After their night at the movies, Joanna didn’t give Tanner’s invitation to the dinner party more than a passing thought until she read about the event on the society page of Wednesday’s newspaper. The Review described the dinner, which was being sponsored by Spokane Aluminum, as the gala event of the year. Anyone who was anyone in the eastern half of Washington state would be attending. Until Joanna noticed the news article, she’d thought it was a small intimate party; that was the impression Tanner had given her.
From that moment on, Joanna started worrying, though she wasn’t altogether sure why. As a loan officer, she’d attended her share of business-related social functions…but never anything of this scope. The problem, she decided, was one she’d been denying since the night of Nicole’s slumber party. Tanner’s social position and wealth far outdistanced her own. He was an important member of their community, and she was just a spoke in the wheel of everyday life.
Now, as she dressed for the event, her uneasiness grew, because she knew how important this evening was to Tanner—although he hadn’t told her in so many words. The reception and dinner were all part of his becoming half owner of a major corporation and, according to the newspaper article, had been in the planning stages for several months after his arrival. All John Becky’s way of introducing Tanner to the community leaders.
Within the first half hour of their arrival, Joanna recognized the mayor and a couple of members from the city council, plus several other people she didn’t know, who nonetheless looked terribly important.
“Here,” Tanner whispered, stepping to her side and handing her a glass of champagne.
Smiling up at him, she took the glass and held the dainty stem in a death grip, angry with herself for being so unnerved. It wasn’t as though she’d never seen the mayor before—okay, only in pictures, but still… “I don’t know if I dare have anything too potent,” she admitted.
“Why not?”
“If you want the truth, I feel out of it at this affair. I’d prefer to fade into the background, mingle among the draperies, get acquainted with the wallpaper. That sort of thing.”
Tanner’s smile was encouraging. “No one would know it to look at you.”
Joanna had trouble believing that. The smile she wore felt frozen on her lips, and her stomach protested the fact that she’d barely managed to eat all day. Tonight was important, and for Tanner’s sake she’d do what she had to.
The man who owned the controlling interest in Columbia Basin Savings and Loan strolled past them and paused when he recognized her. Joanna nodded her recognition, and when he continued on she swallowed the entire glass of champagne in three giant gulps.
“I feel better,” she announced.
“Good.”
Tanner apparently hadn’t noticed how quickly she’d downed the champagne, for which Joanna was grateful.
“Come over here. There are some people I want you to meet.”
More people! Tanner had already introduced her to so many that the names were swimming around in her head like fish crowded in a small pond. She’d tried to keep them all straight, and it had been simple in the beginning when he’d started with his partner, John Becky, and John’s wife, Jean, but from that point on her memory had deteriorated steadily.
Tanner pressed his hand to the middle of her spine and steered her across the room to where a small group had gathered.
Along the way, Joanna picked up another glass of champagne, just so she’d have something to do with her hands. The way she was feeling, she had no intention of drinking it.
The men and women paused in the middle of their conversation when Tanner approached. After a few words of greeting, introductions were made.
“Pleased to meet all of you,” Joanna said, forcing some life into her fatigued smile. Everyone seemed to be looking at her, expecting something more. She nodded toward Tanner. “Our daughters are best friends.”
The others smiled.
“I didn’t know you had a daughter,” a voluptuous blonde said, smiling sweetly up at Tanner.
“Nicole just turned twelve.”
The blonde seemed fascinated with this information. “How very sweet. My niece is ten and I know she’d just love to meet Nicole. Perhaps we could get the two of them together. Soon.”
“I’m sure Nicole would like that.”
“It’s a date then.” She sidled as close to Tanner as she possibly could, practically draping her breast over his forearm.
Joanna narrowed her gaze and took a small sip of the champagne. The blonde, whose name was—she searched her mind—Blaise, couldn’t have been any more obvious had she issued an invitation to her bed.
“Tanner, there’s someone you must meet—that is, if I can drag you away from Joanna for just a little minute.” The blonde cast a challenging look in Joanna’s direction.
“Oh, sure.” Joanna gestured with her hand as though to let Blaise know Tanner was free to do as he wished. She certainly didn’t have any claims on him.
