He loved her. And it was beautiful. But it was scary, too. Because he’d loved her once before and look how that turned out. Love was a fluffy cat with claws, it soothed and it cut in equal measure. She hoped to god the claws stayed hidden this time, because she had no idea what she’d do if they didn’t.
We’re not kids anymore. Damn, she hoped that was true. Because she’d been in love with Tanner Hartson her whole life.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
“Guys, I gotta head over to the drive-in and get everything ready for tonight,” Van called out, walking out of her bedroom into the hallway. When she reached the kitchen, she gazed out of the window, checking for the twentieth time that morning that the sun was still out. The clouds needed to stay away. There was no way she wanted the grand opening party to be a wash-out.
“Mom?” she called out. “You and Zoe need to get there by six, okay? I’ve reserved you a space at the front.” She grinned at Zoe who was sitting at the kitchen table, spooning Rice Krispies into her mouth. “And you get all the popcorn you can eat.”
Zoe grinned back. “I can eat a lot.”
“I know.” Van winked at her. “Mom?” she called out again. “Where are you?”
“She’s in the bedroom.” Zoe inclined her head toward the hallway. “She came out about ten minutes ago to pick up the mail, then disappeared again.”
Van walked back into the hallway and knocked at her mom’s bedroom door. “Mom, I gotta go. Did you hear what I said?”
No answer. Van sighed. Don’t let her be like this. Not today of all days. She needed everything to go perfectly. It wasn’t too much to ask, was it?
“Mom?” she said again, trying to keep the impatience from her voice.
“Come in.” Her mom’s voice was thick. Croaky.
Van pushed the door open, and tried not to wince at all the clothes strewn over the floor. “I was just saying I gotta go.” She looked over to the bed. Her mom was curled up, facing the wall, papers in her hands. “Are you okay?” Van said softly.
Her mom rolled over. Her eyes were red, her hair a mess. She held out the papers to Van. “He’s divorcing me,” she whispered. “I just got this.”
Van took the papers from her mom’s outstretched hands and scanned through them. “It’s a letter from his lawyer. He wants to discuss separation terms, not a divorce,” she said, looking up. “It’s not that bad.”
Her mom’s lips trembled. “It’s the first step. A separation agreement and then a divorce after a year. He really isn’t coming back.”
“But it’s a good thing, right?” Van said, forcing a smile onto her face. “It says here he’s going to pay you enough money to cover the rent. And he doesn’t want any of the furniture.” She turned over the page. “Look! He wants to see Zoe every other weekend. She’ll be happy about that.”
“I’m not letting my girl go and stay with him and that bitch,” Kim hissed. “They don’t get to play happy family with my kid.” She shook her head. “Zoe isn’t even his.”
Van’s phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out to see Tanner’s name on the screen. “Can we talk about this later?” she asked. “After the gala? I have a thousand things to do at the drive-in. And you don’t have to do anything about it right away.”
Her mom said nothing, just took the papers from Van and turned back on her side again.
“You need to be there at six,” Van said. “I’ve saved you a spot. Just give your name at the booth and they’ll direct you. Everybody else arrives at seven, so don’t be late.”
“Okay,” her mom whispered.
Van leaned forward to rub her back. “It’s going to be okay. Nothing’s changed. We’re all still good, right?”
Her mom sniffed.
Van’s phone rang again. This time she answered the call. “I’m on my way,” she said.
“Good. Because I miss you already.” Tanner’s voice was warm. The tension immediately seeped out of her. They’d get through tonight, then tomorrow everything would be easier. Her mom, her relationship, all of them could be dealt with.
But now she had a party for five hundred people to finalize. Everything else would have to wait.
“Is this okay?” Van asked, walking into the office later that day. She’d spent most of the morning and afternoon running around getting everything ready, before heading to the salon to get her hair done and pick up her dress.
Tanner leaned back in the chair, taking in the sexy red gown that clung to her every curve. Her hair was down, freshly waved to make her look like some kind of old-style movie actress, and her full lips were slicked with a scarlett gloss. Tanner pushed the chair back and walked over to her, his mouth dry as he looked her up and down.
“You look beautiful,” he said, reaching out to touch her face. “Why don’t we skip this party and head straight to my place?” His voice was low. Needy.
She smiled. “For one, you still don’t have any furniture.”
He leaned forward to brush his lips against her cheek. “I’m working on that,” he murmured. “We’ve got an appointment at the store tomorrow. I want you to help choose it.”
He slid his lips to the sensitive skin below her ear, right where her jaw met her neck. She sighed as he kissed her. “It’s just a couple of hours,” she said, her chest rising up as he kissed her again. “We can’t miss our own party. I’ve been working on this for weeks.”
Curling his hand around her waist, Tanner gave her a lopsided grin. “I guess I can wait. If you promise that I can peel that dress off you later.”
Her eyes caught his. “It’s a deal. And now I need to go check on the band and the refreshments.” She glanced at the slim gold watch on her left wrist. “One hour before the guests are due to arrive.”
“I’d better get my suit on.” Tanner raised an eyebrow hopefully. “Unless you’ve changed your mind and I can stay in my jeans.”
“No can do. The dress code is Hollywood glamor.” She looked at his frayed jeans and checked shirt. “I don’t think that will work.”
It had been fascinating watching her organize tonight’s event. She’d taken care of every detail, working so hard with the caterers, the entertainment, and the ground staff they’d recruited. It was another side of her he hadn’t seen before, but he liked it. A lot.
“I love you,” he told her, kissing his way down her neck.
“I…” Her phone buzzed. “Damn. This thing never shuts up.” She grinned at him, then checked the screen. “It’s Mom. Hang on.” With her eyes still on his, she answered the call, lifting the phone to her ear. “Hey, Mom, what’s up? You guys on your way?”
He took advantage of her distraction to kiss his way along her shoulder, breathing in her floral scent. He could never get enough of her. Not even if he were to kiss her for the rest of their lives. He wanted lifetimes. Eons. Long days filled with only her and nobody else. Damn, he wished this party was over already.