Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
TESSA
Iwoke up with puffy eyes, an annoying niggling in my sinuses, and a constant scratching in the very back of my throat.
I was more than familiar with those symptoms, and knew they were the pre-cursor of a nasty head cold coming on. I needed meds ASAP. Unfortunately, I’d slept through my alarm, so I was already running late and didn’t have time to stop at the pharmacy.
I was supposed to meet Rory at the field where the festival was being held so we could scope out the barn.
She had the okay to use the space and had corralled some people into helping us convert it into a haunted house.
We only had a few weeks to get our plans under way, but I was hopeful it would turn out well.
Just as I’d suspected, the older kids at Hope House were all for being part of it.
Even the staff had gotten on board. To my shock and delight, Charity had been the most excited by the idea, and her enthusiasm had sparked something in the rest of the kids.
They took over planning what they were going to dress up as, going so far as to give me a list of all the supplies they’d need to bring their un-dead costumes to life.
I was in for a lot of shopping and many late nights sewing, but if it made the kids happy, I was willing to do it.
With the festival on top of all my regular duties, these next few weeks were going to be even busier, so there wasn’t time for me to get sick. Unfortunately, by body didn’t seem to care.
Not feeling well enough to go through my whole morning ritual, I quickly showered and dried my hair, throwing it up in a sloppy bun instead of styling it. I skipped makeup altogether, threw on some clothes, strapped my watch to my wrist, and rushed out the door.
There were a few trucks parked beside Rory’s, and as I pulled up, I spotted her standing just outside the open barn doors. “Sorry I’m late,” I said as I climbed out and closed my door. “I slept through my stupid alarm.”
“No problem. We haven’t been here all that long.” She looked me over as I got closer, her brows pinching together in a deep V. “Are you okay? You don’t look so good. And your voice sounds funny.”
“I’m fine,” I insisted. “Nothing some over-the-counter meds won’t knock right out.”
She didn’t appear convinced. “You sure? We can do this some other time if you’re getting sick.”
“Nope, I’m perfect,” I lied. I felt like complete shit, but we had a job to do. Changing the subject, I looked to the old barn and asked, “Is that it?”
“Yep. I know it’s kind of an eye-sore, but the owner assured me the structure’s stable, and it’s completely empty. So what do you think?”
The building looked old as dirt and a little creepy. In other words, a great place for a haunted house. I looked at her, forgetting all about my impending cold. “It’s perfect. Come on. I want to take a look inside.”
I made it two steps before she grabbed my hand and stopped me. “Before you go in there, I need to tell you . . .” She paused to chew on her bottom lip nervously.
The goosebumps spreading across my arms had nothing to do with the breeze. “What do you need to tell me?”
She shifted from foot to foot, appearing almost anxious. “I had Cord put the word out that we needed volunteers who were handy with construction and stuff like that. I didn’t know who all he got until this morning. But . . . well, Bryce is here. He’s one of the volunteers.”
My stomach twisted at the news. Part of me wanted to book it back to my car, but I held firm. This wasn’t about me or Bryce. This was for the kids. My kids. And we needed all the help we could get. You’re moving forward, Tessa. Don’t forget that.
“Don’t worry about it, Ror. Everything will be fine.”
Again, she didn’t look convinced. “Really?”
“We live in the same town. It’s impossible not to run into each other. I’m not going to spend the rest of my life avoiding the guy.”
That seemed to do the trick, and she visibly relaxed. If only the little speech I’d just given had the same effect on me.
Bryce
To say I wasn’t happy with how things were progressing with Tessa was a serious goddamn understatement.
They weren’t progressing at . . . fucking . . . all.
It had been nearly a week since random luck brought us together at the grocery store, and I hadn’t seen her since.
I was beginning to get desperate enough to stage another “random” run-in when Cord came into the office the other day and threw me a line without even realizing it.
The second he made the announcement that Rory and Tessa were looking for volunteers to help them pull off a haunted house for the Halloween festival, I hadn’t given it a moment’s thought. I immediately threw my hat in.
Anything for a chance to see her, to spend time in her presence, to hear her melodic voice.
West, Dalton, and Linc had also volunteered, along with Hunter, but something told me his offer to help had more to do with watching shit potentially blow up in my face than his charitable heart.
While we waited for Rory and Tessa to join us in the barn so we could start going over their ideas, Hunt used the opportunity to give me shit. “You know, the quickest way to get this shit worked out would be to tell the truth, right?”
