Almost Midnight by Teresa McCarthy Page A

disordered that was right now. But that didn’t mean he had treated her nicely. He had never spoken so spiteful to a woman before. He felt like a real jerk.
    “She promised, Dad.” Jeremy’s sob broke Tanner’s heart. “She promised to make it for me.”
    Tanner stepped across the room, skirting a yellow dump truck, a black knight’s castle, and a red, white, and blue model rocket. Kneeling down, he rested his hands on his son’s shoulders. “Hey, partner. She told me she would bring the gingerbread tomorrow.” 
    Tomorrow? Tanner wondered if Miss Red Toenails would ever show her face again after what he pulled. He would help out with her car, but at this point, he figured she’d made it around the corner to the gas station, and a hands-off approach seemed best for both parties involved.
    “I like gingerbread.” Jeremy hiccupped, shifting his watery gaze back to the window. “But she promised I could make it with her and now she’s gone.”
     Tanner’s guilt overflowed as he caught sight of a tow truck barreling down the street. “She’ll be fine, partner.”
    “I think you made Hannah sad.” The accusation hung in the air like a thundercloud. “I saw her in her car. She was really sad and her head fell on the steering wheel and she...she’s never coming back,” Jeremy sobbed. “Just like Mama.”
    The shock of Jeremy’s words hit Tanner like a punch to the stomach. “Your Mama’s in heaven with the angels, Jeremy. Do you understand that?”
    The boy nodded. “Hannah told me, but I didn’t want to believe her.”
    Tanner grimaced as he turned Jeremy from the window. “You know your mama’s not coming back, don’t you, partner? She’s in heaven now.”
    Jeremy squeezed his bear tighter. “Yeah.”
    “But Hannah will be coming back tomorrow. I promise.”
    Two gray eyes looked up at Tanner with such trust, he realized that even if he had to double Hannah’s wages, the lady would return. But how she would travel without a car was beyond him. A taxi maybe? A smile lurked behind his eyes. He didn’t think she was going to take up the offer of free limo service, he thought with a smile. The lady had too much pride.
    Jeremy bit his lip. “You’re going to be here, too. Right?”
    “I won’t be going on any trips soon, if that’s what you want to know. You’re the most important thing to me, Jeremy. Do you understand?”
    Jeremy held Max the bear in a chokehold.
    Tanner felt a lump in his throat. “Listen to me, partner. I know it’s been a long time since your mother’s been gone. And I told you before that I didn’t know she was that sick. Uncle Rafe didn’t even know and he’s a doctor. I never would have gone away if I had known. You have to believe me.”
    Jeremy picked at Max’s button nose. “I don’t remember a lot about Mama, but I remember some things. She hugged me real tight, but she had ammonia. That’s what Uncle Rafe said.”
    “Pneumonia.”
    “That’s what I said.”
    Tanner raised his gaze to the yellow and white cowboy border running above the window and drew in a regretful sigh. Julie had been his high school sweetheart, and they had been more in love than anyone deserved to be.
    After Julie’s death, he had thrown himself into his work, avoiding any type of social gathering that wasn’t business related. As time began to numb his pain, he started dating again, being with women he never considered marrying, and he had let them know that fact right off the bat.
    But eventually he began to realize that Jeremy’s grief had never been properly addressed. The boy was having trouble in school and making friends, and it had something to do with Julie or so the psychologist had told him. And now it seemed it took but a mere stranger like Hannah Elliot to pull his son out of his shell and talk about it. Tanner felt hurt and a little bit ashamed.  
    He bent down and picked up the yellow dump truck, moving it to the corner shelf. “What about you and me making some