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I laughed a little. “Okay.”
“I’m not sure what to do about this. About us.” Tanner’s voice was low and deep, and kind of rumbly. I almost felt it rather than hearing it.
“Hmm. I’m not sure either.”
“I guess this isn’t the place for this conversation, but I’m glad we’re here.”
“Me too.” We were standing there, kind of staring into each other’s eyes, when I heard laughter in the other room. “I’m thinking they’re about to come looking for me and those pictures.” I tilted my head toward the box he’d sat on the table.
“Mmm. Probably.”
“Meet me on the back porch after everybody leaves?” I suggested.
“It’s a date.”
When we re-entered the kitchen, Leah raised her eyebrows, but thankfully kept her opinion to herself. The very last thing I needed was for Momma to get wind of something going on between me and Tanner.
I opened the box of photos and spread them out across the table. I grabbed the magnifying glass so we’d be able to read some of the aged print on the backs of the pictures. I quickly found the ones of Momma and Justine, Lisa’s birth mother, we’d identified the last time we’d looked through them. I passed those along to Lisa.
Momma was sitting next to Lisa and pointed to something in the photo. “You see here? We were sitting on the hood of Marie’s old station wagon.”
I passed the magnifying glass to Lisa. The photo was a little blurry from age, and because photos from years ago weren’t as high resolution as they were nowadays. “Wow, I do see the resemblance. This is so awesome. I finally feel like there’s some real connection between me and Justine. Well, besides Marie.” Lisa sounded excited about finding a new part of her heritage.
“You’re so welcome, dear. Oh, look, here’s another one.” Momma was handling this well—I had to give it to her.
We spent another hour looking through the photos before the party broke up. I could feel Tanner beside me, even without making eye contact. Leah and Jake left, with Momma and Daddy on their heels, which meant Lisa and Nana were still there at the house with us.
“Let’s get you settled, then dear,” Nana said to Lisa.
“Can I carry anything upstairs for you?” Tanner offered. He brought her things to her room, which was on the other side of the house from where my room was. Nana had put her in a bedroom in a guest area that had two bedrooms that shared a bath, and a sitting room. I couldn’t remember the last time anyone had stayed in those rooms. But the setup was perfect for Lisa and Marie because it would afford them some privacy while they were taking time to get to know one another.
I helped to get Lisa settled with fresh towels and a few other items before returning downstairs.
“Good night, my dear.” Nana was clearly tired, judging by the amount of work she’d put in today and the slight droop to her shoulders. “I trust you will see Tanner out.”
“Good night, Nana. You outdid yourself on dinner. It was amazing.”
“Yes. Thanks for including me.” Tanner grinned at her.
Once Nana had ascended the stairs, we stepped outside onto the screened porch. There was a soft rain falling on the metal roof. I sat on the settee, leaving room for Tanner if he chose to sit beside me. He did.
“What a day, huh?” I might have sounded a tiny bit nervous.
“Yes, but we did it. We found Marie—and she’s okay.” I could hear the satisfaction in Tanner’s voice.
“I’m so happy for Lisa, and for Marie.” It was a simple statement, but so true. They’d followed the clues and solved at least part of the puzzle. There was so much more to be learned, but knowing Marie was alive and well was today’s victory.
“Me too.” The cicadas chirped and buzzed loudly, adding to the crickets and frogs. It was quite a background symphony. And then there was the falling rain on the roof.
The air was humid, but it was late enough that the heat had subsided. Since we were inside the porch, there weren’t any mosquitos. I felt myself relaxing and thinking about Tanner sitting next to me. The fact that we’d moved into a new realm with one another was exciting.
“Wanna make out?” Tanner was right next to my ear.
I laughed out loud. “You bet I do.”
So we did. Like a couple of teenagers in the back seat of his momma’s car. Only we were full-grown adults who were on the back porch of my grandmother’s house with her right inside. So, with that knowledge, things didn’t get too out of hand. Second base, maybe. But, by the time we pulled ourselves apart and adjusted our clothes, we were both out of breath and still wanting more.
“Um, wow. I feel like I’m back in ninth grade.” Tanner laughed but sounded a little frustrated.
