Snap Decision

by Jami Davenport

  “Tyler, be careful. Don’t get in the middle of this. You won’t win with Brenda. Her hold is too strong. Let it be.” Now the menu was missing corners.

  “I don’t know.” Tyler stared into his coach’s stricken eyes. He saw how difficult this had been for him. “I still don’t completely understand why you gave up and went away. Why you didn’t fight?”

  “Because it hurt too much to try. Brenda didn’t make it easy for me, but I chose to walk away. That’s on me.”

  “Her mother is convincing.”

  “Andy filled me in on some of her stories. Judging by how he keeps me at arm’s length, I’d say he’s still uncertain who’s telling the truth.”

  “Damn.”

  “Tyler, form your own opinions. All of this state’s court records are online. Check it out for yourself. Run a background check on me. A badass like me should have domestic violence charges and DUIs, not to mention some kind of criminal record.”

  “I’ll do that.” Tyler shook his head as he stared at the now shredded menu.

  “Will you do one last thing for me?” Coach squirmed a bit in his chair, unlike the confident man Tyler knew and once idolized.

  “I might.” No way in hell would he commit to anything.

  “Tell my daughter I love her.”

  Picking up the tab, Coach walked out, leaving Tyler to sort out fact from fiction.

  * * * * *

  Tyler’s floatplane touched down at 11:58. He half expected the brothers to be standing on the runway with watches, hoping he’d screw up. They weren’t.

  Pausing on the large front porch of Twin Cedars, Tyler craned his neck to see Lavender’s house through the trees. The lights were out. He missed her. Too much. And they’d only been apart for a few hours. He fought the urge to go to her.

  Not tonight, because for once it wasn’t about him. He’d give her the space she’d requested. Besides, he had to sort this out in his own mind.

  He walked in the door of his chilly mansion. Coug sat on the arm of his leather chair and bitched his head off. After he took care of the opinionated cat, Tyler called his mother and got her out of bed. Groggy as she was, she listened to the entire sordid story about Lavender’s family dysfunction. Her advice was simple. Follow your heart. Do what you think is right but be prepared to live with the consequences.

  Tyler conference-called his sisters next. He wasn’t surprised to find out they were still up at this ungodly hour. He explained the situation to them, minus the part about Coach’s daughter being not just his neighbor but his lover.

  Unearthing dirt and getting to the truth happened to be a hobby of theirs. Being two of the nosiest women he’d ever known with type triple-A personalities, they were on it like All-Pro defensive ends on a rookie quarterback.

  Instead of going to bed, Tyler did his own research. He found the county website for property information and typed his coach’s name in the search field. Brian Gerloch owned 142 Twin Cedar Lane. Not Lavender’s mother. Not her stepfather. But her father. He’d caught Belinda Mead in an out-and-out lie. Possibly one of many.

  Tyler rubbed his eyes and glanced at the clock. Four. Shit. Yet he couldn’t stop, not now.

  Searching online, he uncovered summaries of court records, no details. He ran a few background checks on Gerloch and came up with nothing. No protection orders, no records of domestic violence, no DUIs, no drug charges, nothing. If she lied about legal issues easily proven false, what else would she lie about?

  His sisters knew people and would get to the bottom of it. His job would be to figure out what to do with the information once he received it. Any way he looked at it, it wouldn’t be pretty.

  A sick feeling took root and grew in the pit of his stomach. This might not end well for Lavender or him.

  Several hours and no sleep later, he had lots of questions and no answers.

  Chapter 24—Protecting the Blind Side

  When it came to Tyler Harris, Lavender embraced dishonesty—with herself.

  For example, she didn’t perk up when she heard his deep, teasing voice. And certainly, she would never crane her neck to get a glimpse of his to-die-for body. Nor did she live for matching wits with him. Last of all, she’d never lie awake at night wondering where he was. Yup, definitely a first-class liar and a lousy one.

  That very morning her mother showed up and had a heart-to-heart with her about Tyler and his track record. She was worried he’d break Lavender’s heart and didn’t want to see her daughter hurt like that.

