He was not. Not anymore.
“No. You don’t get to be here.” Mach moved into their makeshift circle, taking Tanner’s right flank and crossing his arms.
“Mach.” Catiana grinned like seeing an old friend. “Always good to see you again.”
“Yeah, no.” Mach shook his head. “Not so great.” He growled again.
“Is she the reason for the whole growl thing earlier?” Tanner asked, the words coming smoother than before, but still stilted.
Mach nodded.
“It’s just me.” Catiana held up her hands in mock surrender. “We all know each other.”
“That’s the problem,” Mach said, before Tanner could add anything else.
“She’s just saying hi,” Tanner said. Then he met Catiana’s eyes. “Now she can move along.”
And so could he.
“I wanted to tell you I’m sorry, Tanner.” Catiana sounded apologetic, which was nice, but years too late. “I’ve been trying to say I’m sorry since it happened.”
He hadn’t been in the mood to take her calls after she betrayed him with a guy in a shark costume. Hadn’t responded to any of her messages about messing up and needing a second chance.
“I tracked you down to tell you that I am so sorry,” she said.
Tanner wasn’t sure what to do what that. She’d hurt him worse than she would ever realize.
“Great. That’s settled. Time’s up. Time to go.” Mach tapped his watch.
“Are you going to let him kick me out?” she asked. Flashing her smile at Tanner. She used to toss him that same grin and he’d do anything for her.
Now things had changed. The same and yet different enough that he could see she didn’t hold the same power anymore.
“Tanner.” Mach shook his head. “Time to take out the trash.”
Tanner tried to move his tongue, but it wouldn’t budge. “I—”
Catiana’s expression fell, her lips falling from a grin to a frown. “Mach, really?”
“He met someone else,” Mach said. “Tanner here has someone new. Let him have that without all your bullshit.”
She frowned a little more. That was all she gave away. Tanner hadn’t shared air with her for ages, so he was a little out of practice, but was she disappointed?
That would be ridiculous, because if she was truly sorry then she should want him to be happy with someone else.
“I used to know exactly what you were thinking.” Somehow he found the words.
“I know, right?” She flashed him that smile that used to bring him to his knees.
“Now, I don’t care what you’re thinking.”
“You got company watching you,” Mach said, with a slight tick of his head toward the direction of Sam’s back booth.
“I gotta go,” Tanner said. He’d already began moving toward Sam’s booth. “Enjoy the rest of the concert.”
He took a pit-stop and hit the john to get himself together. He stepped into the hallway and Sam stood right there, alone. Waiting for him.
“Hey, handsome,” she said with a giant grin.
