Her Hometown Redemption

by Rachel Brimble

  When Liam slipped his hand around hers, Tanya couldn’t be sure whether it was a protective or annoyed gesture, but, either way, she was grateful for the support. He led her to a free table. “Grab a seat.” Liam’s eyes glittered with concern as they locked on hers. “Scott’s all right. He won’t give you any hassle, but if he tries, I won’t let him, okay?”

  She nodded. “Neither will I.”

  Liam held her gaze for a moment before turning to Scott as he approached. He slid onto a seat beside Tanya and lifted his eyebrows. “Well, you’re certainly a blast from the past.”

  Tanya smiled. “Hi, Scott.”

  Liam sat beside her, but Tanya kept her gaze on Scott’s as he appraised her. He lifted his beer bottle to his mouth. “You back to stay?”

  Tanya sighed, surrendering to the inevitability that she would be asked this particular question a lot more over the next few weeks. “That’s the plan. And, since you’re asking, I assume you haven’t seen Lucy today?”

  Scott’s casual, devil-may-care expression abruptly vanished. He leaned forward. “Why? Is she okay?”

  Tanya couldn’t help wondering what it would be like to have an older brother to look out for her and Sasha. She didn’t doubt for one minute Scott would’ve had Davidson’s ass pinned to the wall years ago if he had as much as looked at Bianca, Ella or Lucy.

  Tanya took a sip of her drink. “She’s great. I’ve taken her on as my assistant. I’m opening a new party planning business next week. I think she and I will work great together.”

  His body relaxed and he smiled. “You’ve given her a job? Well, that’s great. Really great. It’s just what she needs right now. Working for you will take her mind off other things.”

  Concern for Lucy bloomed and the urge to ask what had happened with Scott and Lucy’s dad danced on Tanya’s tongue. She shoved her questions away. God knew, she didn’t want people asking what had been going on in her life. She’d extend the same courtesy to Lucy. Yet, she couldn’t help hoping sooner or later Lucy would talk to her if she needed to.

  “Well, good. She’s as pretty as a picture, too. You must be very proud of her.”

  “I am.” Scott looked to Liam and back again. “So enough with the chitchat. What can I do for you?”

  Liam leaned his elbows on the table. “We need to talk to you about Funland.”

  Tanya coughed. “What Liam means to say is, now I’m back, I want to do something nice for Sasha as a thank-you for letting me stay at her place while I get settled.”

  Scott frowned. “And that involves Funland? I don’t understand why you think I can help. I don’t know anything about the place.”

  Praying her sudden concocted story didn’t sound as flimsy to Scott’s ears as it did in her head, she shrugged. “You know how Sasha felt about the fair. I thought it would be a good idea to make up a collage of Funland back in the day. I don’t have any photographs of it from when we were kids, but you and your friends hung out there a lot more than I ever did. It would be even better if you have any pictures of Sasha at the fair back then. She didn’t want to leave last year, but—”

  “Love hit her like a lightning bolt. Tell me about it.” Scott grinned, pride lighting his eyes. “Do you know I have a little girl now? My Belle. Here, take a look.”

  Tanya met Liam’s eyes and he winked. This was going to be easier than either of them could’ve hoped. Scott was mellower, happier, than Tanya ever remembered him. Surely this soft new daddy Scott would help them.

  Photographs tumbled from Scott’s wallet as he proudly spread out pictures of the prettiest little girl Tanya had ever laid eyes on. She picked up one of Scott and his daughter smiling into the camera at Cowden Beach.

  “Wow, she looks just like you.” Tanya’s heart kicked to see such joy in Scott’s eyes. Would she ever feel that, too? Would she ever marry? Have kids of her own? She swallowed and handed him back the picture. “Sasha didn’t tell me the Cove’s bad boy had settled down these past years since I’ve been gone.”

  Scott flicked a glance at Liam and gathered the pictures into a pile. “Not years. Just since Christmas.”

  “Christmas? But your daughter must be—”

  “It’s a long story.” Scott shook his head. “One I’m sure Lucy will be more than happy to tell you.”

