Taking Tiffany (14 page)

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.

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 still 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.

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”

I tried to smile.

“I don’t know if Jain’s told you this, but I’ve gone through the same thing.”

“What’s that?”

“Extreme heartbreak. Actually, twice now.” He shook his head. “You’d think I’d learn after the first time,” he said with a grin. He had a great smile.

“I don’t know if I’m heartbroken yet. I mean, I’m not sure what happened really. I needed to take a breather.” But I kind of knew already. I just didn’t want to admit it to myself.

“Well, I’m a good shoulder if you need it. If you ever want some fresh air, I plan to take my boat out almost every weekend this summer. You can jump aboard anytime.”

We pulled up in front of my condo.

“Thanks, Erik. You’re a lifesaver. Really.”

“It was my pleasure. And I was serious, Tiffany.” He reached into his jacket, pulled out a card, and handed it to me. “Call me anytime. If you need a distraction…or whatever.”

He was flirting again, but I didn’t care. My stomped-on ego needed a little CPR. I laughed. “Thanks, Erik.”

Five minutes after I arrived home, loud knocking sounded on my door. I looked through the peephole and saw Todd’s beautiful, distraught face waiting for me to answer. Rubbing his temples with his brows bunched together, he looked about ready to bust down the door.

I wasn’t sure if I was ready to talk to him, but I opened the door anyway.

“Tiffany.” He rushed to me and tried to take me in his arms.

I backed up and held my hands up. “We need to talk,” I said. I motioned him into the living room, and we both sat down.

Disappointment flooded his features. His warm brown eyes turned sad. “Don’t, Tiffany.”

“Don’t what?”

“Don’t go there. I was in shock. I wasn’t expecting to see Savannah, especially at your parents’ home.”

“I saw a lot more than shock. And don’t forget… scratch that. You did forget—my name.” I glared at him.
Try to talk your way out of that one.

“I’m so sorry. She was the last person I expected to see. It just took a few moments to process it.”

“Why was she there at the party?” I asked.

“I don’t know. She said she wanted to talk to me, but I left to find you.”

Well, that part was good.

“What if she wants you back?” I whispered.

“I won’t go back. I want you. You’re the one I love.” He tried to take my hand.

I kept it on my lap. “You have four years of history with Savannah. We have two months.”

“You were the one who made me feel alive again. I’ve had feelings for you a lot longer than two months. You know that.”

I nodded. “But not four years.”

“It’s history. Sure, there may have been some things that were unresolved, but I don’t care about that.”

“I care.” I took a deep breath. “I can’t deal with her in the background, always wondering if you’ll go back to her.”

“I won’t. Trust me.”

Trust. Such a simple word for an emotion that was more complex than the theory of consciousness. At one point, I thought I’d understood it, and then the concept slipped through my brain, never to return. I’d lost it with Fletcher and never got it back.

“I want to trust you.” Big, fat tears rolled down my face.

“Tiffany, I won’t let you down. I promise.” His face held the sweetest, most sincere expression.

“Can I ask you a favor?”

“Anything.”

“You’re going to have to be honest with me about Savannah. I mean about everything. That’s what I need right now, especially with her in town. Can you do that?”

“Of course.”

 “When Fletcher cheated, the first thing I noticed were the little lies. Any kind of lie, even one of omission, is huge for me. I want to make sure that isn’t a problem for you.”

“No, it isn’t,” he assured me.

“Before she leaves town, you’ll need to talk to her. You need closure—right?”

He responded slowly. “Yes, we should have a short talk.”

“I’m going to worry about it, you know. If you decide you want to go back to her—”

“I won’t,” he interrupted.

“Wait, let me finish. I can’t deal with lies and sneaking around. I need total and complete honesty.”

“You have it.”

“You promise?”

“Yes. Look at me.”

Our eyes connected, and I smiled. I saw everything in his beautiful, brown eyes—truth and love. The two things I needed most. “Okay, then.” I smiled.

“Really? Oh, thank God!” He jumped out of his chair and grabbed me, pulling me to him. “You scared me,” he breathed.

“I scared myself. I think I can wrestle with this trust thing. Give me time.”

“I’ll give you all the time in the world.”

He kissed me, and it was like the day never happened.

Almost