Chapter 8
TESSA
After Hayes had dropped her off at her house, Tessa sat on the back porch looking at the lake. Hayes was a good friend, but Tessa couldn’t believe he offered to marry her to save the resort. What was he thinking?
Tessa shook her head as she thought of his sweet smile and handsome face. He really was a good friend.
Two Months Later
Tessa sat on her dock, looking at the lake, and contemplating her future.
It was her dock because no one else ever came here.
Years ago, there had been a big family cabin by the dock, but as the resort grew, her grandparents wanted to be closer to the main area, so the cabin was torn down and the wood used for other structures around the resort.
Her grandparents, and now she, had kept the dock in good shape and had added some small luxuries, such as a tiny house that was connected to it.
Spring was quickly turning into summer, and the resort bookings were filling up with guests.
She tapped her pen to her lips as she looked at her journal.
Her stream-of-consciousness journaling wasn't helping the way she thought it would. She had less than a year to get married, but she wasn’t sure what to do.
Should she go to court to contest her Nana’s letter?
She really didn’t want to do that. First and foremost, she had no desire to drag her beloved grandmother’s name through the mud.
Secondly, she still hadn’t told anyone else about the stipulation.
Well, except Hayes, after her tearful meltdown two months ago.
As if her thoughts had summoned him, Hayes appeared on the trail by the dock. “Hey!” he called. “I was just driving by after working on some cabins and saw you down here. I hope I’m not intruding.”
“No, not at all!” Tessa called as she stood up. “I was about to head back to the house for some lunch. Do you want to join me?”
HAYES
An hour later, Tessa and Hayes sat together on her back porch, enjoying lemonade and the light, almost-summer breeze. Hayes spotted Tessa’s journal next to her at the table.
“Still trying to figure out your problems through writing?” Hayes asked.
“Yes,” Tessa sighed. “Unfortunately, it’s not working today.”
“Are you still thinking about your grandmother’s letter?” Hayes asked. They hadn’t spoken about it since that day. Tessa hadn’t brought it up again, and Hayes hadn’t wanted to bother her, but he was concerned.
“Yes, I still don’t know what I am going to do. I can’t lose this place.”
Hayes sat still for a second, wanting to be sure about what he was about to do. He took Tessa’s hand in his and looked into her eyes.
“Tessa, you are one of my best friends, and I—really care about you deeply. Please marry me to save The Hickory.”
Tessa looked into Hayes’s earnest face and sincere eyes. “Yes,” she said.
“Yes?” Hayes said, shocked that she had agreed.
“Well, unless—you were probably joking,” Tessa’s face turned bright red. She moved to get up.
“No, wait!” Hayes said. “I meant it. Will you marry me?”
“Yes,” Tessa answered, surprised at herself.
“Okay!” Hayes said with a smile. “Let’s do this!”
“Really? Are you sure?
“Yes,” Hayes said firmly. “In fact, let’s go right now.”
“What?!” Tessa exclaimed.
“We can run over to South Carolina right now. It’s only a couple of hours.”
“But, I, uh, why?” Tessa stammered.
“Think about it. If we run off and get married, yes, we will get a lot of questions, but it will be a done deal. If we wait, I think we will get more questions. This way, you can probably avoid having to tell anyone else about your nana’s letter.”
TESSA
“Let me think,” Tessa said, pacing around the porch.
What Hayes said made sense. If they ran off and got married, that would be that.
No one would try to talk them out of getting married.
She was sure there would be a lot of doubters, but no one would push it too much if they were already married, right?
Tessa stretched her legs as they approached the Georgia/South Carolina line.
She couldn’t believe that she had agreed to marry Hayes.
She guessed she could still back out. She looked over at Hayes as he concentrated on the interstate in front of them.
Why hadn’t she backed out yet? Yes, it would solve her problems, but it was more than that.
“We can stop at the next town and figure out what we need to do at the courthouse,” Hayes said.
“Okay,” Tessa answered.
“How are you doing over there? Are you still okay with this?” Hayes asked.
“Yes, but are you? I’m not sure this is fair to you.”
“It was my idea. I am sure,” Hayes assured her.
“This just seems so crazy,” Tessa shook her head. “This is so out of character for me.”
“Yes, it is,” Hayes laughed. “Miss Contemplate Everything From Every Angle.”
