Tanner took a sip of his own beer, closing his eyes for a moment as the cool liquid coated his tongue. The Moonlight Bar was one of the few places in town Gray felt comfortable meeting up with his younger brothers. Sam kept a tight ship and threw out anybody who took photos or asked for autographs. Since he’d moved back to Hartson’s Creek and built a home with Maddie Clark, Gray might have had a lower profile than when he was filling stadiums around the world, but he was still famous. And that fame caused him problems almost wherever he went.
“I went running,” Tanner said, putting his beer on the counter. “And I saw her out running so we ran together. That’s it. You don’t have to buy yourself a suit for our wedding or start naming our babies.”
Gray laughed. “I’ll leave that for Becca. She already thinks you’re looking for a house to buy because of Van.” He looked at Tanner over the rim of his glass. “You probably want to talk to her at some point. She’s a meddler. You and I both know she’ll be talking to Van about you.”
Tanner shook his head. It made him feel uncomfortable, and yet somehow warm too. At least that meant Van would be thinking about him. “She knows that’s all ancient history. There’s nothing between Van Butler and me.”
“Which is weird,” Gray mused. “Because you two were inseparable for years. When was it you met? First day of Kindergarten?”
“Something like that.” Tanner sighed. “You want to play a game of pool?” he asked, hoping Gray would get the hint. He didn’t want to talk about Van, and he definitely didn’t want to spend his evening with his brother talking about all the mistakes he’d made in life. And he was almost certain that Becca would give him the third degree as soon as he let her pin him down.
“Sure.” Gray shrugged and the two of them walked across the room to the far side, where an old, battered pool table barely stood upright. He grabbed a cue and passed it to Tanner, then pulled another one from the rack for himself. “You rack them up, I’ll take first shot.”
“Best of three?”
“As long as I win.” Gray winked. “So how’s the house hunt going?”
“It’s not. There’s nothing suitable on the market.” Tanner loaded the balls into the triangle, then slid it across the baize.
“Damn. So what are you gonna do? Stay with Dad and Aunt Gina?”
“I might look at renting somewhere for a while.” Tanner lifted the triangle away, storing it beneath the table. “I guess I’ll go see Fairfax again.”
“Maybe you should build somewhere. It’s a hassle, but you’ll get exactly what you want.”
“Maybe,” Tanner echoed, taking a sip of his beer, his mind turning to the drive-in theater. The brochure had been sitting in his dresser drawer all week. The land was going for a song. Even if he didn’t build on it, it was an investment.
Who was he kidding? There was no way he was building on that place. It held too many memories. Of her, smiling at him as they watched yet another movie together. Quoting him all the words to Twilight just because she knew how much he hated those damn vampires. He could remember how excited she was to get a new release at the drive-in when most of their movies were at least a decade old.
God, he missed those days.
Ten years later, and he still thought of her every time he smelled sweet buttery popcorn. Or when a black and white movie came on the television, because they were always her favorites. She loved Cary Grant and Doris Day, laughed like crazy at Katharine Hepburn. Then there was the summer of Tom Cruise, when they’d shown his old, retro movies, and she’d fallen for Maverick in a big way.
He’d been fifteen when he first noticed how she was changing. It had been almost imperceptible at first. Things like her lips becoming fuller, her eyes looking wider. Then her body followed suit, blooming like a flower. She wasn’t Van, his best friend anymore. She’d become Savannah. The girl who drew guys’ stares. The one they whispered about in the locker room after practice.
It had just about killed him not to say anything to his teammates as they talked about her tits.
“You playing or what?” Gray asked.
Tanner looked up. “Huh?”
“I just missed the first ball. Man, you’re distracted. Come on, let’s get it over with so I can win.”
Tanner pushed the memories away. “Shut up. I beat your ass every time.”
Gray shook his head. “You realize we’d always let you win when you were a kid? We got so sick of hearing your bitching, we just let you think you were good.”
“Nice try.” Tanner potted a yellow stripe ball in the middle pocket. “But I always knew you cheated.” He lifted his cue up and surveyed the table. “I mean, you weren’t as bad as Cam, but who is. That guy’s a sore loser.”
“You see his final game last season?”
“Yep. I saw him try to start a fight with that lineman. He needs to control his temper.” Tanner softly kissed his cue against the white ball. “I swear it’s getting worse, on the field at least.”
“Cam was always uber competitive. You have to be to play football.” Gray shrugged.
“So how about you?” Tanner asked him. “How are you finding living back here after so long in L.A.? Is it driving you mad yet?”
The corner of Gray’s lips quirked up. “Yep, living in the house I’ve always dreamed of with the best girl in the world is a real bind. I’m longing for the days of misery on the West Coast.”
Tanner grinned as he sunk an orange striped ball smoothly into the middle pocket. “So when are you going to make it official?”
“With Maddie?”
“Yep.” The next shot was going to be tricky. All the striped balls left were pressed against the side or blocked by solids. He walked around the table, scanning it carefully.
“That’s between us.”
“But you’re gonna do it, right? I mean you’re not getting any younger. You don’t wanna be an old dad.”
Gray shook his head. “Have you been talking to Aunt Gina and Becca?”
“I might have overheard a few conversations.” Tanner gave him a wicked grin. “If I’m being honest, I might have encouraged it. I’ve always preferred the spotlight being on you.”
“Thanks, bro. And for the record, I’m only three years older than you.”
“Four.”
“Three right now,” Gray pointed out, his brow lifted.
“Ah yeah, but your birthday’s coming up and that’ll make it four.” There was a time when those years felt like a gulf. As the youngest brother, Tanner had longed to keep up with Gray, Cam, and Logan as they sat and plotted their next escapades. Maybe that’s why he’d been so drawn to Van on their first day at school. She was like the Hartson brothers on speed. The ultimate plotter of pranks.
“And not that it’s any of your business, but I’ll be asking Maddie to marry me in my own sweet time. Now are you gonna play that shot, or what? Watching you walk around the table is excrutiating.”
“Watch and weep, bro,” Tanner said, finally taking his shot. And when it careened off the cushion and potted Gray’s blue solid instead, he tried really hard to ignore his brother’s laughter.