Page 6 of Always a Chance
Her lips tugged down, understanding in her gaze. “Of course. Tea?”
“Yes, please.” I’d never been much for coffee, or caffeine in general, preferring herbal teas instead.
“I just picked up a new bag of Ooh Lah Lah.” Mariana turned to dig in a cabinet. “Didn’t put it on the menu because my supplier didn’t have much this time.”
Ooh lah lah was my favorite, and I’d never found it anywhere else. For the first time since coming home, I felt like maybe this hadn’t been such a mistake.
Turning away from the counter, I dropped my bag near the only empty table, garnering stares from a few people I recognized. In this town, everyone knew those that were here year round. We were a small group compared to the snowbirds and tourists. Yet, no one spoke to me, and I made no effort to greet them.
Within an hour, my father would probably know I was home. Wonderful.
Unfortunately, Dad was the least of my worries this time around. The bell above the door chimed as Mariana set a steaming mug of tea on the table in front of me. I didn’t wait for it to cool before inhaling the orange aroma and taking a sip, letting it calm the turmoil inside me.
“What are you doing here?” Mariana asked whoever had walked in. “Shouldn’t you be at the Hut?”
“Just wanted to see you.” Tanner Kelly. I’d recognize that voice anywhere after spending most of my life at his house.
Peeking over my shoulder, I caught sight of Tanner pressing a chaste kiss to Mariana’s lips. Well, that was new since I’d been here two years ago. The Kelly boys weren’t exactly ones for settling down. I’d known that all too well.
“That’s sweet,” Mariana said, pushing him away with a laugh. “But not the real reason.”
He grinned. “Fine, we ran out of coffee at the shop, and my order isn’t coming in until tomorrow.”
“There it is.” She headed back for the counter. “You’re only with me for my coffee.”
“Not true.” He followed her. “I love your pastries too.”
I looked up at the wrong time, catching his eye. At first, his gaze swept over me, but then it jerked back and he stopped. “Tali, that you?”
Here we go. “Guilty.” I shrugged, trying not to show how much seeing him affected me. Tanner and Shane Kelly had been like older brothers to me.
A smile slid across his lips. “Then get your butt over here.”
There was no denying this man when he looked so happy to see me. I stood, crossing the distance between us. Tanner yanked me into an all-encompassing hug, his long arms enveloping me. I wanted to sink into the embrace, to remember what it felt like to have family, blood-related or not.
He pulled back, holding me at arm’s length. “How long has it been?”
“Two years.” Ten since I left. The last time I breezed through town to see Gianna, I’d run into Tanner at the diner and made him promise not to tell Johnny I was here.
“Two years, wow. How have you been?”
Oh, other than living every day haunted by the past and being told I had to face it for an interview or lose my job? Peachy. “Good,” I answered. “I’ve been good.”
To my relief, he looked like he believed me. Tanner was as uncomplicated as they came. There was no duplicity in him, so he tended to believe others at face value. Unlike his younger brother.
“If you’re in town for a while, you should come to Sunday dinner. Mom would be over the moon.”
The thought of dinner with the Kelly family made my heart ache. I wanted it more than I wanted to see my own father. “I’m not sure that’s such a good idea.”
He sighed. “You’re going to ask me not to tell Johnny again, aren’t you?”
Not this time, not when Johnny was my reason for coming here. “No, I never should have asked that of you.”
“Good, because he’s meeting me here in about… now.”
Panic wound through me, a million escape plans running through my mind. I wasn’t ready. It wasn’t the right time. I couldn’t do this. My eyes flicked to my bag as I tried to calculate how quickly I could pay Mariana and get out of here.
It was a lost cause. A moment later, the bell rang again. I felt his presence without turning to make sure it was really him.