  Tanya laughed. “Well, Templeton secrets and stories are clearly as abundant as they’ve always been.” Yeah, including yours. She hastily took a drink and returned her glass to the table. “So, do you have any old photos of Funland I could borrow for a day or two? I just need to make copies and I’ll get them right back to you.”

  Scott frowned. “From when we were kids, right?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “It might take a while to find them, but I’m pretty sure I’ve got a few somewhere. Why don’t I take a look tonight and get Lucy to bring them to work tomorrow.”

  Tanya could barely contain the anticipation bubbling inside her. “Perfect.”

  They lapsed into momentary silence before Scott spoke again. “So, where’s your new business and how did my baby sister come to be working there?”

  Tanya opened her mouth to respond, but Liam got there first. “Right opposite my office.”

  Scott grinned. “Well, if that isn’t a coincidence, I don’t know what is.”

  The implication was clear and Tanya avoided Liam’s gaze as she shrugged. “As for how Lucy ended up working there...two words. Leah Dixon.”

  Scott laughed. “Ah, enough said.”

  They exchanged grins and Tanya relaxed. Scott would deliver without further questions. He was a good guy. Tanya suspected he might always have been, except she had chosen to listen to the gossip surrounding him instead of getting to know him herself. Yet another thing she’d been forced to learn through her mistakes. Gossip could sometimes wound a person like knives plunged into the heart.

  The buzzing of the bar fell to relative quiet once more.

  Scott whipped his head around to face the TV. “Second half.” He stood and nodded to Liam and then Tanya. “I’ll have a look for those photos tonight and hopefully Lucy can bring something to you in the morning.”

  Tanya smiled. “Thanks.”

  “No problem.”

  Scott walked away and Liam got up from his seat and slid into Scott’s, his gaze on the TV. “First step taken. Let’s hope it’s more successful than Manchester United’s run this year. All you need to do now is talk to Sasha.”

  Tanya sighed and picked up her drink. The sooner she spoke to Sasha the better.

  CHAPTER NINE

  TANYA CLOSED HER eyes and dropped her head into her hand, propping her elbow on her desk. “I understand you won’t be able to keep John out of the loop for much longer, Sash. I’m just asking for a little longer.”

  Sasha sighed. “He’s going to go mad.”

  “He won’t if we find Davidson.” Tanya opened her eyes and stared toward the decorated window display. “It will be a new start for you, him—”

  “And you.”

  Tanya stiffened. “Don’t say that.”

  “What?”

  “Liam has already implied plenty of times I am doing this for myself. I’m not, which is why I promised him I would call you today and let you know what has happened so far.” She shook her head. “Not that it’s a lot.”

  “All I’m saying is, John and I are starting to move past Funland, past Matt bloody Davidson. John has made peace with the way his father led his life and I have almost made peace with what happened to me. I’m scared, Tanya. I want Davidson locked up, but that doesn’t mean I’m looking forward to his day...and mine...in court if we find him.”

  “I know.” Tears burned Tanya’s eyes. “But if he’s gone, you’ll be happier, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “
That’s why I’m doing this.” Tanya swallowed. “Maybe I did start with the feeling I had to atone for not being there when you needed me, Sash, but it’s so much more than that now.” She gripped the phone tighter and stared toward Liam’s office. “Davidson messed up your life and Mum’s life. Her actions changed me and made me into someone I never really liked, no matter how much I told myself otherwise. With Davidson behind bars, we can all start over. Can’t we?”

  Tanya waited as her heart beat out the silent seconds. She inhaled as a strange sense of liberation whispered through her. The acknowledgment, the ownership, of what Davidson symbolized in her family’s life was freeing. She wasn’t perfect. She’d made mistakes, done things for the wrong reasons...but finding and making Davidson pay wasn’t one of them.

  “Sash?”

