“Hey, beautiful. Don’t tell my clients.” He flashed a nervous smile and crushed the cigarette with his foot. Then he gave me a warm hug and kissed my cheek. Sliding his hand behind my back, he opened the door and led me to our seats. He had arrived earlier than me and reserved them. There were two glasses of water on the table, and I graciously started drinking mine.
“Did you have a productive weekend?” Tanner asked, flagging the waitress.
“Yes, I did. Thank you for asking.”
When the waitress came, we ordered, and Tanner started asking questions again. “How are things with Matthew?”
Tanner knew I was with Matthew, but he also knew things weren’t going well between us at the time of Nicole’s wedding. “Why do you ask?” I tried to sound as polite as possible. After all, he was only making friendly conversation.
“You look a little out of it, and your eyes tell me that there is trouble in paradise.”
I let out a soft laugh. “Not only are you a doctor, you’re also a psychologist?”
“I can be whatever you want. Just as long as I can bring back that pretty smile of yours.”
“There is only one thing that will make me smile, but according to how it’s looking, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to smile again.”
“That bad?”
“From my perspective, yes, that bad.”
Tanner took a sip of his water. “Why don’t you tell me about it? I can give you a diagnosis. No charge. Free on me,” he snorted.
“But you don’t specialize. You’re a family doctor.”
“We had to learn the general aspects of all health situations and conditions. I may not specialize in a specific field, but I know enough. If I don’t, I’ll let you know.” He winked.
“Okay.” I nodded. After all, he was a doctor and I needed a second opinion.
“Before you tell me what it is, my place is a short train ride from here. Would you like to talk there? I promise this isn’t a pick up line. And I promise I won’t try anything.” He lifted his hands to surrender. “I swear.”
When I didn’t answer fast enough, he continued, “My place is all yours. I have two bedrooms. You are welcome to stay. I told you before you could stay during the book fair, but you are so stubborn.” He laughed. “Any friend of Nicole and Keith is a friend of mine.”
“I would love to see Paris.” I was pretty sure my eyes sparkled from excitement.
“Do you have to fly out soon?”
“Actually, I left the ticket open ended. After all, I was coming to London, and confession time...I thought about visiting you in Paris.” A part of me felt guilty toward Matthew. I didn’t tell him that I might visit a friend. This would keep me from going home for several days, and I knew he was expecting us to talk as soon as we both got back. I also didn’t think he would be keen on my visit, especially since Tanner was a guy he’d never met.
“That’s great. Let me take you back to your hotel so we can get your luggage.”
“I can only stay for a few days. I need to go back and settle things with Matthew.” Tanner started texting. “What are you doing?”
“I’m taking tomorrow off.”
“Are you serious?”
“It’s Monday. It’s my busiest day. And yes, I would ditch work to hang out with a friend whom I won’t be able to see for another who knows how long.”
“You can always fly to Los Angeles.”
“Keith is a dear friend of mine, but it will be a while before I visit him.”
“Here you go,” the waitress said, placing our plates in front of us, then left.
“Well...if you ever do come to Los Angeles, you can stay with me.”
Tanner’s eyes grew wider. “Really? How about Matthew?”
“He has his own place.” My tone came out flat and uncaring.
“You make it sound like you’re already broken up, and you haven’t even spoken to him about whatever situation you’re in. You should just tell me now because my curiosity is killing me.”
With a deep intake of breath, I told him about my dilemma. Not just that, I told him about Amber and Tessa.
“Oh, Becky, Becky...you need to tell him, girl. That’s not fair to him.”
“Don’t make me feel guilty, Tanner. You’re supposed to be on my side.”
“I think you’re afraid. You’re running away. I could’ve asked you to go to China and you would be willing to come with me. You’re a runner.”
“A what?” I laughed.
“When things go wrong, you try to pretend it didn’t happen. You would say or do anything to block out the pain. And the further you go away from the situation, the easier it is for you to deal with.” He rested his hand on mine. “Regardless, it will still be there, waiting for you.”