Joanna was breading pork chops the following evening when Kristen barrelled into the kitchen, leaving the door swinging in her wake. “Mr. Lund’s here to pick up Nicole. I think you should invite him and Nicole to stay for dinner…and explain about, you know, the other night.”
Oh, sure, Joanna mused. She often invited company owners and acting presidents over for an evening meal. Pork chops and mashed potatoes weren’t likely to impress someone like Tanner Lund.
Before Kristen could launch into an argument, Joanna shook her head and offered the first excuse that came to mind. “There aren’t enough pork chops to ask him tonight. Besides, Mr. Lund is probably tired from his trip and anxious to get home.”
“I bet he’s hungry, too,” Kristen pressed. “And Nicole thinks you’re a fabulous cook, and—”
A sharp look from her mother cut her off. “Another night, Kristen!”
Joanna brushed the bread crumbs off her fingertips and untied her apron. Inhaling deeply, she paused long enough to run a hand through her hair and check her reflection in the window above the sink. No one was going to mistake her for Miss America, but her appearance was passable. Okay, it was time to hold her head high, spit the feathers out of her mouth and get ready to down some crow.
Joanna forced a welcoming smile onto her lips as she stepped into the living room. Tanner stood awkwardly just inside the front door, as though prepared to beat a hasty retreat if necessary. “How was your trip?” she ventured, straining to make the question sound cheerful.
“Fine. Thank you.” His expression didn’t change.
“Do you have time for a cup of coffee?” she asked next, doing her best to disguise her unease. She wondered quickly if she’d unpacked her china cups yet. After their shaky beginning, Joanna wasn’t quite sure if she could undo the damage. But standing in the entryway wouldn’t work. She needed to sit down for this.
He eyed her suspiciously. Joanna wasn’t sure she should even try to explain things. In time he’d learn she wasn’t a candidate for the loony bin—just as she’d stumbled over the fact that he wasn’t a terrible father. Trying to tell him that she was an upstanding member of the community after he’d seen her dressed in a wool coat draped over pajamas, giving him looks that suggested he be reported to Children’s Protective Services, wasn’t exactly a task she relished.
Tanner glanced at his wristwatch and shook his head. “I haven’t got time to visit tonight. Thanks for the invitation, though.”
Joanna almost sighed aloud with relief.
“Did Nicole behave herself?”
Joanna nodded. “She wasn’t the least bit of trouble. Nicole’s a great kid.”
A smile cracked the tight edges of his mouth. “Good.”
Kristen and Nicole burst into the room. “Is Mr. Lund going to stay, Mom?”
“He can’t tonight…”
“Another time…”
They spoke simultaneously, with an equal lack of enthusiasm.
“Oh.” The girls looked at each other and frowned, their disappointment noticeable.
“Have you packed everything, Nicole?” Tanner asked, not hiding his eagerness to leave.
The eleven-year-old nodded reluctantly. “I think so.”
“Don’t you think you should check my room one more time?” Kristen suggested, grabbing her friend’s hand and leading her back toward the hallway.
“Oh, right. I suppose I should.” The two disappeared before either Joanna or Tanner could call them back.
The silence between them hummed so loudly Joanna swore she could have waltzed to it. But since the opportunity had presented itself, she decided to get the unpleasant task of explaining her behavior out of the way while she still had her nerve.
“I think I owe you an apology,” she murmured, her face flushing.
“An apology?”
“I thought…you know…The night we met, I assumed you were an irresponsible parent because Nicole was up so late. She’s now told me that you’d just returned from a trip.”
“Yes, well, I admit I did feel the sting of your disapproval.”
This wasn’t easy. Joanna swallowed uncomfortably and laced her fingers together forcing herself to meet his eyes. “Nicole explained that your flight was delayed and she forgot to mention the party supplies when you picked her up at the baby-sitter’s. She said she didn’t remember until you got all the way home.”
Tanner’s mouth relaxed a bit more. “Since we’re both being truthful here, I’ll admit that I wasn’t overly impressed with you that night, either.”
Joanna dropped her gaze. “I can imagine. I hope you realize I don’t usually dress like that.”
“I gathered as much when I dropped Nicole off yesterday afternoon.”
They both paused to share a brief smile and Joanna instantly felt better. It hadn’t been easy to blurt all this out, but she was relieved that they’d finally cleared the air.
“Since Kristen and Nicole are such good friends, I thought, well, that I should set things right between us. From everything Nicole’s said, you’re doing an excellent job of parenting.”
