Free Dissever (Unbinding Fate Book One) by Colee Firman Page A

the path down to the beach and then went
over to the walkway that opened up to the resort next door. When she passed through
the place she’d originally met Tanner, the resort was in full view. Every inch
of it was absolutely beautiful. The palm trees were wrapped in white lights from
top to bottom. There were cozy little spots with benches and café tables tucked
back behind perfectly sculpted shrubs. It all surrounded a large patio and pool
area.
    Walking through a maze of trees, Addy came to a bench on
the far side of the outdoor bar. She decided it was a good place to wait for Tanner.
    A few minutes passed and a guy sat down beside her.
    “I’m waiting for someone,” she said, not wanting to
deal with being hit on.
    “So am I.”
    She recognized the voice and whipped her head around.
    “Tanner?” She was stunned. “Oh my god, did you get run
over by an extreme makeover show?”
    “Yeah, total hit and run.” He looked at her seriously,
but she could see a hint of a smile in his eyes. “I’m blending in—per your
request.”
    Tanner was dressed like he belonged at the beach,
wearing shorts, a light button down shirt and sandals. His facial hair was
trimmed into a five o’clock shadow look, and his hair was cut short into what
she’d describe as a faux hawk. It was also very dark brown, much darker than
she first thought. It was a completely different look and he could have been a
totally different guy.
    “At least you didn’t get your hair highlighted ,”
she said, trying not to laugh.
    Tanner ran his fingers through his hair with a
lopsided smile. “I thought about it but wasn’t sure if I was ready to commit to
the upkeep.”
    “Good call.”
    “The guys in my band are gonna be pissed—rocking the
long hair was kind of our thing.” He smiled and took a drink of the beer he was
holding. “You never came back to meet me.”
    “I’m sorry, I was busy,” she said, which was partly
true. “How do you know where I live by the way?”
    He said he was checking out the estate the night they
met and he saw her go into her place. He also told her he checked into a suite
at the resort since he needed a place to stay while he waited for his condition
to clear up.
    Addy looked around at their incredibly luxurious
surroundings. “Isn’t that pretty expensive?”
     He just looked around and shrugged. “It’s no big deal.”
    “Oh.” She wanted to ask him some questions, especially
about his family, but thought she might be overstepping.
    “Wanna go walk on the beach? Now that you look like a
boy band reject it won’t matter who sees us.”
    Tanner laughed and stood up. “Keep piling it on
girlie, I can take it.”
    They headed over to the bar where everyone knew him by
name and Tanner ordered a couple of drinks. Then they made their way over to
the walkway leading down to the water.
    The beach was empty, except for a few couples walking
hand in hand. In the distance, she could see lightning flashes over the ocean.
The sky above them was clear and full of stars.
    They chatted while they walked down the shoreline.
    Again, he was so great to talk to about anything. It
was a nice escape from all the weirdness of the estate, even though Tanner
brought his own kind of weirdness. She thought about the easy way she could
talk to Tanner and how tough, almost painful, it was to think of something to
say to Gage. It was such a huge difference.
    She could tell he was becoming more and more uncomfortable
as they traveled farther away from Tremain. They got about a mile away before
she suggested they turn around.
    When they got back to the beachfront at the resort, she
realized they hadn’t discussed the issue of why he was there in the first
place.
    “Are you feeling any better at all?” Addy asked
Tanner.
    “Nope, if I could leave I’d have jetted; my band is
playing without me tonight.” He took off his shoes and stepped into the edge of
the water. “Are you gonna tell me what’s going on with me and