She forced her mouth into a smile. Zoe didn’t need to know any of this stuff. If there was one thing Van knew, it was that her sister needed to be protected the way she never had been. If she managed to do that and nothing else, then it would be okay.
Not great, but okay. Right now she’d take that.
“Here we are.” Becca parked behind Logan’s rental car. “Home sweet home.”
Van looked at the bungalow she’d grown up in. It wasn’t hers, though. It was Tanner’s. What a damn mess this all was.
Zoe was already pulling the door on her side open, running up the path toward the front door. Van followed her quickly, as Zoe wrenched the door open and ran inside.
“Mom?” she shouted out. Van hurried behind her, gathering her red dress in her hands. Their mom and Logan were sitting at the kitchen table, Kim sipping at a steaming mug of black coffee as Tanner’s brother shifted uncomfortably in his seat. As soon as he set eyes on Van, Zoe, and Becca he stood, looking like a man who’d been given a final reprieve.
“Oh, Van,” her mom slurred. “I’m so sorry.” She put her mug on the table, her hand shaking enough to send some hot liquid sloshing over the side. Her chair scraped against the tiled floor as she tried to stand, lurching to the left before walking to Van and hugging her, putting almost her entire weight against Van’s shoulders.
Van stood there, her stomach turning as she tried to decide what to say to her mom. It wasn’t okay. None of this was. She wanted to curl up and pretend that none of this happened. “You should go to bed,” she said, her voice low. “We’ll talk about this in the morning.”
“Do you hate me?” Her mom’s breath caught in a sob. “Of course you hate me. I hate me. You were never supposed to know.”
She was completely aware of both Logan and Becca’s presence in the room. They were kind, more than kind. She knew that. Yet having them here was intensely uncomfortable. Even if they weren’t judging her, she was judging herself.
“Thank you for all you’ve done,” she said to Logan, before she turned to Becca. “You guys can go now. I’ll take it from here.”
“I don’t mind staying if you need any help,” Becca said brightly.
The pure kindness in her eyes made Van want to cry. “It’s okay,” she said softly. “We’ll all just go to bed. Deal with everything in the morning.” She was too exhausted to do anything else. Sleep felt like an escape from the awful reality of her life. One she desperately needed.
Logan stood, rubbing the back of his neck the way Tanner always did, and the simple gesture made Van’s heart ache. “Let us know if you need anything,” he said. “Or I can call Tanner to come over?”
“No,” Van said quickly. “It’s fine.”
“You’re family,” Becca said, giving Zoe a hug. “We take care of our own. We’re always here for you.” She kissed the top of Zoe’s head. “Stay strong, kiddo.”
Zoe nodded.
And then they left, pulling the door closed behind them. Van let out a lungful of air, but it didn’t relax her body at all.
“Come on,” she said, looking at her mom’s tearful face. “Let’s go to bed. We’ll talk in the morning.”
“I’m under strict instructions from Logan to take you home,” Cam said as he walked into the drive-in office. Tanner had been pacing the room ever since Van had walked out. He wasn’t even sure how much time had passed since he’d heard her steps on the metal treds. Ten minutes? Twenty? All he knew was that every muscle in his body hurt.
She walked out on him. Again. God, he wanted to hit something. He raked the hair from his face and looked at his older brother.
“I can’t go. Not until everybody leaves.” His jaw muscle twitched. “It’s my party, remember?”
“Gray and Maddie are going to make sure everybody leaves. You’re too worked up to be of any good here. Let’s just go.”
Tanner strode to the window on the far side of the office. From his vantage point, he couldn’t see the screen, but could see the flashing lights of the movie reflected in the glass.
“Just take me to my place,” Tanner said, his voice full of grit. “I need to be alone.”
“No can do. I’m under instruction. You’re a big guy, but I’m bigger. I think I could drag you if I had to.” Cam shrugged. “Just come home, okay?”
Cam was silent as he drove them both back to their father’s. Cam leaned forward and turned on the stereo in his rental car, cranking it up so the heavy beats filled the space between them. Tanner leaned his head on the window, his jaw still tight as they drove through the exit, passed the cornfields, and into Hartson’s Creek itself.
When they pulled into the driveway of their dad’s house, Tanner climbed out and walked up to the steps, Cam shadowing him as Logan and Becca waited for them on the porch.
Cam gave him a wry smile. “Sorry, dude. Looks like you have a welcoming committee.”
“Come on,” Logan said, as Tanner and Cam reached the door. “I’ve opened a bottle of whiskey.”
“One of yours?” Tanner asked Becca.
“Yeah. A good one. Retails for a hundred dollars.”
He gestured at the kitchen. “In that case, pour away.”
They sat around the kitchen table and Logan poured out four tumblers of whiskey, passing them to his siblings. He lifted his glass and held it out to Tanner. “Congratulations on the opening night,” he said, then took a sip. Tanner followed suit, letting the bitter liquid coat his tongue before burning the back of his throat as he swallowed it down.
“Was Van okay?” Tanner asked when he replaced the empty glass on the table. “And Zoe?”
“Zoe’s fine,” Becca said. “And their mom’s sleeping everything off. As for Van…” she trailed off, shrugging.
“I asked her if she wanted me to have you call her once you got back,” Logan told her. “But she was pretty vehement that she didn’t. From the look on her face I’m guessing something went down between the two of you.”
Another rejection. He was racking them up. Tanner held his glass out, and Logan lifted an eyebrow. “One more,” Tanner told him. “And then I’m heading to bed.”
Once filled, he took another big mouthful of whiskey, swallowing it faster this time. Sighing, he looked up at the three of them, his chest contracting as they all stared back.
“We’re over.”
Cam frowned. “Who’s over?”
“Didn’t you hear anything tonight? Van and Tanner are in a relationship.” Becca sighed. “What were you doing? Stuffing your face with burgers?”
“It’s off season.” Cam shrugged, then lifted his glass to his lips.
“Who ended it?” Logan asked.
Tanner caught his gaze. “She did.” He sighed, remembering their harsh words.
“Oh Tanner.” Becca slid her hand over his. He gently pulled away, making her blink.
“You wanna talk about it?” Logan asked.
Tanner shook his head. “No.” He was certain of that. “I just wanna go to bed and forget any of this happened.”