It was frustrating because I knew Gordon knew all about Seth, way more than me. “He’s my husband now. I just want what’s best for him.”
Gordon’s gaze softened. “You seem to truly care about him.”
Nodding, I said, “Yeah. I do. I’d love to know what my dad said that upset him.”
“Not sure.” He avoided my gaze.
I didn’t know him well enough to know if he was lying; I got the feeling he was. But it wasn’t as if I could just accuse him of that. “Seth’s well-being is my concern too,” I said. I said that because I wanted him to know we were on the same team. He was the only person I knew who was close to Seth, and it was important to me that Gordon be my ally.
“Good. Then protect him, Tanner.” His voice was somber. “Protect him no matter what.” He leaned toward me, his eyes glittering with concern. “Can you promise me that?”
I nodded, feeling unsettled by his intensity. “Yes. Of course.”
“Seems like just when he finds peace, something or someone always tries to take it from him.” He glanced in the direction my dad had gone.
“I won’t let that happen.” I was so confused about what we were talking about, but the overwhelming impression I got was that Seth was running from something that had hurt him. What I couldn’t understand was how my dad fit into any of this.
“We should probably get back.” Gordon forced a smile, and his usual pleasant expression reappeared. “I heard a rumor your mother had the restaurant bake a mini wedding cake for you two.”
“Yeah?” I answered distractedly. The last thing on my mind was dessert. I wanted to know more about my mysterious new husband, but it was obvious neither he nor Gordon were going to be of any help in that department. I needed to talk to my dad so he could explain his side of things to me. Maybe somewhere in those details I’d find the answer to what Seth was so afraid of.
Chapter Thirteen
Seth
Sitting at the table, I felt sick to my stomach. I wasn’t sure what to do. Douglas had cornered me in the hall and told me he’d hired a private investigator to check me out. He knew about my record, and he wanted a chunk of money to keep quiet. I’d been in complete shock the second he’d started talking. His demeanor had been so aggressive and desperate, I wasn’t sure what he’d do if I turned him down. The man had barely ever spoken to me, and then he suddenly was threatening me with blackmail. The entire moment had been surreal, and when Tanner had walked up, I’d been panicked he’d heard what his dad had said.
I wiped sweat from my forehead and plastered on a smile as Martha chatted away across the table, trying to pretend everything was fine. But of course that wasn’t true. I was consumed with fear. Would Douglas go through with his threat?
Tanner was next to me, and I could sense his tension. While I felt awful about shutting him out, I couldn’t tell him the truth. I couldn’t handle him looking at me with disgust if he knew the truth about me. We’d grown so close the past weeks, and it was gut-wrenching to think that would all be ripped away because Douglas needed money. Why would he come to me for cash? Why wouldn’t he just ask his family? Did it have something to do with that offhand remark Tanner’s grandma had made about Douglas gambling his inheritance away? He had always seemed distracted and stressed whenever I’d been around him. But I’d never have imagined in a million years that he’d try and extort money fromme.
I flicked my nervous glance to Douglas’s empty chair. Where was he now? Was he leaving some horrible voicemail on Tanner’s phone right this second to expose me? When the servers brought around our main course I tried my best to eat, but every bite made me feel sicker. Tanner tried several times to talk to me, but I was way too in my head to carry on a normal conversation. I just kept staring at Douglas’s chair, waiting for him to return and destroy this happy little bubble I’d lived in the past few weeks.
When the dinner was finished and they brought out a cake, Douglas was still nowhere to be seen. I’d noticed Martha looking around as if irritated at her husband’s absence, but she simply smiled at me when our eyes met.
“Seth, are you okay?” Tanner’s soft voice broke into my dark thoughts.
I jumped a little and met his concerned gaze. “I’m… I’m fine.”
“You haven’t said anything for ages.” His hand covered mine, and he leaned closer. “I’m worried about you.”
“No need.”
“You seemed fine until that little argument with my dad. You sure you don’t want to tell me what that was all about?”
I swallowed hard, my heart speeding up. I knew I couldn’t ignore his questions forever, so I tried to stall him. “We can talk later tonight.” That would give me time to think what to do.
“Yeah?” He looked pleased, and he squeezed my hand. “Okay. I’ll hold you to that.”
I was sure he would. I needed to come up with some excuse later about why we couldn’t talk. There was no way I could just tell him about my past and think everything would stay the same. He’d probably be furious with me for having kept stuff from him. He might even feel tricked. That had never been my intention, but when he’d approached me with his crazy plan, I’d wanted to help him. I still did. But now everything was so complicated because of Douglas.
The more I thought about everything, the more terrified I became. I ran my fingers under my tie, feeling claustrophobic. I was sweaty and nervous, and almost felt like I was having a panic attack. I needed air. I set my napkin on the table, aware of Tanner’s gaze. “I… I think I’m going to stretch my legs.” I stood slowly.
Tanner wrinkled his brow. “Want company?”
“There’s no need. I’m just going to walk around the parking lot a few times. I’ll only be gone a few minutes.” I forced a smile, the muscles of my face stiff and unyielding.
“Okay.” I could tell from the tension in his jaw he didn’t want to stay behind. But he didn’t push.
