CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Tess
First thing Monday morning, Tess hit the bank to see what kind of loan she might qualify for in order to secure a down payment on The Outpost. On her way out, she called Mr. Moody and left a message, asking him to call her right away.
She didn’t give a reason, but he’d know it was important because she hardly ever contacted him.
Without a sale price, the bank wouldn’t promise a specific amount, but they did say her credit was excellent and the investment sound.
Moody returned her call a little after lunch.
“Sir. I wanted to talk to you about the possibility of purchasing The Outpost. I talked to a loan officer this morning and am pretty confident I can get funding for the down payment. I just need a number on what you want for it. I know you said it was too late, but if there’s any chance at all…”
This was a gamble, but she had to take it. And the worst he could do was say no.
“Oh, Tess,” Moody said. “I wish you’d called earlier. I just got an offer an hour ago. The attorneys are looking it over now. Barring any problems, I plan to accept it.”
“I was on the mountain all week,” Tess explained. “This is the first chance I’ve had to call since I made up my mind. Have you signed anything? Is there any way you could still carve it out?”
“Maybe.” He sighed. “But I can’t make any promises. The wedding is in twelve days, and after that, we’re gone for a monthlong honeymoon. I was hoping to seal the deal on this before we go.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t say anything sooner. But I would really, really appreciate the opportunity to buy it from you.”
“You’re persistent. I’ll give you that. Look, I’ll call the attorney now and see what I can do. But don’t get your hopes up. This ship may already be at sea.”
“That’s great,” she said. “A chance is all I ask. Thank you, sir.”
“I’ll be in touch.”
Later that evening, Tess was with her friends at The Rusty Nail, recounting her day.
“He says he’ll try, but couldn’t promise anything.”
“That’s a tough ask, mid-deal,” Faith said. “But at least he didn’t shut you down right away.”
They all nodded and mumbled supportive platitudes. Without more to say, they switched topics.
“So, have you heard from Carter?” Alex asked. “He gonna be your plus one for the wedding?”
“He texted yesterday.” Tess sipped her drink. “I don’t know. What did you guys think of him?”
They stared blankly, clearly wanting permission to speak freely.
“Be honest,” Tess said, opening the dam.
“He was sort of a baby when he lost at HORSE,” Juliet said.
“More like a jerk,” Faith corrected.
“He did give you a nice gift,” Alex said.
“Pfft.” Tess rolled her eyes. “When am I ever going to wear a diamond bracelet?”
“What about Logan?” Juliet said.
Tess shrugged. “What about him?”
“It was cool of him to offer to help Max,” Faith said. “I wonder why he did that.”
“Maybe he needs work,” Tess guessed.
“You said all the guys who go on your campouts are rich,” Alex said.
“His brother paid his way.” Tess popped a french fry into her mouth. “He never really said what he did for a living, but I didn’t get the impression he has a lot of money.”
“Is that a deal-breaker?” Juliet asked.
“Not necessarily. But after Seth, it’s definitely on my radar.”
“Well, whatever the reason,” Faith said. “Nick says Max has really perked up at the thought of getting things going at the inn. I think it’s fantastic.”
“Might be just what Max needs,” Juliet agreed.
“But why Logan?” Tess asked. “Some bum drops out of the sky, and Max is gonna trust him to help turn his business around? It doesn’t make any sense.”
“Beats me,” Faith huffed. “Sounds like he knows about construction. And since Lyle’s out of town for the month, he’s all Max has right now.”
“The real question is, why are you so touchy about it?” Alex asked.
“Yeah, what’s going on with you two?” Faith waggled her eyebrows. “I sensed some sparks at your party.”
Tess felt her cheeks heat involuntarily. “How did we get on this topic? Logan’s just a friend. Not even that. I barely know him. Plus, it’d be weird to hang out with someone I went on a campout with. What happens on the mountain is supposed to stay on the mountain.”
“Well, you might not love this news then,” Alex said. “Brody invited him to play on our softball team.”
Tess threw up her hands. “Why are we rolling out the red carpet for this stranger?”
Alex raised a shoulder. “He and the guys bonded over beers and baseball the other night. Brody said he seems like a cool guy and figured since he’ll be hanging around all summer, why not?”
“Whatever,” Tess said, waving it away with her hand. “Not my business.”
“Uh-huh.” Faith shared a dubious look with Juliet and Alex. They didn’t believe her, but they’d drop it. For now.
Tess kept her mouth shut about the “moment” she and Logan had on the solo day of the campout.
The split second when she thought he was going to kiss her.
And the following second, when she’d wanted him to.
Then again, the incident happened so fast, and he hadn’t done or said anything about it since, so maybe she’d only imagined it.
Two days later, she was playing third base for her team—Pitches Be Crazy—which consisted of Tess, her three friends, their two significant others, Max, Logan, Faith’s little sister Hope, and two of Nick’s deputies.
