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Leah’s eyes shone with humor and Tanya raised her hand in mock surrender. “Got me. Come what may, the Party Place will open Saturday. My first priority is getting any remaining invitations out. I mailed quite a few to businesses before I came. It’s the personal ones I’ve been holding on to.” Ignoring Leah’s questioning stare, Tanya walked around her and lifted yet another box waiting to be emptied. “So I’m guessing you’ve spoken to Sasha and she asked you to check up on me?”
“Something like that.”
Tanya took a knife from atop the display cabinet behind her and slashed through the tape on the box’s lid. Just for once, she’d like Sasha to concentrate on her own happiness instead of worrying about everyone else’s. Love for her sister swelled Tanya’s heart. No matter that she hadn’t been there for Sasha when she needed her most, her sister had been there for her, and that was something Tanya intended to repay in every way possible...starting with Matt Davidson’s arrest.
Over and over again, when Tanya had confessed to Sasha how things were getting overwhelming, Sasha had taken time away from Templeton and her cherished Funland to see if she could help. Tanya swallowed. Little did her sister know that Tanya had needed professional help...which meant she’d thrown Sasha’s care back in her face.
Shame washed through her, pushing tears into Tanya’s eyes. She blinked them away and inhaled. “Well, as much as I love Sasha for worrying about me, there was really no need to bother you. I’m fine.” She opened the box and removed a bundle of cream-colored envelopes.
“I see. Is that why you’re having trouble looking at me right now?”
Tanya snapped her gaze to Leah’s. “I have no trouble looking at anyone. You, Caroline and Jay Garrett can think, say and do what you want, I’m happy to be home.”
Leah frowned. “What did Caroline and Jay say to you?”
“Not much. It was the tone of their voices and the disapproval in their eyes that told me all I needed to know.”
“Which is?”
“People are going to be wary of me for a while.” She lifted her shoulders in feigned nonchalance. “That’s okay. People will soon learn I’ve changed. I want a different life here this time around.”
“So this is home now?”
Tanya swallowed against the claustrophobia that threatened. No more running. “Yes.”
“Forever?”
“As much as I can guarantee forever to be.”
“Good.” Leah dropped her arms and came to stand beside Tanya, kindness sparkling in her eyes. “Because you shouldn’t toss us all in the same pot. A few of the people here are quick to share their opinion and make up their minds, but not all of us. So promise me you’ll give others the benefit of the doubt as much as you want them to give it to you, okay?”
Tanya held Leah’s gaze, wondering just how much she knew. Had Sasha told her about the mistakes Tanya had made at work? The breakdown? God, the shoplifting?
Tanya forced a smile. “Okay.”
“Good, because it’s up to you how this goes. You can either upset people from the get-go, or show them you mean business in the nicest possible way. Starting over is why you’re back, right?”
Tanya nodded. “Right.”
Leah narrowed her eyes, suspicion rife in her gaze. “That’s the only reason?”
Her heart picked up speed, but Tanya held Leah’s unblinking study. “What other reason could there be?”
Leah shrugged. “I don’t know. Liam, for example.”
“What about him?”
“Oh, come on.” Leah planted her hands on her hips. “You might be able to fool others in town, but you’ve got no chance with me.”
“What exactly am I trying to fool everyone about?”
“According to Sasha, you left the Cove because of some nonsense your mother had been feeding you, and part of that nonsense was being with Liam was a bad idea. You loved him deeply and there was every chance you two could’ve been the real deal. You can’t tell me the prospect of seeing him again hasn’t sent you into a tailspin.”
Heat warmed Tanya’s cheeks. “I left because it was the right thing to do. Mum needed me and there was no way Sasha was going to leave. Liam and I were good together, but that was it. Now I’m back, I’m not expecting him and me to pick things up where we left off. Time’s passed. He’s changed and so have I. The sooner this town gets on board with that, the better.”
“So, you’ve spoken to him?”
“Yes.”
Leah lifted an eyebrow. “And?”
“And he feels the same. There’s nothing between us anymore.”
Leah sighed and raised her hands. “Fine, so Liam’s out of the picture, but I can’t help thinking he might have a problem with you coming back.”
