by Dara Girard
She pressed her cheek against his hand, feeling his strength, but still afraid. “You can’t protect me from her.”
His eyes darkened dangerously. “You don’t trust me?”
“I didn’t say that.”
He let his hand fall. “After we leave here, you won’t have to see her again.”
“You can’t promise that.”
“The only opinion that matters right now is mine. She’ll come around.”
“And if she doesn’t?”
“She will. Forever’s a long time.”
“You think we’ll be together forever?” Tanna said with a laugh.
“Are you planning on marrying somebody else?”
Her laughter died on her lips. She stared at him stunned. “You’re asking me to marry you?”
He nodded, his gaze suddenly shuttered.
Tanna covered her face with the sheets and groaned.
Doran pulled the sheets away, amusement in his eyes. “What is it?”
Tanna pulled the sheets back up over her face. “I won’t be able to sleep now.”
“Why not?”
“The thought of Vanessa as my mother-in-law will give me nightmares.”
Doran tugged the sheets down again. “But you’ll have me. And you like Rosemarie and Raymond.”
“Yes,” she said, suddenly thoughtful, a slow smile touching her lips. “And Dillon as a brother-in-law won’t be too bad either.”
Doran frowned. “I’m not enough?”
She playfully trailed her fingers down the length of him before patting his chest. “Oh, you’re definitely more than enough. But when it comes to offers of marriage, a woman’s got to take her time.”
Chapter 27
She hadn’t said ‘yes’. Doran stood on the patio the next morning, a fresh breeze rising off of the lake. He barely noticed it as he leaned against the railing. He’d left Tanna alone still asleep. He’d thought of waking her so that they could enjoy breakfast in bed, but then rejected the thought. They weren’t newlyweds yet. In truth they weren’t really anything. He knew she liked him and last night she’d shown him how much. His body could still remember the trail of her fingers down his back, the feel of her legs wrapped around him, the hot liquid fire that invited him inside.
But she hadn’t said ‘yes’. She hadn’t said ‘no’ either, but she certainly hadn’t said ‘yes’ and Doran wasn’t sure how long he could wait for her answer. He hadn’t meant to ask her to marry him last night. It had been impulsive, reckless. He prided himself on being smarter than that, but once he’d said the words he didn’t want to take them back. He wanted to hear her answer. His heart pounding out every second. She was the one for him. He didn’t want to lose her. But did she feel the same? Was a lifetime out of the question?
Doran gripped the railing, suddenly feeling sick. She meant too much to him; what she thought mattered so much it made him weak. He had to let her go. He had to make himself not care, that was his only defense. She couldn’t be this important to him.
But dammit she was. He couldn’t imagine his life without her.
But he should have taken his time. He should have waited until he knew she was sure about him, before making his move. He’d made a fool of himself with Megan and he’d waited a year. How could he have said what he did? Why was his heart so eager to make a fool of him again? Maybe he should tell her that marriage was something he was thinking about for the future. That there was no pressure for her to answer him now. She was right, he had to give her time to adjust to the thought of being part of his family. He couldn’t blame her for wanting to run away. He had to be patient.
Doran pushed himself from the railing. Once he got Tanna away from this place, he’d work on making her forget his mother and focus only on being with him.
He walked back inside and headed for the stairs.
“Have you seen Mom?” Dillon asked him from the landing.
“No.”
“Nobody has.”
“Nobody has what?” Rosemarie asked coming out of her room.
“Seen Mom.”
“I last saw her around the back.”
“When was that?”
“Last night.”
Dillon sighed. “That doesn’t help. Nobody has seen her all morning.”
“She’s not in her room?” Rosemarie asked. “Maybe she’s sleeping late.”
Dillon slapped his forehead. “Now why didn’t I think of that?” he said his tone dripping with sarcasm. “She’s probably tucked away in a bed that hasn’t been slept in.”
“You don’t need to be rude,” Rosemarie said. “And you hadn’t mentioned her bed not being slept in.”
Doran shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels. “She probably went out and didn’t tell anyone.”
“Her car’s still here,” Dillon said. “I’ve called her cell phone and it goes directly to voicemail.”
“What’s going on?” Tanna asked, joining them.
“Mom’s missing,” Dillon said.
Rosemarie shook her head. “We don’t know if she’s missing.”
“But we don’t know where she is.”
“I’m sure she’ll show up soon,” Doran said. “Don’t worry.”
“When did you last see her?” Dillon asked.
Doran shrugged. “At the party.”
Dillon looked at Tanna.
She hesitated remembering their awful conversation. “I saw her on the patio.”
“When?”
“Around eleven, I think. I didn’t do anything to her,” she said, feeling guilty about how she’d spoken to her.
Dillon sent her an odd look. “I didn’t say you did.”
“Not that we would blame you,” Rosemarie added.
“How did she seem?” Dillon said insistent.
Tanna looked at Doran for help. She didn’t want to have to share what had happened between her and his mother. He stepped forward. “Mom’s a grown woman. She went somewhere to be alone. When she gets back, tell her we said goodbye.”
