Tahoe Blues (9 page)

Tanner chuckled lightly. “
That’s one thing you don’t have to worry about. She’s not my type. I’ll even take that a step further. I’ll make it clear that she is to stay away from you, and if I so much as suspect that she has lied to me, I will fire her.”

It had been a long time since a man had taken her feelings into consideration
, and Cara felt a catch in her throat. Unable to contain her tears, she let them fall on his shirt. “If I freak out again because of her, will you forgive me?”

Tanner rubbed her back. “Sweetie, if you
promise to take your freak out on my cock like you did earlier, there will never be anything to forgive.”

Pushing away from his chest, Cara happily
smirked, “That was probably a one-time courtesy. Next time, it’s more likely a baseball bat will be involved.”

Tanner
ducked and raised his arms protectively in front of his head. “As long as you keep it pointed in Lisa Hill’s direction, I won’t have a problem with that either.”

Cara rolled her eyes. “Okay
, tool-man.” She pointed at the hot water heater. “Back to work!”

~~~**~~~

Lisa drove down Southwood Boulevard. The windows of her blue bug were down and a crisp Tahoe breeze blew through her thick red hair. She pressed the media button on her steering wheel and gave the
phone
command. When the robotic female voice asked for her next instruction, she replied, “Call, Duncan.”

“Hey
, babe,” Duncan’s voice purred seductively when he answered.

Lisa
took a deep breath. “I’m calling to make sure you received my notice of resignation.”

D
uncan let out a deep satisfied chuckle. “So you got the job?”

Lisa
nodded in the affirmative. “I got the job.”

~~~**~~~

The Tahoe City Marina didn’t look anything
like Tanner remembered. How could he not be aware that the entire Marina had been rebuilt? Was he that far out of touch with his community? Composite decking was everywhere, and the small junky Marina he remembered was nowhere in sight. The structure which stretched out before him was modern, bright, and large.

He and Cara
agreed to meet under the gateway to the marina, but the lovely Cara Lee and her daughter had not yet arrived.

Cara
stayed with him again last night and left his place while it was still dark. She whispered in his ear to be here at eight and in his after-sex stupor he wondered if he misunderstood. He couldn’t believe he was about to meet her kid after only one official date. Why had he agreed to such a thing? This was a big deal. More importantly, why had Cara initiated the meeting? It was too soon. Now that she was no longer married, was she looking for husband number two?

The more T
anner mulled the situation over, the more panicked he became. He stuck his hands in his pockets, but couldn’t stand still. He nervously rubbed his neck and could feel the tension begin to cord in his muscles. He was not ready for this!

He paced nervously. Part of him hoped he wasn’t about to be stood up while the other part prayed that he would. Just as he was abo
ut to pull out his cell phone and give her a call, he saw Cara walking up from Beach Park. It made sense, any little girl would love to play there.

He wondered how a child
spawned from the loins of Duncan Alexander would behave. Would she be stuck-up, spoiled, and snooty? Tanner drew in a deep breath and tried to reassure himself that any child of Cara’s would be adorable and charming.

E
verything was going to be fine, he didn’t have to worry.

He took a closer look. Cara was alone. He scanned the park
, searching for her daughter, but none played in the area. Cara’s plans must have changed. To his surprise, Tanner felt a little hurt that Cara changed her mind about introducing him to her child.

When she
saw him, Cara picked up her pace. She had a backpack slung over her shoulder, and she flashed him a brilliant smile when she neared. “Hi there, cowboy. Want to grab a cup of coffee over at Rosie’s Café before we get started?”

Tanner scratched his chin and scowled.
“Sure, but aren’t we missing someone?”

Cara pursed h
er lips together. “You mean LOLA? She’s already here. Don’t worry, she won’t mind waiting a few minutes.”

A patient
child? Tanner hadn’t been around very many children, but he doubted there were many of those. Cara’s daughter must be one remarkable kid. He searched Cara’s face. There was a mischievous glint in her eye, and the corners of her mouth curled up at the ends.

Tanner
eyed her suspiciously and ran the conversation with the under-aged student in the bar back through his mind. The kid had asked how Lola was, and Cara had replied, ‘almost ready for her first day of summer school.’ They were meeting at the marina. Boats were typically referred to in the feminine. Something didn’t add up, and he realized there had been some important questions he had failed to ask.

Tanner decided to remedy that.
“After you moved in I did a little research on you. I know you teach at the college, but could you remind me again what you teach, Professor Greene?”

Cara couldn’t hold her smile in any longer. “I’m a Professor of Biology at the University. I’m in charge of undergraduate research of invasive species in the lake.”

Tanner nodded appreciatively, he had been duped. “And Lola is...?”

Cara threw her head back
and laughed out loud.

H
er glee was contagious and Tanner found himself laughing right along with her. The sound resonating out of him felt strange, and Tanner realized he hadn’t had a good belly roll in a long time. Cara Lee was good for him. He hooked her arm in his and guided her away from the marina.

As they crossed the main thoroughfare of Tahoe City
, Cara was finally able to answer, “Our nickname for, Lady of the Lake Aquatic Research Vessel.” She grabbed her side and caught her breath. “I’m glad you’re laughing along with me. I am sick to death of being serious all the time.” She reached out and touched his arm. “Just so you know, I don’t have any children, and I’m not trying to rope you into a ready-made family.” She slapped him on the back. “Our waitress that night at Rookies is my first mate aboard LOLA. Jena’s been with me for a couple of years now. She overheard me leading you astray and wanted me to come clean. She was afraid I’d send you heading for the hills. I’m actually surprised you stuck around.”

