Betting on Hope (23 page)

“You don’t like it?”

“I do. I just thought a professional poker player would have something…flashier. The landscaping’s great.”

“Thanks. I bought this house a long time ago when I could afford it, and then my dad and I fixed it up over the years. Now it suits us. You want to come in?”

Tanner had turned off the truck’s engine two minutes ago and already it was sweltering inside. Hope’s back and arms felt gritty with sweat, and her dress was sticking to her thighs. “Sure,” Hope said, as she hopped out. As she walked down the path, she admired the cacti and other succulents. Everything was thriving.

“Does your dad live with you, then?”

“When he and my mom retired, they moved to a place about a mile from here. It’s just my daughter and me in the house. She’s off to college next week. UCLA. Swimming scholarship.”

He walked up the path and checked the mailbox before unlocking the front door.

“Won’t your daughter be upset that I’m here?”

Tanner turned in the doorway and grinned at her.

“She wants me to date,” he said. “She’s afraid I’ll grow old alone.”

Hope felt herself blush. It was irrational. She wanted no part of Tanner, and yet,
here she was, anyway
. And here he was, talking about dating. What was she doing, going to Tanner’s house and maybe meeting his daughter? Was it too late to run?

Tanner laughed as if he could read her mind and stepped inside.

“Come on in,” he said. “I’ll just be a minute. Take a look around.”

As soon as he stepped away from the doorway, Hope gasped. Tanner hadn’t just fixed up the house—he’d transformed it.

The whole back of the ranch-style house was a wall of glass. And outside, most of the back yard was a pool.

And what a pool. Long and narrow, with a ladder mounted at one end and stairs at the other, clearly it was used for lap swimming. But Hope could see a water garden at the far end. Lilies and lotus flowers floated on the surface, and behind them, water flowed straight down over a copper screen in a gentle waterfall. A vaguely Japanese-looking trellis in dark wood arched over most of the pool and part of the yard, providing dappled shade for swimmers and the plants that were grouped in earth-toned jars and bowls around the patio.

“Oh wow,” Hope said, moving toward the glass.

“You like it?” Tanner said, watching her reaction. 

 “It’s
fantastic.
You and your dad built this?”

“Yeah. Go on out and look around if you want.”

Hope unlatched the patio doors and slid them open, feeling a rush of warm air. The potted grasses waved gracefully in the breeze, and some of the shaded plants had rich blooms, which cast off a heady fragrance. Sections of tiled patio were interspersed with wood chip walkways, softening the surfaces. Streets sounds were muted by the gentle trickle of the waterfall. Comfortable-looking chairs were grouped around a table. It looked like a spa. Like a resort. It was the most beautiful, relaxing backyard Hope had ever seen. She wondered how Tanner could ever tear himself away to play cards in those noisy, crowded, smoky casino card rooms.

“This is so beautiful,” she said. “Did you study architecture?”

Tanner smiled, still watching her face. “I wanted a nice pool. That’s how it started. I did some research. My dad helped me build it. We needed a pool company to dig the hole and line it, of course.”

“Of course.” Hope turned and smiled at him. “We have a hot springs above our ranch. It’s nice, but it’s not developed at all. It’s just how the water gets trapped in the rocks. It’s nothing like this. This is
incredible.
”

Tanner tilted his head toward the water. “Would you like to go for a swim?”

Hope’s eyes widened before she shook her head. “Oh, no thanks. I don’t have a suit.”

“Well, technically you don’t need a suit to swim. You just really need the suit for modesty. So if you want to swim, we could figure something out. I could find some old clothes you could wear. Or I could promise not to look.”

He looked so hopeful that she had to laugh. “Get your bowling stuff together,” she said. “I’ll just wait here.”

“Okay. Let me know if you change your mind.” He turned and went back into the house. Hope walked to the edge of the pool and flipped off her sandal. She swished the water with her foot, feeling it splash up the calf of her leg.

This back yard is fantastic.
It was what she imagined heaven would be like, if there was a heaven. The space was so gentle, so calming. The water was almost as still as a mirror, inviting her in.

Hope rubbed her arm. Her skin felt sticky and grainy, her pretty dress was wilted and clingy. She wished she’d brought her bathing suit, or at least a change of clothes. But the water splashing against her feet and legs felt great. She closed her eyes as she stirred the water with her foot, feeling it cascade down her bare legs.
Bliss.

Chapter 17

Tanner slid open the door that connected his room to the patio. He held a couple of towels and some folded clothing.

“Hey, Hope, I found—” he started, and then he stopped and stared.

Hope stood on the top step of the pool. She was swirling the water with her feet. Her eyes were closed. Her shoulders were relaxed. Her face—she looked so, so—happy. So
not
like earlier, at the birthday party.

“Hmmm?” she answered dreamily, not opening her eyes.

He dropped the towels and old clothes he’d found on a chair and kicked off his shoes. Then he joined her at the edge of the pool.

“You want to go in?” he asked. “I found—”

“Oh, I couldn’t. Really,” she said, opening her eyes.

Why couldn’t she?
She just wanted to get one toe wet and not get the full experience? She knew what she was missing, but she was willing to miss it anyway? He’d had enough of that.

“Try it,” he said, smiling at her, putting his hand on her back. “You might like it.” And with that, he pushed her gently into the water. Caught off balance, she went in with a big splash, not at all gracefully. And when she came up, outraged and sputtering, he laughed and went into the water after her.

She splashed and coughed a bit regaining her feet, pushing her wet hair away from her face. “What did you do
that
for
?
” she said, outraged. “I’m
soaked.
”

“You looked like you needed to cool off and float around a little, and I wanted to help you,” he said, tossing his head to get the water out of his eyes.

