“I’m not going to,” Joanna promised.
There was a long pause before her mother sighed and answered, “Good. You deserve some happiness.”
* * *
AT PRECISELY NOON the following day, Joanna drove into the Sea Galley parking lot. Tanner was already there, waiting for her by the entrance.
“Hi,” she said with a friendly grin, as he walked toward her.
“What, no disguises?”
Joanna laughed, embarrassed now by that silly scarf and sunglasses she’d worn when they met at Denny’s. “Kristen doesn’t know anyone who eats here.”
“I’m grateful for that.”
His smile was warm enough to tunnel through snow drifts, and as much as Joanna had warned herself not to be affected by it, she was.
“It’s good to see you,” Tanner added, taking her arm to escort her into the restaurant.
“You, too.” Although she hadn’t seen him in almost a week, Tanner was never far from her thoughts. Nicole had stayed with her and Kristen when Tanner flew to New York for two days in the middle of the previous week. The Spokane area had been hit by a fierce snowstorm the evening he left. Joanna had felt nervous the entire time about his traveling in such inclement weather, yet she hadn’t so much as asked him about his flight when he arrived to pick up Nicole. Their conversation had been brief and pleasantly casual, but her relief that he’d got home safely had kept her awake for hours. Later, she’d been furious with herself for caring so much.
The Sea Galley hostess seated them right away and handed them thick menus. Joanna ordered a shrimp salad and coffee. Tanner echoed her choice.
“Nicole’s birthday is next week,” he announced, studying her face carefully. “She’s handing out the party invitations today at school.”
Joanna smiled and nodded. But Tanner’s eyes held hers, and she saw something unidentifiable flicker there.
“In a moment of weakness, I told her she could have a slumber party.”
Joanna’s smile faded. “As I recall, Nicole did mention something about this party,” she said, trying to sound cheerful. The poor guy didn’t know what he was in for. “You’re obviously braver than I am.”
“You think it was a bad move?”
Joanna made a show of closing her eyes and nodding vigorously.
“I was afraid of that,” Tanner muttered, and he rearranged the silverware around his place setting a couple of times. “I know we agreed it probably wouldn’t be a good idea for us to do things together. But I need some advice—from a friend.”
“What can I do?”
“Joanna, I haven’t the foggiest idea about entertaining a whole troop of girls. I can handle contract negotiations and make split-second business decisions, but I panic at the thought of all those squealing little girls sequestered in my apartment for all those hours.”
“How do you want me to help?”
“Would you consider…” He gave her a hopeful look, then shook his head regretfully. “No. I can’t ask that of you. Besides, we don’t want to give the girls any more ideas about the two of us. What I really need is some suggestions for keeping all these kids occupied. What do other parents do?”
“Other parents know better.”
Tanner wiped a lock of dark brown hair from his brow and frowned. “I was afraid of that.”
“What time are the girls supposed to arrive?”
“Six.”
“Tanner, that’s too early.”
“I know, but Nicole insists I serve my special tacos, and she has some screwy idea about all the girls crowding into the kitchen to watch me.”
Now it was Joanna’s turn to frown. “That won’t work. You’ll end up with ten different pairs of hands trying to help. There’ll be hamburger and cheese from one end of the place to the other.”
“I thought as much. Good Lord, Joanna, how did I get myself into this mess?”
“Order pizza,” she tossed out, tapping her index finger against her bottom lip. “Everyone loves that.”
“Pizza. Okay. What about games?”
“A scavenger hunt always comes in handy when things get out of hand. Release the troops on your unsuspecting neighbours.”
“So far we’ve got thirty minutes of the first fourteen hours filled.”
“Movies,” Joanna suggested next. “Lots of movies. You can phone early and reserve a couple of new releases and add an old favourite like Pretty in Pink, and the girls will be in seventh heaven.”
His eyes brightened. “Good idea.”
“And if you really feel adventurous, take them roller-skating.”
“Roller-skating? You think they’d like that?”
“They’d love it, especially if word leaked out that they were going to be at the rink Friday night. That way, several of the boys from the sixth-grade class can just happen to be there, too.”
Tanner nodded, and a smile quirked the corners of his mouth. “And you think that’ll keep everyone happy?”
“I’m sure of it. Wear ’em out first, show a movie or two second, with the lights out, of course, and I guarantee you by midnight everyone will be sound asleep.”
Their salads arrived and Tanner stuck his fork into a fat succulent shrimp, then paused. “Now what was it you said last night about buying you lunch and making you mine?”
“It was a slip of the tongue,” she muttered, dropping her gaze to her salad.
“Just my luck.”
They laughed, and it felt good. Joanna had never had a relationship like this with a man. She wasn’t on her guard the way she normally was, fearing that her date would put too much stock in an evening or two out. Because their daughters were the same age, they had a lot in common. They were both single parents doing their damnedest to raise their daughters right. The normal dating rituals and practised moves were unnecessary with him. Tanner was her friend, and it renewed Joanna’s faith in the opposite sex to know there were still men like him left. Their friendship reassured her—but the undeniable attraction between them still frightened her.
