Taking Tiffany Read online

  “Yes! I’m going to Alaska for the first time. Some of the other women from my bowling group are going. We’re still trying to talk your mom into joining us.”

  My mom never traveled without my dad.

  I laughed. “Good luck with that!”

  Her laugh was good-natured. I was glad she hadn’t changed.

  She glanced around before she spoke again. “Can I talk to you a minute about something?”

  “Sure, anything.”

  She took me by the elbow and led me to a quieter spot.

  “Did you know Fletcher will be getting a divorce?”

  Uh oh. I hoped she wasn’t thinking there was a chance of a reconciliation.

  “Yes. I did.” Please let this conversation end.

  “He’s been suffering, Tiffany. He was never the same after you two broke up.”

  I took her hand. “I’m so sorry.”

  “Do you think…?”

  I remembered the day Fletcher and I broke up. Mrs. Collier came to our house, pleading Fletcher’s case. We’d sat at the kitchen table and cried, but it didn’t change my mind. I couldn’t get over the betrayal.

  I shook my head.

  Her shoulders slumped. With a lowered voice she said, “Emory, that woman he married, is horrible. All she did was spend his money and complain about not having enough. You would never have done that to him.” She studied me closely. “Are you sure? He’s different now. He’s grown up and is much wiser. He’d never make that mistake again. I know it.”

  She hadn’t seen him a few months back at the Breast Cancer Fundraiser. She was right; he was different, but much worse. It was obvious he hadn’t filled his mom in on our conversation. I was positive he hadn’t told her how he’d behaved either.

  “Yeah, I’m sure. I don’t know if my mom told you, but…I’m seeing someone. His name is Todd Jameson.” Where did he go anyway? I needed a rescue.

  “There she is!” My mom’s voice rose above the noise of the crowd. “Oh, Deanna, it’s so nice to see you.” The two women hugged. I was glad they were able to keep their friendship after Fletcher and I broke up. It must have been awkward at first.

  “Tiffany, dear, I want you to meet some friends of mine from Boston—George and Karen Harper. We’ve worked together on many fundraisers.” She turned to Fletcher’s mom. “Deanna, do you know the Harpers?”

  “Why yes, we met last summer at the opera. I had a nice chat with their son Erik. How is he?”

  “Right here, Mrs. Collier.” Erik walked through the crowd and joined us.

  “Oh, there you are, dear,” Mrs. Harper kissed her son. “I want you to meet Clara and her daughter, Tiffany.”

  “Clara.” He gave a slight bow and a mischievous grin. He turned to me. “Tiffany.” Another bow followed.

  “Erik,” I answered with a laugh. I remembered his flirting at the Valentine’s Day fundraiser. He was a charmer.

  “Mrs. Collier, your son was asking for you. Can I take to you to him?” Erik asked.

  “Well, aren’t you sweet?” She hooked her arm in his and they left, heading toward the east side of the property. George and Karen Harper said their goodbyes and left my mom and me alone for a moment.

  “Tell me you did not invite Fletcher.” My hands were fisted.

  “No! I wouldn’t do that. But, I’m so sorry, I think Deanna must have used her plus one for him. I haven’t seen him, though. Maybe you can avoid him?” Her eyes started to pool with tears.

  Taking a deep breath, I decided to try and let it go. How bad could it be?

  “It’s okay, Mom. I’ll avoid him. It’ll be fine.”

  The party was going great. I didn’t want to ruin it for her. Maybe Fletcher would be on his best behavior. He’d always been the perfect gentleman around his mom. They shared a close relationship.

  Two strong arms reached around and gave me a hug from behind. Please let it be Todd.

  “I’ve been looking for you.” He placed a soft kiss behind my ear. I turned in his arms, put mine around his neck, and breathed, “I’m so glad to see you,” while I hugged him close.

  He pulled away a little. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes. Although I had an awkward conversation with Fletcher’s mom, and she actually tried to convince me to give it another try with him. Luckily, Mom and the Harpers interrupted. So, anyway, Fletcher’s roaming around here somewhere.”

