The front door slammed. “I’m back!” Zoe called out, her voice echoing in the hallway. Van jumped up from the bed and flung her mom’s door open, grinning when she saw her sister. Zoe’s pink sparkly backpack completely dwarfed her ten-year-old frame.
Slowly, Zoe looked up, her mouth dropping when she saw Van standing in the hallway.
“You’re here!” she shouted, her lips erupting into a grin. “Oh god, you’re here.” She dropped her backpack and threw herself at Van, her arms wrapping around her sister’s waist. “I didn’t think you’d come.”
Van kissed the top of her sister’s head. “Of course I came. I told you I would.”
Zoe looked up, her face shining brightly. “How long can you stay? Has Mom seen you?” She hugged Van tighter, pressing her face against Van’s shoulder. “I’m so happy right now.”
It was impossible not to feel warmed by Zoe’s excited reception. “I’m here for as long as you need me,” she murmured into Zoe’s blonde hair.
“Really?” The expression of hope on Zoe’s face nearly killed her.
A loud sniff came from their mom’s bedroom. Van turned her head, to see Kim laying on her side, tears streaming down her face.
“Of course she’s staying,” their mom said, giving Van a watery smile. “She’s a good girl. She’ll take care of us, Zoe.”
Van took in a deep breath, and smoothed Zoe’s hair with the palm of her hand. She’d stay for as long as they needed her. Even if a part of her wanted to run as fast and as far as she could from here.
Her mom had always relied on the kindness of strangers and friends. But most of all she’d relied on Van. For a few years, Craig had taken on that role and Van had felt free. Enough to move away and begin a career of her own.
But now he was gone and the burden was hers to carry again.
Funny how it felt heavier than ever.
Chapter Two
“Another beer?” Tanner Hartson called out to his brothers, carrying four bottles of Sierra Nevada in his large hands as he made his way across his eldest brother’s backyard. Not that you could really call it a backyard. It was more of an estate. Gray’s sprawling mansion sat on twenty acres of land, along with a purpose-built recording studio, a mother-in-law apartment for Gray’s girlfriend’s mom, plus a swimming pool, hot tub, and pool house. It was like he’d picked up a little piece of L.A. and moved it to their sleepy home town of Hartson’s Creek.
Tanner passed
the bottles to his brothers, then sat in the spare adirondack chair and lifted the beer to his mouth, closing his eyes for a second as he swallowed, the liquid cooling his belly. He leaned his head against the chair, and raked his fingers through his thick, dark hair. He sat low in the chair, his denim-clad legs stretched out, the fabric pulled tightly over his thigh muscles. His white shirt, unbuttoned at the neck showed a smattering of dark hair, was crumpled thanks to the afternoon heat. Like his brothers, he was tall, strong, and had a jaw most models would die for. As teenagers, the town had coined the term ‘Heartbreak Brothers’ to describe them. Something all four of them had come to loathe.
“I hear congratulations are in order,” Gray said, lifting his bottle to Tanner. “Logan told me you sold your business. Way to go, man.”
“Thanks.” Tanner clinked his bottle against Gray’s, then took another large mouthful. It had only been five days since he and his two co-owners had signed on the dotted line, selling their company for an unimaginable profit. He, Austin, and Jared had created their own software company from nothing when they’d graduated from Duke, the three of them working together on coding to improve the security of banking systems and apps throughout the USA.
Two months ago, they’d been made an offer that was impossible to refuse. Jared and Austin had wanted to accept it immediately. Jared had a family now, and the business was taking him away from his wife and baby seven days of the week. Austin’s dad was sick with cancer, and living in California. It was only Tanner who had no other responsibilities, and there was no way he could hold out on the two people who needed his signature on the dotted line.
So here he was, richer than he’d ever imagined, but with no idea what to do next. He rubbed the back of his neck with his palm. He should be happy, he knew that. Yet the thought of all this free time on his hands made him uncomfortable as heck.
“So what happens now?” Gray asked him.
“We hand over all the intellectual property and make sure the transfer goes smoothly.” Tanner shrugged. “Then I’m a free man.”
“You gonna set up another company? Keep coding?”
Tanner lifted his beer to his lips. “Can’t. Part of the deal is that we won’t do any coding that might compete with the business for a year.” He took a sip, swallowing it down. “So unless I want to go serve pancakes at the diner, I’m a man of leisure.”
“That’s rough.” Gray nodded at him.
“Hey, don’t worry about him,” Logan said, grinning. “Has he told you how much they’re paying him for this? The guy never has to work again if he doesn’t want to.”
“How much?” Gray asked, tipping his head to the side.
Tanner told him, and Gray’s brows lifted up. “Whew.”
Not that Gray should be that impressed. As a successful singer, he’d earned more than enough money over the past few years to not worry about cash ever again. He’d spent years touring the world, and not visiting home, thanks to the animosity between him and their father. Then last year he’d returned and fallen in love with Maddie Clark, and the two of them had built this house together.