Tanner wrapped his arm around her waist and guided her
towards Rosie’s Café. He was just as surprised as her. “You had me going. I had no idea you were talking about a boat. It did cross my mind why a child had never been mentioned in all the articles written about you and Duncan, but then I would look at your cute little scrunched up face as you flung your darts and get distracted.” He raised his thumb and forefinger about half an inch apart. “And I may have been just a tiny bit petrified.”

Cara giggled all the way to Rosie’s
and even for a few minutes after they had been seated. She was quite pleased with how she had fooled him. Tanner was glad he hadn’t been scared off. Hearing the sound of her laughter was music to his ears, and he decided that for their second date, he was going to take her dancing.

Tanner was impressed, Cara handled LOLA like a pro. Standing in the cockpit she took the wheel and maneuvered her out of the slip and into the lane flawlessly.

The water rippled g
ently away from the hull as LOLA broke the crystal blue sheet of glass that lay before them.

“The marina is huge.” Tanner called
out over the engine noise. “It’s so much bigger than it was when I was a kid. How many slips do they have?”

Cara chuckled. “Slips? We don’t have no stinking slips.
They’re called dockominiums. You’re into real estate, maybe you should get into the dockominium game. The owners even have to pay association fees.”

The idea seemed incredulous
, and Tanner shook his head. “I thought you just rented them.”

Cara
pointed off to the east. “There are eighty-one rentals owned by the Marina over in that direction.” She cocked her head back to where they had just exited. “Compared to the one hundred and sixty privately owned dockominiums back there. Most of the people I’ve talked to are renters. Investors have snatched up the majority of the dockominiums and rent them out, just like you do at Granite Gates. There’s probably a pretty penny to be made renting out those fancy boat moorings.”

Tanner thought owning a dockominium was completely ridiculous, but in the back of his mind he wondered if it could be profitable. The maintenance wouldn’t be nearly as time consuming as
remodeling all the units at the apartment complex, so out of curiosity he asked, “Do you happen to know how much they sell for?”

She shook her head. “That’s not part of my job. The University worries about that crap. I’m just a fisherman.”

Just a fisherman? Cara was not just an anything, but she was really close to being just about everything. He watched her navigate LOLA out into the open water and felt pride in what she had accomplished. She sat at the helm, her hands on the wheel, completely comfortable and confident. Cara was in her element.

The woman
he met at the gala had been beautifully poised and coiffed. But here, out on the lake, she was as far away from the dark smoky casino life as one could possibly get. Tanner smiled when that thought crossed his mind. She had lived in two totally different worlds. It must have been exhausting. No wonder she got a little crazy now and then.

Cara
shot a sexy smile his way. “Think you can handle a little bit of speed?”

LOLA
reminded him of a big slow tuna boat. Whatever speed she had in her, Tanner was fairly certain he could handle with ease. “Bring it,” he shouted happily.

“Hang on.” Cara called out and kicked the boat into high gear.

Before Tanner had a chance to grab hold of anything, LOLA took off like a bullet. He felt himself lose his balance, but just when he thought his butt was going to hit the deck, Cara reached out and steadied his stance.

Her eyes danced with delight, and her chest shook
with suppressed laughter.

Tanner rolled his eyes. S
he was just full of it today. “You did that on purpose.”

Cara tried to look remorseful
, but she didn’t come close to pulling it off. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist. I saved you, though.”

It was Tanner’s turn to
chuckle. “I guess that makes you my hero.” He pointed to a strange contraption at the back of the boat that looked like a claw. “What’s that?”

She throttled down and slowed
LOLA to a stop. As the boat rocked gently in the calm Tahoe morning, Cara opened the claw. “It’s how we catch fish.” A net fell out and Cara pushed the crane-like device out over the water. “We trawl along for a while, then we pull up the net to see what we have.” She lowered the crane and the net fell into the lake. “Want to try and catch something?”

Tanner
did. He really did. Her work fascinated him. He had been receiving the monthly newsletters from the Blue Tahoe Blue Foundation, but until this very moment he hadn’t realized how closely Cara’s job aligned with the Foundation’s goals. “Can I drive?”

Cara nodded and like an excited kid, Tanner jumped behind the wheel.

“Tanner.” Her voice was firm and her eyes turned hard. “Do not try to knock me on my ass. There is a net in the water and all we do is creep along. Do I make myself clear?”

Tanner stuck out his lower lip and pouted. “Yes, Professor Greene. But I swear
, knocking you on your ass never entered my mind.” He put LOLA in gear and smiled. “Let’s get a move on. I can’t wait to see what we’re having for dinner.”

Cara shot him a horrified look. “No, Tanner! This is a research vessel. Non-invasive species are thrown back
, and we take the others to the lab for testing. We do not eat our catch.”

Although
Tanner hadn’t realized Cara was the professor in charge of the University’s research vessel, he had read many articles about the research going on at the college. He knew the protocols, but Cara didn’t get his joke. He couldn’t resist teasing her just a bit more. “Not ever? School isn’t even in session now.”

Cara sighed and relented.
“Fine. If we catch any, you may keep one trout.”

Professor Greene was a pushover.
Tanner knew if the protocols were broken Cara could lose her job. He shook his head. “Do you always give into the guys you sleep with so easily? No one on this boat is taking any fish home. Not even you, Cara Lee.”

Cara grinned at the mention of their
time together. “I think I’d give you just about anything you asked for. The last couple of nights have been beyond amazing, and if there weren’t so many boats out on the lake today...” she let her voice trail off in a regretful sigh, then she leaned in and nuzzled her head against his neck.