“You bet.” He had a customer at the club with a high-up position on the team who could score him tickets. He’d already made the call and would follow up on it this weekend.
“Great! See ya!” He ran down the small front lawn and flew into the back seat of the car.
Scarlett met his gaze, a grin on her face. “He’s got his uncle’s good looks.”
“Careful,” he warned her. “Or I might think you like me.” He tapped her on the nose and laughed.
Before Scarlett could answer, though she did blush red, his sister cleared her throat. “Ahem. Are you two going to come inside?” Alyssa stood by the open front door, watching them with a huge grin on her face.
“Hey, Lyssie.”
“Don’t call me that,” she muttered.
“It was my childhood name for her and she hates it,” Tanner explained, then introduced the two women in his life.
Alyssa smiled, looking happy. “Nick’s in the family room watching television. Why don’t you join him,” she said as she closed the door behind him. “Scarlett can keep me company in the kitchen. I just have a few things to finish.”
Tanner narrowed his gaze. “No snooping,” he warned his sister. “No prying.”
Scarlett laughed. “I can handle myself.”
“I know you can. I’m just making sure my big sister behaves.”
Alyssa rolled her eyes. “Not a shot in hell. Now shoo. Go away.”
Tanner glanced at Scarlett, looking for a sign she was uncomfortable, but she and his sister had already started for the kitchen, his sister talking a mile a minute.
Maybe he should have thought twice about bringing her, he mused, because Alyssa might scare his girl off for good. With a shake of his head, he strode into the family room to join his brother-in-law.
Chapter Nine
In the brief second she’d met Cal, Scarlett had been charmed by his relationship with his uncle. It was obvious the teen loved Tanner and wanted to spend time with him.
“Please, take a seat. I’m just going to get the salad ready,” Alyssa, a pretty, dark-haired woman with similar features to Tanner, said as she pulled ingredients from the refrigerator.
“Can I help?”
Alyssa shook her head. “No thanks. I’ve got this down to a science. I haven’t told Tanner yet but I’m going back to school to be a nurse. So I’ve learned to chop and dice quickly if we’re going to have home-cooked meals and get me to class on time.”
“That’s wonderful! He’s going to be so happy for you.”
She smiled. “It’s never too late to fulfill your dreams. I’ve gotten Cal to the self-sufficient point after school and Nick can pick him up after practice. We’re good.”
“I understand dreams,” Scarlett murmured.
“What do you do?” Alyssa asked as she began to separate the lettuce, rip it into pieces, and throw it in the bowl.
Scarlett shifted in her seat, getting more comfortable. “I’m an assistant district attorney in Manhattan.”
“Seriously? My brother and an ADA?”
A wry smile tipped Scarlett’s lips. “They say opposites attract, right?” she said in an attempt to explain her and Tanner’s unexpected connection.
Alyssa stared at her intently. “Okay, so Tanner didn’t tell me … anything about you two. He just said he was bringing a guest. But,” she said before Scarlett could get a word in edgewise, “he’s never brought anyone here before, never expressed interest in anyone, and that tells me something without him explaining.”
Scarlett didn’t think it was smart to mention that Tanner was sticking by her side until Victor Clark was caught and proven to be behind the various happenings at the club, and clearly Alyssa had already drawn her own conclusions. It was up to Tanner to give her the details of their relationship or at least his take on it.
“We’re fairly new,” she said. Although she felt like she had a good handle on who Tanner Grayson really was.
Although she’d moved from the lettuce on to the tomatoes, chopping with proficiency, Alyssa paused to glance at Scarlett. “But he looked pretty taken with you, at least to me. And you’re here.” She placed the knife down on the counter and leaned toward the table where Scarlett sat. “My brother has been through a lot in his life. He’s been hurt. I can tell you mean something to him, but if you’re not as invested…”
Scarlett glanced from the knife to the other woman’s intense stare. “Is this where you warn me not to hurt him or I’ll have to answer to you?”
“Something like that. I just don’t want to see him taken advantage of when he finally opens his heart.”
Scarlett sat up straighter in her seat. “Your sentiments are in the right place, but the fact is, you don’t know me enough to make assumptions. Tanner and I can work out our relationship ourselves. So can we call a truce and just enjoy our evening?”
She wanted to stay on this woman’s good side because she meant so much to Tanner, but she wouldn’t be bullied either. Even if she respected why Alyssa felt the need to play protective older sister.