Page 30 of Billionaire Unforgettable: Tanner

“What happens in the winter on nasty days when you can’t grill?” she asked.

I shrugged. “I have an indoor grill.”

She laughed. “You’re pathetic.”

Since I knew she meant that in a teasing kind of way, I didn’t take offense.

She used to accuse me of that all the time when I didn’t cook, and then I’d remind her that I had other talents to make up for my lack of culinary skills.

I had to force myself not to make my usual response to her comment.

Instead, I put the steaks on the grill.

“The house looks amazing,” Hannah commented casually. “But I didn’t see any of your paintings on the wall.”

“I guess I’m like my mother in that way,” I answered her honestly. “I’d rather look at someone else’s work than my own.”

Painting was a hobby for me.

My mother was the famous artist in the family.

She was a renowned artist for her western landscapes, but she’d retired from doing commissions or work to sell a while ago.

I hadn’t inherited all of her talent, but I could turn out a reasonably good landscape.

“Your work is incredible, Tanner. It should be hanging in your home.”

“I see enough of my work in my mother and brothers’ homes,” I told her. “I don’t keep many of my paintings. I give most of them away. The only ones I kept were your favorites. You didn’t take them with you.”

Just like she hadn’t taken a single piece of jewelry I’d given her or her engagement ring.

I’d kept everything she’d left behind in places where I wouldn’t see them, but I had put them away for safekeeping.

Christ!Had I actually thought she’d be back one day?

I couldn’t explain those actions any more than I could explain why I’d never dealt with our breakup.

“I couldn’t take them,” she said quietly.

Hell, I guess I understood that. All of those things would be a reminder of the man that had treated her like she was nothing.

Her voice was so melancholy that I decided to change the subject. “I think you should take the bike I bought for Lauren to use. She’ll never use it again.”

“Absolutely not,” she said, sounding horrified. “That bike is top of the line. It’s a dream to ride, but I was a little nervous about breaking something.”

“Mountain bikes are made sturdy,” I protested. “They get damaged all the time. It’s all fixable. Or I’d just buy a new one.”

She snorted. “I’m not used to riding a bike that costs as much as my vehicle.”

“Take it and get used to it,” I said gruffly. “It’s not getting ridden here sitting in my garage. The frame size is perfect for you. Lauren is about your height. I’m not fitting this body onto that small bike. You said you needed a new bike.”

“Not a bike that expensive,” she shot back.

“Fuck! I’m not asking you to pay me for the bike, Hannah. Iwantyou to have it.”

It absolutely shouldn’t, but the fact that she wouldn’t take a gift from me annoyed the hell out of me.

I flipped the steaks over, and reminded myself that Hannah Griffin was no longer mine to give gifts to anymore.

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