“Anyway...” Tanya tossed the envelopes back into the box and stormed past Leah to the door. She flung it open. “It was nice seeing you again, but if you don’t mind...”
Leah grinned and, instead of walking to the door, dropped her oversize purse on top of one of the unopened boxes at her feet. “So, where do you want me to start?” Leah continued to smile. “Take that pissy look off your face. I just wanted to see how much gumption you’ve got after what happened to you.”
Tanya shoved the door closed. “What does that mean? How much did Sasha tell you exactly?”
“She told me about the breakdown.”
“She had no right.”
“She had every right. She loves you, and she knows it’s going to be hard for you to settle back into the Cove. I’m here to help, if and when you need me.”
“I told you, I’m fine.”
“I don’t doubt it, but I’m a nurse. I can’t help butting my nose in if I’m concerned about someone.” Leah waggled her eyebrows, kindness and humor shining in her gaze.
Tanya shook her head and smiled. “I’ve got a hell’s chance of rejecting your help whether I want it or not, right?”
“Right. Come here.” Leah pulled Tanya into her arms and squeezed. “You’re going to kick ass. I can feel it. Your guts are still there, missy, and I’m glad because you’re going to have a hell of a fight over the next few weeks.” She pulled back and held Tanya at arm’s length. “Lucky for you, I’m more than ready to help you out with that. So...where do you want me?”
Tanya smiled as optimism bloomed. “Thank you.”
Leah smiled. “You’re welcome. Now...” She leaned down, picked up one of the boxes and laid it on top of another. “Where’s that knife? I could do with slashing something.”
Shaking her head, Tanya surrendered to the inevitable. Leah was a tiny five feet one inch, but known around town as one of the toughest nurses in the hospital’s ER. More the fool anyone who chose to cross her, and Tanya knew that included her.
She walked across the office, snatched up the knife and handed it to Leah. “I need an assistant. Know anyone willing to work with a woman half the town despises?”
Leah slashed open the box. “First of all, you need to start acting as though coming back here fills you with delight from the inside out. Then, and only then, will people accept you’ve come back for a fresh start. If not, they’ll make themselves known to you as potential adversaries. Either way, forearmed is forewarned.”
“In other words, I need to start kicking butt in the same sweet-natured way you do.”
“Exactly.”
Tanya smiled. She could put her past mistakes behind her and start again. She could find Matt Davidson and lay Sasha’s ghosts to rest, as well as her own.
Leah pulled out a bundle of files. “I happen to know a young lady who I think will be the perfect assistant for you and, no doubt, would be more than willing to start work straightaway.”
“You do?”
“Uh-huh.” Leah’s face turned somber. “She’s had a tough time and needs somewhere safe to work and figure out who she is. Not unlike you. I think you’ll be good for each other.”
Ignoring the accuracy of Leah’s observations, Tanya frowned. “And does this girl have a name?”
“She’s nineteen going on thirty. Lucy Walker. You remember her, right?”
* * *
LIAM STOOD AT his office window and glared at the building across the street. When he’d grabbed his morning coffee from Marian Cohen’s bakery a few hours ago, she’d taken extreme pleasure in telling him that Tanya would soon be changing one of the offices into a showroom for her new party planning business.
Marian’s eyes had been wide with anticipation as she’d waited for his reaction. When he’d turned and met the not-so-subtle glances of others around him, it became all too clear news of Tanya’s return had spread around town like wildfire.
He continued to glare at Tanya’s shuttered office windows as his mind drifted to the way Tanya had looked when she told him she never should have left. What was he supposed to do with that? In eight years he’d not received a single letter, phone call, text or email from her.
He shook his head. So she had regrets. Didn’t everyone? That didn’t mean he wanted to go over old ground—and once his desire caught up with that mentality, his plan to meet someone new would be back on. It was damn annoying Tanya had chosen that particular office to set up shop. Or had she chosen it because she knew damn well he was stationed across the street?
He whirled away from the window and paced his office for the twentieth time that morning. Papers littered his desk and he was due in court in less than an hour, but his brain was far from focused, which was entirely new. His job was his life, people’s welfare his main concern, which was why he could not allow Tanya to burrow under his skin. He couldn’t afford to trust her. She’d stood him up too many times when they’d been dating, chose work over everything—basically treating him as though he was little more than a sexual distraction whenever the mood struck her.