  His brow furrowed. “You and I are not getting separated again for the rest of the party. You good with that?”

  “I’m so good with that.”

  Todd stayed relaxed, but his eyes were alert as he scanned the crowd. “If you decide to punch him, can you wait until after my mom’s party?” I asked.

  Smiling, he took a lock of my hair and twirled it around his thumb. He always enjoyed doing that when he was in deep thought. “Yeah. I can wait.” About to say something else, he was interrupted when Braydon approached with Colin and Charlie.

  “Hey, Todd. We thought you might want to see Colin’s new car. It’s a BMW M3.” Braydon took Todd’s arm.

  Todd pulled away and said, “No, thanks. I’ve seen it.” He narrowed his eyes and looked at the three men. All of them looked stressed out about something. “What’s going on?” he asked.

  “I have new tires!” Colin said.

  “Okay, guys. You need to come cle …”

  He stopped mid-sentence and froze in place, dropping my hand.

  A woman came from around the corner and stopped in front of us. She was simply stunning. Barely topping five-feet, she was waif-like and petite. Her spiky blonde hair was styled in a super short pixie cut that emphasized her large green eyes. Her lips were pouty, full and pink, and her makeup—flawless. She even had a perfectly placed dimple on one cheek. Wearing a classically stylish, soft green, knit dress, with matching fancy designer shoes, she was what every model strived for. Well, except for the height issue, but even that added an air of endearing vulnerability.

  Before I could study her further, she clasped her hands together and squealed, “Todd!” and launched herself at him, sending him back a few feet. He regained his balance and unpeeled her body from his. He set her down and stared at her like she was a ghost.

  “Savannah,” he breathed.

  That was Savannah?

  Oh, hell no.

  A feeling of dread crept up my spine, and I tried to ignore the hot wave of jealousy that came with it. A sudden shiver of foreboding swept through me with such intensity, I felt dizzy. Did she have to be so pretty?

  He stared at her with dark, turbulent eyes. There was pain, and… love? He shook his head and took a step back.

  Savannah smiled, unleashing the full wattage of her adorable dimple, and said, “I’ve been looking for you everywhere!” Moving closer to him, she placed her perfectly manicured hand on his chest and gazed up at him with wide eyes.

  “What are you doing here?” he sputtered.

  “I’m here to see you, of course!”

  It was then she noticed all of us staring at her.

  “Hi, everyone.” She waved her fingers at us.

  Todd’s eyes blinked quickly, as if trying to break out of his trance. He turned to me, took my hand, and said, “Savannah, this is…” his blinking continued and his mouth opened and closed, like fish in an aquarium. I thought about helping him out, providing my name to the obviously stunned man, but I wasn’t feeling charitable at the moment. I placed my other hand on my hip and waited. The blinking continued, and a red flush crept up from his neckline.

  My heart pounded so loudly, I imagined everyone could hear it. They would also hear when my heart broke, which would be any second.

  My eyes wandered to the other men watching the train wreck. Braydon closed his eyes and rubbed the back of his neck. Charlie decided his shoes were interesting and studied them carefully. Colin, he stared back at me, his eyebrows creased and a frown tugged his mouth downward. He knew what this would do to me.

  Jain joined our group and said, �
�Isn’t this a great party? Everyone having fun?”

  The six of us turned to her, but no one said a word. She looked from person to person and said, “What? Did I miss something?”

  “Yes!” I said. “Come with me into the house. I have a surprise for you.” I needed to leave, and Jain would be my vehicle.

  I took her by the arm and pulled her toward the main house. Once we entered and passed through the living room, I stopped. “I’m sorry. I don’t have a surprise. I needed to get out of there.”

  “The girl standing there…was she the reason?”

  “Yes. That’s Savannah.”

  Her eyes widened. “Oh.”

  “He forgot my name, Jain. Like his brain had been wiped clean. He just stood and stared at her! Why would he act like that?” It was a rhetorical question, and I was pretty sure I knew the answer. When my eyes started to well with tears, I decided hiding in the house wouldn’t be far enough away. I needed to go home. There were many reasons I loved having a place of my own, but today, I was doubly grateful. At home, I could scream or cry or think or throw things if I wanted. “I’m going home, if anyone asks, please tell them I had to let out my cat.”