“I have nothing else to wear. What am I supposed to do about my clothes?”

He glanced at her dress. Now that she was standing, it floated up around her waist, making her look like a blonde lotus flower. He could see her legs. All of her long legs, which was very nice. And the wet fabric hugging her breasts was very nice, too.

“I’ve got a clothes dryer. And an iron. You’ll be fine. How’re you doing over there? Feeling cooler?”

She lowered herself in the water until it came up to her neck, gently moving her arms back and forth, letting it splash gently against her skin. She still looked disgruntled.

“I can’t believe you did that,” she said. “Just shoved me in.” She dropped her head back, letting the water flow over her face, and then stood up to let her hair stream back over her shoulders.

Then she looked at him again. “And I don’t know if this dress will ever be the same. Even on sale at the outlet mall, it cost the earth.” She grinned suddenly. “It was the
premium
outlet mall.”

Tanner grinned back, swimming towards her slowly. He saw her eyes darken even as she started to stroke back, away from him.

Excellent.

“If it’s ruined, I could replace it for you,” he said. “If you want to take it off, I could check the size.”

Hope laughed as she backed away from him. “I know that offer springs only from selfless generosity, but I don’t need you to check the size, thank you.”

“I just want to do the right thing,” Tanner said, advancing slowly through the water. “Since I got you wet.”

“Well, now that I’m in here, and the dress is ruined anyway, the water does feel good. I
love
this pool.”

“There’s nothing better than a swim on a hot day. Nothing makes you feel more refreshed. It would be even more refreshing if we weren’t dressed for a polar expedition.”

“Speak for yourself. I’m dressed just fine for a nice dip in the pool.”

Tanner, hampered only slightly by his jeans and shirt, now heavy with water, kept moving towards her. Hope kept backing up. The pool was long, so she had some room to maneuver. That was fine by him.

She could run, but she couldn’t hide. She liked being in the pool, and she liked his being in the water with her. He’d seen her eyes darken. The eyes never lied.

“I’m not sure there’s room for two fully dressed card sharks in this pool.” She smiled, looking like a very naughty Venus, still facing him, still swimming backwards, a little faster.

“That’s your first mistake. The only shark in this pool is the one that’s out to get you,” he said, and then she squeaked as he dove.

Hope heard herself shriek louder than a pre-teen girl at a boy-band concert when Tanner grabbed her ankles.
What was he doing?
And then she found out when he stood up and upended her in the pool, dumping her ignominiously back into the water.

She felt her skirt swirl around her waist, probably giving him a pretty good view of her underwear.
The rat.
Although it was white cotton today, all about coverage and nothing to get too excited about.

She dove away, skidding her palm across the top of the water as he jumped after her, but the wave she created caught him full in the face while he laughed, making him swallow a lot more water than he’d planned to. She laughed then, too, as he staggered, and she took advantage of his momentary weakness to grab his shoulders and push him down, dunking him.
Good move.

As he went under, he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her down with him.
Not such a good move.
Because when they simultaneously came up for air, he was still holding her around the waist. He’d pulled her tight against his body, and even with the cool water streaming down their skin and off their clothes, Tanner’s body was warm as he looked down at her, his smile lazy but his eyes alive with heat, his lashes beaded with droplets. Her heart hammered in her chest, and Hope felt winded, but not from exercise. Her insides were hot and liquid, melting her from her ears to her toes, and her legs weren’t holding her up. Her skin tingled with his closeness.

“See?” Tanner said softly. “Isn’t a swim nice?” And then he pulled her even closer and leaned down to kiss her.

Her voice of caution, the one that was trying to yell
No card players! No heartbreak!
seemed to have lost its usual volume. Hope knew it was in there somewhere, trying to be heard. But it was so faint, she could easily ignore it. And so, feeling free and happy and safe, with Tanner’s hands and breath and lips and tongue on her, turning the pool into a steam bath and herself as light and hot as vapor, she thought,
Yes! More!
And then she reached up to put her arms around his shoulders and kiss him back.

A half-hour later, after a very stimulating water fight, they sat across from each other at the patio table, colorful juice drinks in tall glasses before them. Hope was wearing a pair of Tanner’s old shorts and a baggy tee-shirt with the arms cut out while her dress spun around in the dryer, but she’d braided and pinned back her hair. Now she sipped her drink, feeling tingly and refreshed—excited but alarmed, too. What was she thinking, kissing Tanner in the pool? But she was having a
great
time.

Tanner moved his glass around the moisture ring on the table and then looked at her, his face gentle.

“So what’s with you and birthdays, anyway?” he asked.

Cold shock rippled through her.
He sure knew how to throw all his cards right on the table.

“What do you mean?” she asked, stalling for time.

“I mean, why did you cry in the bathroom at Amber’s party? Marty said you didn’t like birthdays much.”

“Marty told you what happened?”

“No. He said you’d tell me if you wanted me to know. So I’m asking.”

Hope swallowed, feeling the familiar pain slice through her belly, her special family birthday pain.

Tanner reached out and took her hand.

“You can tell me, Hope. Your secret’s safe with me.”

“It’s not a secret. It’s just—bad family stuff.”

She hated talking about this. Her past with her father made her look like a chump and a fool—and it usually made her cry, too. No matter how old she got, the pain of her father’s abandonment never went away.

But Tanner was helping her with her poker game. He wanted to know, and the uncles seemed to like him. Those were two reasons to tell him. No reason, really,
not
to tell him.