Forever Valentine

He dropped a kiss on the top of my head. "And now it's yours." Shaking my head, I tried to reach back to unfasten it, but he took my hands in his, and wrapped his arms around me, with his eyes on mine in the mirror. "Olivia, I want you to have it. Please don't say no."

I turned in his arms and faced him, and reached up and felt his forehead. "Are you feeling, okay? Because I can't understand how you could just give away something so valuable."

He laughed. "Actually, since you asked, I'm feeling fantastic, being able to share all this with you." The way he was smiling, and waving his arms as he looked around the jam-packed closet, he did look pretty happy. "To be honest, I've never really cared about this kind of stuff. You can probably tell from looking at me that I'm not into flashy clothes, or jewelry. Money's not the end all and be all for me.

"When I was growing up, my mother and I never had much, but we were happy. And now that I'm doing okay, and I've got my own business, I'm just glad that I'm comfortable. When I found out that I'd inherited the family fortune, I didn't really care that I'd be wealthy. The only thing I like about having some extra money, is knowing that maybe I can help some other people who might need a hand up."

I was so touched, I wrapped my arms around his waist, pressed my face to his chest and hugged him as hard as I could. And I hoped I wasn't going to embarrass myself by breaking into tears. I'd never met anyone so selfless. Having grown up without much money, I'd just assumed he'd want to keep everything his grandmother had left him. And I couldn't believe that he was happy to share his wealth with anyone he thought might need it.

He wrapped his arms around me, and I snuggled into his neck, happy just to be close. We hugged like that for a while, with him dropping little kisses on the top of my head, till I finally pulled myself together and stepped back.

"Okay. I'll wear the necklace to the Valentine's dinner, but then I'm giving it back." When he opened his mouth to object, I held up my hand. "It's really sweet of you, Tanner, but I just can't accept it. It's too much. And where would I even wear it? I can't exactly serve coffee and pizza with diamonds and rubies hanging from my neck now, can I?"

He chuckled. "Okay, fine. But I want to see you wearing it with the dress and heels at the dinner." Then he looked over at the long rack of clothes. "Hey, looks like there's a matching jacket that goes with the dress."

"Thank you," I said, when he handed me the jacket. "I'll feel like a princess, dressed in all these beautiful things."

He touched a finger to the end of my nose, making me smile when he said, "Well, I think you already look like one." Then he pointed back into the bedroom. "I gotta show you something else," he said, taking me by the hand, and leading me around to the far side of the bed. "I noticed my grandmother's nightstand was full of papers and photo albums. I found this one small album, tucked in the back of one of the drawers."

He handed it to me to have a look, and waited to see what I'd say. When I opened it, I looked up at him and smiled. "These are all pictures of you, aren't they? You were such an adorable baby, and a real cutie growing up, too. Just look at those dimples and all that dark curly hair."

"Yeah, my hair's always been a little wild." He nodded at the album. "But it looks like my mother sent her a picture of me every year at Christmas." He opened up a small box with Christmas cards, and showed me they were all from his mother, giving his grandmother updates on how he was doing over the years. "I don't know why she kept them, but I notice they've all got little stain marks on them, probably because they're so old."

I picked one up and studied it, and felt so badly for her when I realized what it was. "Oh, how sad. I think they look like tear stains. I've got a feeling she probably got a little weepy every year that your mother sent another picture. Probably wishing she could see you in person."

He took a closer look at the marks on a couple of cards and nodded. "You could be right. I know my mother was pretty headstrong, and according to her, so was my grandmother. Could be their pride got in the way of them reconciling."

I thought it was such a shame, especially for him, that the two of them could have made amends and they all could have been together, were it not for their stubborn pride.

"Well, considering she left everything to you, her only grandson, she must have really loved you."

He looked a little uncomfortable, as he glanced around the room and shrugged. "I don't know, maybe she did. Guess I'll never know. But I don't know what I'm going to do with all this stuff. I'm not really into hanging on to things."

"Well, you're not throwing them out." I couldn't imagine throwing away something that his grandmother obviously treasured.