  “You don’t have a cat.”

  “Ugh! I’m going to get one!” I huffed. My mind scrambled, trying to think of an excuse. “Okay, tell them I’m sick. That way you won’t be lying.”

  Jain put her arms around me and hugged. “It’ll be okay,” she soothed.

  I disagreed. “Thanks. I’ll call you later. I hope you enjoy the rest of your party. Sorry to cut it short.”

  “I understand,” she assured me with a rub on my back.

  I grabbed my purse from the master bedroom and made a beeline to the front drive where the valets were busy shuttling people back and forth. The party would continue for another couple of hours, but some people, like me, were beginning to head out.

  It was then I remembered my car was one of the first parked in the lot. It would take them at least twenty minutes to move all the cars around mine and bring it back. I needed to get out before the tears started. This day was bad enough, but I didn’t want to add humiliation to the list of other emotions. Wait. I was already humiliated. I was pretty sure I’d just been dumped in front of all of our friends.

  “Hey, Tiffany, do you need a lift?”

  It was Erik. He stood in front of a two-seat convertible with keys in hand. Talk about perfect timing.

  “You headed to Seattle?” I asked.

  “Sure am.” He smiled his warm, charming smile and opened the passenger side door. I all but flew in.

  “Happy to be of service. Would you like the scenic route, or did you want to go straight home?” he asked once he belted himself in.

  “You decide,” I answered. My brain was fuzzy. Even the smallest of decisions were too much.

  He smiled and pulled toward the open gates. I thought I heard someone call my name, but, when I turned around, I didn’t see anyone. It wouldn’t matter anyway. I wasn’t stopping.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Todd

  WHAT THE HELL was wrong with me?

  Savannah stood in front of me, looking exactly like she did four years ago. How was that possible? I stood stock-still, frozen in the memories and dreams I’d had of her. My brain shut down for a minute, thinking she was an illusion. What was she doing here? Why was she here? All I could do was stare.

  I tried to shake loose the fog that had taken residence in my brain, but it was too late. I’d botched the introduction to Tiffany. Damn! What must she think? Before I could rebound, Tiffany with her arm linked with Jain, headed toward the back of the main house. This was bad. I needed to explain.

  “I have to go,” I told Savannah.

  “Wait! Todd, I’ve come all this way to talk to you. Could you spare a few minutes?” she asked.

  “I’m sorry, but you’ve caught me off guard. I need to talk to Tiffany.” I turned and left her standing with her mouth hanging open.

  Braydon joined me as I hurried into the house. “What the hell was that?” he asked.

  “I don’t know! I just shut down.” Besides my brain taking an unplanned holiday, my body decided to rebel, with a racing heart and beads of sweat forming on my brow.

  He grabbed me by the arm, slowing down my forward motion. “Do you still have feelings for Savannah?”

  “Of course not! I was just taken off guard.”

  “We tried to warn you so you’d have time to prepare.”

  “I’m an idiot. How bad was it?”

  “I don’t think you want me to answer that. What you need to do is find Tiffany before she thinks you’re off with Savannah.” He didn’t need to say any more to get me moving. Tiffany was everything to me. I wouldn’t lose her. I couldn’t.

  I searched, hurrying through each room, but she’d disappeared. I jogged through the kitchen when I almost ran into her mom.

  “Have you seen Tiffany?” I asked.

  “She dashed out through the front door a few minutes ago, looking upset. What happened?”

  “I’ll explain later,” I said as I headed toward the door.

  I hoped it wasn’t too late. I was sure she’d listen to me. It was only thirty seconds.

  Thirty seconds was a long time to forget someone’s name.

  You’ve just crashed and burned. Hard.

  No!

  I raced out to the front drive in time to see Tiffany get in the passenger seat with Erik Harper, Jain’s work partner.

  I called out to her. She turned around, but the car kept going. She didn’t stop.