  Lavender didn’t want to end it with Tyler, not yet. Once Tyler headed back to the mainland, the problem would solve itself. Until then she’d keep her mom in the dark, like she was when it came to her brief encounter with her father.

  Lavender glanced up when the bar door opened. She’d been doing a lot of that all afternoon and evening. Tyler walked through the door, looking as gorgeous as ever in his usual faded jeans, scuffed cowboy boots, and well-worn, long-sleeved T-shirt. Her heart caught in her throat and took up residence. She breathed a sigh of relief. He’d been MIA since last night’s disaster at the awards banquet.

  Last night when Lavender had caught a seat on a floatplane just as it was about to leave Lake Union, she recognized the pilot as the same one from the night before. He recognized her. His knowing smile indicated he’d seen more of her than she’d hoped, which only added to her misery, as fate plotted against her. The older lady sitting next to her chattered nonstop about knitting and cooking all the way back. Lavender smiled and nodded through her pain, not hearing a word the woman said.

  All she’d wanted to do was curl into a little ball and cry herself sick until she’d run dry of tears and fallen asleep. A few hours later, she did just that, except for the sleep part. Then her mother interrupted her pity party. Lavender never mentioned her brief encounter with Brian Gerloch.

  By the time Tyler parked his fine ass on his favorite barstool, Lavender was dragging. She poured a beer and slid it across to him. He thanked her. His steady gaze held hers as he worked his jaw, a sure sign something was on his mind.

  Finally he spoke. “I’m sorry about last night. Coach wasn’t supposed to be there.” He leaned across the counter and took her small hand in his large calloused one. “I’d never put you through that on purpose. I hope you know that.” A flicker of regret substantiated the sincerity of his apology.

  Lavender looked away, choking up again. She cleared her throat but still couldn’t find her voice.

  A sad smile floated across his lips. “El, I’m sorry. I really am.”

  She nodded, pulled her hand free, and turned away, wiping at her face with a napkin. The weekend had shaken up her house of cards, and she doubted it would survive.

  “Have you considered giving him a second chance? He seems really sorry.”

  She turned around and faced him. “I can’t.”

  He looked at his beer as if it held life’s answers, then raised his gaze back to hers. Dark circles ringed his eyes and weariness shone there. Stress creased his handsome face.

  “You talked to him after I left, didn’t you?”

  Warily, like a man walking through a den of snakes, Tyler spoke with quiet determination. “Yeah. There are things you should know.”

  “The only thing I need to know is that I love my mom, she’s always been there for me, and he wasn’t.” Grabbing a bar rag, Lavender walked around the counter.

  “El, I—” He stood and held his hands out in a gesture of surrender, looking lost, and she almost caved and ran into his arms.

  “Drop it. I’ve asked you over and over. You don’t learn, do you?” She snapped the bar rag and hit him on his thigh, dangerously close to his prized possessions. He jumped back, obviously fearing for his boys’ well-being. He tried one more time by taking a half step forward. She snapped the bar rag again. He yelped as it narrowly missed his crotch.

  “What the fu—hell is wrong with you?”

  “Leave, please.” She twisted the towel in her h
ands.

  Keeping his eyes on her, Tyler backed to the door with Lavender dogging his every step, towel at the ready. He lunged out the door and slammed it hard enough to shake the windows.

  * * * * *

  Tyler stood on the back porch on a rare sunny day and sipped his cup of coffee. Lavender drove out of her driveway and never looked his way.

  He sighed. He’d screwed up again and been an insensitive ass, as usual. For two days, he’d stayed away, let her cool down.

  But damn, he missed her.

  He’d never worn regret well, but regret his actions he did. A lot. In fact, he felt like crap inside. Dredging up this stuff about her father hurt her deeply and uprooted her life. Damned if he knew whether it’d be worth it in the end for all of them.

  A smart man would butt out, just as Coach warned him, but Tyler’s pigheadedness outweighed his intelligence. Always had.

