“She’s gone. Won’t be back until the staff meeting. This can’t wait.”
“Then you talk to Tatum with me present.”
“You’re making more out of this than you need to.”
“You shouldn’t be alone with Tatum. It’s bad policy.”
“Policy?”
“You want to avoid any misunderstandings. It’s less likely to happen with a third person in the room.” If only Ryder had heeded his own advice.
His father frowned. “Are you saying she could accuse me of something I didn’t do?”
“Or something you didn’t say. People often react badly when they’re being reprimanded. They’re upset. Not listening. Misinterpreting. Better to wait for Mom.”
He didn’t believe Tatum was like his former coworker, exaggerating a situation for her own personal agenda. His suggestion was also to protect Tatum. She needed an advocate, and his mother would fill that role.
“Okay.” His father leaned back in his chair. “I’ll wait.”
Ryder expelled a long breath. He wanted to be in on the meeting. He also knew from experience that wasn’t wise.
“You and I aren’t through,” his father added.
They would talk again, and when they did, Ryder would be handing his father the money this mistake had cost the arena.
“I’ll be back in an hour.”
His father’s gaze pinned him in place. “Don’t say a word to her. You hear me? I know you two have a thing.”
“I won’t.”
As much as Ryder wanted to give Tatum a heads-up, he’d keep his mouth shut. Every move he made, every step he took, from this moment on had to be carefully executed. He wouldn’t endanger Tatum’s job any more than it already was.
In the outer office, he paused at her desk.
“Everything okay?” she asked.
“Great.”
“Ryder.”
“I’ll catch you later.” Because she needed reassurance, he squeezed her shoulder.
“Okay. But I’m—”
“I promise you, everything will be fine.”
It would be, too. He’d move heaven and earth if necessary to safeguard her. And if his father dared to fire her, he’d help her fight it tooth and nail.
Once outside, Ryder went straight to his truck. How could he be so stupid? Twice in three months he’d made a colossal error. Twice he’d let his feelings for a woman affect his better judgment.
Only this time, he wasn’t the only one to suffer the consequences. He’d cost his family a sizeable amount of money and brought the woman he truly cared about under unnecessary scrutiny.
* * *
TATUM DIDN’T PHONE Ryder after her meeting with Mercer and Sunny. Instead, she placed a call to a temporary agency she’d applied to right after losing her teaching job. The Becketts had come through with the office manager position, so she hadn’t followed up with the agency. She did this afternoon.
They had a position open at a preschool in Mesa. She could start next week as soon as she passed the background check and completed the application process. Tatum requested twenty-four hours to think about it. There were the Becketts to consider; she owed them a reasonable notice. And there were her art classes. Her students’ parents deserved reasonable notice, too, and any refunds due.
The meeting with Sunny and Mercer had been her worst nightmare come true. For two hours after Ryder left, she’d fretted and stewed, sensing something had happened between him and his father. Or, that he’d told his family about the job offer, and there’d been a falling-out.
Never in her wildest imagination had she thought she’d made an error in the Spencer contract or that she would be receiving a stern reprimand.
Sunny had assured her the oversight was an honest one and that ultimate responsibility lay with Ryder. Tatum took only a small amount of consolation from that. Yes, he should have reviewed the contract. She’d asked him to do it. But the actual transposition was her carelessness.
She wasn’t normally like that. Tatum took pride in her work, always did her best. She was organized and diligent and paid attention to details. Except for the Lynda Spencer contract.
Then, she’d allowed blind determination and Ryder’s overconfidence in her abilities to cloud her judgment. She should have refused his directive and not sent out the contract until it was reviewed. By Mercer if not Ryder. But she’d been pleased and flattered and lulled by the pretty picture of the future Ryder had painted and a desire to be worthy of his affections. Such a fool!
God, what would her mother-in-law say when she found out? Tatum’s stomach twisted into an uncomfortable knot. Ruth would probably try and gain custody of the kids through Monty, claiming Tatum wasn’t in a financially secure enough position to adequately provide for them. She might be right, considering that Tatum had been in this exact same position six short months ago.
Knowing Sunny and Cassidy were having dinner right about now, Tatum pulled into the driveway and unloaded her kids from the car. With Adam balanced on her hip and the other two in tow, she knocked on the Becketts’ back door. Cassidy answered it.
“Hi. You’re a little early.”
The plan had been for Cassidy and Sunny to watch the kids while Tatum and Ryder went on their date. She’d explained the change in plans to her children on the drive over. They weren’t happy to be missing out on playtime with their friend.
What would Ryder think when he showed up at her place and she wasn’t there? What would he think when he called her cell and she didn’t answer because she’d purposefully left it in the car? Doubtless he’d be unhappy, too.
“Sorry to interrupt you at dinnertime,” Tatum said, “but do you have a minute?”
Concern clouded Cassidy’s features. The door swung wide. “Sure, sure. Of course.”
Drew tumbled in first. “Where’s Benjie?”