“You’re leaving?” Dillon asked surprised.
“We only planned to stay for the weekend.”
“But Mom—”
“She’s probably doing this to annoy us. Remember that time when she was mad with Dad and disappeared for three days?”
“That was a long time ago.”
“She’s still the same person.”
Rosemarie held up her hands. “We’re too close to the situation. Let’s get an outsider’s opinion.” She looked at Tanna. “What do you think? Should we worry like Dillon or ignore it like Doran?”
Tanna paused, her gaze darting between the two brothers. She felt as if she were making more than a choice of who to believe. “Um…I think Doran has a point.”
Dillon hung his head; Doran smiled.
“Okay,” Rosemarie said. “Then we’ll wait and see.”
“Maybe we should have stayed a little longer and waited for her to return,” Tanna said as Doran drove her back home.
He looked at her surprised. “Consider yourself lucky. Do you really want to face her again after last night?”
“No, but your brother looked really worried.”
“Dillon finds reasons to worry. Mom’s fine. She’s probably still fuming about the money you asked for. I wouldn’t put it past her to disappear for a few hours or even a couple of days just to annoy me. She’ll show up.”
But she didn’t.
Three days later and nobody had heard from or seen Vanessa Gibson. By the fourth day Doran and Tanna were back at the lake house with Dillon and Rosemarie.
“For the sake of the business we have to keep this a hushed matter,” Dillon said as he tended to a bruise on Raymond’s face. His son had stepped on a rake in the shed and given himself a huge bruise on the forehead. The rest of the adults sat around the dining room table, the summer afternoon casting hushed rays of light onto the wooden table, dancing off of the chandelier. “I’ll go to the police an
d make sure it’s handled with the utmost discretion.”
“You could have told us this over the phone,” Doran said.
“I think it’s important we’re all here to talk to the police.”
“There’s been no ransom demand, so I think—”
“Nobody cares what you think, Doran,” Rosemarie snapped. “We listened to you the first time and look what happened.”
Doran tapped his chest. “You’re saying this is my fault?”
“No, but this is important. We need to follow what Dillon says and not argue with him. This is critical. Do you know what would happen if word gets out that the head of Mamma Tolino’s is missing? I know you don’t care about the family business, but it’s important to us.”
“I didn’t say it wasn’t. I just—”
“Thought she’d come back. Well she didn’t. You were wrong, but it was our fault for listening.”
“This isn’t anybody’s fault,” Tanna said trying to ease the tension in the room. “And pointing fingers isn’t going to help us find Vanessa.”
“You’re all done,” Dillon said to his son. “Go upstairs and play.”
“Will Gran be all right?” Raymond asked.
“We hope so.” He patted him on the bottom. “Now go.” He waited for his son to leave the room then said, “Tanna’s right. We need to be clear headed and remember as much as we can about that night. We’ve already lost a lot of time. Are we agreed? We talk to the police?”
They nodded.
Soon they were at the police station sharing the information they had, moments later the police were talking to the house staff and contacting those who had attended the party and quickly determined one important fact: Tanna was the last person to see Vanessa before she disappeared.
Chapter 28
She’d lied to the police.
Tanna wrung her hands as she stared out the sitting room window, fireflies dotting the evening. She couldn’t believe she’d lied to the police. She hadn’t told them the real topic of her conversation with Vanessa. She hadn’t told them how much the older woman couldn’t stand her, how angry Vanessa had been when she left her on the patio. If she told them the truth, would they think she’d done something to her? How would it make her look in their eyes if she told them she’d tried to get money from her?
“You barely ate anything at dinner,” Doran said, coming up behind her.
“I’m going to go to jail,” Tanna said in a low voice.
“What?”
She turned to look at him. “I’m going to jail.”
He looked around to make sure nobody had overheard her then said quietly, “No, you’re not.”
“I lied to the police. I didn’t tell them what I said to her.”
“You didn’t have to. That information wouldn’t help the investigation.”
“How do you know that?”
“What you said has nothing to do with her disappearance.”
“You don’t know that either. What if she got so upset she…”
“Killed herself?” Doran said with a cruel laugh. “Don’t be so dramatic. My mother certainly isn’t. Besides, if she had, she would have left instructions for her funeral.”
Tanna hugged herself. “That isn’t funny.”
“I’m not being funny. I’m serious. I know my mother and she wouldn’t kill herself without leaving a note and instructions. Vanessa Gibson is not a woman to leave without a trace.”
But she had. “What should I do if the police find out the truth?”
“How would they find out? Nobody else was there.” He cupped her chin tenderly, his hand warm. “You’re not a suspect, Tanna.” He let his hand fall as well as his gaze. “If anyone’s to blame, it’s me.” He turned to the window. “I took her disappearance too lightly. We should have searched sooner.”
Tanna gently tugged on his sleeve. “You wouldn’t have known.”
“It was a stupid mistake.”
“But a mistake all the same. It happens.”
He shook his head, his voice harsh. “It shouldn’t have. She could be in real trouble.”