"Olivia, I have two suitcases downstairs holding everything I own. Or at least everything I plan to take with me. And I doubt I'll ever look at any of this again. So, there's no way I'm hanging onto an album full of baby pictures and a bunch of old Christmas cards."

Jutting my chin out, I picked up the album and the box of cards and hugged them to my chest. "Then I'll keep them for you, in case you ever change your mind."

Shaking his head, softly chuckling he led me out to show me the rest of the rooms upstairs. Every room we looked in was just packed full of furniture, I guess from all the empty bedrooms where they were working on the floors. Which had me looking over at him, wondering where he slept.

As we walked around the empty house, I imagined it must have been a pretty lonely existence for his grandmother rattling around in such a big old place by herself.

Once we'd seen all the rooms upstairs, he nodded at the main staircase. "I want to show you something downstairs. Well, two things actually."

He led me down the wide, Scarlett O'Hara staircase that looked like something from a movie set. On the main floor, he pointed into what had to be the music room, since it held a beautiful grand piano with strategically placed lights glimmering off the sleek ebony surface.

He sat down, patted the space beside him, and I joined him on the little piano bench, as he explained, "My mother was a really talented pianist, and she taught me how to play. We were lucky we had an old upright that a neighbor let us have, when they had to get rid of all their furnishing to move into a nursing home. Having a piano in our place, my mother was able to give lessons to the neighborhood kids, to teach them about music and earn a little extra money.

"She never made much at her day job as a receptionist, so she'd play piano at different clubs at night, just to keep food on the table. I used to stay with a neighbor lady, till my mom got home. At least until I was old enough that she'd let me tag along and watch her play." He smiled thinking back. "I loved going to those clubs, and hearing all the different styles of music. That was an education in itself."

Now I understood why he wasn't exactly thrilled when the lawyer told him that his grandmother had left him her entire estate. When it sounded like his mother had to struggle just to get buy, though she'd come from such an incredibly wealthy background.

I guess deciding he'd said enough, he placed his hands on the keyboard, and got into a song, and I couldn't believe how beautifully he played. "This is an old Steinway," he said, nodding at the piano. "I'm sure this was mother's from when she was a kid. I noticed it was a little off-key, so I had someone come in and tune it. And just listen to the sound of it, now. Isn't it incredible?"

I was blown away by his talent as I watched his fingers fly across the keyboard. "This is Maroon 5's Sunday Morning. I love the piano intro on this one. He flashed me a grin wiggling his eyebrows as he belted out the suggestive lyrics,

"Sunday morning, rain is falling

Steal some covers, share some skin

Clouds are shrouding us in moments unforgettable

You twist to fit the mold that I am in"

His deep sultry voice was so incredible, I could have happily sat right where I was for the rest of the night, just listening to him sing.

"Do you play?" he asked, taking his hands off the keys and resting them on his thighs.

Nothing like he did, that was for sure. I shrugged, a little embarrassed to admit that I could barely play a note or two. "I took a few lessons as a kid. But all I can play from memory is Chopsticks and Ode to Joy."

He nodded at the piano. "Then let's hear what you got."

I could actually feel the quality in the keys, when I splayed my hands out and began to play Chopsticks, and followed it up with the only Beethoven song every kid had to learn in piano class.

Tanner laughed at the faces I was making as I blushed when he humored me and applauded at my meager attempt. Compared to me, he was practically a virtuoso. He joined me for the last few bars, but eventually our fingers stilled, and he hopped up and said, "I've got to show you something else, that I think you'll like." He seemed so excited about showing me around, no matter what he said, I had a feeling he'd be sad to see it go.

We wandered back into the hallway, and he flipped on an overhead light. I watched him pull a mattress out from one of the rooms and place it on the floor just in front of the staircase.

"Get on your back on there, and look up," he said.

I looked at him, confused. "You want to me to lie on a mattress on the floor?"

He got down on his back first, patted the space beside him, and pointed up.

Not sure what he was up to, I put everything down I was still holding, and laid down beside him. And I actually gasped when I looked up at the cupola, way up high in the ceiling, with the most intricately patterned stained glass I'd ever seen. It was such a gorgeous creation with images of the stars and the sun and the moon in the sky, shining through the glass, with colorful flowers and birds interspersed throughout.

