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Tara motioned for her parents to go inside and showed them around. Mark and I talked about the construction and layout. I didn’t know his father had been a foreman and that he’d worked a bit in the trade himself. That would come in handy when we added on.
“It’s absolutely gorgeous up here. I’ve always been a little envious of the mountain views. The landscape is just stunning,” Beth gushed. “You two look good. I was so worried about you.”
“It is nice up here, but I can’t believe those reporters are still hanging out at the end of the road. Are you two safe here?”
I realized Mark might not know much about my past, depending on what Beth had shared. And honestly, I wasn’t sure what she knew. Or if what she knew was true. There had been so many rumors out there through the years, and Tara might not have told them.
“We’re safe,” I offered. “The police have warned them to stay off the property, and my lawyer is rushing paperwork through to purchase the plots of land in front of mine as well. The owner reached out last night and asked me if I wanted it. The same guy owns both cabins and the surrounding land.”
“That’s great. It gives you a lot of space out here. Nice and private. Sounds like you plan on staying for the long run, then. Have you convinced my daughter to do the same?” He smiled, then winked at Tara.
She looked at me, nodding. I knew I had permission to go forward, but I wondered where I should start. I reached over and squeezed her hand.
“I think it’s a good idea to give them the entire story. Your article should do it, if you don’t mind?”
29
TARA
My parents looked at both of us when Landon commented, curiosity in their eyes. I heard Landon ask them both to sit down on the couch, saying that we had something to tell them before dinner. I hadn’t thought about him wanting to talk to them about everything. It made sense. If they were to give their blessing, he most likely wanted them to go in with open eyes.
It had been a long time since they’d read anything like this from me. I had told them both once that they didn’t have to keep reading my articles. That politics didn’t make the most exciting news. But I knew my mother still kept a scrapbook of everything I’d written. I thought it was sweet. I swallowed, clearing my throat. I’d printed it when Landon and I were talking about adding the information about his book to it.
“Landon agreed to let me tell his story. His rise in fame, and then the time he spent in exile, if you will. We’ve been working on it together. A publisher contacted me about printing it. It should be released in about six weeks. It will be my first editorial. Hopefully, the first of many.”
“That’s wonderful, honey. I’m glad you two could figure something out.” My mother smiled.
“To be honest”—my dad shrugged— “I don’t know a lot about it, Landon. I know something happened, but I preferred to meet you where you were, and if you decided to share, that was fine too. Everyone deserves a second chance. And as long as Tara is happy? I’m good.”
His response didn’t surprise me. My parents were both big fans of mine, but my dad was subtle, more observant, and less quick to judge. He was the logical one, while my mother was the emotional one.
“I appreciate that.” Landon’s voice softened toward my father.
“Okay. If you’re ready, here’s a little bit of Landon’s story.” I looked at him once more, and he smiled. “Here’s some background. It will help going forward. Landon’s parents passed away when he was younger. His grandmother raised him after that, but she died early in his college years. And he’s always wanted to be a writer.”
I heard my mother gasp a bit. I knew she was reacting to him being on his own. It had touched my heart too. I flipped the page, not wanting to hit all the notes, but I got the feeling Landon wanted them to know that basic.
“He started working with a small publishing firm during college and still works with them today. I talked with his publisher. She’s really sweet. By the time he was twenty-one, he was already well-known for his writing. It was intense, and he didn’t handle the publicity well. Landon told me he ended up enjoying it a little too much and became a bit of a bad boy.”
“That’s putting it mildly.” Landon smirked. “I didn’t make good choices, and it came back to bite me in the butt. The night of the accident, they frustrated me more than they ever had before. They were always following me, trying to get pictures and figure out what I was doing next. I took off, and they chased me. I ended up taking a corner too fast and flipped my car several times.”