“Watching TV with my mom.” Cassidy gave him a gentle nudge. “Go on, if you want.”
He tore across the kitchen and around the corner. Gretchen also went, at a considerably more sedate pace. Adam, evidently having another one of his “off days”—that, or he’d picked up on Tatum’s state of mind—clung to her and whined softly.
She watched until both older children disappeared, thinking Drew’s hair was in dire need of a cut. She should have taken him to the barber last weekend, only she’d been too preoccupied with Ryder and the mock wedding. A lot of things had gone unattended recently, and she was paying for it now. Well, after tonight, she’d be able to catch up.
“Can I talk to your mom, too?” Tatum asked. “I won’t take long.”
In response, Cassidy turned off the oven and lowered the heat beneath a simmering pot. “Be right back.”
She took the same route as Drew and Gretchen. A minute later, she returned with Sunny. The two must have exchanged words, for Sunny wore the same worried expression as Cassidy.
“Honey, about today,” Sunny said, “I know you’re upset. Mercer was much too hard on you.”
“He wasn’t. He was doing his job.” Tatum squared her shoulders as much as possible with Adam in her arms. “I came here tonight to tender my resignation.”
“No!” Cassidy rushed forward. “You are not quitting. It was a stupid little whoops. I make them all the time.”
“It’s not just the Spencer contract and the numbers mix-up. It’s the reason I made the mistake in the first place.” Ignoring the painful lump in her throat, she shifted Adam to her other hip. “I let my personal life interfere with my job. Affect my judgment. That’s unprofessional and unacceptable.”
“This is about Ryder, then,” Cassidy said, her voice flat.
“It’s about me. I love you both, even more because you came through for me and the kids when I really needed it. But we all know teaching a
nd art are my first loves, and I’m not an office manager.”
“You’re a great office manager.”
“I’m competent. Good on my best days. But I’m no administrative assistant, and I’m certainly no marketing or promotion person.”
“You don’t have to be,” Sunny insisted.
“The customers adore you,” Cassidy added.
“And I like them. Interacting with customers has been the best part of working here.”
“Then, stay.”
Tatum wanted Sunny and Cassidy to understand and did her best to explain. “All the years I spent teaching, I was careful to never cross the line. And it was difficult sometimes, believe you me. The students with issues, the parents who didn’t care, I often wished I could put those lines aside, but I didn’t. Four months on this job and I not only do that, I cost you a substantial amount of money.”
“We’ll recover,” Sunny assured her. “We have before. From much worse.”
“Please reconsider,” Cassidy pleaded. “Mom’s right. A few thousand dollars isn’t that big of a deal.
A few thousand dollars? Tatum thought about what she could do with that sum. Put a deposit down on a rental house. Finally get those new tires for her car. Start a college fund for her children.
“It’s for the best,” she said. “I can’t continue working here with Ryder.”
“He’s leaving.” Cassidy sounded as if she’d been expecting her brother’s departure all along.
“I heard.”
“Then, why quit?”
“You’ve been good to me. Better than I deserve. I refuse to be a hindrance.”
Funny, Ryder said essentially the same thing about his job with the arena only on a temporary basis. Were they both taking advantage of their loved ones? She hadn’t understood his reasons for seeking a different job before. Now, they were crystal clear.
“You are not a hindrance,” Sunny insisted.
“I went from living with my parents to living with Monty. Other than the twenty months since the divorce, and not counting the two months we stayed here with you, I haven’t lived on my own. I wouldn’t be now if not for you. It’s time I grew up. Stopped depending on others to carry my load.”
“Tatum.” Sunny looked as if her heart was breaking.
“It’s obvious I can’t rely on Monty, other than for child support. Even when his children were at risk of losing the only home they’d ever known, he didn’t step up. I have to make it on my own, or as much as I can.”
“What are you going to do?” Cassidy asked, tears threatening to fall.
Adam had begun to drift off. Tatum patted his back while rocking from side to side. “I have a potential teaching job in Mesa. At a preschool. Temporary to start, but it could work into a permanent position. I’d have to begin next week. I know it’s short notice...”
“No worries,” Sunny insisted. “We’ll manage.”
“What about the art classes?” Cassidy asked. “Can you turn those into something full-time?”
“I doubt it. There aren’t enough children in Reckless interested in learning to paint.”
“I’ll speak to the board members,” Sunny offered. “Maybe we can shift some money around. Or, you could substitute teach.”
“Don’t bother. You’d be wasting your time.” Tatum had no expectations that the board would change their position. Not without a new source of revenue.
“Have you told Ryder yet?” Sunny asked. Both she and Cassidy knew about his and Tatum’s date.
“I will.”
“When?”
“I’m not sure. Maybe tonight.”
“He feels terrible.” Sunny said. “And blames himself.
Ah, so he’d talked with Sunny, not just Mercer. Tatum admitted to being curious how that conversation went.
“He shouldn’t.”
“Yes, he should.” Cassidy huffed with indignation. “It was his responsibility to review that contract before you sent it out.”
