Her Hometown Redemption. Rachel Brimble

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СКАЧАТЬ halted with her back to him. Let me go, Liam. Please. She briefly closed her eyes, before opening them and facing him. “What?”

      “Why don’t you join me?” He waved toward the empty seat at his table. “It’s...good to see you.”

      Tanya glanced at the seat, at him and then around the restaurant. Familiar faces swam in front of her. Faces she remembered from a different life, a different time. Kevin and Nick. Bianca and Ella. All people she should’ve known would still be here. People who thought they knew her and her mother but never really did.

      She snatched her gaze back to Liam. “Maybe another time. I’ve got to go. I’ll see you soon.”

      “Where are you staying?”

      “Sasha’s. Look, I’m sorry.” She raised her hands, warding him off. “I can’t do this now.”

      She moved to walk away and he gripped her wrist. Tanya’s pulse quickened beneath his fingers. He stared deep into her eyes, and her mind went blank as her body turned from hard to soft.

      She swallowed. “Please, Liam. Not now. We’ll talk soon, I promise.”

      His jaw tightened for a second before he nodded and released her. “Okay.”

      Tension simmered as she tried and failed to drag her gaze from his. “You look good. Happy.”

      He nodded.

      His continued silence inched its warning over her skin. She knew him well enough to know he had a lot to say. Whatever that might be, it wouldn’t be said here with everyone watching them. “Okay, well, I’ll see you soon.”

      Tanya left the restaurant, each assessing gaze of the diners branding her skin like tattoos. Weakness threatened and she pushed it away. She had to be strong if she stood any chance of turning her life around. She had to keep smiling, no matter how hard that might be; she had to focus on taking each new step toward a different life. She had to be willing to do whatever it took to get back into the warm fold of Templeton, no matter how difficult that might be.

      She’d returned with the hope of creating a quieter life once she’d done everything in her power to find her sister’s molester. Until Matt Davidson was behind bars, she had no choice but to throw herself into the fray. She was done with the backstabbing and stress of her city job—she longed for a softer, happier life and would ensure she got it, no matter how long that might take.

      Pulling out her phone, Tanya headed for the beach. She dialed her sister’s number and Sasha picked up on the third ring. “Hey, how’s it going?”

      Tanya sighed. “Not great.”

      “You’ve got this. You can get through a bit of gossiping.”

      “It’s not even the talk.”

      “Then what?”

      “They’re cold, Sasha. Ice bloody cold.”

      “You knew this wouldn’t be easy. You’re going to have to expect some curiosity and detachment for a while. Templeton doesn’t have great memories of you, that’s all. It’s going to take time to make new ones.”

      Tanya leaned down and took off her high-heeled sandals. “I saw Liam.”

      “Oh.”

      “Exactly.” She descended the stone steps onto the beach. “I thought I might have at least twenty-four hours before that dreaded meeting, but no, less than one.”

      “What happened?”

      “Nothing.”

      “Nothing?”

      Tanya walked along the warm sand, her gaze drawn to the evening sky that was purely Templeton. Shades of pink and peach hovered above the ocean, and the sun glowed brightly even as it slowly lowered toward the waves. She breathed deep. “He just stared and then asked me to join him for something to eat.”

      “And you didn’t?”

      “No. I’m not ready for his questions. At least, I’m not ready yet. Things weren’t right between us when I left, and most of that was my fault, but still I shouldn’t have just walked out on him. I realize that now.” She swallowed as Liam’s face filled her mind’s eye. “He looks fabulous. Why didn’t you tell me how good he looks?”

      Sasha laughed. “Why would I? You were the one who said you wanted more than Templeton...more than Liam. I told you then, and I’m telling you now, he’s one of the best guys out there.”

      Tanya swallowed. She couldn’t deny the spark was still there between them; the tension of unspoken words punctuating the air like unexploded bombs. “Maybe.”

      “There’s no maybe about it. Who knows, in time, the two of you—”

      “The chances of him ever thinking of me that way again are zero. I just hope the disgust in his eyes disappears sooner rather than later, that’s all.”

      “Disgust? Are you sure? That doesn’t sound like Liam.”

      “What else could that dark, intense, unblinking study mean? He wants me? I don’t think so.”

      “I wouldn’t be so sure. Liam looks at me like I’m his baby sister. The look he gave you sounds a lot more interesting.”

      Tanya joined the line outside Bart’s food hut and eyed the fast-food menu with a mixture of nostalgia and nausea. “Yeah, well, I’ve had as much as I can take for my first evening back. I’m going to grab a burger and Coke and take it back to the apartment. A night of unpacking feels a lot more appealing than anything else right now.”

      “And what about the weekend?”

      Tanya sighed. “I’ll have plenty to keep me busy until I start sorting out the office on Monday.”

      “Good.”

      Tanya cleared her throat. “I also might take a walk to Funland and see what they’ve done to the place since you’ve been gone.”

      “Why would you want to do that?”

      Tanya closed her eyes. “You know why. The fairground is where Matt Davidson hurt you, Sash. It makes sense that Funland is the best place to start trying to track him down.”

      “I’ve told you John and I have done all we can think of—”

      “I know you have, but isn’t it worth me trying again? I’m here, Sash. I’m in Templeton, and as far as we know, Davidson could be, too.”

      “Of course he won’t be in Templeton. The police combed the area. They followed up leads and came back to us time and time again with a dead end.”

      Tanya glared toward the ocean, her fingers curled tightly around the phone. “Well, that was then, this is now. I want to at least try to find him.” She exhaled a shaky breath. “Please. Let me do this. Let me try to make up for not being there for you when...”

      “It’s in the past, Tanya.”

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