Her Hometown Redemption

by Rachel Brimble

Suzie, his receptionist, stood on the threshold. “You do realize you’re due in court in less than twenty minutes? It’s going to take you at least that long to get across town.”

  Suzie never had the need to remind him of any appointment, much less a court hearing. He glanced toward the window and back to Suzie. “I need to...”

  She frowned. “You need to what?”

  He shook his head. “Nothing. Thanks, Suzie. I’m on my way.”

  She nodded, leaving the door open as she returned to her desk. Liam headed for the door. Focus on the job at hand. If he kept doing that, maybe, just maybe, he could manage a few hours’ work without worrying about Tanya and whether or not she’d make it out alive after Marian’s interrogation.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  TANYA SLOWLY PUT down the notice board she was about to hang on her office wall and faced Marian. “Marian Cohen, right? I had a feeling I’d see you today.”

  Marian smiled, her eyes glinting with good humor. “We haven’t even met before, which means Sasha must’ve warned you about me.” She grinned. “I do so like it when my reputation precedes me.”

  Tanya tilted her chin. The woman was absolutely right. Sasha hadn’t just warned Tanya about Marian Cohen, she’d trained her in how to get the town’s matriarch on her side. According to Sasha, agreement with Marian’s views and advice was always the way into Marian’s good books. However, if Tanya ever found agreement a stretch too far, she needed to show Marian she was an equal as far as debate and action were concerned.

  According to Sasha, Marian hid a heart of gold behind a ferocious protection for the younger generation. However, that protection came with a condition—they were expected to set their minds on something and then take steps to make their dreams and aspirations reality. If they did, Marian would be their stalwart supporter and advocate...if they didn’t, she’d kick butt.

  Sasha had made it clear to Tanya that to have Marian in her corner would mean a better chance of her survival in the Cove. Tanya forced a wide smile. “Tea?”

  Marian beamed. “That would be lovely.” She glanced around the office, and when her gaze fell on Tanya’s chair, Marian sauntered across the room and sat, placing her purse on the desk. She emitted an audible and very contented sigh.

  Turning, Tanya rolled her eyes and made for the kitchen. Sasha had warned that attempting to evade Marian’s questions was futile. She knew everyone and everything going on in Templeton. If anyone was foolish enough to try avoiding her, more often than not, Marian caught up with her target and then he or she would end up revealing far more than if they’d been on their guard and prepared.

  Tanya vowed not to fall into that trap. She might not have much, but she still had her wits about her when it came to this town and its people.

  Flicking on the electric kettle, Tanya took two mugs from the cupboard above her and set about making the tea. Her mind whirled with possible questions Marian might ask, and what she would say in return. Eight years ago, Marian had been a new and interesting resident to the Cove, most likely trying to find a foothold, as Tanya was now.

  However, if Marian thought her reputation had preceded her, there was no doubt in Tanya’s mind Marian knew of Tanya’s reputation as a cold and ambitious businesswoman, too. Regret swept through her again that she’d shown so little compassion when some of the residents had come into the bank for financial help. Why hadn’t she seen just what her often too-quick refusal of loans and investment advice had done to people?

  Putting the mugs, milk and sugar on a tray, she pulled on an air of confidence and reentered the office. Dwelling on the past was counterproductive.

  Let battle commence...

  Marian smiled. “It’s a prime location you have here. Lots of street traffic. Should be good for business.” She lifted an eyebrow. “Whatever your business might be.”

  “Parties. I’m a party planner.” Tanya laid the tray on the desk. “Milk?”

  “Yes. A party planner? Well, there’s always an excuse for a party in my book. There’s been enough unpleasantness in this town over the years. I’m all for you promoting a bit of fun and games instead. Much better.”

  Tanya bit back a response. It might be beneficial to let Marian do the talking and only respond when she actually asked a question. She passed her a mug and inched the sugar closer. Fighting her annoyance over how Marian sat so comfortably in Tanya’s chair, she strolled across the office to grab one of two visitors’ chairs that would eventually sit in front of her desk.

