Page 39 of Billionaire Unforgettable: Tanner

I mixed the color I was going to use for highlights, and then started highlighting her hair.

I could switch back and forth from Lauren to Anna if I timed it right.

“I feel guilty,” Anna said unhappily as I worked.

“Why?” I asked as I shot her a quick, sympathetic look.

“Before I found out what really happened between you and Tanner, I blamed you for the breakup.”

Lauren nodded slightly. “I hate to admit that I jumped to conclusions, too. Tanner never really talked to me much about the breakup, but Devon mentioned that Tanner thought you’d left him for another man. Part of me found that hard to believe, but I felt bad for Tanner. He’s like a brother to me.”

I smiled at both of them. “Do you think I’d ever blame either of you? You didn’t know me that well, Lauren, and you were close to Tanner.”

“I knew you,” Lauren argued. “Maybe I didn’t know you well, but something in my gut told me that you’d never do that, and I didn’t listen to that instinct.”

“He hurt you pretty badly, didn’t he?” Lauren asked in an empathetic tone. “Anna told me about what Tanner told Kaleb about the real reason for the breakup.”

I nodded slowly. I was getting to really like both of these women, and I didn’t want to lie to them because they’d been so nice to me. “He did. But it happened a long time ago. He apologized, and I think he’s genuinely remorseful for what happened. I’m okay with it.”

“I love Tanner,” Lauren said. “He’s been like an older brother to me since I lost my own brother. But I think he was a major asshole. I know how much he changed during that time in his life. We spoke occasionally, but he wasn’t the same guy he’d been before KTD exploded. I knew it wasn’t because he didn’t care about me or how I was doing, but his interest in listening to me was nonexistent. I was grateful to get the Tanner I knew back into my life after his father died. It was like he suddenly came to his senses and snapped back to being the Tanner I knew and loved.”

I mentally filed that information.

Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who had noticed how much Tanner had changed during that period in time.

“It took a little longer for Kaleb to let go of his workaholic ways,” Anna mentioned. “He was still struggling with it when we met, but I don’t think he was as obsessed as they’d all been when KTD suddenly started to become a mega company.”

Lauren sighed. “I think Kaleb worked like that to keep busy. I don’t think he wanted to think about his father’s death. Finding closure would have meant that he had to accept that his dad was gone. I’m glad he finally found that closure after he met you. He was extremely close to his father.”

“And Devon?” I asked curiously. “Do you think he found closure?”

Lauren shrugged. “Devon is…Devon. He’s charming and funny sometimes, but it’s hard to read his emotions or motivations. He doesn’t open up very often. He covers his emotions in sarcasm, cynicism, and bad humor most of the time, but underneath all that, he’s a decent guy. I just don’t think he wants anyone to know that.”

“I heard that Tanner is trying to make up for what he did,” Anna said. “Is that true?”

“Yes,” I confided. “He’s trying to dispel the rumors that I dumped him for another man. He wants to be friendly so some of the people in town stop treating me like dirt.”

“I really hate the gossip in this town,” Lauren griped.

“I guess I’m used to having rumors spread about me,” Anna explained. “But what’s happening around town since you got back is ridiculous. I have to admit that I’ve heard kinder things going around since you had drinks with Tanner at The Mug And Jug Saturday. I think you should be friendly with him. He owes it to you to make sure those rumors are completely gone.”

“He’s been very willing to do that,” I assured her.

“But?” Lauren questioned.

“But doing that is a little complicated for me,” I explained. “I guess I still don’t trust him, and I’m not sure being around him is good for me.”

“You’re still attracted to him,” Anna guessed. “That’s why it’s complicated, right?”

“How did you know?” I asked, surprised.

Anna smiled ruefully. “I kind of went through that same problem after I met Kaleb. I didn’t trust him in the beginning, and I barely knew him. But I wanted to get him naked almost from the first moment I met him. That chemistry was there almost right away. We wanted to just be friends, but that didn’t work out well for either of us.”

“Tanner and I were together for a long time,” I explained. “But that chemistry never faded away for me. I guess that attraction was so strong that it’s hard to shake.”

“Then a friendship might not be possible,” Anna warned. “If Kaleb and I ever separated, I sure as hell couldn’t be his friend.”

Finished with Lauren’s highlights, I turned to work on Anna’s hair. “But it’s been over seven years for Tanner and me. I think I’m over everything except my lingering attraction to him.”

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