  I bent down, hands on knees to catch my breath. I was already sweating, and now I wanted to throw up.

  “I don’t trust him,” Braydon said from behind.

  “Erik? Is she in danger?” My heart galloped in my chest.

  “He tried to take advantage of Jain when we broke up. Remember? Jain said he was a perfect gentleman on their date, but he gives me the creeps.”

  “Maybe you were just jealous?” I remembered when Braydon and Jain broke up. Anyone who would’ve so much as talked to Jain would be put on the do-not-trust list. “How did he try to take advantage of Jain?”

  “By asking her out on a date!”

  I almost laughed because he still looked angry about it. “Let’s back up for a minute. Jain went on a date over a year ago with her lab partner, while you were broken up, and this makes him a bad guy because…?”

  “There you are!” Jain joined us on the front steps.

  “Tiffany left with Erik,” I told her.

  Her eyes zipped back and forth between Braydon and me.

  “Tell him.” Braydon stared pointedly at Jain.

  “Well…” she started.

  “What? What’s wrong?” Jain’s obvious discomfort made me nervous.

  “Do you remember the Valentine’s Day fundraiser at the Paramount Hotel?” Jain asked.

  “Yes.” It was one of the best nights of my life.

  “Erik met Tiffany that night, and well…um, he asked about her the next day at work.”

  “What do you mean, asked about her?” My stomach sank.

  “He wanted to know if she had a boyfriend. I think you might have a little competition.”

  Damn.

  “I told him she was taken.” She grinned. “She’d already told me about the kiss in the back room.” She paused. “You two were meant to be together. Don’t worry, once you explain your reaction to Savannah, she’ll be okay. You can explain, right?”

  “Yes.” I groaned because I wasn’t sure.

  She nodded and said, “Yeah. I didn’t see it, but she wasn’t happy.” And a little kicker followed, “At all.”

  “It was bad.” Braydon told Jain.

  “Will you just be quiet about it?” I snapped. “Where’s Colin? I need him to take me to Tiffany’s condo.”

  “I’ll go get him.” Braydon walked back into the house.

  “Don’t worry. Erik’s a good guy. Braydon’s s
till a little jealous. He’s really sweet, smart, and hardworking—”

  “Jain,” I interrupted.

  “Yes?”

  “I don’t want to hear about Erik’s great qualities right now.”

  “Oh, okay.” She blushed. “Baby hormones. Sorry, I wasn’t thinking.”

  “I’m on it!” Colin shouted from behind. “Let’s go get our girl!” He tossed the valet his ticket stub and said, “If you get my car in the next five minutes there’s an extra fifty bucks coming your way.”

  He moved at lightning speed.

  “Thanks, Colin.”

  A slap on the back followed, and he said, “I’m sure she’ll come around. She can be a little insecure, but once you explain everything, she’ll be fine. You can explain this?” he asked.

  Why do people keep asking me this?

  “Yes.” I answered. But, would she listen?

  There hadn’t been a reason for her insecurities to come out when we were together. But she had them, and they ran deep. That bastard of a high school boyfriend did all sorts of damage to her self-image. She’d trusted him, and he‘d cheated. If Fletcher were in front of me right now, I’d punch him. But it was more important to find Tiffany. She’d trusted me, too. But I went and forgot her name in front of the woman I’d once planned to marry. And now, I was sure those insecurities had come marching back in, and I wasn’t with her.

  Sweet, handsome, Erik was.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Tiffany

  Insecurity.

  THE EMOTION WAS insidious, and I never wanted to experience it again. It lingered in my chest like a disease, chipping away my self-image like a whittler with a new piece of wood. I felt empty, yet full of sadness at the same time. I rubbed the hollow spot in the middle of my rib cage and struggled to pull myself back into the conversation.

  “Shilshole Marina? You’ve been there?” Erik asked.

  “Yes, a couple times. My dad has a sailboat on A-Dock.”

  “Oh, really? I’ve always admired the sailors. Me? I’m too lazy. I have a cruiser moored on C-Dock”