“Working like a crazy person.” But Bas grinned and his tone made it clear that Rachel’s working habits didn’t upset him. “She’s allocated me exactly an hour tonight.”
Tanner raised a brow.
Another flash of teeth. “She’s clearing the decks for our honeymoon.”
“Where are you guys going?”
“Aruba.” Bas sighed. “The surf. White sand. And, more importantly, no cell phones.”
“That bad?”
“Not bad,” Bas said, navigating the airport’s exit. “But Rach and I both have a hard time turning it off sometimes.”
“I know the feeling,” Tanner agreed. “Always seems to be one more thing to do, another project to squeeze in.”
A punch to his arm. “Which is why I appreciate you coming to the wedding. I know your work schedule is just as crazy as ours. Where are you heading next? Antarctica? Some uninhabited part of the Amazon? Or, to keep with A’s, Australia?”
Funny story, Tanner wasn’t actually going anywhere.
That’s what happened when a man burned out at the top of his career. Or at least, that was the route he’d taken, fucking idiot that he was.
He just hadn’t told anyone yet.
“Well, actually—”
Bas’s cell rang. “Oh, sorry, man. That’s Rachel. I should make sure she’s—”
“Don’t have to explain to me,” he said. “Pick up.”
Since Bas had already pressed the button to answer the call, his reassurance was moot. Rachel’s—or what he assumed was Rachel’s—voice filled the car’s speakers.
“Hey, babe,” she said. “I grabbed a table. Has Tanner’s flight landed yet?”
“Yup. His ass is currently plunked into the passenger’s seat.”
“Tell him to not mess with my settings,” she said, laughter lacing her tone. “I just got the recline perfect.”
“Hi,” Tanner said. “That recline sounds serious. I’ll be on my best behavior.”
“Hi, Tanner,” she said. “I’m kidding about the seat, obviously. Live vicariously and recline all you want.”
“Noted,” he said. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“You, too.” She had a nice voice—warm and kind. “I’ll let you two catch up, though I hope you like tacos.”
“Love them,” he replied, smirking inwardly because at heart he was a twelve-year-old boy. And also because after spending the last six months in the most remote parts of Southeast Asia, it had been way too long since he’d had tacos of any variety, food, female, or otherwise. “Carnitas?”
“Of course. This place has the best . . .”
They spent a few more minutes exchanging pleasantries before Rachel broke off. “Oh! Kels just walked in. I’m going to grab her. See you guys soon!”
Click.
But he barely registered the sound of Rachel hanging up.
Because—
“Kelsey’s here, too?” he asked, gut twisting. He hadn’t heard from her in years, random call almost a year back aside. She’d phoned out of the blue, apologizing for being a bitch to him in the past, for ruining things between them, when clearly he’d been the asshole who’d blown it and then hadn’t been able to recognize that in time to get her back.
He’d assumed the call had come because she was drunk, though she’d assured him otherwise. But why she was holding on to guilt about their fling going south when she hadn’t played any part didn’t make any sense.
He should have known better.
He should have done better.
The only thing he could make sense of was that they were both young and impulsive, and while neither of them were so young anymore, Kelsey didn’t appear to have grown out of the impulsiveness.
Bas smiled. “Yeah. It’s great,” he said. “She moved out here not too long ago, so I actually get to see her now and then.” Another nudge of his shoulder against Tanner’s. “You don’t mind walking her down the aisle, do you?”
And considering Tanner had once contemplated that very same action—before he’d panicked and ruined things—he couldn’t do anything but force a matching smile and nod.
“Of course, I don’t mind.”
Whether Kelsey would, was a completely different story.
Three
Kelsey
Tacos.
The only reason she could get through that night.
Well, tacos and nacho cheese dip and prickly pear margaritas.
Fitting that her favorite alcoholic drink involved the word prickly, given that she was feeling exactly that way. Spiked. Barbed. Desperate to keep Tanner at a distance. Of course, that wasn’t exactly necessary because he was doing an admirable job of keeping his own distance, but the intention was there, and she was sticking to it.
She didn’t hate Tan anymore. Or . . . at least the mature part of her didn’t.
However, the eighteen-year-old who’d loved him desperately enough to give up her lucrative job and follow him around the world still did.
But she was older now, an actual grown-up who understood that he’d prevented her from making a huge mistake.
Seeing him still stung though.
Especially when he had grown up in the nine years since she’d seen him. He’d filled out, muscled up, and had all sorts of interesting scruff and lines and scars on his face. And he was tan, a lovely olive color that her pale ass skin could never achieve, mostly because of genetics but also because of her lifestyle and being married to her computer and lab.
“Here you go,” the waitress said softly, deftly snagging Kelsey’s empty glass and replacing it with a full one, and totally proving that the hundred Kels had slipped her early on had been totally worth it.
“Thanks,” she murmured.
“Absolutely.” Then the pretty blonde was gone, and Kelsey was slurping down her fourth—fifth?—drink. A prickling on her nape had her glancing up.
Tanner.
Chocolate eyes locked on her. Disappointed, judgy chocolate eyes.
Because she was drinking?
Or because she was just a general disappointment?
And wow, now that was the alcohol talking. She normally was a one to two drink girl because alcohol went to her head. But prickly pear margaritas were the best, and so sometimes she went up to three.
Never four or five because then she got like this.
Self-hating.
But if she managed to get to six, she was the freaking life of the party.
To hurry the process along, she chugged like she was in college again . . . or, well, she chugged pretending she’d been of legal—or near legal—age while she’d been in college.
A glass of water appeared in front of her.
“Drink.”
Her eyes flicked up and, full disclosure, she lost herself in those judgy chocolate eyes for a good thirty seconds.
Tequila.
But then her favorite server in the history of all servers appeared next to her, and just like the genie from Aladdin, managed to swap out the empty for another full glass before Kelsey blinked.
Tanner, however, wasn’t as impressed by her skills. He snagged her arm, ordering, “No more.”