my stomach and down to my waist. “Just a little touching. We need to look comfortable together.”
I can’t argue with him there, and I sure as hell can’t tell him no. I want to feel him touch me in more ways than one. “What about Warren? He’s still on the phone.”
Warren is still waiting on the line, and I can hear him huff with impatience. Tanner chuckles and shrugs. “What about him? He can wait a little longer.”
I have a feeling he’s going to be waiting a long time.
6
Tanner
The lady behind the counter at the car rental agency stands taller and smiles brightly as soon as she hears the door chime announcing my presence. It’s almost as if she thinks I’m going to fall for her in the time it takes to complete the transaction on my rental and take her with me tonight. I suppose it’s not every day they see a man walk in dressed in a tux walking in to rent a car, yet here I am. The thought never occurred to me until I climbed into my Wrangler that while my car may be fun, some call it sexy, it is not a vehicle you take a woman to a gala in.
“How may I help you?” she tilts her head to the side.
“I need to rent a car for the night.”
“Just the night?” she pushes their laminated spec sheet toward me. They have everything from what I refer to as a human roller skate to the stranger danger van.
“Yes, I’ll return it tomorrow. Do you have any luxury vehicles?” I ask, pushing the placard back toward the desk agent.
“What are you interested in?” she starts typing rapidly as if she’s chatting on social media. There’s no way a six-letter word could take more than five seconds to type.
“Lambo,” I tell her.
Her eyes go wide and her fingers stop their aerobic routine. “Lamborghini?” As if saying the full word takes the sting out of the cost. Honestly, I don’t care what the price tag is, I want Sophie showing up in style, and hopefully right in front of her douche bag ex.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Okay, well we have two in stock. White or yellow?”
I think for a moment. White seems practical. Yellow sends a message. “Yellow.” I reach into my back pocket for my wallet and pull out my driver’s license and credit card. The clerk takes them from me and starts typing again, making me wonder if she ever gets tired of listening to her nails clack against the keys.