"It's absolutely magical, isn't it?" Especially the way it was encircled by softly blinking lights that perfectly showcased the craftsmanship of the artist.

We just stared up for the longest time, till he quietly said, "I was only ever in this house once, when I was about five years old. I'm not sure whose idea it was for us to get together, but I remember my grandmother got pretty choked up the moment she saw me.

"I was so young I couldn't understand why she was crying. I remember her kissing my forehead and telling me that she thought I was a beautiful little boy. Then the two of them went into the kitchen. And I heard my grandmother telling my mother, "I don't understand why you two can't live here, there's plenty of room. And the boy would be able to run around and play outside, instead of being cooped up in an apartment."

Though she'd dropped her voice, I remember what my mother said, word for word: "Mother, you know we could never live here. Not with him in the same town. If he ever saw Tanner and realized he was son, he could try and take him from me. And he's powerful enough to do it, too."

They kept arguing back and forth after that, but they were quiet enough that I couldn't really understand what they were saying. But I remember feeling scared, wondering if someone was going to try and take me from my mother. Then I looked up and saw that glass cupola, and I got so lost in it, that I managed to drown them out."

I reached for his hand and slipped my fingers through his. "It really is beautiful. And I'm glad you and your grandmother got to meet each other, even if it was only once. But from what she said, it sounds like your father lived near here, and your mother didn't want him to see you."

"I've thought about that over the years. But I don't really care who he was. If she didn't want me to meet him, she probably had a good reason."

"From what she said, at least you know that your grandmother actually cared about you."

"Yeah, I think she might have." I squeezed his hand, and he turned his head and brushed a kiss to my forehead.

He was such a complex man, who had obviously experienced some pain in his life. And I could understand where he was coming from, considering that I'd grown up without a mother. I remember how awkward it felt, having to force myself to be pleasant the few times I'd seen her.

So, I knew he must have had to swallow his pride to accept his inheritance from the woman who he believed had turned her back on the only family she had. Considering that his mother had taken on the burden of raising him on her own.

Neither of us said anything as we stared up at the ceiling. Till salowly, I could feel my eyelids getting heavy. When I started yawning, he got up and got a comforter and pulled it over us.

I don't even remember snuggling into his side. Though I do remember smiling as I enjoyed a little whiff of his musky scent as he slipped his arm around me to hold me close.

Next morning, when I opened my eyes I saw that the sun was coming up. As I blinked myself awake, I could feel the heat of his body pressed against me, and realized that we must have spent the night together.

Tanner woke up then too, but we didn't move apart, and he was still holding me close.

Smirking, I looked up at his face. "I didn't realize we'd be having a sleepover."

He chuckled. "Neither did I."

Then I thought about the rooms packed with furniture upstairs, and I asked him, "Is this where you've been sleeping, on this mattress on the floor?"

He shrugged. "I can't really use any of the bedrooms, with the floors being worked on."

"But there's that huge bed in your grandmother's room. I'm sure you'd get a good night's sleep on that."

I almost laughed at the face he pulled when he said, "I don't think I'd want to sleep in her bed. Probably feel kind of weird."

"Well, you could always put a new mattress on it, and it would feel like a brand-new bed."

"Yeah, I guess I could." Then he looked into my eyes, sounding kind of regretful when he said, "But I don't think it matters, since I'm not going to be here much longer."

I just nodded, because I assumed he'd be gone as soon as he'd sold the house. Which made me feel a little sad, because I really liked him, and already knew I was going to miss seeing him when he dropped in for lunch every day.

He had his arm draped around my shoulders, as we stared up at the cupola sparkling like a jewelled crown with the bright morning sunlight filtering through the multi-colored glass.

Tugging me a little closer, he started telling me about his plans. "I know it might sound crazy, but from the time I was a kid, I always had this dream of getting on a boat and just sailing off and exploring the world. I loved history class, when we learned about the different the explorers. And I'd always wondered what it must have been like for them to get on a ship and head out to sea, with no idea of where they'd find themselves."