He liked the man he’d become since she left. He liked the order, consistency and regimented stability in his life. It was Tanya who’d so easily provoked the anarchy and disorder that lingered just beneath the surface of his control. He would not, could not, go back to being that person again. She drove him nuts before and she would again.
But goddamn it, he’d loved her. When she was alone with him...when they were together, she was softer, more hopeful and shared her dreams of one day getting married, having kids. Had those been lies?
His gut told him no.
He had to stop thinking about her and hold on to who he was without her.
Liam picked up his cell phone and hovered his finger over Sasha’s number. He needed the truth. If Sasha told him why Tanya was back in Templeton—the real reason, not the flimsy excuse that she wanted to start over—maybe he would accept her being there and move on.
It was driving him mad—the need to rush across the street and demand to know why she had come back to the place she used to call Devil’s Paradise.
Before he could change his mind, he dialed Sasha’s number.
As it rang, he walked back to the window. Goddamn it, why were her office blinds drawn? What was Tanya hiding in there? Or was she hiding, period? Leah Dixon had left about half an hour before...maybe he should forget talking to Sasha and track down Leah instead.
“Hello?”
Too late. Liam pulled back his shoulders. “Sasha, it’s Liam.”
“I know. What’s wrong? Is Tanya okay?”
Annoyance simmered in his gut. “Why do you ask that like I should know? Tanya isn’t my responsibility.”
Sasha sniffed. “Well, for someone clearly trying his best to act like he doesn’t give a damn about Tanya, you sound mighty wound up about something.”
“Do you know she’s setting herself up in an office right opposite mine?”
She sighed. “Glad to hear she’s settling in okay.”
“Settling in? Bloody hell, Sasha, I don’t want to have to look out my window at her every day.”
She laughed. “Then don’t.”
Liam shoved his fingers into his hair. “Are you finding this funny? I can’t ignore her. You know how I felt about her.”
“I do. I also know she isn’t back to start something up with you again. You know Tanya. Can’t you just be her friend and not get involved? I love her, Liam, but who knows how long she’ll last in the Cove. I thought the Liam and Tanya train left town years ago.”
Liam clenched his jaw. “It has... I’ve even had sex with other women.”
“Funny.”
“But that doesn’t mean it’s not thrown me through a loop seeing her again.”
“This is the first time we’ve spoken in weeks. I don’t have to be Miss Marple to work out the reason you’re puffing and panting like an unfit athlete. She’s gotten to you already, hasn’t she?”
He glared toward Tanya’s office. “Just tell me the truth. Why is she really here?”
“She wants a fresh start.”
He rolled his eyes and gripped the phone. “So she said, but why Templeton? The last I heard from her, via a damn note shoved under my door, she was getting out of Devil’s Paradise while she still could. This was the last place she wanted to be.”
“People change their minds.”
“Yes, but—” He stopped as realization hit him straight between the eyes, making the hairs at the back of his neck prickle with protectiveness. “This doesn’t have something to do with your leaving, does it? Is she here to finish whatever happened between you and your mum? The thing you told me you’d share with me one day but never did?”
“Of course not, and don’t you dare bring that up with her, okay? It’s history.”
“Does she see it that way, Sasha?”
“Yes, she does. I’m not the reason she’s come home.”
“Home? Is that your word for Templeton or hers?”
“Hers.”
He raised his eyebrows. Things must be worse than he’d imagined if Tanya now called Templeton her home. Frowning, he stared through the window once more. “Just give me something. I’m going a little crazy here.”
“I can hear that.” Sasha’s exhalation rasped down the line. “Look, I thought you two were over. Tanya needs someone to trust while she finds her feet.”
“Fine. I’ll look out for her, but there is no way I’m getting involved with her again.”
“I understand. Look, Tanya will tell you what she wants you to know if, and when, she’s ready.”
Liam turned his back to the window. “Has someone hurt her? Is she in trouble?”
“Liam, please. It isn’t my place to tell you. Ask her. If she wants to tell you, she will. If not, then...”
