The Pass (Smart Jocks #5) - Rebecca Jenshak Page 0,68
the head of the bed and hugs a pillow to her chest. “I’m sorry about all this.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
I take a seat on the end of the bed and face her. “Was it my fault?” Tara certainly thinks it is, but she wasn’t there. “I’ve been going over it and over it all day. Replaying times that the three of us were together and the things I might have said or done…”
“No.” Her voice has a slight lift to it, and she laughs. “You were always so adamant that you were just friends. I thought you must be holding on to him any way you could and hoping he’d return the feelings someday. Believing that kept me from facing the fact that what he and I had felt inferior to what he had with you. He’s different with you. He always has been.” I can make out her small smile in in the mostly dark room. “It wasn’t your fault any more than it was Tanner’s. You two just fit together. I want that.”
“Thank you. He cares about you a lot. I know that probably doesn’t help, but I thought you should know.”
I stand and start out of the room, but Amelia stops me. “Sydney?”
“Yeah.”
“Tara will come around. She loves Tanner too much to stand in the way of anything that makes him happy, and you make him happier than anything. She’ll realize that.”
I want to believe that’s true. I really do.
Corinne must have gone to bed, too, because it’s just Tara in the living room when I leave Amelia.
I grab two beers and offer her one. “Here. A peace offering. I don’t want to fight with you.”
“Warm beer is your idea of a peace offering?” She makes no move to take it. “Besides, I don’t want a peace offering. I don’t think you’re right for my brother. You’re not going to convince me of that with any amount of alcohol.”
I set it on the coffee table with a thud. “You know what, take it or don’t, but stop pretending that this is about looking out for Tanner. This is your issue. Whatever story you’ve made up to make yourself feel better about treating me like shit, that’s on you. I don’t need to convince you of anything, but I hoped that you and I could find a way to get along for his sake. God, I actually thought we might be friends. How dumb was I? But, regardless, I’m not going anywhere, no matter what awful things you say or do to try to get rid of me. You’re only hurting your brother.”
With my beer, I sit on the floor and grab the cards I abandoned earlier. I’m finishing up my second game of Solitaire when she finally pops the top of the beer and we settle in to wait for Tanner.
It isn’t exactly peaceful, but we’ve both said our peace anyway.
26
Tanner
I can barely keep my eyes open as I walk up to the front of the house. It’s after three in the morning and the little sleep I got in my truck wasn’t restful at all. Stuck in traffic for two hours and then by the time I could go anywhere, the only way they were letting anyone go was in the other direction.
Most people, saner than me, turned around, got a hotel, or went somewhere to wait it out. I pulled off into a parking lot as close to the highway as I could find and stayed. With no cell phone, there wasn’t a lot to do except stare out into the night and think.
So, that’s what I did. I thought about whether or not I’m going to play baseball or basketball next year. Both? I thought about my future and what I wanted after college. I thought about this summer and how great it’s been. And I thought about Sydney. Mostly about Sydney.
How does she fit into all of it? What dreams does she have for the future and for us? We haven’t talked about it, but I want to. I want to give her whatever she wants. Big dreams, epic life. Everything she deserves.
The house is quiet, and I shut the door behind me softly. The lights are out, but the microwave clock flashes and there are candles lit around the whole front living area. I’d heard the electricity was off in the area, but it looks like they managed. Eucalyptus and pear have never smelled so good.