Tanner frowned. “Come with us,” he suggested.
Joanna threw him what she hoped was a dazzling smile. “Go on. You’ll only be gone a little minute,” she said sweetly, purposely echoing Blaise’s words.
The two left, Blaise clinging to Tanner’s arm, and Joanna chatted with the others in the group for a few more minutes before fading into the background. Her stomach was twisted in knots. She didn’t know why she’d sent Tanner off like that, when it so deeply upset her. Something in her refused to let him know that; it was difficult enough to admit even to herself.
Hoping she wasn’t being obvious, her gaze followed Tanner and Blaise until she couldn’t endure it any longer, and then she turned and made her way into the ladies’ room. Joanna was grateful that the outer room was empty, and she slouched onto the sofa. Her heart was slamming painfully against her rib cage, and when she pressed her hands to her cheeks her face felt hot and feverish. Joanna would gladly have paid the entire three hundred and fifteen dollars in her savings account for a way to gracefully disappear.
It was then that she knew.
She was in love with Tanner Lund. Despite all the warnings she’d given herself. Despite the fact that they were worlds apart, financially and socially.
With the realization that she loved Tanner came another. The night had only begun—they hadn’t even eaten yet. The ordeal of a formal dinner still lay before her.
“Hello again,” Jean Becky said, strolling into the ladies’ room. She stopped for a moment, watching Joanna, then sat down beside her.
“Oh, hi.” Joanna managed the semblance of a smile to greet the likeable older woman.
“I just saw Blaise Ferguson walk past clinging to Tanner. I hope you’re not upset.”
“Oh heavens, no,” Joanna lied.
“Good. Blaise, er, has something of a reputation, and I didn’t want you to worry. I’m sure Tanner’s smart enough not to be taken in by someone that obvious.”
“I’m sure he is, too.”
“You’re a sensible young woman,” Jean said, looking pleased.
At the moment, Joanna didn’t feel the least bit sensible. The one emotion she was experiencing was fear. She’d fallen in love again, and the first time had been so painful she had promised never to let it happen again. But it had. With Tanner Lund, yet. Why couldn’t she have fallen for the mechanic who’d worked so hard repairing her car last winter, or someone at the office? Oh, no, she had to fall—and fall hard—for the most eligible man in town. The man every single woman in the party had her eye on this evening.
“It really has been a pleasure meeting you,” Jean continued. “Tanner and Nicole talk about you and your daughter so often. We’ve been friends of Tanner’s for several years now, and it gladdens our hearts to see him finally meet a good woman.”
“Thank you.” Joanna wasn’t sure what to think about being classified as a “good woman.” It made her wonder who Tanner had dated before he’d met her. She’d never asked him about his social life before he’d moved to Spokane—or even after. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know. No doubt he’d made quite a splash when he came to town. Rich, handsome, available men were a rare commodity these days. It was a wonder he hadn’t been snatched up long before now.
Five minutes later, Joanna had composed herself enough to rejoin the party. Tanner was at her side within a few seconds, noticeably irritable and short-tempered.
“I’ve been searching all over for you,” he said, frowning heavily.
Joanna let that remark slide. “I thought you were otherwise occupied.”
“Why’d you let that she-cat walk off with me like that?” His eyes were hot with fury. “Couldn’t you tell I wanted out? Good Lord, woman, what do I have to do, flash flags?”
“No.” A waiter walked past with a loaded tray, and Joanna deftly reached out and helped herself to another glass of champagne.
Just as smoothly, Tanner removed it from her fingers. “I think you’ve had enough.”
Joanna took the glass back from him. She might not completely understand what was happening to her this evening, but she certainly didn’t like his attitude. “Excuse me, Tanner, but I am perfectly capable of determining my own limit.”
His frown darkened into a scowl. “It’s taken me the last twenty minutes to extract myself from her claws. The least you could have done was stick around instead of doing a disappearing act.”
“No way.” Being married to Davey all those years had taught her more than one valuable lesson. If her ex-husband, Tanner, or any other man, for that matter, expected her to make a scene over another woman, it wouldn’t work. Joanna was through with those kinds of destructive games.
“What do you mean by that?”