  Her sister’s exhalation seeped down the line. “You’re right. Until he’s gone...really gone, none of us can move on. Do what you have to do. Find him, Tanya. Find him for me, you, Mum and John. Find the bastard and I will stand up in court and tell the whole damn world what that piece of scum did to me.”

  Sasha’s voice cracked and Tanya’s tears broke. “I will. I promise.”

  “I love you.”

  “Love you, too.”

  The line went dead and Tanya put her phone on her desk. Taking a deep breath, she stood and strolled to the window. The sun was a perfect ball of fire in a clear blue sky. The sidewalks shimmered beneath its rays and the office and shop windows sparkled. The Todd family deserved a new day as bright and full of promise as this one, and she would make it so.

  She strode toward a display cabinet, barely able to contain her eagerness for Lucy to arrive. Having been there since seven-thirty, nine o’clock seemed to be taking forever to roll around. Tanya’s mind drifted again to Davidson, as she tried to concentrate on the task of arranging wedding stationery and decorations. Her night’s sleep had been fitful at best, her thoughts and heart filled with what it would mean for her to find him, and also about Liam and how quickly he’d agreed to help her...and of course, his kiss.

  Physical need for him swept through her as Tanya remembered his hands on her face and body. She longed to tell him about her returning feelings but knew it would be too much too soon. Insecurity and doubt were her new best friends, and right now, they wreaked havoc with her decision making. Blurting anything out to Liam could lead to disaster.

  A relationship would require her to be stronger than she believed capable right now. If she bailed on him again... Tanya closed her eyes. Or maybe it would be him leaving her this time? Questions and scenarios whirled in her head. Once the white noise had lessened to a low hum, she opened her eyes and closed the cabinet.

  Pushing her fears for the future far away where they couldn’t hurt her, she stood back to survey her handiwork. Satisfaction that the display was as eye-catching as possible, Tanya returned to her desk. She pulled a notepad closer and perused her to-do list, copying tasks onto another pad, which she would delegate to Lucy.

  She chewed the top of her pen and stared toward the front door. Maybe the best way to garner some deeper trust from Liam was to share something more of herself with him. She owed him something in return for his agreement to help her find Davidson. Liam was here for her now just as he’d always been, yet she’d given him nothing in return after disrespecting his love for her. If she told him her past mistakes a little at a time, for better or worse, she’d find out how committed he was to them reconnecting as friends...maybe even lovers further along the road.

  Plus, she’d discover just how courageous she was about admitting her failures and mistakes to the one person whose opinion mattered more to her than any other in the Cove.

  No more taking without giving.

  Desperation to have Liam believe and trust in her as he had before she walked away would push her forward. She had to meet him halfway this time around. No more thinking about herself, and herself only. He deserved to know everything that was going on with her then and now. His insistence she speak to Sasha had hurt, but hadn’t he been right? This was Sasha’s story, not hers.

  Tears burned as a reminder of her previously selfish wants tore through her body. How could she not have known that a person could only go on for so long rejecting love in favor of money and status before they burned out? Hadn’t Liam—and others—told her time and again there needed to be balance? Her disdain of people’s desires and choices, her unashamed dismissal of her family’s roots and rebuff of anyone who dared to suggest a semblance of closeness had resulted in a lonely life. Tanya exhaled. She’d learned her lessons well and had nothing—and no one—with whom to share her long-awaited wisdom.

  Blinking, she opened one of her desk drawers. She drew out her medication and gripped the bottle as warring emotions of shame and strength enveloped her. Her truth would be out sooner or later, and she didn’t want Liam to think she had lied to him about who she was today, even by omission.

  There was only so long she could keep her breakdown from him. There was only so long an upcoming court case could be kept under wraps—especially from a lawyer.

  Shoplifting. She was a shoplifter at the grand old age of thirty.

  She stared at her bottle of pills.

  More than once, she’d seen the confusion mixed with concern in Liam’s eyes as he carefully watched her. He knew something far worse was going on with her than what she’d told him.

