Читать книгу Her Hometown Redemption - Rachel Brimble - Страница 11

CHAPTER THREE

TANYA WRAPPED HER half-eaten burger in a paper towel and tossed it into the trash before snatching up her can of Diet Coke from the counter. Walking to the patio doors leading from her sister’s living room, she stepped out onto the balcony. Night had fallen and Templeton was lit in all its undeniable and beautiful glory.

The lights from Funland, the beach and the shops at the waterfront flashed yellow, green and red in the distance. Tanya leaned her forearms on the railing and stared toward the fairground. The screams and music drifted on the light summer breeze, sending icicles into her blood. She tightened her fingers around her Diet Coke can. What happened to Sasha there was only part of the reason Tanya had come back, but finding Matt Davidson was her top priority right now.

No matter how much the doctor told Tanya to concentrate on her happiness from here on in, Davidson was still out there and stood like a boulder between Tanya and a new future. A phantom preventing her from getting over what he’d done to Sasha.

Her sister had come when Tanya needed her most, yet when Sasha was dealing with the most traumatic, ugly experience any child could, Tanya had seen her sister as nothing more than a nuisance. Tanya’s heart twisted with shame, and tears burned. Instead of seeing Sasha as her best friend, her optimism and chatter about Funland and their grandfather had annoyed Tanya at every turn. She now realized her animosity toward her sister came from jealousy and resentment. The admission was especially shameful since Sasha was so effortlessly positive and friendly to everyone around her.

Tanya closed her eyes. Little did she know just how well Sasha wore her mask over a life ruined by the criminal who’d dared to touch her.

Opening her eyes, Tanya glared at Funland. What happened to Sasha wasn’t over, no matter how much she might wish it so. The piece of crap who hurt her was still out there and Tanya suspected Sasha thought of him daily. Sooner or later, Davidson would be found. She shivered against the icy chill that ran up her spine. Templeton wasn’t the picture-perfect place it liked to convey. Things were never what they seemed here, but at least now Tanya knew life was something to be shaped. People were hurt, disappointed and judged, and it was something she had slowly learned to accept through therapy.

Her biggest mistake had been allowing her mother’s fears to taint her own views of the Cove. Her mother had convinced her that love didn’t exist. Feeling afraid and uncertain, Tanya changed.

From being a young woman not unlike Sasha, Tanya turned into a fiercely driven, single-minded worker. Her mother’s words ringing in her head, Tanya left Liam behind and pursued money, assets and position. The only things that could really protect a girl. Working 24/7 had been a way to protect herself against the onslaught of disappointment she would face if she failed in her chosen career or relied on a man for her happiness.

It had been the risk of that dependency that had ultimately led to her breakdown...and why she had been arrested. Mental anguish had seeped into her mind when she wasn’t looking.

Tanya swallowed the tears clogging her throat. Little did she and Sasha know that her mother’s warnings were entirely based on trying to protect her daughters after finding out, years later, what had happened to Sasha.

Turning from the bright lights, Tanya sank into one of the two chairs around a small bistro table. She shut her eyes and Liam’s face appeared. What would he say to her when they next met?

People changed. She’d changed.

She’d be arrogant to think the same wouldn’t be true for Liam. Sasha described him as a tough lawyer with a soft center. A man the whole town held in high esteem. Yet Jay had said Liam was still single and living alone. Throughout the time she and Liam had been together, his adolescent anger toward his father had mellowed. Instead, it became his motivation to succeed and do good in this too-often-bad world. He was strong and powerful in court, and some of his cases had made the news all over the UK. He was a force to be reckoned with, but also a man of gentle and caring honor.

The combination was lethal. In and out of court.

The shrill and alien ring of the apartment buzzer shot Tanya’s heart into her throat. She stood and stared through the patio doors into the apartment. Only one person knew where she was staying. Drawing in a breath, she put her Diet Coke on the table and walked inside. She approached the front door and looked through the peephole. Liam stared along the corridor and Tanya roamed her gaze over his profile and upper body, before pulling abruptly back.

There was no mistaking his mood. His set face, hardened jaw and tense arm muscles straining against the confines of his dress shirt screamed of impatience. The tie he’d been wearing at the restaurant had been discarded, leaving the open V of the shirt showing a sexy smattering of dark hair. Dark hair she remembered running her hands over more times than strictly necessary...