“I’m just not the jealous type. If you were to go home with Blaise, that’d be fine with me. In fact, you could leave with her right now. I’ll grab a cab. I’m really not up to playing the role of a jealous girlfriend because another woman happens to show some interest in you. Nor am I willing to find a flimsy excuse to extract you from her clutches. You look more than capable of doing that yourself.”
“You honestly want me to leave with Blaise?” His words were low and hard.
Joanna made a show of shrugging. “It’s entirely up to you—you’re free to do as you please. Actually you might be doing me a favour.”
Joanna couldn’t remember ever seeing a man more angry. His eyes seemed to spit fire at her. His jaws clamped together tightly, and he held himself with such an unnatural stiffness, it was surprising that something in his body didn’t crack. She observed all this in some distant part of her mind, her concentration focused on preserving her facade of unconcern.
“I’m beginning to understand Davey,” he said, his tone as cold as an arctic wind. “Has it ever occurred to you that your ex-husband turned to other women out of a desperate need to know you cared?”
Tanner’s words hurt more than any physical blow could have. Joanna’s breath caught in her throat, though she did her best to disguise the pain his remark had inflicted. When she was finally able to breathe, the words tumbled from her lips. “No. Funny, I never thought of that.” She paused and searched the room. “Pick a woman then, any woman will do, and I’ll slug it out with her.”
“Joanna, stop it,” Tanner hissed.
“You mean you don’t want me to fight?”
He closed his eyes as if seeking patience. “No.”
Dramatically, Joanna placed her hand over her heart. “Thank goodness. I don’t know how I’d ever explain a black eye to Kristen.”
Dinner was about to be served, and, tucking his hand under her elbow, Tanner led Joanna into the banquet room, which was quickly filling up.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that about Davey,” Tanner whispered as they strolled toward the dining room. “I realize you’re nervous, but no one would ever know it—except me. We’ll discuss this Blaise thing later.”
Joanna nodded, feeling subdued now, accepting his apology. She realized that she’d panicked earlier, and not because this was an important social event, either. She’d attended enough business dinners in her career to know she hadn’t made a fool of herself. What disturbed her so much was the knowledge that she’d fallen in love with Tanner.
To add to Joanna’s dismay, she discovered that she was expected to sit at the head table between Tanner and John Becky. She trembled at the thought, but she wasn’t about to let anyone see her nervousness.
“Don’t worry,” Tanner said, stroking her hand after they were seated. “Everyone who’s met you has been impressed.”
His statement was meant to lend her courage; unfortunately it had the opposite effect. What had she said or done to impress anyone?
When the evening was finally over, Tanner appeared to be as eager to escape as she was. With a minimum of fuss, they made their farewells and were gone.
Once in the car, Tanner didn’t speak. But when he parked in front of the house, he turned off the car engine and said quietly, “Invite me in for coffee.”
It was on the tip of Joanna’s tongue to tell him she had a headache, which was fast becoming the truth, but delaying the inevitable wouldn’t help either of them.
“Okay,” she mumbled.
The house was quiet, and Sally was asleep on the sofa. Joanna paid her and waited on the front porch while the teenager ran across the street to her own house. Gathering her courage, she walked into the kitchen. Tanner had put the water and ground coffee into the machine and taken two cups down from the cupboard.
“Okay,” he said, turning around to face her, “I want to know what’s wrong.”
The bewilderment in his eyes made Joanna raise her chin an extra notch. Then she remembered Kristen doing the same thing when she’d questioned her about her argument with Nicole, and the recollection wasn’t comforting.
Joanna was actually surprised Tanner had guessed anything was wrong. She thought she’d done a brilliant job of disguising her distress. She’d done her best to say and do all the right things. When Tanner had stood up, after the meal, to give his talk, she’d whispered encouragement and smiled at him. Throughout the rest of the evening, she’d chatted easily with both Tanner and John Becky.
Now she had to try to explain something she barely understood herself.
“I don’t think I ever realized what an important man you are,” she said, struggling to find her voice. “I’ve always seen you as Nicole’s father, the man who was crazy enough to agree to a slumber party for his daughter’s birthday. The man who called and disguised his voice so Kristen wouldn’t recognize it. That’s the man I know, not the one tonight who stood before a filled banquet room and promised growth and prosperity for our city. Not the man who charts the destiny of an entire community.”
