“What does that mean?” she asked.
Lucille sighed. “Tanner’s daddy left him when he turned five.”
Yeah. This wasn’t news to Callie. She’d known that back in school.
“And that boy has been wild ever since,” her grandma said. “He’s got his hands full now with the people in his life, but he’s not doing a damn thing for himself. So let me repeat—being alone is not what Tanner needs. What he needs is you.”
Callie stared at her grandma. “Even if that was true, which it’s not, what about what I need?”
“Oh, you need him too, honey.”
“I don’t,” she said, shaking her head. “I’m doing just fine.”
“See now, that’s the beauty of it,” Lucille said. “Of course you don’t need him need him. You support yourself, blah blah. But you’ve been hurt by life too, and let down. Your parents did the best they could, but they could’ve done better by you. You deserved more.”
“I had you,” Callie said, and had the pleasure of seeing her grandma soften and put a hand to her heart.
“Aw, honey,” she said. “I love you so. But truth now. You’ve felt alone and vulnerable. With Tanner, you’d have something you’ve always been sorely missing.”
“What’s that?” Callie asked.
“An ‘us.’”
For a single heartbeat, Callie’s chest tightened in yearning, but the feeling faded quickly. If she was being honest, she was a little afraid of the us. She busied herself with cleaning up for a long moment. “I do love you, Grandma,” she finally said. “So much. But you’re wrong. I’m good as I am. I don’t need the complication in my life right now.” Maybe ever. Bending, she kissed Lucille’s cheek. “I gotta get home. Please stop meddling in people’s lives, okay? For me? Promise?”
“Hmm?”
“Grandma.”
“Oh, all right, sure. I’ll try.”
The next day Callie had meetings straight through breakfast and she skipped the bakery. She told herself it was for the best but she had to admit she really missed the doughnuts.
And maybe also Tanner.
That afternoon she walked down to Lucky Harbor Charters to take measurements for decorations for Becca and Sam’s bachelor/bachelorette party.
The docks were a perfect spot for a party. As she got there, the late-afternoon November sun was just touching down on the water, casting a halo glow on everything.
Gorgeous.
She stood there taking in the view thinking that, with outdoor space heaters, this could really work. The lighting was perfect for pictures, the kind of lighting that would make anyone and everyone look good. It’d be a wonderful spot for their wedding photos too, which made her laugh a little. Here she was thinking to eventually move on from this job when she had decent savings and yet her eye for all things romantic and wedding-perfect never seemed to stop.
She was so messed up.
She heard a boat and shaded her eyes to see that it was the Lucky Harbor Charters’ boat.
Cole was behind the controls. When he navigated close to the dock, Tanner leapt off the boat, limped to the stern, and caught something tossed to him by his Mini-Me still on board.
A rope.
Tanner crouched low and tied the boat to the dock, then straightened and caught a second rope.
Callie found herself frozen in place, watching him move with confident ease in spite of the clear fact that his leg was bothering him. She watched as he efficiently and effortlessly tied that rope off as well and then looked up and said something to his son.
The body language of the two males told her that all was not well on the home front. Troy said something to Tanner.
Tanner spoke back calmly.
Troy said something else, not calmly.
Tanner didn’t speak again, just held his ground with steady, firm eye contact.
Troy broke it, spun on his heel, and stormed off.
And only when he was gone did Tanner’s expression change. From that easy calm to…deeply troubled.
Hollow.
It was a deeply personal moment, one Callie knew there was no way he wanted to be caught in. So she started to back up and go home, but then he turned his head and met her gaze.
Sorry, she mouthed. He gave the slightest head shake, nothing more. He didn’t approach her and she didn’t make a move toward him. And though she had the oddest urge to hug him, she left him alone.
That night, with Becca and Olivia sitting on her kitchen counter keeping her company, Callie made them all grilled chocolate sandwiches. It made her think of Tanner.
Okay, that was a lie. She’d been thinking of him since she’d left the docks earlier.
“I didn’t know you could cook,” Olivia said, chowing down on her second sandwich.