I turned my head and looked at him. "Have you got a boat?"

"No, not yet. I ordered a Catboat, that should be arriving any day. It's only got one sail. And since I'll be out there on my own, I should be able to handle it."

"You have sailed before though, haven't you?"

He nodded. "Until I got involved in fixing up this place, I used to get out every weekend and sail around the coast with a friend of mine."

I slid my hand onto his chest and I could feel the steady beat of his heart as I asked, "Where are you planning to travel?"

He covered my hand with his, and gave me a little squeeze. "Around the Caribbean, to start. And depending how that goes I might sail further south. I haven't really decided how long I want to be out there, or if I even want to come back."

"Well, just keep your eye out for pirates."

The way he turned and looked at me, with his eyebrow raised, I could tell he was trying not to laugh, when he asked, "You mean like Pirates of the Caribbean? You know that was just a movie, right?"

"Well, that Tom Hanks movie, 'Captain Phillips' looked pretty scary, and that really happened. He had a whole crew on board with him, and they were still held hostage. I just think it sounds a little dangerous, especially being out there on your own."

He gave me a little hug and pressed a kiss to the top of my head. "Okay, I'll keep an eye out for pirates." He chuckled. "You want me to look out for sea monsters, too?"

I poked him in the ribs. "Ha-ha, very funny. I just don't want anything to happen to you."

"I know," he said, smiling into my eyes, before turning his gaze back up at the shimmering glass. "Sometimes, I wonder if I should even be doing this. But considering I just turned forty, I figure if I don't do it now, I never will." He gave me one last squeeze and said, "We should probably get up and get some breakfast. I imagine you've got to be at work soon."

"Actually, I'm off today. Martha, who works with me, offered to start working Saturdays with her sister. And since we're closed on Sundays, now I get the weekends off."

His face lit up with a smile when he heard that. "Then you should spend it here with me. I changed the old parlor into a screening room, and it's a nice setup for watching movies." He nodded up at the ceiling, at the rain that had started pelting on the glass. "And it sounds like it's really starting to come down, so at least you'd be warm and dry in here."

I wasn't too sure if I should stay, because I didn't really plan on letting things go too far. But before I could say anything, he must have read my mind because he said, "I like that we're friends, Olivia. And I'm thinking maybe we should keep it that way. Especially since I'm not going to be here for much longer."

I nodded. "Okay, then I'll stay." I liked that we were friends, too. And that I felt that I could trust him.

We got up, and he put away the mattress, and nodded at the kitchen. "I've got some eggs and bread. So, how about I cook for you for a change, and make us some scrambled eggs?"

"Sounds good. And I'll set the table."

As I wandered into the kitchen, I took a quick look at my phone, just in case Martha had texted. But since there were no messages, as I often did when I was working in the kitchen, I put a song. Tanner gave me a funny look, when he heard the lyrics. "Who's that?"

"It's Chance the Rapper's - All Night. I love this song, it's fun." Smirking, I started shaking my bootie, making him laugh as I took him by the hands and pulled him in to join me.

We started dancing together as Chance sang,

'Is you Is, or is you ain't got gas money

No IOU's or debit cards, I need cash money'

The weird looks Tanner was giving me, made me laugh even harder as we danced around the center island.

As the song came to an end, he pulled me in for a hug, tipped up my chin and with his eyes on mine, he said, "You're just so much fun, I'm really gonna miss you."

"Same goes." Impulsively, I pushed up on my toes and just barely brushed my lips across his.

I think a little shocked at what I'd done, I could feel the tickle of his breath on my lips as we stood transfixed, staring into each other's eyes. He had my heart pounding, and my nipples growing hard, from the feel of his thumb stroking a path over my hip bone. Thankfully, sanity prevailed and we both took a step back.

Looking anywhere but at me, Tanner got busy making breakfast. When he got a pan out and put it on the stove, I got the plates down from the cupboard, put them on the counter and scurried into the dining room with the silverware.

"Friends," I reminded myself. "We're only friends." Though my hands were trembling at the stupid thing I'd just done, as I set the forks and knives down on one end of the table.