Frustration burned. His work provoked an urgency and determination to see justice done, but that was business. Tanya Todd was as personal as anything had ever been in his life. He had to shut his emotions down or she would strip him bare as she had before.
He swiped his hand over his face. “She’s got to find her own way back to people trusting her. I can’t do that for her.”
“Exactly, but she’s willing to try. Why don’t you do the same? Second chances, Liam. Isn’t that what you’re all about?”
“Second chances? I gave Tanya plenty of ch—”
The line went dead.
Cursing, he turned to the window and froze. “Marian. No, no, no. Don’t you go in there. Don’t you...oh, damn it.”
He tapped the phone against his bottom lip as Marian pushed open the door of Tanya’s office and walked inside just as easy as can be. Tension stiffened his shoulders. How could he abandon Tanya to the wolves? Templeton’s alpha female might go hunting dressed in a floral frock and sensible shoes, but Marian could shred her prey down to their bare soul if they weren’t surrounded by a pack of helpers.
He marched behind his desk and picked up his briefcase, shoving in his case files and phone before snapping it closed. Marian could shoot to kill with a single look, or open her arms and rock a full-grown adult like a baby. He had no idea which way things would go for Tanya. He had to go over there.
A soft knock sounded on his office door and he looked up. “Come in.”
Suzie, his receptionist, stood on the threshold. “You do realize you’re due in court in less than twenty minutes? It’s going to take you at least that long to get across town.”
Suzie never had the need to remind him of any appointment, much less a court hearing. He glanced toward the window and back to Suzie. “I need to...”
She frowned. “You need to what?”
He shook his head. “Nothing. Thanks, Suzie. I’m on my way.”
She nodded, leaving the door open as she returned to her desk. Liam headed for the door. Focus on the job at hand. If he kept doing that, maybe, just maybe, he could manage a few hours’ work without worrying about Tanya and whether or not she’d make it out alive after Marian’s interrogation.
CHAPTER FIVE
TANYA SLOWLY PUT down the notice board she was about to hang on her office wall and faced Marian. “Marian Cohen, right? I had a feeling I’d see you today.”
Marian smiled, her eyes glinting with good humor. “We haven’t even met before, which means Sasha must’ve warned you about me.” She grinned. “I do so like it when my reputation precedes me.”
Tanya tilted her chin. The woman was absolutely right. Sasha hadn’t just warned Tanya about Marian Cohen, she’d trained her in how to get the town’s matriarch on her side. According to Sasha, agreement with Marian’s views and advice was always the way into Marian’s good books. However, if Tanya ever found agreement a stretch too far, she needed to show Marian she was an equal as far as debate and action were concerned.
According to Sasha, Marian hid a heart of gold behind a ferocious protection for the younger generation. However, that protection came with a condition—they were expected to set their minds on something and then take steps to make their dreams and aspirations reality. If they did, Marian would be their stalwart supporter and advocate...if they didn’t, she’d kick butt.
Sasha had made it clear to Tanya that to have Marian in her corner would mean a better chance of her survival in the Cove. Tanya forced a wide smile. “Tea?”
Marian beamed. “That would be lovely.” She glanced around the office, and when her gaze fell on Tanya’s chair, Marian sauntered across the room and sat, placing her purse on the desk. She emitted an audible and very contented sigh.
Turning, Tanya rolled her eyes and made for the kitchen. Sasha had warned that attempting to evade Marian’s questions was futile. She knew everyone and everything going on in Templeton. If anyone was foolish enough to try avoiding her, more often than not, Marian caught up with her target and then he or she would end up revealing far more than if they’d been on their guard and prepared.
Tanya vowed not to fall into that trap. She might not have much, but she still had her wits about her when it came to this town and its people.
Flicking on the electric kettle, Tanya took two mugs from the cupboard above her and set about making the tea. Her mind whirled with possible questions Marian might ask, and what she would say in return. Eight years ago, Marian had been a new and interesting resident to the Cove, most likely trying to find a foothold, as Tanya was now.
However, if Marian thought her reputation had preceded her, there was no doubt in Tanya’s mind Marian knew of Tanya’s reputation as a cold and ambitious businesswoman, too. Regret swept through her again that she’d shown so little compassion when some of the residents had come into the bank for financial help. Why hadn’t she seen just what her often too-quick refusal of loans and investment advice had done to people?
