you’re from a family like mine, I’m afraid we have to be careful, especially when
we’re in the public eye.” He put a large hand over hers. “Come on, darling. It’ll be over soon.”
Roberta forced a smile and nodded, then reached for her red wine and gulped.
A few days later, around five-thirty in the evening, Tanner happened to be walking past
her office, its door open, when he stopped. Roberta’s head was resting on top of her arms which
were folded on the desk.
“Hey, pretty lady, go home and sleep. You’re going to get a crick in your neck if you fall
asleep like that.”
She lifted her face, which was very pale with exhaustion, and her sunny blond hair was
coming loose from its chignon, making her look unusually disheveled, emphasizing the desperate
look on her face. Tanner became alarmed when he saw the paleness of her face and the fear
lurking in the blue depths of her heavy eyes and her trembling lips.
He quickly stepped into the office and closed the door behind him. “Hey, hey, hey, are
you alright? What happened?”
Roberta shook her head and started to babble. “I can’t take this anymore, Tan. I can’t take
it anymore. It’s all too much. And that woman, she’s making me a nervous wreck. And
sometimes I think she’s doing it on purpose.”
Even more concerned when he heard her voice break, Tanner went around the desk and
pulled her to her feet. He sat on the desk and pulled her into his arms. “Shhh, shhhhhh,” he
crooned, stroking her bright blond hair and began to rock her. “Come one, Robbie, tell big
brother all about it. Tell me what’s happened. Okay? It’ll make you feel better, if you do.”
Her thin shoulders began to shake as she started to cry. “We…we just came from the
florist, you know to pick the flowers for the wedding. It was awful, Tanner. I never knew looking
at flowers could be a nightmare. But she had me looked at thousands of pages of arrangements.
And, I swear, they all looked the same.” She lifted a teary eye to him. “They did, they did. And I
had to choose one. And I didn’t know which one to choose, because I was so afraid that I might
choose the wrong one, and then I would embarrass Heron and you and your parents, and all your
friends and family, and then my parents and sister and friends would be embarrassed for
me…Oh, God, Tan, it was just horrible. Just horrible.” She hid her face in Tanner’s shoulders
and sobbed for a moment, before she could continue. “And then she…”
“Who’s she?” Tanner asked.
“Hildegard, the Nazi…the wedding planner. She and the owner argued for five hours
about this shade of red and that shade of red, and if we should have hollies with roses or
poinsettias, or white roses or white gardenias, and if baby’s breath would be too weak to make a
statement. And I have no idea what that statement is. And when the florist suggested that white
carnations would be elegant with red roses, Hildegard slapped her with a clipboard, and now the
florist is suing her for injury…And before the florist, we interviewed bands for the wedding. And
you know what they all played? Polkas. Polkas. Now, how did Hildegard ever get the idea that I
wanted polkas being played at my wedding reception? Perhaps it’s because she knew that Heron
has fondness for polkas. Do you know if your brother is harboring a secret passion for polkas?
Because I don’t.”
Tanner couldn’t prevent the laughter that escaped his lips. “No, I don’t believe that my
brother is hiding such a secrete.” He pulled Roberta closer, who started to shiver. “Shhhh, shhhh.
There, there, now. It’s all over.”
She lifted blue eyes that were drenched with distress up to him again. “But, that’s just it,
Tanner. It’s not over. It’ll start up all over again, tomorrow. Hildegard is going to come down
here, at nine o’clock in the morning.”
“You’ll be in a meeting with marketing, then.”
“That doesn’t matter to her. Nothing stands in the way
we’re in the public eye.” He put a large hand over hers. “Come on, darling. It’ll be over soon.”
Roberta forced a smile and nodded, then reached for her red wine and gulped.
A few days later, around five-thirty in the evening, Tanner happened to be walking past
her office, its door open, when he stopped. Roberta’s head was resting on top of her arms which
were folded on the desk.
“Hey, pretty lady, go home and sleep. You’re going to get a crick in your neck if you fall
asleep like that.”
She lifted her face, which was very pale with exhaustion, and her sunny blond hair was
coming loose from its chignon, making her look unusually disheveled, emphasizing the desperate
look on her face. Tanner became alarmed when he saw the paleness of her face and the fear
lurking in the blue depths of her heavy eyes and her trembling lips.
He quickly stepped into the office and closed the door behind him. “Hey, hey, hey, are
you alright? What happened?”
Roberta shook her head and started to babble. “I can’t take this anymore, Tan. I can’t take
it anymore. It’s all too much. And that woman, she’s making me a nervous wreck. And
sometimes I think she’s doing it on purpose.”
Even more concerned when he heard her voice break, Tanner went around the desk and
pulled her to her feet. He sat on the desk and pulled her into his arms. “Shhh, shhhhhh,” he
crooned, stroking her bright blond hair and began to rock her. “Come one, Robbie, tell big
brother all about it. Tell me what’s happened. Okay? It’ll make you feel better, if you do.”
Her thin shoulders began to shake as she started to cry. “We…we just came from the
florist, you know to pick the flowers for the wedding. It was awful, Tanner. I never knew looking
at flowers could be a nightmare. But she had me looked at thousands of pages of arrangements.
And, I swear, they all looked the same.” She lifted a teary eye to him. “They did, they did. And I
had to choose one. And I didn’t know which one to choose, because I was so afraid that I might
choose the wrong one, and then I would embarrass Heron and you and your parents, and all your
friends and family, and then my parents and sister and friends would be embarrassed for
me…Oh, God, Tan, it was just horrible. Just horrible.” She hid her face in Tanner’s shoulders
and sobbed for a moment, before she could continue. “And then she…”
“Who’s she?” Tanner asked.
“Hildegard, the Nazi…the wedding planner. She and the owner argued for five hours
about this shade of red and that shade of red, and if we should have hollies with roses or
poinsettias, or white roses or white gardenias, and if baby’s breath would be too weak to make a
statement. And I have no idea what that statement is. And when the florist suggested that white
carnations would be elegant with red roses, Hildegard slapped her with a clipboard, and now the
florist is suing her for injury…And before the florist, we interviewed bands for the wedding. And
you know what they all played? Polkas. Polkas. Now, how did Hildegard ever get the idea that I
wanted polkas being played at my wedding reception? Perhaps it’s because she knew that Heron
has fondness for polkas. Do you know if your brother is harboring a secret passion for polkas?
Because I don’t.”
Tanner couldn’t prevent the laughter that escaped his lips. “No, I don’t believe that my
brother is hiding such a secrete.” He pulled Roberta closer, who started to shiver. “Shhhh, shhhh.
There, there, now. It’s all over.”
She lifted blue eyes that were drenched with distress up to him again. “But, that’s just it,
Tanner. It’s not over. It’ll start up all over again, tomorrow. Hildegard is going to come down
here, at nine o’clock in the morning.”
“You’ll be in a meeting with marketing, then.”
“That doesn’t matter to her. Nothing stands in the way
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