Back Check Part 3

"Yes, me too." Katelyn tipped back the last of her wine. "Thanks for the drink, Lovey."

"Thank you, for coming tonight. I'm looking forward to working with you on the wedding."

"Same."

Lovey bustled around getting coats and jackets as everyone else made a move to leave also.

Katelyn tried not to be aware of Tanner as he pushed his arms into a leather jacket and wrapped a scarf around his neck, while Marc Dupuis held her coat for her. "Thanks." She flashed a smile over her shoulder at Marc and tugged her long hair out from under her collar. She picked up her briefcase and purse, and her heels clicked across the hardwood floor as she walked to the door. There, Lovey surprised her with a quick hug.

"Sorry, I don't know you well, but I feel like I do," Lovey said. "So we'll see you Sunday."

"Right." She was going to accompany Lovey on a wedding gown hunt, along with Lovey's mom and matron of honor, who were traveling to Chicago this weekend from Wisconsin. Katelyn was busy with a wedding Sat.u.r.day, so they'd planned it for Sunday. Now that she had a sense of what Lovey was looking for she could narrow things down for her. "See you then."

She wanted to escape quickly, so she ducked out with a wave and sprinted in her heels down the hall to the elevator. She glanced back to see if anyone else was coming. Anyone else, being Tanner.

Jesus, Joseph, and Mary on a bicycle! What the h.e.l.l was he doing there?

She tapped her pointy-toed shoe until a soft ping announced the arrival of the elevator. She stepped in and stabbed the b.u.t.ton for the main floor. The door was just sliding closed when a large male hand appeared, halting the door. As it reopened, Tanner stepped in.

She closed her eyes briefly, then stiffened her spine.

"Katelyn."

"Tanner. Such a surprise to see you again."

"Likewise."

The doors closed and they were alone. Tension vibrated around them as the elevator began a smooth descent.

"I didn't know you played for the Aces now," she said, trying to get her knees to stop wobbling.

"Yeah. I got traded a few years ago." He paused. "I didn't know you were living in Chicago too."

"I've been here a few years as well."

"Weird that we've never run into each other."

"It's a big city. And I'm sure we run in different circles. You're a professional athlete."

"So you finally got up the guts to leave East Lansing."

She frowned. "What the h.e.l.l does that mean?"

He shrugged, leaning casually against the wall-looking unfairly, completely gorgeous, with his tousled hair, shadow of beard stubble, and cobalt-blue eyes. He was so much bigger than she remembered...broader.

She'd been only slightly prepared to see him because just before he'd arrived at Lovey and Marc's place, Lovey had mentioned they were waiting for Tanner. Katelyn's heart had stopped beating and she'd casually asked, "Tanner?" to which Lovey had replied, "Yes, Tanner Bennet, one of our groomsmen."

Her world had narrowed to a pinpoint at that moment, knowing that Tanner was about to walk into her life again, eight years after he'd left and broken her heart. Her breathing had gone shallow, her palms had dampened, and she'd gratefully gulped down the gla.s.s of water Lovey had offered her, all while smiling and pretending to review her notes in her folder.

So it hadn't been a surprise to see him when he walked in, but it wasn't like she'd had a lot of time to prepare herself either.

"I wasn't afraid to leave East Lansing," she now said to him.

"If you say so."

She clenched her teeth. She thought she'd gotten past the hurt and anger a long time ago. She'd known he had to leave. And she'd had to stay.

The elevator came to a stop and the doors opened to the lobby. Tanner straightened and gestured for her to exit first. She did so, head high, striding across the stone-tiled floor toward the door onto North LaSalle. The doorman opened the door for her and she smiled at him. "Thank you."

She stepped onto the sidewalk and a gust of frigid January air swirled her hair out around her head. She lifted a hand to tug strands out of her face and turned to Tanner. "Lovely to see you again," she said with a phony smile. "Take care."

"Wait." He set a hand on her arm.

She paused. "What?"

"Where are you parked?"

"Just down the street."

"I'll walk with you."

"That's not necessary. I feel quite safe here and it's not far."

"Whatever." He started walking with her anyway.

She yanked her arm from his grip.

"I thought I heard you were getting married," he said.

"How did you hear that?"

"I don't remember. Maybe I saw it on Facebook?"