Tessa punched him in the arm. “Shut up,” she laughed.
Hayes joined in her laughter as he exited the interstate and followed the signs into town. Soon they reached the courthouse on the main square. They looked at each other. Hayes asked again, “Are you sure?”
Tessa looked him in the eye for a minute. She felt safe with him. She felt somehow this crazy scheme was going to work out. “Yes.”
HAYES
An hour later, Hayes and Tessa walked out of the courthouse with a marriage license.
“I didn’t realize you had to wait 24 hours before eloping,” Hayes said. “I always heard stories of people running over to South Carolina and getting quickie marriages.”
“Me too,” Tessa replied, grasping the paper in her hand. “Well, what now?”
“I guess we can stay here until tomorrow?” Hayes said.
“Okay,” Tessa agreed.
Neither of them broached the topic of maybe taking the 24 hours before they could get married to think more about what they might be getting into. And it didn’t cross either of their minds to give up and forget the idea altogether.
Hayes held out his hand for Tessa. She smiled and took it. They walked into town hand-in-hand like a real about-to-be-married couple.
The town of Sweet Briar, South Carolina, was a cute, quintessential small town located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The main street was full of cute shops and restaurants. Tessa pulled Hayes over to the Sweet Briar directory located on the corner.
“Oh, look!” Tessa cried. “Sweet Briar is famous for its hiking trails and waterfalls, and their annual rose festival. Aw, we just missed it! It was two weeks ago.”
“Maybe we will have to make a return trip,” Hayes said. “We could come back for our anniversary next year.”
Tessa smiled, forgetting for a moment that their marriage was just going to be a fake marriage. “That sounds nice.”
They continued on down the street until they came to a coffee shop which was celebrating its grand opening.
“Let’s go in here,” Tessa requested. “We can tell Willow if she needs to do anything different in her shop.”
“Ha! I will leave that to you. I’m not sure how she would take that,” Hayes smiled and leaned into Tessa a little bit. “To be honest, Willow kind of scares me sometimes.”
Tessa laughed out loud, “She would be happy to hear that.”
They perused the pastry selections and ordered two of the house-recommended cinnamon rolls and iced coffees. Then they made their way to the outside seating to enjoy the beautiful summer day.
“This is delicious,” Tessa exclaimed as she bit into her cinnamon roll. “Not as good as Willow’s, of course.”
“Of course,” Hayes said, taking a sip of his coffee.
Tessa sighed contentedly as she basked in the sun and enjoyed her treats. Hayes tried not to stare at her. She looked so beautiful just sitting there in the sunlight.
“Is there something on my face?” Tessa asked.
“Huh, what?” Hayes asked a little confused.
“You were just staring at me, like I had something on my face,” Tessa laughed.
“Oh, ah, no. Sorry, I just zoned out for a second,” Hayes sputtered. Real cool, man, Hayes thought to himself. He sat up a little straighter. “So how are things going at The Hickory?”
“Oh, pretty good,” Tessa said. “Obviously, I still miss Nana, but I am thankful to be able to live and work where we spent so much time together.”
“That is special,” Hayes agreed.
“And I am glad she and I got to talk about some of my ideas for the future. It makes me feel like she will have a hand in everything that I am planning, too.”
“That is great, Tessa. I know you miss her, but what a great legacy she left you.”
“Yes, I am really lucky,” Tessa sighed and smiled at him.
Hayes was determined, now more than ever, to do whatever he could to make sure that Tessa never had to let go of her family’s resort. He would do this for Tessa, and he would let her go when she was ready.
TESSA
A few hours later, after they had thoroughly explored the cute town, Hayes and Tessa found a hotel.
Luckily, two rooms were available. Tessa was relieved that she would have some time to herself before her big day.
Ha, big day, Tessa thought. This is not exactly how I imagined the night before my wedding.
She sank down into the plush bed. Even though she thought they were crazy, something wouldn’t let her back out. She decided not to think about that too much.
Stretching out on her bed, she tried to rest. She was still surprised that this was where she was. The night before her wedding. Her wedding to Hayes.
Tessa rolled over and looked at the sliver of light shining in through the curtains and tried to ignore the butterflies of excitement that flitted in her stomach at the thought of being married to Hayes.