“Van?” The front door clicked open, and Van hurriedly replaced the lid on the box and pushed it back to its hiding place in the closet.
“In here, Mom.” She stood and brushed the dust from her jeans, walking over to her bedroom door. “Everything okay?”
“Not really.” Her mom sighed. “I’m heading to bed. Did you get paid?”
“Yep.” She pulled five bills from her pocket. “There you go.”
Her mom nodded, then leaned forward and ruffled Van’s hair. “You’re a good girl, you know that?”
Surprised by the uncharacteristic show of affection, Van blinked. For a moment she felt bad, thinking about her college money. She knew it would help, but she couldn’t bring herself to give it away. Not when she knew her mom would spend it on drink and good times.
“Thanks, Mom,” she said, pressing her lips together. “Good night.”
“Night, honey. Sleep tight.”
Van closed the door again, and slumped on her bed, grimacing at the way the mattress sunk down in the middle. Just a few more months and she could leave this place – and her mom – behind forever.
Strange how that made her feel more than a little nauseous right then.
Chapter Twenty-Four
“Hey, Tanner!” Johnny Fairfax called out as he hurried across the verdant town square. The flowers were blooming in their beds, a pool of color at the base of each oak tree. “Hold up a minute. I want to talk to you.”
Tanner glanced at his watch. He was due to meet Van at the drive-in. “Everything okay?” he asked.
“Everything’s great.” There were dark circles of sweat beneath Johnny’s armpits. “I drove past your site yesterday. It’s coming on. I heard on the grapevine you’ve set the opening date. July fifth, is that right?”
“Yeah.” Tanner nodded.
“When are you sending the invitations out?” Johnny asked, a hopeful smile on his face. “I know that Mrs. Fairfax is hoping one will land in our mailbox.”
“They should be going out this week. And you’ll be invited, of course. Everybody in town will.” Tanner gave him a short smile.
“And how’s young Savannah getting on? I have to say I was surprised when I heard you’d employed her to manage the place.” Johnny lowered his voice. “Her mom once stole a lot of money from me. I think it’s laudable that you’re trusting her with your business.”
“She’s working out great.” Tanner took a deep breath and checked his watch again, this time making a show of it. “I need to go. Have a good day.”
“Wait!” Johnny grabbed his arm and Tanner did his best not to shudder. “Just keep an eye on her. That’s all. Take it from me. There are certain families around here that would steal the coat off your back if you let them. I always check my staff’s work. Even Regan’s, and she’s so stupid she couldn’t steal money if she tried.”
God, he was odious. “I trust Van implicitly,” Tanner said, shrugging him off.
“Wait! Did you check out that house Regan emailed you? I’ve had a couple of other interested parties.”
“I’m thinking about it,” Tanner told him. Without saying goodbye, Tanner stalked across the pathway, past the bandstand and the benches, to where his car was parked on the far side of the square. Wrenching the door open, he sat down heavily in the driver’s seat and let out a sigh.
Is this what Van dealt with every day? Sneaky words and pointed judgement? People comparing her to her mom? No wonder she wanted to fly under the radar.
He hated that they didn’t see her the way he did.
Switching the ignition on, he pulled from the parking space onto the road, steering his car in the direction of the drive-in. And as the town disappeared behind him, he felt his muscles relax and a slow, steady breath escape from his lips.
Every roll of the wheels took him closer to her, and though it had only been a few hours since he escaped from her room, he couldn’t wait to see her again.
She was worth a hundred of all of them – the judgers and the haters.
She was everything.
And now that he had her, he wasn’t planning on letting her go.
“Hey,” a soft voice broke through her dream, making Van blink her eyes as she sat up in bed. “You fell asleep.”
Tanner was walking across her bedroom, her curtain still swaying from his climb through the window. She stretched her arms up and smiled at him. “What time is it?”
“Only eleven. Am I wearing you out already?” He pulled his shoes off, then his t-shirt, followed by his jeans. She lifted the bedcovers and he climbed in, wearing only his shorts.
“I was up early this morning,” she reminded him. “Thanks to your alarm.”
“Yeah, well Aunt Gina’s getting suspicious. And I can’t stand the way Becca smirks every time she looks at me. I need to get home before any of them are up.”
He pulled her against him, then rolled her over on the mattress, adopting their usual position with him spooning her. His arms were warm, his biceps hard against her sides. She tipped her head back and breathed him in.
“And it doesn’t look at all suspicious when you saunter in at six a.m.? I’m sure you’re fooling every single one of them.”
“You’re the one who insists I leave before the town wakes up,” he pointed out. She could feel him grin against her hair. “And anyway, we won’t have to do this for much longer. I’ve found a place to rent.”
“You have?” She tipped her head back to look at him.
“Yup.” He lifted an eyebrow. “No more sneaking out, no more banging my head every time I climb through your damn window.”
“You should have stopped growing at fourteen. You wouldn’t have that problem then.”
He chuckled. “I might make you climb through my window. Just for fun and giggles.”
“Who says I’m coming to your place?” she asked, biting down a grin. “Maybe I prefer staying here.”
“I say you are,” he told her, pressing his lips to her shoulder. “I can’t sleep without you.”
“Just what every girl dreams of hearing. That she puts the guy she likes to sleep.”
He kissed her neck. “I like the things we do when we’re awake, too.” Sliding his fingers beneath the hem of her tank, he feathered them up her side. He was hard against her, his desire a reflection of her own. He only had to touch her and she felt like she was on fire.
So far they’d done everything, with one exception. The big one. The one that set her heart racing and her mind reeling. At twenty-eight years old, it made her feel like a teenager afraid to take that final step. Teetering on the edge, then stepping back, so afraid that when she let go she’d tumble.
Until she met rocky ground.
“Where’d you go?” Tanner murmured, brushing her soft hair from her face. “I lost you for a minute.”
“I was thinking.”
“What about?”
“Sex.”
He coughed out a laugh, and she turned quickly, slapping her palm over his mouth. “Shh,” she reminded him. “Zoe’s across the hall.”