Tempting Tatum (5 page)

“I agree, big brother. I agree.”

As soon as we enter the house, the smell of home cooking invades us. I glance over at Ember, and she’s licking her lips. I wink at her as I dash off to the kitchen. “Hey, no fair. I’m not operating at 100%,” she whines as she trails behind me. I hear my dad and Uncle Tom laughing at us.

I burst through the kitchen door and see Mom and Aunt Ruth sitting at the island, drinking tea. “Hello, ladies,” I say as I bend down and kiss each of them on the cheek. I sneak my arm around Mom and grab a roll. She slaps my hand. “What? I’m starving,” I tell her.

“Well, a few more minutes won’t kill you. As soon as Asher and Grace arrive, we can eat,” Mom says.

Ember sticks her tongue out at me as she limps through the door. Mom scoots off her stool and tells Ember to sit. She reaches for a roll and Mom slaps her hand also. “You two,” she says with a smile as she shakes her head. She looks at Aunt Ruth and shrugs her shoulders like
what do you do?

“Well, let’s see it,” Mom tells Ember.

Ember hold up her right leg so Mom and Ruth can see her tat. The only problem is it’s still covered. “Blaise says I have to leave it covered for at least two hours. I’ll show them to you before we leave?” She looks at me for confirmation.

I shake my head yes. My mouth is full of my second roll, which I snatched while Ember had them distracted.

“Finally!” Ember says looking at the door. I turn to see Asher and Grace are finally here. My dad and Uncle Tom are right behind them. Seems like we all brought our appetites today.

There is limited conversation at the table; we’re all too busy shoveling it in. Asher and I clean up while everyone else heads out to the back deck. We make quick work of clean up as we have done this since we were little tykes. Joining everyone on the deck, I take a seat beside Aunt Ruth.

“Oh, Nancy, are you all still looking for a new public relations person?” Aunt Ruth asks.

“Ugh. Yes, the hunt is really at a standstill. Most of the new graduates already have job placements, so we are just waiting to see who else might pop up.”

“Well, I may have a candidate for you. The new doctor we hired, Brent Wethington, he and his fiancée are moving here and her best friend is coming with them. Seems she has had a rough way to go the last few months and wants a new start. Dr. Wethington says she has a degree in Marketing and Public Relations. He is supposed to bring me a copy of her resume tomorrow; it’s his first day,” she tells my mom.

“Really? Thank you so much. The sooner we get someone hired, the sooner I can go back to my normal routine. Not that I mind picking up hours, but I’m worn out.”

“Mom, can I do anything to help?” Ember asks.

“Thanks, sweetie. I might have to take you up on that if we don’t find someone soon,” she says.

“Well, hopefully this girl will work out. Dr. Wethington didn’t tell me her name, just that he would stand behind the decision to hire her. I’ll fax her resume to you tomorrow.”

“Thank you. Fingers crossed,” Mom says, crossing her fingers.

After making the decision to pack up and move my life to Tennessee, my world has become a flurry of activity. I had three weeks to prepare to move, get the house settled and, not to mention, graduate from college. I thought about joining Leah and Brent at a later date, but Leah begged me to drive with them. I think she’s afraid I’ll back out. Really, I don’t think I would. The more time the idea has a chance to take root, the more excited I am about it. At first, I was going to put the house on the market, but Leah and Brent talked me into closing it up and waiting to see how I feel about it in a few months. They are afraid I’ll make a rash decision based on emotions. I’m sure they’re right. So, I hired the people next door to look after it, really their fourteen-year-old son. He’s going to keep the lawn mowed and the weeds from taking over. At this point, I don’t think I can live here ever again, but time will tell.

I finish packing the last box and survey my room. Twenty-two years broke down into boxes. I’m taking my bedroom furniture, but leaving the rest. Leah and Brent have furniture from their current apartment. I offered them anything in the house they might want or need. Leah says she just needs me.

“Tate, you ready to go?” I hear Brent yell down the hall. A few seconds later, he appears in my doorway. “I loaded all the boxes by the door. Is this the rest of it?” he asks gently.

I offer him a smile. Brent and Leah have been so good to me. I honestly don’t believe I could have made it through these last few weeks without them. They’re starting their life together and invited me to tag along. I haven’t told them yet, but as soon as I land a job and get my bearings about me, I’m going to find a place of my own. Hopefully, close to them. They need their space. Hell, they decided they are going to start a family right away; they don’t need me underfoot for that. Besides, I don’t want to listen to their sexcapades as they practice.

“Yep, that’s the last of it. I just need to walk the spare set of keys next door, and I’m good to go,” I tell him. “I’ll meet you guys at the truck.” Brent rented a U-Haul for the trip. He refused to let me help pay, saying I was lucky he happened to be going my way. Leah is a lucky girl.

I take one last look at my room, turn and walk away. As I walk through the house, I am flooded with memories of my parents. I look to the backyard at the pool. My dad had it installed when I was thirteen. He always said that he wanted our house to be the “hang out” so that he always knew I was safe. As I pass through the kitchen, images of my mother making dinners and birthday cakes flood my mind. I swipe my cheeks with the back of my hand. The last room is the living room. I stand and stare at the corner where we always placed our Christmas tree. Christmas was Mom’s favorite holiday; the house was always decked out with decorations and so many baked goods you would gain ten pounds from just looking at them. I close my eyes and commit everything to memory: the smells, the colors, and the many moments we shared. With a deep breath and one more swipe to rid my face of tears, I walk out the door, closing it tightly, ensuring that it’s locked. I know that my decision to leave is the right one. I can’t deal with being here without them. Not right now anyway.