  She sat and met the older woman’s expectant gaze. “So, what is it you want to know?”

  Marian lifted her mug to her lips, eyeing Tanya over the rim. She took a delicate sip before returning it to the desk. “How’s Sasha? Why didn’t she come back with you? And what are you intending to do as far as making up for the way you treated certain people in this town?”

  Bam, bam, bam.

  Okay, so Marian clearly intended to go straight for the jugular.

  Tanya cleared her throat. She needed to show Marian she wouldn’t be pushed around, no matter the mistakes she’d made. “Sasha’s happy and wants to stay where she is. As for the third question, you’ve obviously heard all about the career-mad, money-hungry woman I was before I left. I expected nothing less than people in this town to take immense pleasure in telling others about the person I was back then.” She took a sip of her tea. “Fresh starts are practically forbidden in Templeton. A person either stays the same or they rock the boat. No one in the Cove likes someone who stirs up the waters...unfortunately, my return will undoubtedly do just that.”

  “You’ve got that wrong, for a start.”

  “Have I?”

  “I can safely say no one rocks the boat in this town more than me. If you can manage to shake off that big ole chip on your shoulder, there’s a good chance you’ll do just fine and dandy here. If you don’t...” She shrugged. “You’re likely to drown with the first incoming tide.”

  Tanya held Marian’s gaze, irritation burning hot in her stomach. “I’m back because this is where I need to be. Why, is nobody’s business but mine.”

  “Need or want?”

  Tanya frowned. How could a stranger, a woman who knew nothing about her, pick up on such a slip? “Fine, I’m back because the Cove is where I want to be. Sasha didn’t come with me because she enjoys her life in Bridgewater. She’s finally found somewhere she is happy, and with the man she needs to keep her that way.”

  “I’m glad.” Marian smiled. “I just about love the bones of that girl.”

  A stab of what felt far too much like envy to have someone say something so affectionate about her sister kicked Tanya’s heart. She quickly looked away from Marian’s unwavering gaze and stared toward the window. “So do I, so at least we have something in common.”

  “Oh, I think we have plenty more than that in common.”

  Tanya faced Marian. “Such as?”

  “Such as you might have lived here before but, for all intents and purposes, you’re a stranger in town.”

  Tanya stared. Did this woman know how much her words were hurting her? Or was she oblivious to Tanya’s loneliness and complete regret for what her impulsive and judgmental words and unsympathetic actions had done to people when she’d lived in Templeton before? “And?”

  “When I came into town with George, everyone looked at me as though I was a tiger in a cage. As though, at any moment, I would gnaw my way clean through the bars and damn well eat them. They’d wait with bated breath to see what I would do next. Who I was and why I was with good ole George Cohen just about riled every damn person who looked, spoke or insulted me. No one wanted to offer me friendship until they got to know me and my so-called agenda.”

  Tanya huffed out a laugh. “Sounds about right.”

  “So what do you think I did to become the respecte
d and loved person I am in the Cove today?”

  Tanya arched an eyebrow. “That’s quite a high opinion of yourself.”

  Marian narrowed her eyes. “Another thing we have in common.”

  Seconds passed...before she and Marian both grinned.

  Tanya laughed and held out her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Marian Cohen.”

  Marian put down her mug and closed her hand around Tanya’s. “Likewise.”

  Tanya shook Marian’s hand and relaxed into her seat. She regarded the formidable woman across the desk with curiosity—and a hefty dose of determination. They’d reached a clear understanding, but that didn’t mean Marian could be trusted. Tanya cleared her throat and crossed her arms. “So...what else do you want to know?”

  Marian picked up her mug. “Nothing...for now. But I do hope you’ll come to me to talk when you’re ready.”

  “Why?”

  Marian took a sip of her tea. “Because I know why you’re back.”