Tanner glared at her. “What has that got to do with anything?”
“You play in the big league. I’m in the minors.”
Tanner’s gaze clouded with confusion. “I’m talking about our relationship and you’re discussing baseball!”
Pulling out a kitchen chair, Joanna sat in it and took a deep breath. The best place to start, she decided, was the beginning. “You have to understand that I didn’t come away from my marriage without a few quirks.”
Tanner started pacing, clearly not in the mood to sit still. “Quirks? You call what happened with Blaise a quirk? I call it loony. Some woman I don’t know from Adam comes up to me—”
“Eve,” Joanna inserted, and when he stared at her, uncomprehending, she elaborated. “Since Blaise Ferguson’s a woman, you don’t know her from Eve.”
“Whatever!”
“Well, it does make a difference.” The coffee had finished filtering into the pot, so Joanna got up and poured them each a cup. Holding hers in both hands, she leaned against the counter and took a tentative sip.
“Some woman I don’t know from Eve,” Tanner tried again, “comes up to me, and you act as if you can’t wait to get me out of your hair.”
“You acted as if you expected me to come to your rescue. Honestly, Tanner, you’re a big boy. I assumed you could take care of yourself.”
“You looked more than happy to see me go with her.”
“That’s not true. I was content where I was.” Joanna knew they were sidestepping the real issue, but this other business seemed to concern Tanner more.
“You were content to go into hiding.”
“If you’re looking for someone to fly into a jealous rage every time another woman winks at you, you’ll need to look elsewhere.”
Tanner did some more pacing, his steps growing longer and heavier with each circuit of the kitchen. “Explain what you meant when you said you didn’t come away from your marriage without a few quirks.”
“It’s simply really,” she said, making light of it. “Davey used to get a kick out of introducing me to his women friends. Everyone in the room knew what he was doing, except me. I was so stupid, so blind, that I just didn’t know any better. Once the scales fell from my eyes, I was astonished at what a complete fool I’d been. But when I became wise to his ways, it was much worse. Every time he introduced me to a woman, I’d be filled with suspicion. Was Davey involved with her, or wasn’t he? The only thing left for me to do was hold my head high and smile.” Her voice was growing tighter with every word, cracking just as she finished.
Tanner walked toward her and reached out his hands as though to comfort her. “Joanna, listen—”
“No.” She set her coffee aside and wrapped her arms around her middle. “I feel honoured, Tanner, that you would ask me to attend this important dinner with you tonight. I think we both learned something valuable from the experience. At least, I know I did.”
“Joanna—”
“No,” she cut in again, “let me finish, please. Although it’s difficult to say this, it needs to be said. We’re not right for each other. We’ve been so caught up in everything we had in common and what good friends the girls are and how wonderful it felt to…be together, we didn’t stop to notice that we live in different worlds.” She paused and gathered her resolve before continuing. “Knowing you and becoming your friend has been wonderful, but anything beyond that just isn’t going to work.”
“The only thing I got carried away with was you, Joanna. The girls have nothing to do with it.”
“I feel good that you would say that, I really do, but we both lost sight of the fact that neither one of us wants to become involved. That had never been our intention. Something happened, and I’m not sure when or why, but suddenly everything is so intense between us. It’s got to stop before we end up really hurting each other.”
Tanner seemed to mull over her words. “You’re so frightened of giving another man the power to hurt you that you can’t see anything else, can you?” His brooding, confused look was back. “I told you this once, but it didn’t seem to sink into that head of yours—I’m never going to do the things Davey did. We’re two entirely different men, and it’s time you realized that.”
“What you say may very well be true, Tanner, but I don’t see what difference it’s going to make. Because I have no intention of involving myself in another relationship.”
“In case you hadn’t noticed, Joanna, we’re already involved.”
“Roller-skating in the couples round doesn’t qualify as being involved to me,” she said, in a futile attempt at humor. It fell flat.
Tanner was the first to break the heavy silence that followed. “You’ve obviously got some thinking to do,” he said wearily. “For that matter, so do I. Call me, Joanna, when you’re in the mood to be reasonable.”