Tanya silently counted to five. He’d loved her once and even though he never would again, he would surely hear her out, wouldn’t he? If she explained she left as abruptly as she did because she felt suffocated by Templeton, didn’t want to become reliant on him? Most of all, would he accept people made mistakes?

Taking a deep breath, she threw back the lock and opened the door, plastering on a smile. “Hi. This is a surprise.”

His gaze wandered over her face, his expression unreadable. “Can I come in?”

“Sure.” She stood back and he brushed past her into the apartment.

Tanya slowly shut the door, taking a moment with her back turned to gather her senses and obliterate his scent from her nostrils. He smelled exactly the same. It was as though she’d never been away. But she had. She’d been away for a very long time...

She turned.

He stood across the room, in the center of Sasha’s living space, his broad chest rising and falling. Tanya swallowed against the dryness in her throat and forced her feet forward. “Do you want to sit down?”

“No.”

“Liam, I—”

“What happened to bring you back?”

She flinched. “What?”

“I said, what happened to bring you back?”

“I...” Words danced and bit at her tongue. “It was time.”

His eyes widened. “Time? You could have knocked me over when you walked into the Seascape earlier. It’s been years, and with Sasha leaving...” He shook his head. “I didn’t think you would ever come back to Templeton. Not ever. You hated it here. What was it you said to me? ‘Oh, sorry, Liam, I don’t belong here, Sasha does. I want more than a fairground as a legacy, let Sasha have it. Let her wallow in our sad Romany roots.’”

Her heart beat like a freight train. “Those were my mother’s words, not mine. She frightened me, brainwashed me into believing Templeton, you, Funland, everything would cause me nothing but pain if I didn’t get away from here.”

“And you couldn’t have told me that? We couldn’t have discussed it?”

She didn’t want to lie, but she couldn’t possibly tell him the whole truth. Telling him why she hadn’t come back before now would be too much, too soon.

Fisting her hands on her hips, Tanya lifted her chin. “I was younger then. So were you. What did either of us know about the real world?”

Their gazes locked and Tanya fought the tears burning her eyes. Despite her insistence she could do what had to be done alone as far as Davidson was concerned, she couldn’t deny the hope that, one day, she’d have Liam to rely on. She took her hands from her hips and raised them. “Look, I’m back.” Her lips trembled with the effort it took to smile. “And this time, I’m happy to be here.” His gaze hardened and Tanya fought the need to step back. “What?”

“You’re lying.”

“No, I’m not.”

He huffed out a laugh. “You never could quite manage to lie to me, which is probably half the reason you pushed a note under my door eight years ago, wishing me well with my life before you disappeared with no forwarding address, phone number or email.”

Resentment dripped from his words and Tanya’s hackles rose. “How can you still be so angry?” She stared at him. “After all this time?”

His cheeks darkened and he closed his eyes, tipping his face toward the ceiling. “Unbelievable.”

Tanya stared at his neck, relishing the way his Adam’s apple moved in such an entirely masculine way beneath his skin. He was built strong, intelligent and caring. All virtues that had scared her young self into running far away from him. “Please try to understand, Liam. I was starting to need you far too much, so I threw myself into my career. As my ambition grew, so did the barrier around my heart. I had to leave or risk hurting you more deeply than me leaving ever could.”

“You should’ve talked to me.”

It had been so very long since she noticed a man, she’d begun to think that part of her had been flushed down the toilet along with everything else in her life. Now, looking at Liam, it seemed her libido was still alive and well.

She cleared her throat. “A lot has happened for me in these past eight years. I assumed things had for you, too.”

“They have. I’m a lawyer now. I’m successful, well-known and respected. People don’t just barge into my life expecting me to drop everything, because everyone knows how damn busy I am.”

Tanya frowned. “I’m not expecting you to drop everything.”

“Yes, you are. Just as you always did.”

She trembled as anxiety over his coldness swept through her. “I’m not that person anymore.”

“No?” His gaze burned with resentment. “We’ll have to see about that.”

“Eight years is a long time. You don’t know me now any more than I know you.”

“I know you’re back for something. Something important.”

She forced her shoulders back, faced his accusations. “Fine. I want to start over.”

