Still The One - Carrie Elks Page 0,56

he’d bury himself in Savannah Butler instead.

Chapter Twenty

Tanner, Age 17

It had been two weeks since their kiss. She’d been avoiding him, and maybe he’d been avoiding her, too, because the awkwardness between them was palpable. On the night after the kiss he’d turned up at the drive-in to walk her home, only to find she’d left an hour earlier with a headache.

Even his brothers had noticed he was quieter than usual. Cam had caught him after football yesterday and walked home with him, obviously primed by Aunt Gina to ask Tanner if there was something wrong. And for a moment Tanner had thought about telling him.

But this was Cam, and if he told him, then soon Logan would know and neither of them would ever let him hear the end of it. They’d tease Van, too, and it would drive her crazy.

Better to keep quiet and wait for everything to go back to normal.

“Hey, Hartson, you coming or what?” Brad Wilshaw asked him. Like Tanner, he played defence.

Tanner looked up from his bag, stuffed with his dirty practice clothes. “Yeah.” He zipped it up and slung it over his shoulder, turning his back on the slatted bench that always smelled of sweat, no matter how many times the janitor scrubbed it.

“We’re heading over to the diner. Some of the girls are meeting us. You wanna join?”

He thought about Van, who was probably at home working on the English assignment Mr. Draycott had given them today.

“Sure,” he said. “Sounds good.”

“Great. I’ll give you a ride.”

Everybody knew Tanner was still saving for his first car. Like his brothers before him, their dad had refused to give him a penny toward it, so he was working weekends at the hardware store. He’d put a downpayment on a rusty old Camaro, but he still had at least three months before he could pay it off.

The two of them walked out to the parking lot. “So, I heard your brother’s new single the other day,” Brad said, sliding into the driver’s seat. “It was pretty sweet.”

“Thanks.” Tanner was still getting used to the fact that Gray had left town and signed a record contract in L.A.. “I’ll let him know.”

“You think he’ll ever come back here?”

“No idea.”

Brad shrugged. “Can’t blame him if he doesn’t. This town’s a shithole. I can’t wait for college.”

College. Another reason why Tanner needed to get up the guts and actually talk to Van. They were both planning to go to Duke University in the fall, and there was no way he wanted this awkwardness there.

“So anyway, you decide who you’re taking to the prom?” Brad looked over his shoulder and reversed out of the space.

“Haven’t thought about it.” It was the truth. He and Van had always laughed at how seriously everybody took Senior Prom. They’d even talked about doing a Carrie-style prank.

“I hear Chrissie Fairfax wants you to take her.”

“Right.”

“I… ah… was thinking of asking Savannah Butler.” Brad shifted the car into drive, glancing at Tanner from the corner of his eye. “If it’s cool with you.”

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

“She’s your friend.” Brad shrugged. “And I know you didn’t like Nate going out with her.”

“Nate’s a dog.”

Brad laughed. “No argument there.” The car pulled onto the road into town. “But seriously, I won’t hurt her. I just want to take her out, that’s all. She’s a cool girl.”

“Yeah, she is.” Tanner stared right ahead. “And too good for you.”

“I won’t ask her if you don’t like it. Bros before…” Brad trailed off before he could say it. “Well, you know.”

“Why wouldn’t I like it?”

“Nate thinks you like her. As in actually like her. I told him he’s talking crap.”

Tanner felt a shiver snake down his spine. “Yeah, well he is.” He frowned. “She’s my friend, that’s all.”

“So you don’t mind if I ask her?”

Tanner opened his mouth to say he minded like crap, but then he closed it again. Because Brad was one of the good ones. And Van was already pissed at him for telling Nate to back off. He didn’t want to upset her again.

“I don’t mind.”

Maybe she’d say no. He let that thought warm him for a moment.

“Great. I’ll ask her tomorrow.” Brad’s grin was wide. “Thanks, man.”

“Sure.”

At least Brad wouldn’t get her first kiss. That would always be Tanner’s. He ran the pad of his finger along his bottom lip, remembering how good her mouth had felt against his.

“And you should ask Chrissie. Maybe we could even go together,” Brad said, pulling into the town