She swallowed. "I was engaged, but it didn't work out." She didn't mention the other two times she'd been engaged. They hadn't worked out either, so there was no point in bringing them up. "I heard about your marriage too."

He slid her a glance as they walked along the sidewalk, glittering columns towering above them. A bus roared past and he didn't speak until it was gone. "Did you hear about my divorce?"

Her heart stopped and her head whipped around to stare at him. She forced herself to keep walking, to keep breathing. "No. No, I didn't."

"Yeah. It didn't work out."

She pursed her lips at her words being repeated. He wasn't married anymore. When had that happened? Oh h.e.l.l, it didn't matter. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"Were you really surprised to see me?" he asked. "You didn't know I play for the Aces?"

"I did not know. I'm not interested in the Aces. Or hockey."

"Ah."

"I suppose it's hard for you to fathom that there might be people who don't have a clue who you are."

To her surprise, he laughed. "Katie. You surprise me."

Her heart b.u.mped at the name he'd called her, and at the fact that she'd somehow surprised him. "Why?"

"You've gotten a little backbone."

She stopped beside her car and frowned at him beneath the streetlamp. "Again, what the h.e.l.l does that mean? You make it sound like I was some kind of timid mouse." She paused. "I guess we didn't really know each other that well." She jerked her head sideways and gave him another taut smile as she pressed the b.u.t.ton to unlock her car door. "This is me. Thanks for your chivalry. Good night." Then she paused. "You are going to show up, aren't you?"

His forehead creased. "Show up where?"

"To the wedding."

His eyebrows pulled together. "Of course I will. Jesus."

"You didn't seem very enthusiastic about the wedding plans. You didn't even know the date."

He shook his head, his mouth a thin line. "Weddings aren't my thing. I've been to too many of them."

Her heart stuttered then, remembering what she knew about his childhood-his parents' divorce when he was eight, the series of step-parents and step-siblings who'd come into his life, then disappeared again. And apparently now he had his own failed marriage.

Another frosty gust of air stung her cheeks. "Right. Well, hopefully you won't let your past spoil your friends' enjoyment of their own special time."

Special time. She wanted to roll her eyes. She sounded so pretentious.

"I can't believe you're a wedding planner."

"Event planner," she corrected. "I do many other things besides weddings. Anyway, much as I'd love to chat and catch up, I'm freezing. Good night, Tanner." She wrenched open the door of her aging Volvo and slid in. Unfortunately, trying to cram herself, her briefcase, and her big purse into the car all at the same time didn't work and she got ungracefully stuck. She wrestled with the straps of her bags, currently stuck on her coat sleeve, finally getting them free so she could heave the bags onto the pa.s.senger seat, pull her legs and the hem of her coat inside, and slam the door shut.

Yep, he was standing there watching her little exhibition of grace. She ground her teeth as she started her car and drove away.

Christ on a crutch, how had this happened? She smacked a hand on the steering wheel. She knew she shouldn't have taken this job! She most definitely should have invented a trip to Kiev. She'd swept her misgivings aside because she needed the money and she wanted to do this pretty, elegant wedding for that beautiful couple.

Mother of all f.u.c.kers, now she was into this and Tanner was one of the groomsmen. She couldn't back out...Lovey'd already been abandoned by one wedding planner; Katelyn couldn't do that to her too.

The trembling started deep inside her, working its way from her belly up to her chest and then outward to her arms and legs, reaction at seeing Tanner again. Remembered pain ripped through her. She'd loved him so much.

G.o.d.

She didn't blame him for leaving, she really didn't. Following his freshman year in college, he'd been drafted by the New York Islanders in the second round. He'd come back to college to play there one more year-which was when they'd met-using the time to develop his strength and skills, and had ended the year winning the Hobey Baker Award. Soon after that, the Islanders had offered him an entry level contract. She'd known his dream of playing in the NHL. How could he not take it?

She swiped angrily at a tear that escaped her eye. There was no point crying now. That had been eight years ago. She'd cried enough when they'd said goodbye.

He was the one who'd been angry, and she didn't blame him.