  Tyler’s father died without reconciling with his own father. Ryan died unable to say goodbye to his mother. If he’d learned anything, he’d learned life was too short for such bullshit. Too short for regrets. Better to try and fail than to regret not trying. Maybe he should follow his own frigging advice. Live so you won’t have regrets on judgment day.

  And what would he regret when his ninety days on the island were up?

  Tyler leaned on the railing and stared out at the peaceful bay. Sun shone on the water, and the old dock creaked from the wake of a passing motorboat. A seagull dropped an oyster on the dock to break it then dove down to collect his reward. A smile twitched at the corners of Tyler’s mouth.

  Smart bird.

  It was a beautiful spring day, warmer than usual, and Tyler decided to take a walk around the estate and make a list of outside projects.

  He liked it here. This place gave him peace. It felt like home more than his ritzy Seattle condo ever had. For two more weeks, it was home.

  Gravel crunched in Lavender’s driveway, and his heart sped up a beat. Expectantly, he swung his gaze swung back to her little house. Her mother’s car turned into the driveway as disappointment flooded through him.

  While Larry sat in the car reading a newspaper, Brenda walked up the front steps and tried the door. The door opened, and she disappeared into her daughter’s house. Larry continued to read the paper, as if he expected to be there a while.

  Tyler waited, expecting Brenda to exit in a minute or two. She didn’t. His eyes narrowed. The minutes ticked by. He checked his watch. Twenty minutes passed.

  Unable to stand it any longer, Tyler slipped over to Lavender’s and opened the unlocked door.

  With her back to him, Brenda Mead rummaged through the contents of a file cabinet. Silently, Tyler watched as she picked up a folder of pictures and sorted through them. She wadded one up into a ball and tossed it in the nearby garbage can. What the hell?

  “What are you doing here?”

  Brenda spun around at the sound of his voice. The guilt on her face said it all. “I, uh, I’m looking for a bill we need to pay. What are you doing here?”

  “The door was unlocked. I knew Lavender wasn’t home. I’m a good neighbor and thought I’d check it out.” His gaze never wavered but neither did Brenda’s. Like two prizefighters, they sized up each other. Brenda’s expression was pleasant, wiped of all signs of guilt. She gave the impression she was innocent of any wrongdoing. Before he’d talked to Coach, he’d have bought her act and not thought another word about it. Now he was plagued with doubts and suspicions.

  “Well, thank you for watching out for my daughter. Your diligence gives me comfort.” She stepped in front of the desk like she was trying to block his view.

  He bent down, retrieved a wad of paper from the nearby wastebasket, and uncrumpled it. Brenda stiffened, and her eyes grew big. Tyler’s heart pounded in his chest. He didn’t want to see anything incriminating, but he did.

  “You just threw this away.” He waved the crumpled picture of Lavender and her father in front of Brenda’s face.

  “She must have thrown it away.” Brenda fixated on the picture in his hand.

  “I saw you do it.”

  “I care about her.”

  “Do you? Or do you care more about yourself?” His thoughts escaped as words before he could stop them. Strained silence stretched between them. Tension clawed the air. Brenda sized him up, as if debating whether he was friend or foe. Most likely he landed on the foe side with that remark.

  “This is about him, isn’t it?”

  Tyler nodded.

  “Lavender doesn’t want a relationship with her father, and I’m only looking out for her best interests.

  “You need to leave now.” Brenda pointed toward the door, her tone chillier than a winter day in Cascade Mountains.

  “Neither one of us has a right to be here without Lavender’s permission.”

  The door opened, and both of them turned toward it. Confused, Lavender hesitated in the doorway. Larry hovered behind her, wisely staying out of the line of fire.

  “What’s going on here?” Lavender looked from Tyler to her mother. “What are you doing in my house? Both of you?”

  Neither of them said a word. They’d been caught red-handed in her house without her permission.

  “What’s going on here? You first.” She pointed at Tyler.

  “I saw your mother over here, and knew you weren’t home. I found her going through your file cabinet.” He pointed at the open drawer on the file cabinet and waited expectantly for Lavender’s reaction over being violated by someone she trusted.