Putting the mugs, milk and sugar on a tray, she pulled on an air of confidence and reentered the office. Dwelling on the past was counterproductive.
Let battle commence...
Marian smiled. “It’s a prime location you have here. Lots of street traffic. Should be good for business.” She lifted an eyebrow. “Whatever your business might be.”
“Parties. I’m a party planner.” Tanya laid the tray on the desk. “Milk?”
“Yes. A party planner? Well, there’s always an excuse for a party in my book. There’s been enough unpleasantness in this town over the years. I’m all for you promoting a bit of fun and games instead. Much better.”
Tanya bit back a response. It might be beneficial to let Marian do the talking and only respond when she actually asked a question. She passed her a mug and inched the sugar closer. Fighting her annoyance over how Marian sat so comfortably in Tanya’s chair, she strolled across the office to grab one of two visitors’ chairs that would eventually sit in front of her desk.
She sat and met the older woman’s expectant gaze. “So, what is it you want to know?”
Marian lifted her mug to her lips, eyeing Tanya over the rim. She took a delicate sip before returning it to the desk. “How’s Sasha? Why didn’t she come back with you? And what are you intending to do as far as making up for the way you treated certain people in this town?”
Bam, bam, bam.
Okay, so Marian clearly intended to go straight for the jugular.
Tanya cleared her throat. She needed to show Marian she wouldn’t be pushed around, no matter the mistakes she’d made. “Sasha’s happy and wants to stay where she is. As for the third question, you’ve obviously heard all about the career-mad, money-hungry woman I was before I left. I expected nothing less than people in this town to take immense pleasure in telling others about the person I was back then.” She took a sip of her tea. “Fresh starts are practically forbidden in Templeton. A person either stays the same or they rock the boat. No one in the Cove likes someone who stirs up the waters...unfortunately, my return will undoubtedly do just that.”
“You’ve got that wrong, for a start.”
“Have I?”
“I can safely say no one rocks the boat in this town more than me. If you can manage to shake off that big ole chip on your shoulder, there’s a good chance you’ll do just fine and dandy here. If you don’t...” She shrugged. “You’re likely to drown with the first incoming tide.”
Tanya held Marian’s gaze, irritation burning hot in her stomach. “I’m back because this is where I need to be. Why, is nobody’s business but mine.”
“Need or want?”
Tanya frowned. How could a stranger, a woman who knew nothing about her, pick up on such a slip? “Fine, I’m back because the Cove is where I want to be. Sasha didn’t come with me because she enjoys her life in Bridgewater. She’s finally found somewhere she is happy, and with the man she needs to keep her that way.”
“I’m glad.” Marian smiled. “I just about love the bones of that girl.”
A stab of what felt far too much like envy to have someone say something so affectionate about her sister kicked Tanya’s heart. She quickly looked away from Marian’s unwavering gaze and stared toward the window. “So do I, so at least we have something in common.”
“Oh, I think we have plenty more than that in common.”
Tanya faced Marian. “Such as?”
“Such as you might have lived here before but, for all intents and purposes, you’re a stranger in town.”
Tanya stared. Did this woman know how much her words were hurting her? Or was she oblivious to Tanya’s loneliness and complete regret for what her impulsive and judgmental words and unsympathetic actions had done to people when she’d lived in Templeton before? “And?”
“When I came into town with George, everyone looked at me as though I was a tiger in a cage. As though, at any moment, I would gnaw my way clean through the bars and damn well eat them. They’d wait with bated breath to see what I would do next. Who I was and why I was with good ole George Cohen just about riled every damn person who looked, spoke or insulted me. No one wanted to offer me friendship until they got to know me and my so-called agenda.”
Tanya huffed out a laugh. “Sounds about right.”
“So what do you think I did to become the respected and loved person I am in the Cove today?”
Tanya arched an eyebrow. “That’s quite a high opinion of yourself.”
Marian narrowed her eyes. “Another thing we have in common.”
Seconds passed...before she and Marian both grinned.
Tanya laughed and held out her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Marian Cohen.”
Marian put down her mug and closed her hand around Tanya’s. “Likewise.”