“Hey, batta batta batta,” Alex yelled from the outfield.
Max gave Juliet a signal, and she wound up to pitch. They all cheered when the batter swung and missed. His third miss, and the team’s third out. Their turn to bat.
“You’re up, Fox,” Tess said to Logan. “Let’s tie this up.”
“No pressure,” Logan mumbled, tipping his neck from side to side and heading to the batter’s box. The team clapped and yelled as he took a hard swing, connected solidly, and sprinted to first base.
Faith was at home plate waiting for a pitch when all heads turned toward the parking lot. A long, sleek limousine pulled up to the curb, and speculative murmurs spread across the field.
Tess had an uneasy feeling about who was inside. Her fears were confirmed when the door opened, and Carter got out, waving as if he were the King of England. She dropped her head, hoping he wouldn’t see her. But after he repeatedly called her name, she jogged over to quell the spectacle.
“We’re in the middle of a game,” she hissed. “What’s up?”
“I was in the neighborhood and thought I’d drop by to see if you wanted to fly to Cancun with me.”
“In the neighborhood?”
“Okay, fine.” A cocky grin commandeered his face. “I came all this way to ask you.”
She should probably be flattered by that admission, but instead, found herself annoyed. “How’d you find me?”
“When you weren’t at your house, I stopped by a coffee shop and asked. They said you’d be here. It’s crazy how small this town is.”
“We playin’ or what, Walker?” someone from the opposing team yelled.
“I’m coming,” Tess yelled, holding up a hand and turning back to Carter. “I can’t talk right now. I’m up to bat next.”
“Co-ed softball?” He used his fingers to shield his eyes and glance around the field. “How quaint. Hey, what’s Fox doing here?”
Logan stood on first base, only a few feet away, and could probably hear the whole conversation.
“He’s staying for the summer,” Tess said. “Look, I gotta go.”
“Oh.” Carter frowned. “So, wait. You’d rather stay here than come with me? I drove all the way out here.”
Technically, someone else had driven him, but she didn’t mention that. “Sorry about that. You should have called first.”
“Seriously?” Impatience overtook his good humor. “Do you know how many women would kill for an offer like this? To be seen in public with me?”
“Um…” She thought he might be overestimating—by a long shot—the extent of such a list. He was only a B-string player after all.
“This is my last attempt, Tess. It’s a now-or-never invite. Do you want to go out with me or not?”
How had she not realized what a self-absorbed asshole he was? The decision was one of the easiest she’d made in a while. “Not.”
His eyes widened, and she had to bite back a laugh at the indignant shock on his face. Behind her, she heard a snicker, confirming Logan was eavesdropping.
“But…I’m rich,” he said, flabbergasted. “And famous. I could get you courtside seats at Celtics games.”
Rich? Sure. Famous? Debatable. The tickets? That would be the biggest sacrifice.
“That’s great for you,” Tess said sincerely. “You shouldn’t have any problem finding someone to go to Cancun with you then.”
As she turned and headed to the dugout, Logan caught her eye. A mixture of astonishment and admiration accompanied a smile. She held his gaze for a moment longer than necessary—darn those pretty green eyes.
“Sorry, y’all,” she said. “Let’s crack on.”
After the game, they met for celebratory beers at The Rusty Nail. Logan had hit a homer to score the game-winning run.
“The expression on the pitcher’s face when you nailed that thing…” Nick slapped Logan on the back. “Priceless.”
“It was a team effort,” Logan said. “Y’all were great. Also, that hit was definitely more luck than skill.”
“Don’t sell yourself short,” Max said.
“I’m managing expectations,” he replied. “In case I suck at the next game.”
“Whatever,” Brody said. “A win’s a win.”
Once they were seated, drinks in hand, Faith wanted a play-by-play of the conversation with Carter. Tess rehashed it quickly.
“Ah, man!” Faith said. “Courtside seats would have been amazing. You should have gone just for those.”
“Exactly what I was thinking,” Alex said.
“You’d sacrifice me for good seats to a game?” Tess asked. They nodded enthusiastically. “How dare you?”
“How mad do you think he is?” Juliet said. “Can we even go to games anymore?”
“Yeah,” Alex said. “What if he blackballs us? Puts us on some kind of ‘no-fly’ list?”
“I’m sure that’s not a thing,” Tess said with more confidence than she felt. Carter did seem like the vindictive type.
“We’ve got a couple of months until the season starts,” Nick said. “Bro should be over it by then. If not, we could take him.”
They talked about the upcoming Fourth of July and wedding plans. Both were this week. Logan sat quietly, seemingly happy just listening to their trivial banter.
Tess still had a weird feeling about his true motives for being here. Like there was something he wasn’t telling them. But he was here for the summer and had apparently been adopted into their posse, so she might as well get used to him being around. She supposed there were worse things.