I make my way over to the Jones’s and leave the key in the mailbox just like Mrs. Jones asked me to do. They are at a family graduation party today. This is better really; I don’t have to see the pity in her eyes. I know she doesn’t mean it. I get it from a lot of people who know me and knew my parents. They feel sorry for me. Just another reason moving away is a good idea. I need to be surrounded by people who treat me normal. Not like the girl who just lost her entire world. I need to get my life back on track, need to move on.

The drive takes us about eight hours. Of course, we make a few stops. Leah and I keep Brent entertained with our musical styling. At one point, we are laughing so hard, Brent has to pull over so we can pee on the side of the interstate. Not our proudest moment, but for me it’s freeing. Just the thought of being away from a town where I will have to see my parents everywhere I look, lifts my spirits. I will never forget them and I will forever love them until my last breath, but being there with that constant daily reminder, yeah, the move is a good idea.
I hope.

As we pull in front of our new home, Brent pulls out his cell and sends a text.

“Who you texting, babe?” Leah asks him.

“I hired a moving company to unload the truck. I knew we would be beat from the drive, and tomorrow is my only day of rest before I start my new job. I thought it would be best,” he tells her.

Leah leans over and kisses him. “I love you, so much,” she says softly.

There is an ache in my chest, but it’s not for Josh as much as for the intimacy. I have come to terms with Josh being a cheating scumbag and the fact he had been going behind my back the entire time we were dating. Accepting this has killed any and all feelings I ever had for him. Losing my parents at the same time also played a part. Life is too short to dwell on what you cannot change. Leah’s theory is I really must have not been that into him not to notice. We did spend a lot of time apart, but we were both busy with school. I’ve learned my lesson. No more relationships for me, at least not for a while. I want to get settled and get my life under control and adjust to all the changes before I include another person and emotions into the mix.

Leah elbows me. “Let’s go,” she says, reaching over me and trying to open the door.

“Stop, I have to pee.” I say through my laughter. Brent just shakes his head and smiles at us. He hops out the driver’s side and shuts the door. This leaves Leah pushing me out the passenger side and grabbing my hand. She pulls me behind her, racing up the sidewalk. Brent is standing at the door holding it open with a big smile on his face.

“Ladies, welcome home,” he says.

He and Leah made a trip up here a few months ago to check out the place and signed the lease immediately. At the time, they didn’t know I would be tagging along. I feel an ache deep in my chest.
Am I doing the right thing?
I feel as though moving is disrespecting my parents and their memory. But living in that town, seeing them everywhere, and constantly getting sympathetic looks and pats on the back, it was slowly killing me. I need to start over. They would want that; want me to find happiness. Of that I am certain.

“Come on. Let me give you the tour,” Leah says excitedly. She is pulling on my arm, dragging me from room to room. After we see the main part of the condo, she drags me upstairs to the bedrooms.

“This is your room, and ours is at the end of the hall,” she tells me.

I step into the room and take in the deep purple walls. I look over my shoulder at Leah, raising my eyebrows in question. I don’t need to say anything; I know she can read my mind. We have best friend superpowers like that.

“We had the painters paint it last week. Brent and I wanted you to feel like this is your home. I know this is your favorite color,” she says.

I turn around and walk back to the door where she is still standing. I wrap my arms around her and hug her tight. I feel the moisture on my cheeks, but don’t bother to hide it, not from Leah.

“The movers are here,” Brent yells up the steps.

I slowly pull away and wipe my tears. “Thank you, Leah. I love you. You are my family, my sister, my best friend.” I shake my head, trying to keep from totally breaking down. “What you and Brent have done for me…I will never be able to repay you.”

Leah wipes at her tears and grabs my hand. “You are a part of me, a part of our family. You belong here with us. Now, let’s go see if the movers are worth watching. Hopefully, they are all beef and brawn,” she says, wagging her eyebrows at me. I laugh though my tears as I allow her to pull me back down the stairs. This girl, my best friend, always knows what I need. I can only hope I provide the same comfort for her.

We reach the bottom of the stairs and Leah burst into laughter. She turns to face me and motions her head toward the living room. I turn my head and join her in laughter. The movers are both men in their late forties and both are sporting beer bellies with t-shirts so tight they leave nothing to the imagination. I place my hand over my mouth to stifle the laughter. I follow Leah into the kitchen and we both bust loose, not able to contain it any longer. Brent walks in with a grimace on his face.

“Hey, babe,” Leah says after getting herself under control. “What’s up?”

Brent shakes his head. “I’m trying to get that image out of my head,” he mumbles.

Leah and I share a look, we have no idea what the hell he’s talking about.

“Okay, what image is that?” she asks him.

Brent points to the living room, and grimaces again. “Hairy ass crack. Do they not know their shit is hanging out? No pun intended,” he says. His voice is stern and serious. Leah looks at me, and again we crumble into a fit of laughter. “Laugh it up you two; I may be blind.” He rubs his eyes as to wipe away the memory.