CHAPTER TWENTY
Logan
Logan hit “confirm” on an order for fifty gallons of paint and glanced at his watch.
Tess should have been here by now. His stomach raged, telling him it was past lunchtime.
But, more than simply hungry, he was eager to spend time with Tess.
Usually, waitin’ on a woman wasn’t his thing, but his desire to see her was close to overwhelming.
He was just about to call her when Max appeared in the doorway.
“Hey,” he said. “I think I might have screwed up.”
“Well, that’s the nature of construction,” Logan said, assuming he meant something to do with the remodel. “I’m sure it’s nothing we can’t fix. What happened?”
“Not that.” Max waved a hand. “Did Tess not know you were a successful businessman?”
Logan tapped his pen on his palm. “Oh, um. Probably not. We haven’t really gotten around to discussing finances.”
“Hmm. Well, she seemed to be under the impression you were here, working for pennies because you had nowhere else to go. And when I set the record straight—told her you were fronting the money for this project—she seemed a little…mad.”
“Mad? Like, how mad?”
“Maybe just irritated,” Max backtracked. “Look, man. I’m sorry. I didn’t know she didn’t know. I mean, it’s not a secret, is it? I hope I didn’t say anything I shouldn’t have.”
“Not your fault,” Logan said. “It’s just a misunderstanding, but one I’m responsible for. I should probably go talk to her. Any idea where she went?”
“Eh. Said she was meeting Faith at Karla’s, but that might’ve just been an excuse to get out of here fast.”
“It’s a small town. I’m sure I can find her. Sorry to put you in an awkward spot.” He stood and grabbed his car keys. “I’ll be back soon.”
It didn’t take long before he found her Tahoe in the parking lot of the local ice cream shop. Through the window, he saw her sitting alone at a table.
He sighed. Problem-solving was his forte. What he did for a living. This shouldn’t be that hard a fix.
Opening the door, her eyes met his, and he was caught off guard by the unfamiliar and unexpected jolt that shot through him. Something deep and strong that tied him to her somehow. If he didn’t know any better, he’d say he just fell in love a little. But that couldn’t be right.
“Hey,” he said, motioning to the seat across from her.
“Hey.” She nodded to the chair, and he sat.
“Did you stand me up because you thought you’d have to pay for lunch?” he said, hoping an attempt at humor might ease the tension.
“Not funny. Why didn’t you just tell me?” She seemed more confused than irritated. “Why lead me to believe you were a construction worker bouncing around from job to job?”
“Does it matter?” he asked.
“Not really,” she huffed. “But honesty does.”
“You’re right.” He plowed a hand through his hair.
“I didn’t intend to deceive you. At first, it didn’t matter because we were only acquaintances.
And then, once we became friends and started dating, there was just never a time to bring it up without it sounding pretentious.
Like, oh by the way, I make a ton of money.
” He ended using a haughty accent and was relieved when she smiled.
“Are you making fun of Carter?”
“No.” His smile belied the word. “But it’s funny your mind jumps to him when I say that.”
“So, you weren’t keeping it from me intentionally?” she asked. “’Cause it kinda seemed like you were.”
Busted. He should have known Tess would call him out on his crap. Wait until she found out about The Outpost deal. He’d put that off another minute. At least until after he smoothed this over.
“Maybe subconsciously.” He sighed. “I should have told you. I just…I don’t know. Money tends to make people treat you differently. And I have some trust issues. Especially with women. No offense.”
“So you were testing me?”
He shrugged. “When we first met, it was just refreshing that you didn’t seem all that into money. But once I decided to ask you out, I wanted to be sure it was me you liked. And not just a fat wallet.”
Tess was pragmatic. If she looked at it rationally, she’d understand his reasoning, right? At her silence, he pushed on.
“Being rich is a blessing and a curse,” he said.
“My last girlfriend broke up with me because the birthday present I gave her was ‘cheap.’ She expected lavish, and I didn’t appreciate the pressure of being obligated to buy her something just because I could.
Am I making any sense? Or just sounding like a big jerk? ”
Tess sighed. “No. I get it. There are women out there—men too—who put too much emphasis on wealth. I mean, in my own way, I do it too. After my marriage blew up over money issues, I vowed I would never date anyone fiscally irresponsible. It seems petty that money has to matter, but when it comes down to it, it really does.” She took a bite of ice cream.
“But, frankly, I’m more interested in honesty. And you lied.”
“By omission,” he said, then threw up his hands. “I know. I know. Still a lie. You’re right. Trust is important in a relationship, and I betrayed that. I’m sorry, Tess. Really, really sorry.”
She blew out a breath. “There must be a lotta gold diggers in Houston?”
