"Sorry," Tanner muttered, swiping a hand over his face.
Lovey took two steps into the kitchen, eyes alight with curiosity. "When you two said you knew each other … you really meant you knew each other."
Katelyn caught the look Tanner flashed her, full of frustration and irritation.
"We, uh, dated in college," she managed to say, tugging her sweater dress down. "Dating" wasn't even remotely close to describing their relationship. It had started with an explosion of undeniable sexual heat but had deepened into an intense connection, their lives entwined so tightly she'd thought it would be forever. "It ended when Tanner signed with the Islanders."
Lovey's gaze moved between them and she nodded. She appeared to want to say more, but they were joined by Marc, who wrapped his arms around Lovey's waist from behind her and hugged her. "Nice party, ma belle."
She smiled up over her shoulder at him. "It was nice. Thank you for all you did, Katelyn."
"You'll get my bill," Katelyn said with a smile. "I think my work here is done. I'm glad you all had fun." She stepped past Lovey and Mark to retrieve her purse and coat from the bedroom where Lovey had taken them.
Her hands were still shaking as she pulled on her gray suede boots and did up the buttons of her coat. Tanner had stayed in the kitchen and Lovey followed her to the door.
"You okay?" Lovey whispered. "You look gobsmacked."
Katelyn swallowed. "I'm fine. I apologize. That was very unprofessional. I assure you, it won't happen again."
"No need to apologize … Did Tanner, uh, force himself on you?"
Katelyn's eyes nearly popped out of her skull. "No! Dear God, no. It wasn't like that."
"Okay." Lovey's concern shifted to relief.
"But it shouldn't have happened."
"That looked like quite a kiss. Sorry, sorry, none of my business. But if you want to talk … you know where I am."
"Thank you." This time Katelyn initiated the hug. Lovey may be a client, but affection and a friendship were quickly developing between them.
She hurried to her car, nearly jogging in the cold night to where she'd parked. Once locked inside with the motor running to warm up, she leaned her forehead on the steering wheel.
What the hell had just happened?
Tanner had kissed her. Oh man, had he kissed her.
The chemistry that had always been there between them had flashed up hot and bright. It wasn't gone. Not by a long shot.
This was a problem.
Her professional reputation was at stake here. She could not be known as the event planner who came on to the clients' friends. From her college days, she knew the ugly name for girls who chased after hockey players. She'd been called that herself, by girls jealous of her boyfriend. She'd shrugged it off-the girls who chased the hockey players were free to go after whoever they wanted, and people could call her whatever they wanted. Her boyfriend happened to be a hockey player. But now she was a businesswoman and her reputation mattered, especially as she started her new business. This could not happen.
Much as she wanted love, she had to be realistic. She'd tried to find someone and it had never worked out. She'd been too quick to submit to whatever they wanted, too afraid of losing another chance at love. She wasn't going to be that girl again.
Tanner had been the same, had expected her to drop everything in her life for him. He'd broken her heart once. There was no way she was letting him do it again.
-
Tanner usually spent one afternoon a week at the Mini Aces Center, a club funded by the Aces Foundation that gave kids in the South Side neighborhood a place to hang out after school and play sports. The ice rink was a popular part of it, due in large part to the involvement of a number of the Aces. Today Tanner had his little brother, Jaivon, there, skating with him and a few other kids.
Jaivon wasn't actually his brother, he was the twelve-year-old boy Big Brothers had paired him with a year ago when he'd signed up. He'd done it more for himself than to help someone else, because he'd always wanted a brother. Hell, he'd just wanted a normal family. Instead, he'd had parents who were too caught up in their own drama to pay any attention to him, and now two step-mothers and two step-fathers. But it did feel good to give something to a kid who didn't have a father.
So he had fun hanging out with Jaivon doing boy stuff. Luckily Jaivon loved hockey. He couldn't afford hockey equipment, but that was another part of the Mini Aces program-providing sticks and gear to kids who couldn't afford them. And Tanner made sure he helped out too.