“Start over? With what? With the people you ignored or wouldn’t help? With me? With yourself?” He glared. “You might look different, but your eyes haven’t changed. Something’s eating you from the inside out, and if the only way for you to deal with it was to come back to the Cove, that something must be here. Am I right?”

Tanya’s heart beat fast. He always could read her like a damn book. “Maybe, but I’m not talking about that now. I didn’t come back expecting...” She shook her head and clasped her hands together to halt their trembling. “I just need a chance to start over. That’s all I’m asking for.”

A muscle flexed and relaxed in his jaw. “Fine. You don’t need me to help you start over. You can do that all by yourself.”

A pain jolted her heart, but Tanya gave a curt nod. “Absolutely.”

He ran his gaze over her face, pausing at her lips. “Good, because you can’t just waltz back into town and expect us to be...friends again.”

His assumption irked her. She huffed out a laugh. “We can’t even be friends? Well, fine, then I made a mistake assuming you’d talk to me, but I never expected you to drop everything. How was I supposed to know you’d be at the Seascape? When did I say anything about you being there for me during our three-minute conversation? You’ve clearly been having a two-sided conversation with yourself. Just like you always did when you were mad.”

Tanya gave a dismissive wave before marching across the open-plan space into the kitchen area. She grabbed the kettle from the counter. It trembled as she held it under the faucet.

“You’re in trouble, Tanya. It’s written all over your face. You need my help, and you expected me to fling my arms open in welcome, didn’t you?”

Her cheeks burned as his accusation struck like a knife blade across her heart. She slammed the kettle on the counter and flicked it on to boil. Inhaling a shaky breath, she faced him. “Fine. You’ve moved on, I have, too. I’m not back expecting anything from you or anyone else. There are things I want to do, have to do, and Templeton is the right place for them to happen. That’s it. I’m here because this is where I need to be.”

He studied her a moment longer before his eyes narrowed with distrust. “So nothing’s changed. Same Tanya. Same agenda.”

“Goddamn it, Liam.” She stepped forward and slapped her hands on the breakfast counter separating them, her temper snapping. “I am not the same Tanya, and believe me, my agenda is far from what it was when I was here before.”

“Then tell me about it.”

“No.”

He glared. “Then what choice do I have but to assume you’re going to barrel through everyone here, looking for money, ambition and every other damn thing regardless of who you knock over along the way?”

Anger rushed through her, making her want to slap him, damn well kick him straight between the legs. She pushed away from the counter and, rounding it, she charged him. “Don’t talk to me that way.”

Surprise flashed through his eyes. “What the hell are you doing?” He braced himself and raised his hands. When she was less than a foot away, he lunged forward and lifted her off her feet before tossing her like a bag of potatoes onto the sofa.

The air left her lungs and she dug her nails into the cushions. “You bastard.”

“What the hell’s the matter with you?” He glared. “You’re like a damn cat who’s caught his tail in an electric socket.”

Angry and humiliated, Tanya snatched up a cushion. “Just get out.”

She put the cushion to her face and waited. But there were no footsteps across the carpet.

Silence filled the room and split the space between them like a guillotine.

Tanya slumped in defeat. Liam Browne never walked away from any situation, no matter how difficult. He was stoic, strong, calm and precise. The complete opposite of her. Now he’d seen her, she would have to answer every question he asked, or risk losing the chance for at least renewed friendship with one of the best men she had ever known—ever had the pleasure of making love with.

But God knew, she would not let him into her heart again. Never, ever again, because Templeton was barely big enough for them apart...together, it was like housing two tigers in a cage. One of them would eat the other alive or die trying to escape.

* * *

LIAM CONTINUED TO look at Tanya’s covered face, visualizing every dip, line, curve and furrow he knew so well. He pictured her wide brown eyes, full, pink lips and slender nose. He imagined the minuscule mole at her temple and the tiny scar on her chin from a childhood fight with Sasha.

He stepped toward her and she stiffened. He sat beside her. “Let me see you.”

She shook her head.

He ran his gaze over her hair, lower to the revealed side of her neck and shoulder. “I’m sorry, okay?”

She snatched the cushion into her lap, her eyes stormed with hurt. “Fine, I am, too. Now you’ve seen me, get out. Clearly, we’ve nothing else to say to one another.”