  Humiliation over her anxiety pinched hot at her cheeks and Tanya tossed the bottle back in the drawer, slamming it closed. The next time she saw him, she would start her confessions. One at a time. She had to give him the chance to walk away from her, as she had him. That was the fairest thing she could do. What else did she have to offer him but the choice of liberation from her and her problems?

  The front door opened and Tanya looked up.

  Lucy walked in and shut the door. Tanya forced her shoulders to relax, before she tensed again, remembering Lucy could have photos from Scott. Her focus immediately shot to the purse Lucy had slung across her chest. “Lucy. Good morning.”

  Lucy approached the desk. “Well, good morning to you, too.” Her smile wavered. “Are you okay?”

  “Of course.” Tanya stood and rounded the desk. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

  A faint blush darkened Lucy’s cheeks. “Well, you look...a little buzzed.”

  “Buzzed?”

  “You know, excited, happy...buzzed.”

  Tanya huffed out a laugh and opened her arms in a gesture of apology. “Sorry. I’m just glad you’re here. Time’s flying by and we have to get this place shipshape and ready for the big opening on Saturday. I’m getting a little nervous, that’s all.”

  Lucy glanced around the office. “Well, I think what you’ve done already looks great. This job really means the world to me. I won’t let you down.” She looked toward the picture window at the front of the office. “Is there a reason the blinds are still shut?”

  The question jolted Tanya from her manic staring at Lucy’s bag. “What do you mean?”

  “Well, it’s just an idea, but I thought rather than hiding what you’re doing from passersby, it might be good to start them talking about what you have to offer instead. It’s going to look beautiful in here. If I replicate a window display to match what we do inside, it will draw attention and, hopefully, get tongues wagging.”

  Lucy’s enthusiasm dispelled a little of Tanya’s self-loathing and she smiled. “We could make a wedding display. Have bottles of champagne, confetti, a cake...”

  Lucy nodded, her eyes bright. “Nibbles and decorations.” She strode to Tanya’s desk and put down her purse, her face flushed with youthful excitement. “I’m going to love this job. I just know it.”

  Tanya’s gaze once more fell on Lucy’s bag. The suspense was killing her, and Lucy hadn’t even confirmed whether or not Scott had giv
en her any photographs. If she asked, her eagerness might cause Lucy to suspect the photographs were about something far more important than a collage. Sasha had said involving the police was one thing, but she didn’t want the entire Cove to know her business.

  Tanya waved toward one of the two client chairs in front of her desk. “Grab a seat. We’ll put our heads together and decide what we want to do and how to do it. Do you want coffee?”

  Lucy nodded. “That would be great. Milk and one sugar, please.”

  “Coming right up.”

  “Ooh, I almost forgot.”

  Tanya’s breath caught and she turned.

  Lucy unzipped her bag. “Scott asked me to give you these.” She held up an envelope. “He wasn’t sure if they were what you were looking for.” She laughed. “But you should’ve seen him going through his old photo albums last night. He was like a kid at Christmas, filling Carrie in on the good old days.”

  Coffee abandoned, Tanya made a concerted effort to walk to the desk rather than run. She sat and pulled the envelope toward her. “Well, I’m grateful for whatever he could find.”

  She pulled out a handful of pictures, her heart thundering. One by one, she glanced at them, her disappointment growing as one after the other showed just Scott and his mates. Until the last one. Tanya’s heart nearly burst from her chest.

  “Tanya? Are you okay?” Lucy’s voice drifted across the space between them.

  “I’m fine.” She swallowed, her gaze welded to the dark-haired man standing behind Sasha. “It’s a picture of my sister. She looks so young.” Tanya turned the photograph over, hoping someone had dated it as she so seldom did her own photographs. Satisfaction furled in her stomach when the penned date put Sasha at age twelve. “Got you,” she murmured.

  “Got who?”

  Tanya snapped her head up and met Lucy’s curious gaze, forcing a smile. “I asked Scott for some old pictures of my sister growing up. This is great. I really appreciate it.”

  Lucy leaned across the desk and gazed intently at the picture. “And who’s the guy with her? Your brother?”