“From everything she’s told me, the same must be true of you.”
“Believe me, it isn’t easy raising a preteen daughter,” Joanna announced. She rubbed her palms together a couple of times, searching for something brilliant to add.
Tanner shook his head. “Isn’t that the truth?”
They laughed then, and because they were still awkward with each other the sound was rusty.
“Now that you mention it, maybe I could spare a few minutes for a cup of coffee.”
“Sure.” Joanna led the way into the kitchen. While Tanner sat down at the table, she filled a mug from the pot keeping warm on the plate of the automatic coffee maker and placed it carefully in front of him. Now that she knew him a bit better, she realized he’d prefer that to a dainty china cup. “How do you take it?”
“Just black, thanks.”
She pulled out the chair across the table from him, still feeling a little ill at ease. Her mind was whirling. She didn’t want to give Tanner a second wrong impression now that she’d managed to correct the first one. Her worry was that he might interpret her friendliness as a sign of romantic interest, which it wasn’t. Building a new relationship was low on her priority list. Besides, they simply weren’t on the same economic level. She worked for a savings-and-loan institution and he was half owner of the largest employer in the area. The last thing she wanted was for Tanner to think of her as a gold digger.
Joanna’s thoughts were tumbling over themselves as she struggled to find a diplomatic way of telling him all this without sounding like some kind of man hater. And without sounding presumptuous.
“I’d like to pay you,” Tanner said, cutting into her reflections. His cheque-book was resting on the table, Cross pen poised above it.
Joanna blinked, not understanding. “For the coffee?”
He gave her an odd look. “For looking after Nicole.”
“No, please.” Joanna shook her head dismissively. “It wasn’t the least bit of trouble for her to stay the night. Really.”
“What about the costume for the talent show? Surely I owe you something for that.”
“No.” Once more she shook her head for emphasis. “I’ve had that material tucked away in a drawer for ages. If I hadn’t used it for Nicole’s costume, I’d probably have ended up giving it away later.”
“But your time must be worth something.”
“It was just as easy to sew up two as one. I was happy to do it. Anyway, there’ll probably be a time in the future when I need a favour. I’m worthless when it comes to electrical outlets and even worse with plumbing.”
Joanna couldn’t believe she’d said that. Tanner Lund wasn’t the type of man to do his own electrical repairs.
“Don’t be afraid to ask,” he told her. “If I can’t fix it, I’ll find someone who can.”
“Thank you,” she said, relaxing. Now that she was talking to Tanner, she decided he was both pleasant and forthright, not at all the coldly remote or self-important man his wealth might have led her to expect.
“Mom,” Kristen cried as she charged into the kitchen, “did you ask Mr. Lund yet?”
“About what?”
“About coming over for dinner some time.”
Joanna felt the heat shoot up her neck and face until it reached her hairline. Kristen had made the invitation sound like a romantic tryst the three of them had been planning the entire time Tanner was away.
Nicole, entering the room behind her friend, provided a timely interruption.
“Dad, Kristen and I want to do our song for you now.”
“I’d like to see it. Do you mind, Joanna?”
“Of course not.”
“Mom finished the costumes last night. We’ll change and be back in a minute,” Kristen said, her voice high with excitement. The two scurried off. The minute they were out of sight, Joanna stood up abruptly and refilled her cup. Actually she was looking for a way to speak frankly to Tanner, without embarrassing herself—or him. She thought ironically that anyone looking at her now would be hard put to believe she was a competent loan officer with a promising future.
“I think I should explain something,” she began, her voice unsteady.
“Yes?” Tanner asked, his gaze following her movements around the kitchen.
Joanna couldn’t seem to stand in one place for long. She moved from the coffeepot to the refrigerator, finally stopping in front of the stove. She linked her fingers behind her back and took a deep breath before she trusted herself to speak. “I thought it was important to clear up any misunderstanding between us, because the girls are such good friends. When Nicole’s with Kristen and me, I want you to know she’s in good hands.”
Tanner gave her a polite nod. “I appreciate that.”
“But I have a feeling that Kristen—and maybe Nicole, too—would like for us to get to know each other, er, better, if you know what I mean.” Oh Lord, that sounded so stupid. Joanna felt herself grasping at straws. “I’m not interested in a romantic relationship, Tanner. I’ve got too much going on in my life to get involved, and I don’t want you to feel threatened by the girls and their schemes. Forgive me for being so blunt, but I’d prefer to have this out in the open.” She’d blurted it out so fast, she wondered if he’d understood. “This dinner invitation was Kristen’s idea, not mine. I don’t want you to think I had anything to do with it.”