It wasn't far to her apartment on East Delaware Place. She zipped over to Michigan and circled around to the lot where she parked her car. The high-rise building was gorgeous, although a little impersonal, but it was a great location and she was getting a good deal on rent thanks to an acquaintance who sublet it to her due to a transfer to London, England. The one-year job had turned into two years, so she was thankfully still living there.

Inside her little studio apartment, she flicked on the lights, dropped her bags, and stripped off her gloves. She was still shaking. It could be from the cold. Maybe a nice hot shower would help.

And another gla.s.s of wine.

She couldn't help replaying the entire encounter over and over in her head as she stood under the hot spray in her bathroom. She probably hadn't handled that very well. She should have been friendlier. Cool but friendly. Like they were old friends.

Then more memories flooded back...the night she'd met Tanner at a frat party. The hockey players on campus all had reputations as man hoes and he apparently had tried to live up to that. He'd been so attractive-rough and tough, a little c.o.c.ky, and a lot handsome. The twinkle in his eye and the s.e.xy smirk broadcast nothing but trouble. But oh, how tempting that trouble was. Girls flocked around him. So did his teammates.

Hockey was a physical game, which only made her wonder how physical he got in bed.

Katelyn was the daughter of a math professor. Her dad taught at Michigan State, where they went to school. She was studious and maybe a little prim, serious about the business courses she was taking. She'd eyed all the big, tall hockey players surrounded by girls and shook her head. Until she'd seen Tanner.

The attraction between them had been instant and powerful, and yet at the time she hadn't really known that. Tanner had been so cool and careless, she'd at first thought he was just s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g around. Making fun of her by flirting with her. She hadn't dared think that his interest in her might be real.

A week later he'd stepped in at a party when a drunken frat boy wouldn't leave her alone. He hadn't hit the guy, but she'd had no doubt he would have if the jerk hadn't backed off. At six foot four inches, Tanner was an imposing adversary. Someone would be stupid to fight with him. The big muscles bunching and the tick in his jaw were intimidating...and yet when he'd turned warm, concerned eyes on her, she wasn't afraid. She'd never felt so safe in her life.

She cranked off the shower and reached for a towel, pressing it to her hot face.

This was ridiculous. Everyone had teenage boyfriends. Things ended, you grew up, and moved on. That was life. Why was she so worked up about seeing him again?

But more memories a.s.saulted her as she dried herself off...remembering showering with Tanner, him drying her off with eyes like blue flames...the first time they'd had s.e.x in his dorm room, how tenderly he'd touched her, his big hands moving over her body, how careful he'd been with her despite his size, how moving it all was...

She closed her eyes and held on to the counter as her world spun a little.

Practical. She needed to be practical and sensible. So she'd run into an old boyfriend. So what? It happened to everyone.

She wrapped a big towel around herself and tucked it in at her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, then padded to her kitchen on bare feet. She sloshed wine into a gla.s.s and tossed back a big mouthful.

Teenage romances never lasted. Everyone knew that. You didn't marry the first guy you fell in love with. Even if you did dream about that when you were together.

No. Young love was...young. Immature. You couldn't love someone forever when you both still had growing up to do. When you both would change. When your lives took you in different directions.

Tanner was a piece of her past. He was here in the present, but that was okay. She could handle this. She'd be professional and polite. He was a friend of the groom, who was her client, and her job was all about making her clients happy. Creating the perfect day for them that they'd remember forever. She wasn't a part of that, just the one who put it together and faded into the background. They certainly didn't need any drama, because Lord knew weddings had enough potential for drama, with all the personalities and stressors involved. She'd seen drama. Hoo boy, had she.

The time the ex-girlfriend had arrived uninvited at the reception, picked up the cake, and chucked it at the groom. The wedding where neither the bride nor the groom showed up, because they were both drunk and pa.s.sed out in the limo. The bride who poured a whole gravy boat of sauce over a guest who'd worn a white dress to the wedding-because, come on, you don't wear white to a wedding.

Yes, she'd seen drama and she was not going to be part of it. Her clients weren't paying her for drama, and she needed more clients. Therefore, she and Tanner would be casual friends when they saw each other, someone from their distant past they'd once had some affection for but who no longer mattered to them.

She was so f.u.c.ked.

She needed someone to talk her down from this. She grabbed her cellphone and called her best friend, Rachel. "You're never going to believe who I ran into today."

Chapter 4.