Nora Roberts Land(14)
He drew an X and snorted. “You questioning my charm?”
“What charm? You’re out of practice after all the hell holes you’ve been.”
“It’s like riding a bicycle.”
“I thought that was sex. Relationships are harder.”
“I’ve heard that before,” he drawled.
Which was why he didn’t do them. And he didn’t want to think about how long he’d been without sex. His sister was right. Where he’d been working…well, there weren’t too many available women. He didn’t sleep with people in the same business. Too much pillow talk could kill a good story. And he didn’t do prostitutes. Never had. Never would. Even though it obviously ran in the family.
“We need to find an angle, Tanner,” his sister reiterated, sounding like the cop she was.
“I’m working on it. Sommerville’s careful. He’d have expected the press to dig.” He rubbed the window clean and walked over to the mini-fridge to pull out a Dr. Pepper. Man, it was nice to have a constant supply.
“Use a bigger shovel,” his sister said.
The sugary syrup and carbonation made his nose twitch. “Plan to.”
“I’m so pissed at David.”
“I know.” And totally understandable. Peg’s ex had cheated on her. After kicking him to the curb, she’d decided to raise her seven-year-old son alone. “We’ll find something. I have a few journalist friends digging quietly too.”
“I need to run. I have to pick Keith up at a birthday party.”
Tanner clicked the TV on and settled onto the bed, channel surfing. “Tell him hi. Maybe you can come out and see me in Colorado in a few months. We could do Thanksgiving together.”
“That would be nice. We’ll get through this, Tanner.”
Her support made him squirm. It felt…weird when he was used to doing everything alone. “I know. Bye now,” he said, setting aside the phone.
After a moment, he opened the file folder and stared down at Meredith Hale’s picture. She’d followed in her family’s footsteps by attending Columbia University’s school of journalism. On a swimming scholarship no less. As Sommerville had said, it was something she and Tanner had in common. Since he was six years older, their paths hadn’t crossed. His research indicated she didn’t trade on her Hale name, which he liked. Sommerville clearly hadn’t been as scrupulous.
Her articles were strong. Human interest stuff. She had a good voice, a way of humanizing painful and difficult topics while maintaining her objectivity.
The more he learned, the more he liked.
It pissed him off he’d have to break her heart.
Chapter 6
Meredith dragged her feet as Jill pulled her along Main Street. Her sister was taking her on her first dating expedition, rather like a fishing expedition, but not for anything cold-blooded.
“I don’t know if I’m ready for this.”
Snapping her fingers in front of Meredith’s face, Jill said, “Sure you are, Mermaid. We’re taking a male shopping tour for potential Nora Roberts-type heroes. I did some research based on the books in my collection, and I came up with some perfect places for us to look for your dream man.”
Meredith smoothed her hands down the navy top and tan skirt they’d picked out for her to wear. “That’s pretty logical.”
Jill waved a hand. “It’s simple. You’re back in town. We’re reintroducing you. Hell, it’s been twelve years since you’ve lived here. A lot has changed.”
As Meredith surveyed Main Street, she could only agree. Dare had more high-end stores with cutesy names than she remembered. Within one block, she spied three new businesses: Posh Ice Day Spa, which had a glowing chartreuse door; Rugged Trail Sporting Goods; and With Sprouts, a trendy-looking vegetarian restaurant. Containers filled with orange, purple, and yellow chrysanthemums lined the sidewalks, and new parking meters took money from sparkling 4x4s and hybrids.
“Town’s doing well.” She nodded to a college student who smiled as he walked by.
“Yes, lots of new blood beyond the university. Baby boomer retirees have been coming here and opening up small businesses. Dare caters to a healthy ski crowd now that Aspen has become so crazy expensive. It’s insane. You can’t have an affordable meal there anymore. Ticks me off. But it’s been great for the coffee shop.”
Meredith patted her sister on the back as they walked past the old-school Barber Shop where their father always got his hair trimmed. She was delighted to see it hadn’t been run out of town. “I’m so proud of you, Jill.”
“Say no more. I’ll mist up.”