“An invitation to dinner isn’t exactly a marriage proposal.”
“True,” Joanna threw back quickly. “But you might think…I don’t know. I guess I don’t want you to assume I’m interested in you—romantically, that is.” She slumped back into the chair, pushed her hair away from her forehead and released a long sigh. “I’m only making matters worse, aren’t I?”
“No. If I understand you correctly, you’re saying you’d like to be friends and nothing more.”
“Right.” Pleased with his perceptiveness, Joanna straightened. Glad he could say in a few simple words what had left her breathless.
“The truth of the matter is, I feel much the same way,” Tanner went on to explain. “I was married once and it was more than enough.”
Joanna found herself nodding enthusiastically. “Exactly. I like my life the way it is. Kristen and I are very close. We just moved into this house and we’ve lots of plans for redecorating. My career is going nicely.”
“Likewise. I’m too busy with this company to get involved in a relationship, either. The last thing I need right now is a woman to complicate my life.”
“A man would only come between Kristen and me at this stage.”
“How long have you been divorced?” Tanner asked, folding his hands around his coffee mug.
“Six years.”
The information appeared to satisfy him, and he nodded slowly, as though to say he trusted what she was telling him. “It’s been five for me.”
She nodded, too. Like her, he hadn’t immediately jumped into another relationship, nor was he looking for one. No doubt he had his reasons; Joanna knew she had hers.
“Friends?” Tanner asked, and extended his hand for her to shake.
“And nothing more,” Joanna added, placing her hand in his.
They exchanged a smile.
* * *
“SINCE MR. LUND can’t be here for the talent show on Wednesday, he wants to take Nicole and me out for dinner next Saturday night,” Kristen announced. “Nicole said to ask you if it was all right.”
“That’s fine,” Joanna returned absently, scanning the front page of the Saturday evening newspaper. It had been more than a week since she’d spoken to Tanner. She felt good about the way things had gone that afternoon; they understood each other now, despite their rather uncertain start.
Kristen darted back into the kitchen, returning a minute later. “I think it would be best if you spoke to Mr. Lund yourself, Mom.”
“Okay, honey.” She’d finished reading Dear Abby and had just turned to the comics section, looking for Garfield, her favourite cat.
“Mom!” Kristen cried impatiently. “Mr. Lund’s on the phone now. You can’t keep him waiting like this. It’s impolite.”
Hurriedly Joanna set the paper aside. “For heaven’s sake, why didn’t you say so earlier?”
“I did. Honestly, Mom, I think you’re losing it.”
Whatever it was sounded serious. The minute Joanna was inside the kitchen, Kristen thrust the telephone receiver into her hand.
“This is Joanna,” she said.
“This is Tanner,” he answered right away. “Don’t feel bad. Nicole claims I’m losing it too.”
“I’d take her more seriously if I knew what it was.”
“Yeah, me too,” Tanner said, and she could hear the laughter in his voice. “Listen, is dinner next Saturday evening all right with you?”
“I can’t see a problem at this end.”
“Great. The girls suggested that ice-cream parlour they’re always talking about.”
“The Pink Palace,” Joanna said, and managed to swallow a chuckle. Tanner was really letting himself in for a crazy night with those two. Last year Kristen had talked Joanna into dinner there for her birthday. The hamburgers had been as expensive as T-bone steaks, and tough as rawhide. The music was so loud it had impaired Joanna’s hearing for an entire week afterward. And the place was packed with teenagers. On the bright side, though, the ice cream was pretty good.
“By the way,” Joanna said, “Nicole’s welcome to stay here when you’re away next week.”
“Joanna, that’s great. I didn’t want to ask, but the kid’s been at me ever since the last time. She was worried I was going to send her back to Mrs. Wagner.”
“It’ll work best for her to stay here, since that’s the night of the talent show.”
“Are you absolutely sure?”
“Absolutely. It’s no trouble at all. Just drop her off—and don’t worry.”
“Right.” He sounded relieved. “And don’t wear anything fancy next Saturday night.”
“Saturday night?” Joanna asked, lost for a moment.
“Yeah. Didn’t you just tell me it was all right for the four of us to go to dinner?”