“The police will find her.”
“And if she’s hurt or dead, I’ll have that on my conscience forever,” he said through clenched teeth. “Rosemarie and Dillon will never let me forget it.”
“She may be alive and just lost. We don’t know anything.” Tanna took his hand. “But I do know one thing, no matter what happens, my answer is yes.”
Doran sharply turned to her.
Tanna nodded at the disbelief in his eyes and smiled.
Doran didn’t move. He stood frozen, as if afraid the moment would disappear. She’d said yes. She’d marry him. Even after all he’d put her through. He thought he might have lost her this afternoon. His mind still burned at the memory of the doorknob to the front of the house.
They’d planned to leave the house to talk to the police. Dillon and Rosemarie had gone ahead of them.
“What?” he’d asked Tanna, who stared up at him from the bottom of the front steps.
“You just checked the door five times.”
He shrugged wanting to appear nonchalant although inside he was in turmoil. “I just want to make sure it’s locked,” he said checking it again. He took a few steps then knew he had to go back. “Get in the car, I’ll be right there.”
She folded her arms. “I can wait.”
He checked a seventh time. Then an eighth. “I said I’ll meet you in the car,” he said, wishing she’d go. Wishing she’d turn away so she wouldn’t see him.
He was in a loop and he knew it. He couldn’t get away from the door. Every time he checked, he had to check again. And again. It wasn’t right. He knew it didn’t make sense. He knew the door was closed, the house locked. But he couldn’t get away. But something kept drawing him back. He knew it was crazy, he knew he looked crazy, but he couldn’t escape it. He’d once had to miss a dinner date because he had to keep checking the oven was off.
Tanna held out her hand. “Give me the key.”
“Why?”
“Because I need to get something inside. You wait by the car.”
“Okay,” he said, relieved to release the keys to her.
She went inside and came out a few moments later. “I told you to wait by the car,” she said when she still saw him standing where she had left him. “I’ll lock up.”
Doran turned and went to the car, his hands in his pockets. Right, if she locked up then he didn’t have to worry anymore. The loop was broken.
She unlocked the car. “Do you want me to drive?”
“I can drive,” he snapped, embarrassment making his words harsh.
She handed him the keys and got inside.
He started the engine the put the car into reverse. “I’m sorry.”
But the day didn’t get any better, once they reached the police station he got out of the car and locked it. Then checked that it was locked three times.
Tanna held out her hand. “Give me the keys.”
“I’m fine, just go inside and I’ll be there.”
“Doran.”
“I’m just...checking...” He knew he was being irrational, but couldn’t seem to stop. His sight and touch told him the car was locked, but another insistent voice told him it wasn’t and if it wasn’t, the car could get stolen or...
Tanna’s voice broke through his thoughts. “Let’s go for a drive.”
“We just got here.”
“But you’re not ready.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine.”
“I’m not crazy either.”
“I didn’t say you were.”
“I just need to do this a couple more times and—what!” He cried when she snatched the keys from him.
“We’re going for a walk.”
“I didn’t come here to walk, I came here to find out—”
“How can you find out anything when you’re wound so tight you can hardly function?”
>
She was right, and her words hurt, but he was too proud to admit it.
Tanna walked towards the main road forcing him to follow her, which he did with reluctance. But soon her silent, steady walk calmed him. He’d expected her to ask questions or offer advice like most people did. Have you thought of medicine? Therapy? How long have you had this problem? Have you thought of deep breathing? But she stayed quiet by his side and he took a deep breath, feeling as if he could breathe again. The irrational impulses waning. He thought of Megan and her disgust of his ‘eccentricities’. Was that the reason she’d fallen out of love with him?
He’d gotten better, but he hadn’t conquered it and his mother’s disappearance had only made the impulses grow, giving him a false sense of control. “This is why I’m not part of the business,” he finally said the sound of a motorcycle’s engine roaring down the street drowning out his words.
“What?”
He took a deep breath, resisting the urge to pretend he hadn’t said anything. “I said…this is why I’m not part of the business. I had a major meltdown and let’s just say I haven’t wanted to repeat it.”
She nodded and again surprised him by not speaking and he felt more of his tension ebb. She stared at him as if nothing had changed, as if he were an ordinary man.
And now she stared at him in that same accepting away except she’d given him an answer that had made his heart jump. No matter what, she’d be his.
In one forward motion she was in his arms, his mouth covering hers with a passion that left her breathless. And for a brief moment their world of troubles washed away as they held onto each other as if their love could shelter them from heartbreak.
A few feet away Rosemarie watched them in amazement. She’d only heard the ending part of their conversation and had stopped to eavesdrop and see how they acted when they were alone. She expected to see the ridiculous glances and kisses gone, replaced with the cool detachment of two people trying to pull a con. But she’d been surprised to see that nothing had changed. That the looks and touches they gave to each other seemed even more ardent and real than when they were in public. The way her brother looked at Tanna seemed even more devoted than it had been only two days ago. Had Doran been telling them the truth all along? Had he really found the woman he’d planned to marry?