Sadness filled Tatum. “You’re always so hard on him. And Mercer. They’re family, and you only get one.”
Cassidy looked chagrined. “You’re right.”
Tatum thought of Monty and Ruth. Was she too hard on them, as well? They were still family. Her children’s father and grandmother. Perhaps Tatum should heed her own advice.
All at once, Benjie appeared in the kitchen. Sliding to a stop in his stockinged feet, he announced that he was starving. Tatum took her cue to leave.
“Come on, kids,” she hollered. “Time to hit the road.”
Her small troupe responded, heads hanging as if leaving was the worst punishment ever rendered in the entire history of the world.
Tatum checked her phone after getting into the car. Three missed calls from Ryder. A small icon appeared at the top of her phone’s display, alerting her she had a voice-mail message. Maybe more than one.
She didn’t call Ryder on the drive home, preferring privacy when they spoke. Holding her breath in anticipation, she pulled into her parking space at her apartment complex. Would he be there waiting for her? As it turned out, he wasn’t. She was both relieved and disappointed.
Thirty minutes later, she answered his next phone call.
He didn’t bother with hello. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Adam, though, is sick. I think he’s running a fever. Sorry, I should have phoned.”
A fib, yes. But Tatum just couldn’t face Ryder tonight. Not after the day she’d had.
“Can I help?”
“I’m just putting him to bed now.” That much was true. “Sorry about tonight.”
“I could come over.”
The tenderness in his voice tore at her already vulnerable heart. “It’s not a good time. I’m tired.” Another truth.
“Okay. I’ll call you in the morning.” The tenderness had vanished. He’d figured out she was blowing him off.
She hated herself in this moment. She’d hate herself worse when they finally did talk, and she told him about her decision to quit the arena and leave Reckless.
Ryder would probably hate her, too.
Chapter Fifteen
Ryder found Tatum in the Ship-With-Ease Store, speaking with Lenny Faust. He’d tracked her there after learning that she’d given her notice.
Her notice! What the heck was she thinking, quitting the Easy Money and moving? The anger he felt, at himself, his family, his father especially, at her even, was overshadowed by his fear that she might actually leave Reckless, going who knew where, and it was all his fault.
Cassidy had let the news slip earlier, assuming Tatum had already told him about her termination. Later, he’d have to apologize to his sister for his outburst. At the moment, finding Tatum and convincing her not to quit took precedence. Clearly, she’d had a knee-jerk reaction to the reprimand she’d received and wasn’t looking at the long term.
A buzzer announced his arrival at the store. Tatum stood at the counter, Lenny on the other side facing her. They both turned to stare at him. Lenny winked. Tatum remained stoic. Ryder cut a direct path to Tatum. “Can we talk?”
“Give me a few minutes.” She held herself rigid.
“Take your time,” Lenny said and hooked his thumb over his shoulder. “I’ve got some cartons in the storeroom to unpack.”
Ryder barely waited for the other man to leave. “You quit.”
“We are not having this discussion here.”
“I agree.”
He took her by the arm and, ignoring her small gasp of protest, led her to the art studio next door. Lenny might be in the storeroom, but the walls weren’t soundproof, and Ryder wanted to keep his and Tatum’s conversation away from prying ears.
“You can’t,” he said the instant they were behind
the closed door. “You need this job.”
“I have another one lined up.”
“What? Where?”
She raised her chin a notch. “It’s not really any of your business.”
“The hell it isn’t. We’re dating.”
“Technically, we haven’t been on even one date.”
Her remark hit him in the gut, stronger than any fist. “Did the other night mean that little to you?”
Her features crumpled. “It meant more to me than you can know.”
“Not enough, apparently, because you’re hightailing it out of here the second we hit a bump in the road.”
“This is more than a bump, Ryder.”
“You were reprimanded. For a mistake that wasn’t your fault. Big deal. It happens all the time. You learn, make changes and have it out with your boss if necessary. Hardly a reason to blow off your job and pull up stakes. Move your entire family.”
Now it was her turn to react. “It is a big deal. I cost the Easy Money a lot of money.”
“I cost them the money. I’m trying to repay it, but, so far, my parents won’t let me. I’m thinking of just depositing the money directly into the arena bank account.”
“I won’t let you! It’s, it’s—”
“My decision. And I’d do a lot more than that if it stopped you from leaving. You love living in Reckless. And you like your job at the arena.”
“You can’t simply buy your way out of this.”
“I’m making recompense for my error.”
“Not your error. Mine.”
He was growing weary of her stubbornness. “We can argue this point until we’re both blue in the face. It’s not the real issue. Your quitting is. You’re upset and you’re also embarrassed.”
Her blush confirmed it.
“Take a day and calm down.”
The blush morphed into a flush of anger. “You just don’t get it. How come you can quit your job and move away when you screw up but not me?”
“My mistake was a lot bigger. And could have cost my employer considerably more than a few thousand dollars. Yours was a typo.”
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