He lifted a brow as he stopped in front of me. “I’d hope you would’ve said that.”
“Why would I tell you I was peeing?” I fired back. “I shouldn’t have to tell you anything. You shouldn’t walk willy-nilly into rooms.”
“Willy-nilly?” His lips twitched, and I swore in that moment, if he laughed, I was going to kick him in the balls, total kung-fu style. He grabbed the tissues from my hand and knelt. “Are you okay?”
I didn’t know what he was referencing at first. “I said I was okay.”
He tilted his head as he wrapped his hand around my left calf, causing me to jump a little. Pausing, he peered up through thick, sooty lashes. “Did I hurt you?” His voice was low, thick like velvet.
There was a distinct impression he meant more than touching my leg. Before I could respond, he went back to staring at my knee. I tried to picture him doing this on calls when he worked. Unlike now, he’d be covered head to toe, but I bet with that uniform, he’d induced a lot of swoons.
Tanner gently swabbed at the skin, dabbing at the blood. Several moments passed and then he said, “I really didn’t mean to say what I did out there. I don’t think you sit around all day and do nothing.”
I stared at the top of his head. Wet, his hair was a dark brown, and I could see the tiny droplets clinging to the short strands. “Are you sure about that? Because I honestly think you do believe that.”
His hand froze a few inches from my knee and then he lifted his chin. Cobalt eyes pierced mine. “You know, you’re right to ask that.” Settling back on his haunches, he didn’t look away. “And you do deserve my honesty. Up until a couple of days ago, I really didn’t think you did anything with your spare time. I had no idea you volunteered at the hospital or the suicide hotline.”
I sucked in a breath. “Syd opened her mouth?”
He nodded.
There was a tiny, black-haired girl who was going to get throttled. I could not fathom why she’d tell Tanner about that. Then again, she could’ve overheard our argument by the pool, which proved she could multitask while she sucked face with Kyler. I wasn’t embarrassed by my volunteer activities. It just wasn’t something I ever believed Tanner would care to know.
“I think that’s pretty amazing,” he said, flashing a quick smile. “Not a lot of people could do that.”
“No.” Most could not surround themselves with those who were ill, or listen to the calls from people who so desperately needed help. I honestly had no idea how I could do it, but I guessed it had something to do with…well, with who I was. “So, what? Now you think I put the ‘awe’ in awesome?”
He grinned wryly. “I always thought you were pretty awesome, despite my obviously incorrect assumptions about you.”
I pursed my lips together. “I find that hard to believe.”
“It’s true.” Leaning back, he tossed the used tissues in the little wicker trashbasket. “I always knew you were smart. You were taking pre-med when we met and it wasn’t like you were failing at that. You’ve always been funny. No one can twist words quite like you. And I’ve seen some profound moments of sweetness from you.”
Oh geez, the burn was in the back of my throat, and I had to look away. I ended up seeing our reflection in the mirror, and it was so strange, him kneeling in front of me, his head tilted back, staring up at me.
“And you have to know that I always thought you were hot,” he added. “For fuck’s sake, you’re a redhead. That alone puts you into the sexy-as-hell category.”
I coughed out a short laugh. “That’s not what most people say about redheads.”
“Fuck them.” His hand slid up to the back of my knee, causing me to draw in a quick breath. A series of shivers traveled over me. “You probably already know you should put some peroxide on this, but you’ll live.”
My belly was fluttering as he ran his thumb along the back of my knee. Sensations rioted. I’d had no idea that area was so sensitive. “I know.”
Curling his hand around the space just above my knee, he peered up at me again, a small half-grin on his handsome face. Then he rose, slipping his hand off my leg. Instead of straightening, he clasped my cheeks in a gentle grasp that sent my heart thundering. “Let’s start over. Okay?” he suggested softly. “My name is Tanner Hammond.”
I stared at him in what had to be an attractive, bug-eyed look. He was being serious. There was no ignoring the earnest touch to his expression. Could people ever truly start over? I didn’t think so. The past didn’t just simply vanish because we wanted it to, but what harm was there in pretending? That was something else that I excelled at. “My…my name is Andrea Walters.”
There was a brief glimpse of his smile growing wider and then he kissed the tip of my nose. “It’s good to finally meet you.”
Tuesday night was different. Not bad or anything, but most definitely different. The four of us sat on the deck, under the stars, and chatted about everything and nothing in particular. All of us were drinking, but not to get sloshed, and I was okay with that. Maybe it was the peaceful scenery. Maybe it was the people I was with. Either way, I didn’t feel like I needed more to have a good time or to relax.
Kyler was excited to start veterinary school, while Syd was eager to get done with grad school and she hadn’t even started it yet. Tanner and I were the odd people out, both of us on hold until the spring.
Not once did we argue.
Okay. That wasn’t entirely true. We bickered, but it wasn’t a knock-down, drag-out argument that ended with me threatening his ability to reproduce in the future. I wasn’t sure, even after starting over, we’d ever be able to not snap at one another.
We stayed up late, and I ended up pouring myself into bed, falling asleep without having to take a pill to get there, and on Wednesday morning, Kyler and Syd made breakfast before they headed off on their first hiking adventure.
I stayed behind, because, well, bears. And coyotes. And deer. And physical activity. Plus, I was pretty sure they’d be stopping every couple of minutes to make out, and I really didn’t need to see all of that.
Tanner strolled by where I sat on the barstool in front of the kitchen island. He tugged a curl and then leaned against the island, angling his body toward mine. “So, what are we going to get into today?”
“Why didn’t you go hiking with them?” I asked instead of answering. One just had to take a look at Tanner to know he was all about physical activity.
He shrugged one shoulder, causing the faded T-shirt he wore to stretch across his chest. “They didn’t want me to go along with them, so you’re stuck with me.”
I thought it was a little strange that they would’ve said that, but knowing Syd, she probably purposely disinvited him the moment she realized I wasn’t going with them, leaving him behind to babysit me. But after our little one-on-one in the bathroom yesterday, I wasn’t sure being stuck with Tanner was a bad thing. “I guess I am.”
“Yep. So why don’t you go upstairs, put that bathing suit on and we’ll spend the day being lazy and getting sunburnt.”
I started to make up an excuse, but considering he’d seen me in a towel that barely covered anything the night before, it seemed stupid to not want to go out there in a swimsuit. Still, I hesitated.
“Come on, Andy.” He caught my hand in his and drew me off the barstool. His other hand settled on my hip. “Spend time with me.”
Staring into eyes that reminded me of the summer sky before a storm, I found myself nodding. His grin was easy and contagious as he tugged me against his chest. My heart stuttered at the contact, and he seemed to have no idea how he affected me as he swept his arms around me. Hugging me tight, he lifted me clear off my feet and gave me a little shake.
I squeaked like a dog toy. “Tanner!”