“Only with things I really, really want.”
She faced him again and caught his chin in between her thumb and forefinger. “But when we wait, it makes things so much sweeter. Besides, didn’t you get enough last night?” She wiggled her eyebrows and grinned.
He opened his mouth to argue, but his phone rang and stole his attention. He plucked it from his pocket and read Madden’s name on the screen. “Just so you know, I could never get enough of you, but we’ll finish this conversation after I talk to Madden.”
Spinning back around, she flipped the bread then got another piece ready.
Tearing himself away from her, he answered the call. “Hey, man. What’s up? Aren’t you at the parade?”
The annual parade had a midmorning start time, but it took hours to get everything in place for the festivities. If Sunrise Security was in charge of crowd control, Madden and the rest of the crew would have shown up close to when the sun rose.
“I’m here with Lily and Tara. I wasn’t sure if I should call you about this, but it seems like the right thing to do.”
The hesitancy in his best friend’s voice set him on high alert. “What’s wrong?”
“Tara got a phone call from your dad last night,” Madden said. “She was upset and spoke with Lily about it. Lily didn’t tell me everything, but Tara’s planning on flying home this afternoon. Something about your dad needing a place to stay or money. I guess he laid it on pretty thick, really made Tara feel guilty for leaving town.”
Anger tightened his grip on the phone. “Son of a bitch.”
“Lily told Tara she should let you know about the call, but she didn’t want you to try and talk her out of leaving.”
“Damn right I’d try to convince her to stay. I thought she finally figured out her help is wasted on him. She said she was finished with his bullshit, ready to put her own life first for once.” Irritation swirled to life inside him like a dust storm, and he paced the length of the kitchen.
Eve removed the pan from the stove and shut off the burner. Her concerned gaze followed his every move.
“You and I both know it’s not that easy,” Madden said. “Your dad has manipulated her for years, knows what buttons to press to get what he wants. Tara severing that tie isn’t as simple as leaving town.”
Head pounding, he pinched the bridge of his nose. “When’s her flight?”
“Not until later this afternoon. She said she wanted to see a little of the parade, then asked if Lily would drive her.”
“I’ll call her. Thanks for letting me know.”
“She’s going to be so pissed,” Madden said.
“Better her than me. Thanks again, man.” Disconnecting, he didn’t even a spare a second to let Eve know what had happened before he dialed Tara. The line rang in his ear, raising his bloodpressure when her voicemail picked up. “Answer your phone, Tara. We need to talk.”
Disconnecting, he hung his head. “Shit.”
Eve rushed to him and slid her palm up and down his back. “What’s going on?”
He brought up his text app and pounded out a message for his sister. “Dad called Tara last night and apparently guilted her enough to make her want to go back home. She booked a flight for later today. I need to talk to her before she goes. I’m afraid if she leaves, she’ll get stuck in the same vicious cycle.”
“And she’s not answering your calls?”
He tossed his useless phone on the counter. “Nope.”
“Well, then, let’s head to Madden and Lily’s place. You can talk to her there. Have a conversation about how both of you are feeling. Because the last thing she needs is for you to jump in and tell her what to do. She should see you are supporting her and encouraging her to do what’s best for her.”
He wrinkled his nose, hating that she was right. “Can’t I just bring her here and lock her in a closet or something?”
She grinned. “I don’t think so. I can clean this up and toss it in the freezer. We can always reheat it later. That way we can leave right away.”
“Slight snag in your plan,” he said.
Arching her brows, she waited.
“Tara’s downtown with Madden while he manages security for the parade. She wanted to see some of the festivities before she left.”
