Page 109 of Well Played

If I couldn’t handle a reporter flirting with him, how would I have ever dealt with all of the rest of the women throwing themselves at him, day in and day out?

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Two more weeks passed, and things felt more under control at The Palm Inn now that I had regular help. Tanner had hired a friend of Fern’s to come in for housekeeping a few days a week, so I no longer had to bear the brunt of that.

Handling the breakfast end of things was also much easier now that I had less on my plate. I didn’t have to start my art teaching job until 11AM, so that allowed me plenty of time to prepare coffee and food for our guests. And sometimes, when I was running late, Tanner would step in and take over for me if he didn’t have to report to his coaching job. Alex was also settled into the new school year, and I couldn’t have asked for anything more right now on the home front.

The only problem was the lingering longing inside of me for a man I couldn’t have. The same man whose brother seemed to be doing everything humanly possible to earn another chance.

Speaking of Tanner, I’d finally decided to give in to one of his many requests to spend time outside of the house together. He’d convinced me I deserved a night out and promised not to assume it was a date if I just agreed.

So, one evening, the two of us dropped Alex off at Tanner’s mother’s house before meeting Lily and Tom Hannaford at one of my favorite Italian restaurants, Carducci’s. Lily and Tom were one of the few couples we’d gone to high school with who were still together. We’d often gone on double dates with them back in the day, so it was definitely like déjà vu to be sitting across from them tonight.

At one point after the waiter took our order, Lily hit me with the dreaded question. “So, what’s going on with you two?” She looked between us. “Please tell me a reconciliation is in the works.”

I’d hoped Tanner, who set up this dinner, had explained things to them so I didn’t have to.

“We’re just friends and co-parents, actually,” I told her.

Tanner placed his hand on my arm. “That’s the planfor now.” He smiled over at me, but I didn’t return it. “I’m holding out hope that she gives me another chance. I messed up royally in the past, so I’m currently working to earn her trust back. Taking it day by day.”

Lily grinned. “Well, that’s commendable. But what if that never happens?”

Tanner squinted. “What do you mean?”

“What if she can never learn to trust you again?”

He sighed and looked over at me. “Then we’ll always be in each other’s lives, and I’ll always be there for her and Alex—no matter what.”

I took a sip of water and felt the need to clarify my position. “There are some things in life that are best not revisited,” I explained. “I think you can have respect and love for someone and also recognize that you’re better off apart. That’s the case with Tanner and me.”

A frown crossed Tanner’s face.

While it sucked to once again deflate his hope, I needed to continue keeping things real until it eventually sank in for him. He’d clearly misled our friends into thinking this was some kind of double date.

After a few glasses of wine, I managed to finally enjoy myself as the subject moved away from Tanner and me. The four of us reminisced about old times, things like sneaking into movies when we were in high school.

Everything was kosher until Tom brought up the L-word during dessert.

He turned to Tanner. “How’s your brother doing?”

“Good,” Tanner said. “He’s back at training camp, gearing up for the new season.”

“I heard the Broncos snagged Chip Reid. That was a huge acquisition.”

Tanner nodded. “Yeah. Should be an interesting season.”

Tom chuckled. “God, Levi must be living the life. I can only imagine how much ass that guy gets.”

My wine felt like it was coming back up as a surge of jealousy hit. It wasn’t like he’d said anything I didn’t already know, but it sucked to hear. It also sucked that it had such a profound effect on me. But I was no less in love with Levi now than the day he left. In light of that, the way Tom’s comment made me burn up was normal. Beads of sweat formed on my forehead as I downed the last of my wine.

Lily tilted her head as she looked straight at me, seeming to examine my face. “Wasn’t he here in town for a while?”

I cleared my throat. “Yeah. He was a big help when we were starting the renovations at The Palm Inn.”

“I’m totally indebted to him for being here until I got my shit together,” Tanner added.

Lily looked at me again. “Was he living there at The Palm with you before Tanner arrived?”

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