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Tanner
Tanner tossed and turned in his bed after being woken up by Dec and Shelby on their way down to the gym. He knew that his best friend was only trying to include him, but he hated mornings. That didn’t mean that the thoughts of Shelby alone with Declan didn’t torment him to the point of not being able to go back to sleep again.
“You really need to get yourself together,” he whispered to himself. Tanner knew that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon, so he threw his covers back and sat up in bed, letting his feet hit the floor. He was considering going down to the same gym that he had just visited about five hours ago, for another workout.
He liked to get his workouts in before bedtime when no one else was awake. It made him feel as though he was the only person left in the world and when he was finished, he could hit the sheets, fully exhausted. It’s what he did last night, while the hotel guests were all snuggled in their beds. He went down to the gym and worked out until almost two in the morning, before feeling tired enough to head back up to his room to shower and crawl into bed.
“Shit,” he grumbled. “I’m actually going to do this.” He pulled on his gym clothes and shoes, brushed his teeth, and was out the door, all because he had a fear of missing out on the pretty girl. He couldn’t get the thought of her falling for Declan during their workout out of his head, and then, where would he be? Out in the cold, that was where. He wouldn’t let that happen, even if he was tired as hell and grumpy to boot.
Tanner rode the elevator down to the lobby and found his way back to the gym. He walked in to find Declan and Shelby running side by side on treadmills in the corner of the room. “Hey guys,” he said.
“You made it,” Shelby huffed.
“Yep,” he mumbled. “I thought I should get my workout in now. Who knows how long our trip into town will take—so I thought why not?” Declan shot him a smile and he wanted to tell him to shut the hell up. His best friend would know the real reason why he had shown up to the gym before his coffee, and sleep deprived. He didn’t want to miss out on any time with Shelby.
“I’m so excited about going into the city today. I’m sure that you must feel the same way, Tanner,” she said. “This will be a first for both of us.” Yeah, pretending that he wasn’t a regular tourist in Paris was going to be tough, and lying to her felt wrong, but he wasn’t going to give up his chance to be with her and Declan for the day.
“Absolutely,” he lied.
“Well, I’m happy to be both of your guides. This is going to be fun. I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve made a reservation for my favorite little place in town for dinner,” Declan said.
“Oh,” Shelby said. “Um, I don’t know how to tell you this, but I was planning on just eating here. The food is good and well, it’s free.” She didn’t have the money to eat out in town, but there was no way that he or Declan would let that stop them from taking her out to dinner.
“How about you let us worry about dinner?” Tanner asked. “It will be our treat. We do very well for ourselves, and it would be a way for me to thank you for allowing me to tag along with the both of you.”
“I couldn’t let you do that,” she insisted.
“Sure you can,” Declan said. “It would hurt our feelings if you turned us down.”
Shelby looked between the two of them and nodded her agreement. “I’m betting that you two don’t get told no very often,” she said.
“You’d be surprised,” Tanner grumbled. “Declan can be pretty bossy.” It was usually Declan telling him no or saying that he shouldn’t or couldn’t do something. Honestly, his best friend was becoming a nagging old goat and he was hoping that pretty little Shelby could change that for him.
“How long have you two known each other?” Shelby asked.
“Our whole lives, really,” Tanner said. “Our mom’s put us both in the same Boy Scout troop and well, we’ve been friends ever since.”
“That’s not exactly true. We hated each other as kids, but then we went to overnight camp with the Scouts, and that’s when we bonded. We’ve been inseparable since.”
“Wow, that’s kind of awesome,” Shelby said. “I really don’t have any friends like that.”
“How about family?” Tanner asked.
“No,” she said. “My mom was all I had left and when she passed, I was alone. It’s why I decided to come to France. I thought, why not? I have no one waiting for me back in the states or anything. You two are lucky to have each other.”
“We are,” Declan agreed. “We had a tough childhood. You see, we’re from what people like to call the wrong side of the tracks. Kids would pick on both of us for not having much. We didn’t have the expensive new shoes or new clothes at the start of school, like the other kids. But we had each other’s backs and that was all that mattered.”
“Declan and I were more like brothers by the time we got to high school together. We got through those crazy years and ended up going to college together. We majored in business and well, the rest is history.”
“Do you do everything together?” she joked. Oh, if she only knew how much they did together. Shelby was correct—they did do everything together, including taking women. Tanner worried that once Shelby found that out, she’d tell them both to get lost, but only time would tell.
“Well, I’m going to head up and take a quick shower and have some breakfast. I’ll meet you both in the hallway at nine if that still works,” she said.
“Yep,” Declan agreed. “We’ll be up shortly.” His friend looked about ready to ask her if he could go up with her now and join her in the shower. Poor Dec was chomping at the bit to get to Shelby, and she seemed completely clueless about how they were both feeling about her.
“See you, Shelby,” Tanner said as she left the gym.
Declan stopped running on the treadmill and grabbed a towel. “Shit, man,” he grumbled, wiping down his sweaty face. “I really like her.”
