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“Tanner,” I began but he cut me off with a look.
“Don’t worry,” he said, smiling slyly. “I can wait a little longer.”
With that, Tanner pushed away from the table and walked over to the bar. He leaned against it and flagged down the bartender. I shuddered and shook my head with disgust.
“You really need to put that asshole in his place,” Janie said darkly.
“He’s not an asshole,” I said. “He’s just—”
“Desperate? Creepy? One step away from becoming a serial killer?”
I laughed. “Stop it. Tanner is sweet in his own way. He just doesn’t know when to give up, that’s all.”
“It’s been a decade,” Janie said bluntly. “A full decade and he still won’t leave you alone. He’s basically your stalker, Emily.”
“He is not,” I said. “Don’t be so dramatic.”
“Whatever,” Janie said, holding her hands up. “But don’t come crying to me when he shows up in your bedroom later tonight.”
“Stop it,” I said again.
Janie just laughed and glanced behind her. Tanner was still standing at the bar. When she looked back at me, her eyes were dark with concern.
“You’re really worried about him, aren’t you?” I asked.
“Can you blame me?” Janie asked. “It’s enough already.”
“I know.” I sighed. “I wish he would give up too.”
“Maybe one day,” Janie said. “After he has you kidnapped in his basement for twenty years.”
“You’re not funny.” I glared at her.
“Oh, you know I’m not serious.” Janie rolled her eyes and leaned over the table. “I know Tanner’s harmless, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to punch him in the nuts every single day.”
“What if it were you he was hitting on?” I asked, raising my eyebrows.
“Then I would punch him in the nuts.”
CHAPTER THREE- SEAN
Five days into our new life in Colorado and I was already exhausted. Though I reminded myself that I had no time or desire to make friends here, my self-imposed isolation was beginning to close in around me. It was Monday morning, and I could barely get through breakfast without losing my mind. Tommy and Sarah were fighting at the table and neither would eat a bite of their food. With a sigh, I walked over to join them.
“Enough,” I said firmly while Sarah continued to yell in Tommy’s ear. “Eat. Now.”
“I’m not really hungry,” Tommy said.
“It’s pancakes,” I said. “It’s the one thing I can actually cook. Come on, eat. Would you?”
Tommy sighed and finally poured syrup over his pancakes. He dug in and ate slowly, quiet for the first time all morning. When I looked at Sarah though, she was glaring at her plate.
“Sarah,” I said softly. “Come on.”
“They smell like poop,” she said.
“They do not,” I said. “That’s not nice. Just eat.”
“No.” Sarah looked at me with the same challenging look I’d seen a hundred times since the move. She, more than her brother, hated leaving California. I knew it was the memories of Telissa she missed the most, but there wasn’t anything I could do about that. The more helpless I felt, the angrier I became.