  Unease lifted the hairs at Tanya’s nape, but she stayed perfectly still, her poise practiced and perfected. “Oh?”

  “You’re back because you’re running home. Sasha told me how much you dislike Templeton and you’ve made your derision pretty clear to me today. Why come back to the Cove unless you needed someone, or something, you knew would still be here?”

  Heat seared Tanya’s cheeks as Marian’s suspicions hit the bull’s-eye. Hadn’t she returned in the hope Liam would accept her apology and still be there for her? Hoped he wouldn’t just help her slip back into Templeton’s community, but help her find the man who hurt Sasha when she was a child?

  She swallowed and forced her gaze to Marian’s. “This was my home for twenty-two years, I have every right to be here. I want to start over and make up for some of the hurt my decisions caused. But more than anything, I’m back to get some answers.” Goddamn it, why the hell did I say that?

  Marian narrowed her eyes, all friendliness vanishing from her gaze. “Answers to what?”

  “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  Tanya’s heart picked up speed. She needed answers to everything. Answers to who she was. Answers to where the man who hurt Sasha now hid. Answers about the depth of Liam’s pain and what she could do to atone for the careless way she’d treated him and their love.

  Marian cleared her throat and stood, sliding her purse from the desk and hitching the strap onto her shoulder. “The Cove is a good and safe place for anyone needing protection and kindness, but both need to be earned. You’d be wise to let others in. Prove you can be trusted with their offers of help. Because, believe me, the offers will come.

  “When I came in here, I was prepared for a showdown with what I had been told was one hard-nosed ball breaker. You’re a pussycat. A pussycat whose eyes tell me she’s afraid of her own shadow. You’re afraid to admit you’re as vulnerable and scared as the rest of us. Take my advice. Take off the mask and let us see the ugly. We won’t run away, promise.”

  Tanya stayed perfectly still as she battled the trembling in her body. She would not weaken. She would not reveal a single indication of how much Marian had rattled her. The older woman ran her gaze over Tanya’s face and hair before giving a knowing nod and heading for the door.

  Counting the seconds, Tanya concentrated on breathing until Marian stepped out onto the street and closed the door behind her.

  Tanya released her held breath.

  Now what? Was Marian right? Did Tanya need to take off the mask and start making some confessions and apologies already?

  Her stomach knotted, but Tanya pulled back her shoulders. She would seek out the people she had ignored, rejected and judged. She would own what she had done and hope they accepted her apologies. If they couldn’t, then she would learn to accept that and do everything in her power to ensure she never acted cruelly again.

  It was time to take action in every area of her plans, not just with the Party Place.

  * * *

  IT NEARED SIX o’clock by the time Liam walked along the sidewalk toward his office. The day’s blazing heat had yet to subside more than a degree or two, and his shirt stuck to his back like paper saturated in glue.

  He stared at the facade of Tanya’s office. The blinds were drawn, as they’d been when he’d left for court hours before, yet he sensed her still inside.

  Indecision battled with common sense as he glanced at the closed front door. All afternoon he’d alternated between concentrating on what people were saying to him at the courthouse, to wondering what Marian’s visit with Tanya had been about. More important, what Marian had said to her. The stark vulnerability and pleading in Tanya’s eyes when he’d been at her apartment remained branded on his mind. Marian was a fireball of a woman who should come with a warning.

  Eight years ago, he wouldn’t have wasted a moment’s thought about whether or not Tanya could handle Marian. However, the Tanya of today was an entirely different matter. He understood she’d had her share of difficulties since she’d left the Cove, but concern she wasn’t fully over them continued to nag at his consciousness.

  He inhaled deeply and looked both ways along the street before he strode toward Tanya’s office. This was it. If he knocked on her door, he was in for the long haul. Whatever was really going on with Tanya, he would get to the bottom of it and help her...because whatever it was, it spelled trouble. That much he was certain of, even if everything else about her was causing a mess of feelings in his gut.