“I really appreciate your suggestions,” he said, after they’d both concentrated on their meals for several moments. “I’ve had this panicky feeling for the past three days. I suppose it wasn’t a brilliant move on my part to call you at home, but I was getting desperate.”
“You’ll do fine. Just remember, it’s important to keep the upper hand.”
“I’ll try.”
“By the way, when is Hell Night?” She couldn’t resist teasing him.
He gave a heartfelt sigh. “Next Friday.”
Joanna slowly ate a shrimp. “I think Kristen figured out it was you on the phone last night.”
“She did?”
“Yeah. She started asking questions the minute I hung up. She claimed my ‘friend’ sounded suspiciously like Mr. Lund faking a woman’s voice.”
Tanner cleared his throat and answered in a high falsetto. “That should tell you how desperate I was.”
Joanna laughed and speared another shrimp. “That’s what friends are for.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
“Mom, hurry or we’re going to be late.” Kristen paced the hallway outside her mother’s bedroom door while Joanna finished dressing.
“Have you got Nicole’s gift?”
“Oh.” Kristen dashed into her bedroom and returned with a gaily wrapped oblong box. They’d bought the birthday gift the night before, a popular board game, which Kristen happened to know Nicole really wanted.
“I think Mr. Lund is really nice to let Nicole have a slumber party, don’t you?”
“Really brave is a more apt description. How many girls are coming?”
“Fifteen.”
“Fifteen!” Joanna echoed in a shocked voice.
“Nicole originally invited twenty, but only fifteen could make it.”
Joanna slowly shook her head. He’d had good reason to feel panicky. With all these squealing, giddy preadolescent girls, the poor man would be certifiable by the end of
the night. Either that or a prime candidate for extensive counselling.
When they arrived, the parking area outside Tanner’s apartment building looked like the scene of a rock concert. There were enough parents dropping off kids to cause a minor traffic jam.
“I can walk across the street if you want to let me out here,” Kristen suggested, anxiously eyeing the group of girls gathering outside the building.
“I’m going to find a parking place,” Joanna said, scanning the side streets for two adjacent spaces—so that she wouldn’t need to struggle to parallel park.
“You’re going to find a place to leave the car? Why?” Kristen wanted to know, her voice higher pitched and more excited than usual. “You don’t have to come in, if you don’t want. I thought you said you were going to refinish that old chair Grandpa gave us last summer.”
“I was,” Joanna murmured with a short sigh, “but I have the distinct impression that Nicole’s father is going to need a helping hand.”
“I’m sure he doesn’t, Mom. Mr. Lund is a really organized person. I’m sure he’s got everything under control.”
Kristen’s reaction surprised Joanna. She would have expected her daughter to encourage the idea of getting the two of them together.
She finally found a place to park and they hurried across the street, Kristen apparently deep in thought.
“Actually, Mom, I think helping Mr. Lund might be a good idea,” she said after a long pause. “He’ll probably be grateful.”
Joanna wasn’t nearly as confident by this time. “I have a feeling I’m going to regret this later.”
“No, you won’t.” Joanna could tell Kristen was about to launch into another one of her little speeches about babies, vacations and homemade cookies. Thankfully she didn’t get the chance, since they’d entered the building and encountered a group of Kristen’s other friends.
Tanner was standing in the doorway of his apartment, already looking frazzled when Joanna arrived. Surprise flashed through his eyes when he saw her.
“I’ve come to help,” she announced, peeling off her jacket and pushing up the sleeves of her thin sweater. “This group is more than one parent can reasonably be expected to control.”
He looked for a moment as though he wanted to fall to the ground and kiss her feet. “Bless you.”
“Believe me, Tanner, you owe me for this.” She glanced around at the chaos that dominated the large apartment. The girls had already formed small groups and were arguing loudly with each other over some subject of earth-shattering importance—like Bruce Springsteen’s age, or the real color of Billy Idol’s hair.
“Is the pizza ready?” Joanna asked him, raising her voice in order to be heard over the din of squeals, shouts and rock music.
Tanner nodded. “It’s in the kitchen. I ordered eight large ones. Do you think that’ll be enough?”
Joanna rolled her eyes. “I suspect you’re going to be eating leftover pizza for the next two weeks.”
The girls proved her wrong. Never had Joanna seen a hungrier group. They were like school of piranha attacking a hapless victim, and within fifteen minutes everyone had eaten her fill. There were one or two slices left of four of the pizzas, but the others had vanished completely.
“It’s time for a movie,” Joanna decided, and while the girls voted on which film to see first Tanner started dumping dirty paper plates and pop cans into a plastic garbage sack. When the movie was finished, Joanna calculated, it would be time to go skating.
Peace reigned once Tom Cruise appeared on the television screen and Joanna joined Tanner in the bright cheery kitchen.
He was sitting dejectedly at the round table, rubbing a hand across his forehead. “I feel a headache coming on.”
“It’s too late for that,” she said with a soft smile. “Actually I think everything is going very well. Everyone seems to be having a good time, and Nicole is a wonderful hostess.”
“You do? She is?” He gave her an astonished look. “I keep having nightmares about pillow fights and lost dental appliances.”