Her eyes gleamed with unshed tears, her lips quivered and her skin was more ashen than it was while they had been arguing, when it had shone with angry color. He exhaled as the remainder of any animosity he might have felt disappeared. “Why did you run at me like that?”

Her shoulders slumped. “I don’t know.”

Liam ran his gaze over her face. “When you just walked straight into the restaurant as though it was the most natural thing in the world, I didn’t know how to handle it. I should’ve got my crap together before I came here. I’m sorry.”

She shook her head. “My God, if you thought I was calm when I walked in there, I must be one hell of an actress. Do you have any idea what it took for me to do that?” She swiped her fingers under her eyes. “And that was without even thinking whether or not I might see you.”

Liam smiled. His gaze fell to her mouth. “Well, you looked completely sure of yourself to me.”

“I wasn’t. I’m not sure of anything.”

The intensity in her eyes tugged at his chest. He looked away before the hook could take hold and make him bleed. “Look, I came here because I needed to see you alone. You don’t have to tell me anything, but there’s something...” He faced her. “You look unhappy.”

“I am.”

Her simple and easy admission caught him by surprise, and Liam struggled not to flee the apartment. He’d expected denial, anger, accusation and insult. He hadn’t expected those two simple words. He couldn’t do this. He couldn’t open up to her pain and expect to walk away from their reunion unscathed when she walked out of his life again.

This sudden softness and vulnerability was the only aspect missing that would have made her perfect for him all those years ago. Where was her hardness? Her strength and independence? He swallowed and blew out a breath. “You’re right. You have changed.”

“I’m sorry I hurt you. I’m sorry I mistreated people by brushing their needs and concerns aside. I have a lot of making up to do, but I will do it, Liam.”

Determination shone in her eyes and he nodded. “Okay.”

She smiled softly. “I have an office in town that I will be turning into a showroom. I plan to have the grand opening next week. I’m a...” She rolled her eyes. “Don’t laugh.”

His gut knotted as the sadness in her eyes changed to sparkling excitement. “I won’t.”

“You promise?”

He raised his hand. “As God is my witness.”

“Okay.” She inhaled a shaky breath and released it on a rush of words. “I’m a party planner.”

He froze, laughter clenching his gut. “A party planner? You?”

She grabbed the cushion and swatted him. “Yes, me.”

“But how—”

“Stop grinning. I get to do all my usual bossing around without people objecting to it. It sure beats the hell out of telling people what they can and can’t do with investments, pensions and everything else. This is way more fun.”

“Fun?” He stared at her, shock reverberating through his diaphragm. “You have fun without being held under duress, too?”

She went for a head shot this time, and laughing, Liam ducked out of the cushion’s reach, raising his hands in mock surrender. “Okay, okay. Then I guess I’ve nothing to worry about.”

Her smile dissolved and she stood. “Of course you don’t. I’ll be fine. Just like I always was. I’m trying something different, that’s all.”

Liam stared, his smile vanishing. She’d lied. It was clear she’d lied. They knew each other too well. Just as she knew things about him, he did about her, too. Something was wrong, but she had plans. Plans were good. She didn’t need him...and he didn’t need her.

Everything was as it should be. Her life hers. His life his.

Hearts intact. Trust still absent.

He could leave. Go one way. Tanya the other.

Nothing to worry about; nothing to upset his game plan of finding someone new to share his life.

He gave a curt nod and stood. “Great. Then I’ll go.”

She smiled softly. “Great.”

“I’ll see you around.” He turned and walked to the front door, pulling it open.

“Liam?”

Damn it. He turned. “Yeah?”

She came closer, only to draw to an abrupt halt. “I never should’ve left. I just wanted you to know that.”

He nodded. “Thanks.” Thanks? Thanks? “See you.”

He walked out and pulled the door closed behind him. He forced his feet forward until he rounded the corridor and was sure he was out of sight. Then, and only then, did he slap himself hard in the head.

Why the hell had he thanked her? Thanking her was about a million aeons away from what he should’ve done. He should’ve kissed her and walked out the door, showing her just how in control Liam Browne was today. Of everything. Including her.

Yeah, right. Of course you are. That’s why your heart’s in your mouth and Tanya’s right inside your head again...just as she’s always been.