finger on the top of his head as she pirouetted playfully around him. As their voices blended, ending the song in perfect harmony the room exploded in cat calls and cheering.
Red put his guitar down to stand and take a bow along with his duet partner. Tiffany laughed delightfully as he pulled her close for a big hug. “Are you having fun yet, Doc?” he asked before releasing her.
“ I haven’t had this much fun since college,” she admitted.
Almost as if Tanner could somehow sense the lifting of Tiffany’s spirits, Red recognized the tell-tale ringtone coming from her phone.
“ Why am I hearing Linda Rondstadt?” Melissa asked.
Red snorted, but resisted revealing the ringtone’s owner as he caught Tiffany’s glare of warning. She stopped, listened for a few moments before switching off her phone.
“ Could I give the hospital your number?” she asked, keeping her voice low. “I’m on call and he’ll keep calling if I leave my phone on.”
“ He knows you caught him in the lie?” he whispered.
“ Of course, and he’s crawfish-ing trying to get out of it.”
Red fought the urge to smile at the sound of pure disgust in her voice. Instead, he handed her a cordless phone and one of his business cards with his number on it.
“ Thanks,” she said, before disappearing through the patio door.
He watched her from the window, turning when he heard Jackson’s voice at his elbow.
“ What the hell was that about?”
“ She’s giving the hospital this number so she doesn’t have to hear any more of Tanner’s lies. Apparently he’s not where he’s supposed to be.”
“ Imagine that,” Jackson said. “I think someone needs to tell Tanner he’s about to be replaced.”
Red shook his head. “I don’t know about all that.”
“ The question is, are you willing?”
“ I’m not sure,” Red murmured. He continued watching Tiffany outside on his patio and suddenly knew nothing was further from the truth. “Yeah...I am,” he confessed.
Jackson gave him a playful punch on the shoulder. “Your mom’s gonna kill you if you screw this up, you know that…right?”
<><><>
Tiffany hugged herself, wishing she’d grabbed her jacket before coming outside. She heard the door open, and knew without looking it was Red.
“ You okay, Doc?” he asked before placing her jacket around her shoulders.
She thanked him, even as she kept her eyes on a pasture that was knee deep with winter grass. “It’s so peaceful out here. The condo Tanner and I live in is so...well…far from this.”
“ That’s an easy fix,” he said. “Just move.”
“ I’d never get Tanner to move out to the country. He loves being in the middle of things.”
“ Don’t you have anything to say about it?”
“ Sure I do. I tell him I hate it and he says we’re staying put.”
“ Why does he have to be the one to get his way? Have you ever heard of compromising?”
“ I have, but Tanner hasn’t.” She shrugged and turned to face him, bracing for the effect the sight of him would have on her. Her breath caught anyway, the way it always did when he appeared in her line of vision…Always standing tall and straight backed, oozing a confident masculinity without being pompous. When was the last time Tanner had this effect on her? Had he ever?
“ It doesn’t matter. I let it happen, and it’s just like your mom said…Why should he stop if I don’t make him?”
He shoved his hands into his pocket and looked down, scuffing his boots on the brick pavers. “My mom?”
“ Yeah, we had a talk in your pool house earlier.”
“ What about?”
“ Me, Tanner,” after a pause she added, “my parents.” She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye and cleared her throat. “You’re a very gifted musician. I love your voice.”
“ Thanks, but yours is better. Who do you get it from?”
She answered with a careless lift of shoulder.
“ Don’t you know?”
“ We didn’t hear any singing in my
Red put his guitar down to stand and take a bow along with his duet partner. Tiffany laughed delightfully as he pulled her close for a big hug. “Are you having fun yet, Doc?” he asked before releasing her.
“ I haven’t had this much fun since college,” she admitted.
Almost as if Tanner could somehow sense the lifting of Tiffany’s spirits, Red recognized the tell-tale ringtone coming from her phone.
“ Why am I hearing Linda Rondstadt?” Melissa asked.
Red snorted, but resisted revealing the ringtone’s owner as he caught Tiffany’s glare of warning. She stopped, listened for a few moments before switching off her phone.
“ Could I give the hospital your number?” she asked, keeping her voice low. “I’m on call and he’ll keep calling if I leave my phone on.”
“ He knows you caught him in the lie?” he whispered.
“ Of course, and he’s crawfish-ing trying to get out of it.”
Red fought the urge to smile at the sound of pure disgust in her voice. Instead, he handed her a cordless phone and one of his business cards with his number on it.
“ Thanks,” she said, before disappearing through the patio door.
He watched her from the window, turning when he heard Jackson’s voice at his elbow.
“ What the hell was that about?”
“ She’s giving the hospital this number so she doesn’t have to hear any more of Tanner’s lies. Apparently he’s not where he’s supposed to be.”
“ Imagine that,” Jackson said. “I think someone needs to tell Tanner he’s about to be replaced.”
Red shook his head. “I don’t know about all that.”
“ The question is, are you willing?”
“ I’m not sure,” Red murmured. He continued watching Tiffany outside on his patio and suddenly knew nothing was further from the truth. “Yeah...I am,” he confessed.
Jackson gave him a playful punch on the shoulder. “Your mom’s gonna kill you if you screw this up, you know that…right?”
<><><>
Tiffany hugged herself, wishing she’d grabbed her jacket before coming outside. She heard the door open, and knew without looking it was Red.
“ You okay, Doc?” he asked before placing her jacket around her shoulders.
She thanked him, even as she kept her eyes on a pasture that was knee deep with winter grass. “It’s so peaceful out here. The condo Tanner and I live in is so...well…far from this.”
“ That’s an easy fix,” he said. “Just move.”
“ I’d never get Tanner to move out to the country. He loves being in the middle of things.”
“ Don’t you have anything to say about it?”
“ Sure I do. I tell him I hate it and he says we’re staying put.”
“ Why does he have to be the one to get his way? Have you ever heard of compromising?”
“ I have, but Tanner hasn’t.” She shrugged and turned to face him, bracing for the effect the sight of him would have on her. Her breath caught anyway, the way it always did when he appeared in her line of vision…Always standing tall and straight backed, oozing a confident masculinity without being pompous. When was the last time Tanner had this effect on her? Had he ever?
“ It doesn’t matter. I let it happen, and it’s just like your mom said…Why should he stop if I don’t make him?”
He shoved his hands into his pocket and looked down, scuffing his boots on the brick pavers. “My mom?”
“ Yeah, we had a talk in your pool house earlier.”
“ What about?”
“ Me, Tanner,” after a pause she added, “my parents.” She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye and cleared her throat. “You’re a very gifted musician. I love your voice.”
“ Thanks, but yours is better. Who do you get it from?”
She answered with a careless lift of shoulder.
“ Don’t you know?”
“ We didn’t hear any singing in my
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