  Lavender looked at her mother and sighed, as if this had happened before. “Mom, you know I hate that.”

  Open-mouthed, Tyler was rendered speechless. Probably a good thing or he’d find a way to dig himself deeper. Brenda took the opportunity to grab the paper from his hand and shove it in her purse. Lavender didn’t seem to notice.

  “Honey, I was looking for a bill I need to pay. I’m sorry. You know I always have your best interests at heart. I’m sorry. I didn’t know where you were, and I was in a hurry.” She smiled sympathetically.

  Tyler knew better than to involve himself in a family dispute. He bit back what he really wanted to say. Now wasn’t the time. He’d spent several hours with his sisters yesterday going over copies of paperwork they’d dredged up, proving Brenda a liar on several fronts, such as child support, ownership of this very property, and court papers filed on more than one occasion by Brian alleging that Brenda interfered with visitation, countered by her claims of emotional abuse and neglect.

  Brenda stepped forward, patting Lavender’s hand. “Honey, we’re just concerned about you. Forgive me.”

  “I do, Mom. It’s okay. I should’ve answered your calls. I’ve had a tough few days.”

  “Oh, no, what is it? Could I help?”

  “No, it’s something I have to work out on my own.”

  He ground his teeth together until his jaw hurt. Lavender deserved the truth, despite the possible repercussions. While his coach wasn’t entirely blameless, the guy was also the victim of a vindictive ex-wife.

  Turning to him, Lavender pointed toward the open front door. “Ty, I’ll talk to you later.”

  Tyler hesitated. The lead weight in his stomach warned he might have stepped out of bounds on the last play of the game. His arguments would make matters worse right now. Lavender needed to come to her own conclusions in her own time.

  He flashed back to last few months and how far they’d both come, how much he looked forward to being around her, how she made him see things about himself no one else ever did. She’d turned his image of himself upside down and inside out.

  Lavender thought he was worthy, thought he made a difference. She didn’t see him as a failure. Just by her kind words, he’d gained back a piece of his self-worth, started to see his life for what it was and how he could make it better. She’d given him hope. Even more, she’d given him something fragile and precious. He refused to put a name to it for fear it would slip away.
When she was around, he felt alive, content, passionate yet comfortable. Things seemed right, like they’d known each other for a lifetime, not a few months. She’d taught him a lot about himself without even trying. When she wasn’t around, her absence left an empty hole only she could fill.

  Now her expression told him to go away, and her rejection hurt like hell.

  Frustrated and powerless, Tyler ran his gaze over Larry and Brenda. For a second, Brenda dropped her sweet façade, and he saw a flicker of triumph in her eyes. He glowered briefly at her and left.

  She might have sacked him for a loss on fourth down, but he’d be damned if they’d win the game.

  * * * * *

  Lavender sported the Super Bowl of all headaches.

  After mother had left, she’d noticed the folder of photographs of her father, no longer in the filing cabinet. Her mother must have pulled them out. She hadn’t said a thing about them. Brian Gerloch was such a sore subject with her mother. She probably felt betrayed. Lavender was torn between guilt and something she couldn’t explain. She had a right to have pictures of her father. She couldn’t completely wipe out his existence as much as she wanted to. Seeing him had brought all the pain and loss flooding back, and she’d spent too much time thinking about him lately.

  A sliver of doubt crept into her thoughts. Her mother had been in her house without her permission. Looking for a bill? What kind of bill? Why was the folder of her father’s pictures out of the file cabinet?

  She couldn’t ask her mother. Doing so involved a confrontation she wasn’t ready to have.

  Tyler knew more than he’d let on, and she’d start with him. She sprinted across the field to the old mansion, suddenly desperate to know what he knew, even if she regretted it later. He’d sliced open those old wounds by taking her to Seattle. He’d been evasive about what had happened after she’d left.

  Not bothering to knock or ring the doorbell, Lavender wrenched Tyler’s front door open. She hurried down the hallway into the den. He sat in his chair, drinking a beer and watching a basketball game, as if he hadn’t a care in the world. Cougar was draped across his chest.