“It’s my fault,” he said. “I keep dating the same type of woman, and then I’m surprised when it turns out she’s more attracted to the zeros in my bank account than me.”
“I apologize on behalf of my gender. But I’m not those women.”
“I know. And again, I’m sorry.”
“Accepted.” She pointed the sundae spoon at him. “But no more ‘misunderstandings.’ Also, the interest rate on the two dollars you owe me just went way up.”
“That’s fair.” He chuckled.
“I suppose this was more of a surprise than anything,” she said. “And at least you weren’t hiding thousands of dollars of gambling debt.”
Relief at her forgiveness flooded through him. He knew this was his cue to tell her about his company’s offer on The Outpost, but they’d just cleared this hurdle. Was it wise to throw up another right away? So early in their relationship?
Tess’s low tolerance for lies wouldn’t bode well for him if he got caught again so soon.
But if he could fix the issue before he told her?
He’d call Cooper, have him agree to the buyer’s request, and then tell Tess.
The admission would land softer if he had no intention of buying her store. Yes, that was a solid plan.
“So, fair’s fair. What’s your net worth?” he asked, sensing an opportunity to lighten the mood.
She chuckled. “Technically, you haven’t disclosed your worth. We’ve only established you’re not broke, but I’m doing all right. I’m actually trying to buy The Outpost.”
He did a double-take and picked his jaw off the table. “What?”
“The owner put it into a portfolio with some other businesses. He has an offer, but he’s in talks to have it removed from the deal so I can buy it. I just hope it’s not too late.”
Holy Crap. This was why the seller wanted it out. Not because he was hiding its value. Oh, man. So much for his plan to wait. This changed everything. He had to come clean. Now.
“There’s something else I have to tell you,” he started.
She looked over his shoulder. “Hold that thought,” she said, holding up a finger and standing. He followed her gaze to the front door. Faith had jerked it open, eyes searching for Tess.
“What’s wrong?” Tess had already jumped to her feet as Faith approached, face tight with worry.
“It’s your mom,” Faith said. “She collapsed and was taken by ambulance to GVF General.”
Tess barely waved goodbye before jogging to the parking lot, where Nick waited in an SUV. She and Faith climbed in, and were gone within seconds.
He thought about following them, but figured if she’d wanted him to come, she’d have invited him. He’d wait, give her a chance to find out what had happened, and reach out later.
In the meantime, there was one thing he could take care of. On his way back to the inn, he called Cooper.
“Take The Outpost out of the deal,” he said.
“Well, hello to you too,” Cooper said, and Logan grunted. “I assume you found out why the guy wants to keep it. What’s the scoop?”
“He doesn’t want to keep it,” Logan said. “He wants to sell it to Tess.”
“Oh, crap.” Coop moaned.
A long pause made Logan nervous. “What?”
“It’s too late, man. I signed the papers like an hour ago. You and I had already talked about it. We decided if we didn’t find any reason to take it out, we’d stipulate that it stayed.”
“But we had until COB today to decide.” Close of Business meant five o’clock. It was barely after one.
“I know,” Coop said. “But the seller got married over the weekend and is leaving tonight for a monthlong honeymoon. He didn’t want it hanging over his head while he was gone and pushed to finalize it sooner. I didn’t think a few hours would make a difference.”
“There has to be something we can do,” Logan said, frustration rising.
“I’ll call them as soon as we hang up and see what I can work out.”
“Do I need to get involved?” Logan asked. “Who’s the lead on this?”
“No. I’ll handle it,” Coop insisted. “You sound worried about more than just this deal. What else is going on?”
“Tess just found out her mom was rushed to the hospital. No details. She’s on her way now.”
“That’s terrible. You gonna go?”
“Not yet. I’m giving her a minute to find out what’s what. I’ll reach out in a bit and see if she wants me there.”
“I hope everything’s okay,” Cooper said. “This doesn’t sound like the best time to tell you this, but we’re fixin’ to visit. Like, tomorrow. Sorry for the short notice, but can we stay at the inn?”
“Oh, sure. I’ll have Max book you a room.”
Logan returned to the inn and tried to work, but his concern for Tess and her family had him distracted. That, and his guilt.
Discovering she wanted The Outpost ignited new urgency to confess his deal. He had to make this right and vowed to come clean the instant the situation with Mrs. Walker was stable.
It was good that Cooper would meet her soon. He would be unbiased and could give Logan an honest, hot take on Tess.
Finally, about an hour later, Tess texted to say her mom was out of surgery and would be fine.
Logan offered to bring burgers by, but his text went unread.
He figured she was busy with her family and didn’t want to seem pushy.
As much as he wanted to help and be with her, he’d wait for her to contact him.