Letting out a curse, I lowered my voice and turned to face him. “I’ll start taking relationship advice from you when you start rememberin’ the names of the random women you’re bangin’ your way through.”
His smirk was unapologetic. “I remember their names. I just sometimes have trouble matchin’ the faces to them.” He could play casual, but I knew the truth behind his hookups, and whether he was willing to admit it or not, Hunter was punishing himself just as badly as I was.
“Bet there’s one name and face you got no problem keepin’ straight.” That wiped the humor right off his face. It was a low blow. I knew it, and I immediately regretted making such a dick move.
Before I had the chance to take it back, the barn doors opened and Tessa walked in with Rory at her back.
Just like that, everything else disappeared, and all thoughts centered firmly around Tessa.
My body reacted like I’d been stabbed with a cattle prod, and my heart kicked up to an almost unhealthy pace.
It was the same response I had every time I laid eyes on her, but this time there was also an underlying concern. She didn’t look right. Her eyes looked glassy, there was an unnatural flush in her cheeks and neck, and when she spoke her voice was scratchy.
“Thank you so much for coming, guys. Rory and I really appreciate it.”
Cord moved in his wife’s direction, pulling her against his side with a claiming arm around her waist as Tessa spoke, explaining her vision for converting the barn.
She spoke so animatedly and with such excitement I couldn’t stop staring.
She was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen, but when she was passionate like this, she was fucking spectacular.
Her eyes skittered in my direction, and that flush grew rosier. “It’s um, well . . .” She coughed, reaching up to her throat as if it was causing her pain. “It’s going to be great,” she quickly added before looking back at Rory. “Ror, was there anything you wanted to add?”
“Nope, I think that about covers it.”
With the meeting over a whole hell of a lot sooner than I wanted, everyone broke off, but I kept my pace slow, watching Tessa reach up to cover her forehead with her palm as I grew closer. Spotting me, she quickly dropped her arm and pinned a smile to her face. “Bryce, hi.”
When I finally stopped right in front of her, I noticed she looked even worse than I originally thought. The color on her cheeks had nothing to do with makeup. In fact, she wasn’t wearing any at all. “Hey, beauty. You doin’ okay?”
She waved off my concern, but I didn’t miss the way she cleared her throat over and over before speaking again. “Yeah, I’m good. Totally good.”
My forehead pinched in concern. “You sure about that?”
“Just fighting back a cold. I’ll stop at the pharmacy on the way home, get some medicine, and I’ll be good as new tomorrow.”
My arm moved of its own accord, reaching up to brush a lock of hair from her forehead. I had no right touching her like that, but I was damned if I could stop myself. “Anything I can do to help?”
She didn’t smack my hand away or curse me out for invading her space, and when she offered me a polite smile, I couldn’t help but view it as a win. “Thanks for the offer, but I promise, I’m good.”
I had to clench my teeth and ball my fists to keep from moving closer, from wrapping my arms around her and pulling her against me. The desire to touch her whenever she was in the same room was almost too much; it took everything I had to control myself.
She took a step back and nervously tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, casting her eyes down as she shuffled toward the door. I kept pace, walking beside her as she murmured, “Thank you. For being here, I mean. It means a lot.”
“Nothin’ to thank me for, beauty. I’m happy to help. You thought up somethin’ really great here.”
She looked up at me as we walked at a slow pace. “I’m glad you think so. The kids are really excited.”
I studied her profile, seeing the bright, sincere grin on her face clear as day. “You did it, honey. I remember you telling me about wantin’ to make a difference in these kids’ lives. It wasn’t just talk, you really did it.”
Her grin turned almost bashful. “Well, I’m trying, at least. It’s not really a sprint. More like a marathon . . . or a climb up Everest.”
“Still. I’m proud of you, Tessa. Really proud.”
She came to a stop beside her car and turned to face me fully. “Well, I should probably get to work.”
“All right, honey,” I murmured. One step at a time, I told myself.
I didn’t want to let her leave. I wanted to do everything in my power to drag this out, but if I pushed, I’d send her running.
She was already as skittish as a newborn foal.
I needed to handle this whole situation with kid gloves. “See you later, yeah?”
“Uh huh. Later.”
“Have a good day, beauty.”
As hard as it was and as much as every part of me rebelled against it, I somehow found the strength to turn and walk away from her without looking back. It was only temporary, after all. I’d find another way to run into her if it was the last thing I did.