Page 34 of Billionaire Unforgettable: Tanner

“It matters to me,” I answered.

“I was a total dick to you at one time, Hannah. I’d like to make that up to you by being a good partner of some kind. This isn’t exactly a sacrifice for me,” he said obstinately.

God, I’d forgotten how stubborn Tanner could be at times.

While it would be nice to start my business immediately, it wasn’t practical, and I didn’t want to take money from Tanner.

We weren’t friends.

We didn’t even know each other anymore.

I had no idea what his motivations were right now, and they weren’t making any sense to me.

Even if my company took off, there was no guarantee it would fly high. Salons failed every day.

“I’ll think about it,” I said noncommittally.

Really, there wasn’t much to think about.

Tanner and I were essentially strangers now, and I couldn’t be partners with someone I didn’t know and trust.

I was attracted to him, and part of me wanted to believe that he’d changed and that he wasn’t the man he’d been when we’d broken up. But my brain was still telling me to run as far away from Tanner Remington as I could get.

Tanner shot me a frustrated look, but he changed the subject. “What does your schedule look like this week?”

I shot him a puzzled look, wondering why he wanted to know what my week looked like. “It’s not as busy as I’d like it to be. I don’t have anything major happening until Saturday. I have a big wedding in Helena. I do have a long appointment tomorrowwith Anna Remington and Lauren. I take it that I have you to thank for that appointment tomorrow.”

“I’d like to take credit, but I can’t,” he answered. “I told my entire family the truth about what happened with us. I’m sure Kaleb told Anna, and she researched the reputation of your old business. I haven’t actually talked to her about it. I’m glad you’re going to meet her though. You’ll like her. Lauren just relocated, and I know she doesn’t like going to the local shop. She hates the relentless gossip that happens there.”

I knew exactly how she felt.

I’d worked in that shop, and although the people were kind sometimes, they loved to speculate about other people’s lives while they were getting their hair done.

“I like Lauren,” I said with a smile.

“She became a big city girl, and I think the gossip makes her crazy. She probably forgot what it’s like to live here,” Tanner said with a chuckle. “You two should get along well.”

“We always did,” I said wistfully. “We just never got to spend a lot of time together. I hope she didn’t hate me when she thought that I left you for another guy.”

“It’s good to have her back,” Tanner commented. “And she’s happy to be back home except for some of the small annoyances of living in a small town. And no, she doesn’t hate you. I’m sure the news has gotten around about what really happened by now. She and Anna have become pretty close, and they seem to get tighter every day.”

That made sense. Both of the women had come from a big city and were now trying to adjust to living in a small town.

“What made you decide to tell your whole family the truth?” I asked curiously as I pushed my plate away and reached for my water.

“I was wrong,” he said gruffly. “I own up to my mistakes. Mom already knew the truth. She and Joy are tight. I’m startingto think the only one who completely believed that you took off with another man was me.”

“And a large part of this town who didn’t know me very well,” I reminded him.

“I didn’t come out and tell anyone in town about my theory,” he said unhappily. “But I wasn’t willing to talk to them about you, either. So there was plenty of room for them to make their own conclusions.”

He was right.

Given no explanation, some of the people in this town would make their own assumptions in a heartbeat.

“It’s over, Tanner,” I said softly. “Maybe there were some things I should have done differently, too. I guess I didn’t think you’d listen, and that I’d tried everything to make you remember that we were supposed to be a couple. Maybe I should have gotten in your face and made you listen. I was younger and I ran from my heartbreak.”

Tanner shook his head. “I understand why you did what you did. I think you gave me plenty of chances. You were there for me for years, Hannah, and I took that for granted. I think I convinced myself that I was working hard for us, but I got caught up in the company’s success and forgot what was really important. I don’t blame you for leaving. I wasn’t there for you. I left you emotionally and physically while I was pursuing world domination.”

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