“Hey, it isn’t going to happen.” Not while they maintained control. “Tanner, I meant what I said about the party going well. In fact, I’m surprised at how smoothly everything is falling into place. The kids really are having a good time, and as long as we keep them busy there shouldn’t be any problems.”
He grinned, looking relieved. “I don’t know about you, but I could use a cup of coffee.”
“I’ll second that.”
He poured coffee into two pottery mugs and carried them to the table. Joanna sat across from him, propping her feet on the opposite chair. Sighing, she leaned back and cradled the steaming mug.
“The pizza was a good idea.” He reached for a piece and shoved the box in her direction.
Now that she had a chance to think about it, Joanna realized she’d been so busy earlier, serving the girls, she hadn’t managed to eat any of the pizza herself. She straightened enough to reach for a napkin and a thick slice dotted with pepperoni and spicy Italian sausage.
“What made you decide to give up your evening to help me out?” Tanner asked, watching her closely. “Kristen told Nicole that you had a hot date tonight. You were the last person I expected to see.”
Joanna wasn’t sure what had changed her mind about tonight and staying to help Tanner. Pity, she suspected. “If the situation were reversed, you’d lend me a hand,” she replied, more interested in eating than conversation at the moment.
Tanner frowned at his pizza. “You missed what I was really asking.”
“I did?”
“I was trying to be subtle about asking if you had a date tonight.”
Joanna found that question odd. “Obviously I didn’t.”
“It isn’t so obvious to me. You’re a single parent, so there aren’t that many evenings you can count on being free of responsibility. I would have thought you’d use this time to go out with someone special, flap your wings and that sort of thing.” His frown grew darker.
“I’m too old to flap my wings,” she said with a soft chuckle. “Good grief, I’m over thirty.”
“So you aren’t dating anyone special?”
“Tanner, you know I’m not.”
“I don’t know anything of the sort.” Although he didn’t raise his voice, Joanna could sense his disquiet.
“All right, what’s up?” She didn’t like the looks he was giving her. Not one bit.
“Nicole.”
“Nicole?” she repeated.
“She was telling me that other day that you’d met someone recently. ‘A real prince’ is the phrase she used. Someone rich and handsome who was crazy about you—she claimed you were seeing a lot of this guy. Said you were falling madly in love.”
Joanna dropped her feet to the floor with a loud thud and bolted upright so fast she nearly tumbled out of the chair. She was furiously chewing her pepperoni-and-sausage pizza, trying to swallow it as quickly as she could. All the while, her finger was pointing, first toward the living room where the girls were innocently watching Top Gun and then at Tanner who was staring at her in fascination.
“Hey, don’t get angry with me,” he said. “I’m only repeating what Kristen supposedly told Nicole and what Nicole told me.”
She swallowed the piece of pizza in one huge lump. “They’re plotting again, don’t you see? I should have known something was up. It’s been much too quiet lately. Kristen and Nicole are getting devious now, because the direct approach didn’t work.” Flustered, she started pacing the kitchen floor.
“Settle down, Joanna. We’re smarter than a couple of school kids.”
“That’s easy for you to say.” She pushed her hair away from her forehead and continued to pace. Little wonder Kristen hadn’t been keen on the idea of her helping Tanner tonight. Joanna whirled around to face him. “Well, aren’t you going to say something?” To her dismay, she discovered he was doing his best not to chuckle. “This isn’t a laughing matter, Tanner L
und. I wish you’d take this seriously!”
“I am.”
Joanna snorted softly. “You are not!”
“We’re mature adults, Joanna. We aren’t going to allow two children to dictate our actions.”
“Is that a fact?” She braced both hands against her hips and glared at him. “I’m pleased to hear you’re such a tower of strength, but I’ll bet a week’s pay that it wasn’t your idea to have this slumber party. You probably rejected the whole thing the first time Nicole suggested it, but after having the subject of a birthday slumber party brought up thirty times in about thirty minutes you weakened, and that was when Nicole struck the fatal blow. If your daughter is anything like mine, she probably used every trick in the book to talk you into this party idea. Knowing how guilty you felt about all those business trips, I suppose Nicole brought them up ten or twelve times. And before you knew what hit you, there were fifteen little girls spending the night at your apartment.”
Tanner paled.
“Am I right?” she insisted.
He shrugged and muttered disparagingly, “Close enough.”
Slumping into the chair, Joanna pushed the pizza box aside and forcefully expelled her breath. “I don’t mind telling you, I’m concerned about this. If Kristen and Nicole are plotting against us, then we’ve got to form some kind of plan of our own before they drive us out of our minds. We can’t allow them to manipulate us like this.”
“I think you may be right.”
She eyed him hopefully. “Any suggestions?” If he was smart enough to manage a couple of thousand employees, surely he could figure out a way to keep two eleven-year-olds under control.
Slouched in his chair, his shoulders sagging, Tanner shook his head. “None. What about you?”
“Communication is the key.”
“Right.”
“We’ve got to keep in touch with each other and keep tabs on what’s going on with these two. Don’t believe a thing they say until we check it out with the other.”
“We’ve got another problem, Joanna,” Tanner said, looking in every direction but hers.
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