  He rapped his knuckles on the door before trying the handle just as Marian had that afternoon when she’d walked straight inside.

  The door was locked.

  Liam waited for an indication that the office was empty, but he only became more certain that Tanya was inside.

  He knocked a second time.

  Nothing.

  He stepped toward the window and peered through the small gap between the frame and the closed blind. An array of glass display cabinets stood side by side, waiting to be filled with whatever party planners filled cabinets with, as well as a rolled rug or carpet. He was about to pull back and get his ass over to his own office where it belonged, when a very female shadow passed over the cabinets. Judging by the curve of breasts he remembered only too well, Tanya had just made herself visible. He smiled. “Got you.”

  He walked back to the door and bent down, pushing open the letter box. “Tanya, open up. I know you’re in there. Look, I just want to talk to you, okay?” Liam darted his gaze over the gleaming white floor tiles and a stack of boxes. “If you’re still upset about the whole ‘tossing you on the couch’ thing, I’m sor—”

  A brief glance of black denim–clad legs whipped into his limited vision before a lock clicked. Tanya flung the door open with such force he nearly fell face-first onto her office floor. He gripped the doorjamb and straightened.

  Her sad, dark brown eyes bored into his. “You’re right. We do need to talk.”

  “Good, because—”

  “She’s right.”

  Liam frowned. “Who?”

  “Marian.”

  “Ah. She bulldozed you, right? She talked so much sense at such speed you now feel like you’ve done something wrong, or not quick enough, or not the right way. We’ve all been on the receiving end of that. It’s what Marian does best.”

  She crossed her arms. “Why do I get the impression you’re finding it funny that I’m her latest victim?”

  He smiled. “You could never be anyone’s victim, but that doesn’t mean I want you upset by anyone, either.”

  “Right.”

  He frowned. “Are you okay?”

  She blinked. “I’m sorry I hurt you.”

  His smile dissolved and something inside kicked painfully. “What?”

  “I’m sorry for a lot of things, but I’m sorry for
hurting you most of all.”

  When a tear slipped down her cheek, Liam reached for her before he could think just how stupid a mistake that might be. “Hey, come here.”

  He dropped his briefcase and pulled her into his arms. She lowered her head onto his chest, her body trembling. What the hell had Marian said to her? He gently maneuvered Tanya inside.

  Keeping one hand on hers, Liam leaned down to retrieve his briefcase before kicking the door closed. Dropping the case a second time and leading Tanya to a low wooden cabinet, he lifted her up and settled her on top of it. Her knees parted and he stood between them...just the way he used to.

  His heart thundered with the sudden need to kiss her, to feel her warm, soft lips on his. He dropped his gaze to her mouth. He couldn’t do that. Correction, he wouldn’t do that. Unless she asked him to.

  He smoothed some fallen hair from her face. “What happened between us is in the past.”

  She stared deep into his eyes. “Is it?”

  He tightened his grip on her waist. In that moment, nothing felt in the past. She was here in his present and, God help him, he had a horrible feeling he’d soon want her in his future, too.

  “Kiss me, Liam.”

  Her whispered invitation cut through his heart and memory like a knife. He snapped his gaze to hers. “Tanya...”

  “Please. Just one kiss.”

  Her eyes were soft with pleading and when she flicked out her tongue to wet her lips, Liam came undone. A groan rumbled through his chest and into the quiet of the room before he leaned in and softly brushed his lips over hers. The contact, the memory, was too much to resist. He tightened his hold on her waist and took everything he’d missed for so damn long. Every hour, every week, every year of his past longing surged through him on an avalanche of pain that hurt as much as her abrupt departure.

  Yet he didn’t pull away, and he didn’t refrain from putting his tongue to hers and kissing her deeply, passionately. Her hands slid up his arms to score through the hair at the back of his neck, and like a man starved, he fed deeper, longer and harder.