“I didn’t have a trip planned or anything,” I explain quickly, my anxiety crawling up my neck. “Lauren asked me to come up last night, so I got Winnie in the car and drove through the night. She insisted on bringing the flowers and?—”
“Hannah, woah.” The smirk melts into concern as he uncrosses his arms and steps toward me. “It’s okay. You don’t owe me an explanation. I’m just glad you’re here.” Another step forward. He towers over me and now, somehow, I'm the one backed against the counter. “Are you upset that I showed up out of the blue for the recital?”
I shake my head. “Of course not. I love that you did. I just— I feel like I keep showing up, after telling you I can’t come visit.”
He laughs and shakes his head. “I don’t care about that. I’m really glad you’re here.”
“How did you hear I was in town?” My voice is small as I look up at him, the sun-freckles on his nose are obvious from this close up. “Was it Rhett?”
“Uh, sure.” The tops of his cheeks turn pink, and I know a lie when I see one. Having a shitty husband and a daughter with a big imagination helped with that.
“Lauren,” I say and he bites the inside of his cheek.
“Well, not technically.”
“She told you I was here.”
“She invited me over. Said she and Rhett were putting a bonfire on. I swear I didn’t know for sure until I saw your van out front and put it all together.”
Our chests are just inches away as he gazes down at me. I fight to keep my hands on the bottle and not on his chest or lacing them through his hair.
“Mommy, come look!” Winnie's voice breaks through thewindow and our moment. So, I step around Tanner because if he keeps looking at me like that, then, well. I shake away the image.
Outside, Winnie and Rhett have built a lopsided fire that’s mostly smoke, but that little orange flame from the center has Winnie beaming with pride.
“Tan, come help us vent this thing, would ya?” Jack calls out and Tanner places his hand ever so softly on my lower back as he steps around me, lighting my entire nervous system on fire.
“Hey Fred.” Tanner nods to Winnie. Her little eyes flick up to him and for a moment I'm not sure if she’s going to throw a fit or smile.
Her little jaw drops. “Fred?”
“Your name is Winifred, right?” he asks. “Fred is short for Winifred.”
Laughter bubbles up out of her as the blush spreads across her cheeks.
“You invited him over?” I whisper to Lauren as I sit next to her on the back steps.
“You’d been here for almost twenty-four hours. You needed a little push.”
“Lauren. I can appreciate why you’re trying, but it can’t happen. I’m not staying, and I have a lot more on my plate than just a cute guy who might like me.”
Lauren sighs and then turns to face me. “Okay. Forget the whole Tanner thing for a minute. I want to ask you a question. And Rhett agrees.”
I don’t know why her asking me to be her maid of honor is this intense, but I play along anyway and let her take my hands in hers.
“Stay here,” she insists. “For the whole summer. You could stay with us or there’s a little apartment you could rent in town for a few months. Enroll Winnie in the YMCA here. We could planthe wedding and prepare for the baby, and we could spend the whole summer together.”
I cock my head back while my brain tumbles back over each word she just said. She mentioned staying earlier, but I thought she was mostly joking. The whole summer? An apartment in town?
Winnie squeals from the grass and Tanner gives her a high-five as the smoke from the fire mostly dissipates.
I know instantly that staying is dangerous. Living within driving distance of Tanner Auclair for an entire summer will make it nearly impossible to walk away come fall.
“Hannah, say something,” Lauren pleads. “Mom and Paul are in Florida for the rest of the summer anyway. When’s the next time we will ever get to do something like this? I can use all the help I can get.”
I watch Tanner squat down and listen to Winnie like whatever she has to say is the most interesting thing he has heard all day. Even Rhett’s eyes pop up to see if I'm seeing this too.
“Mommy!” Winnie comes barreling over. “Tan said he went to the ABC too.”
