Page 10 of Tanner
"Oh, right."
The rest of the day passes by, with my only real accomplishment getting done is finally making an appointment with an electrician for next week.
I leave Colt to close up and head upstairs to my apartment to get ready. After much deliberation, I decided to keep my look simple—hair down, sundress with a light sweater, and wedge sandals. Tanner shows up just as I’m finishing up.
He’s standing by the entrance of the bookstore when I come down to meet him. I like that he’s not that guy that just honks his horn and waits for me to come out.
“You look amazing,” he says as I lock up.
The date night jitters I was feeling this afternoon is replaced with a confidence I’ve never felt before. The light in Tanner’s smile and the eagerness in his eyes as he looks me up and down makes me feel like the most beautiful woman in the world.
We walk over to his truck and he opens the passenger door for me.
“I made reservations at an Italian place in Ashville.” He starts the truck. “Or we could pick up some take out from Hal’s Diner and drive up to Coop’s Overlook and watch the sunset.”
“The sunset sounds nice.”
His smile widens, and I know that I’ve picked the option that he wanted too. We drive through town and pick up some burgers and shakes before heading up to Coop's Overlook.
I’m glad the trail is easy to manage in wedge sandals. It only happens once where Tanner has to help me with the terrain. His hand is warm and strong, wrapped around mine, and I feel completely at ease with him.
We get to the top of the overlook just in time to watch the sun dip lower, making the sky a fiery orangish-red color. I was in awe of the view the dark blues of the rolling mountain ranges in the distance mixed with the lights from the valley below. There's a bench we sit down at that overlooks the colorful scene in front of us.
We eat and chat as we watch the sun sink lower in the sky. He tells me about growing up in San Francisco and how he was looking for a fresh start when he moved to Knight’s Ridge. I tell him about growing up as an only child and how Colt and are the closest thing either one of us has to a sibling.
“I wondered about you two,” he says. When I tilt my head in confusion at him, he continues, “I thought at first that you two might have been an item.”
“Gross!” I toss the fry in my hand at him.
He laughs and wipes it off his lap. “I can’t help it. If every guy around you makes me jealous.”
I know I shouldn’t enjoy that he was jealous, but I do.
“Do you have any siblings?”
He nods. “One sister.”
“Are you close?”
He thinks about it a moment. “We used to be.”
I can see the tension in his shoulders. I've obviously hit a sore spot, and he isn't looking to talk about the subject further.
“I’m really glad you thought of bringing me up here,” I say to try and change the subject.
He smiles at me, and I can see him relax again.
“I’m glad you wanted to come up here. Not every woman likes hiking in heels.” He points at my sandals.
I lift my legs and hold them out. “I don’t know anyone that would let heels get in the way of a sight like this.” I look out just as the sun touches the horizon.
When Tanner doesn’t say anything, I look over at him.
“You’re right.” He smiles, his gaze never leaving me. “The sight here is breathtaking."
The butterflies in my lower belly start fluttering again like crazy. I don't think I ever let myself honestly imagined that the handsome man that would come to my store every day would ever return the feelings I felt for him.
Tanner scoots closer to me, resting his muscled arm across the back of the bench. His fingers play softly with my loose hair, sending delicious shivers down my spine. The magnetic pull between us is undeniable, and neither one of us want to resist it.
