Chapter Fourteen
Tessa woke feeling rested the next morning. The night out with friends and many hours of uninterrupted sleep were exactly what she needed. This, she thought, is what weekends are supposed to be about. When was the last time she slept until she woke naturally? Had she ever?
She needed to make this a habit. She felt at least ten years younger.
If she hadn’t promised to have dinner with her dad and Devin tonight, it might’ve been the perfect day. Thankfully, nearly ten hours stood between this moment and that one.
She swung her legs over the bed’s edge and stretched, pushing thoughts of her childhood and trauma aside. Then she went to make coffee and enjoy the beauty of solitude on her deck.
The heroine in her story would absolutely approve of spending a crisp fall morning outdoors. Sitting on her balcony, feet up, with steam rising from the mug in her hands, she let her eyes close and inhaled deeply, being present in the moment.
Her eyes opened when her phone buzzed against the table.
“I knew I should’ve left you on Do Not Disturb until I finished my first cup of coffee,” she said, raising the device to peer at the screen.
A series of texts from her dad knocked the wind from her sails.
Dad: OMW to the grocery store
Dad: Confirming dinner at 7
Dad: I love you
Dad: See you soon
Tessa let her head fall for a moment of acceptance, then sat taller and forced a smile. She loved her dad, and she loved her brother. She wanted to see them, and it was wonderful that they could be together.
Tessa: Great! See you tonight!
She pulled the notification bar down from the top of the screen and perused what she’d missed this morning. Peaceful coffee time had been short but sweet. Now, what’s everyone up to?
Tessa grinned at the sight of Kate’s face on-screen.
She wore a pair of denim overalls with a tank top and sat on a stool with an artist’s palette and paintbrush, perfecting images of trees in the Pacific Northwest, shrouded in thick mist or fog.
She often forgot what an incredible artist Kate was.
There was so much more to Kate than the former debutante persona she’d built a career on.
Hopefully her followers would appreciate a closer look at her life beyond the filters.
Tessa hit the sound icon and laughed when the familiar hoa, hoa, hoa chorus played.
As much as she loved seeing Kate paint again, the reminder of her Twilight obsession was perfection.
The only disappointing thing about the post was how little engagement it’d gotten.
Only a few dozen reactions so far and even fewer comments.
Tessa added a heart, then tapped into the comments section and added a paintbrush and little vampire emojis before scrolling onward.
Tessa had never seen Kate online without her usual designer clothes, coiffed hair, and dramatic makeup.
For Kate, it must’ve felt as if she were naked, revealing so much more of who she was than any of the usual images she posted.
The realization hit Tessa like a punch. Kate wasn’t facing off with nasty coworkers or bullying bosses like Tessa and Hallie, but what she did today was just as hard and twice as risky.
Tessa made a mental note to tell her how much she liked the post the next time she saw her.
A few scrolls later, an image of Hallie and Bryce at a bakery appeared on-screen.
Tessa frowned. Bryce was a nice enough guy, but knowing Hallie didn’t want to marry him and seemed afraid to call off the wedding bothered her deeply.
The photo didn’t help. Hallie laughed openmouthed, hands clasped before her as if she’d seen something remarkably funny, but he just looked at her.
And not in a romantic way. More like he felt embarrassed and a little irritated that she was making a scene.
Or maybe he hated the dramatic change in her hair.
It only took a moment to see it wasn’t Hallie who posted the photo.
It was Bryce’s mother. The caption she’d chosen to share with the world was as annoying as Bryce’s expression: Cake tasting with someone who fancies themselves a chef but looks more like a pastry?
Bring plenty of patience and remember to tip well.
“What is that supposed to mean?” Tessa grumbled. “Chefs don’t bake cakes. Bakers bake cakes.”
Tessa opened the comments section, noting a list of female names she hadn’t seen before. Friends of Bryce’s mom, no doubt.
Karen_Robbins replied, Marcus married a preschool teacher, now we’re always sick.
Mrs.Dr.Beauford added, Think of the delicious homemade birthday cakes you’ll soon receive.
“She’s not a baker,” Tessa complained. “Jeez.”
Did Bryce’s mom think chefs and bakers were interchangeable? Did she somehow not know Hallie wanted to cook, not bake, in her own restaurant one day?
Or did she just not care?
Tessa clenched her jaw, and she scrolled away, telling herself she’d correct the woman in person at the wedding instead—assuming the wedding happened.
A post from Hallie’s account, What-The-Hallie, came up, and Tessa paused to watch the short video.
Not of Hallie and Bryce, but of Eloise dancing around Roll with It after hours.
The dining area was empty. The streets were dark outside the windows.
“Tainted Love” by Soft Cell played in the background while she sang into the handle of a broom.
Hallie flung a pile of napkins in her direction as if it was cash.
They really are cute together, Tessa thought. And they gave off the same carefree, youthful energy. The differences between this video and the photo of Hallie with her fiancé were night and day. Hopefully she chose joy when it came time to talk with Bryce about her feelings.
Listen to your gut, Hallie, she thought.
Tessa forced herself out of the deck chair and back inside to open her laptop. She wanted to finish the digital vision board for Grant’s new office space.
She smiled when she thought of him, then pushed her lips back into neutral. He was a client. Whatever hope she had of something more with Grant would have to wait patiently until after his new campaign launched.
When he texted her to thank her for meeting with him last night, she responded professionally—even as she felt his lips lightly on her cheek once more.
People give cheek kisses casually, she told herself. It was perfectly platonic.
She pulled her current novel from the coffee table, swiveled to put her feet up, and read until the heroine began looking a lot like Tessa in her mind, and the tenderhearted bodyguard sent to assist her in her quest looked just like Grant.
Her phone buzzed with a message from Kate, bringing her back to reality.
Kate: Dress shopping? The Influencers’ Ball hasn’t rescinded my invite yet
Tessa grinned. A day with the girls? Yes, please.
Hallie: Sure. Pick me up
Tessa: When and where?
Tessa changed into her softest jeans, comfiest cashmere V-neck, and favorite sneakers, then headed downtown to meet Hallie and Kate.
The popular bridal shop Kate suggested had generations of history in Harbor Heights and stunning river views.
She arrived early, grabbed a bench in the shade, and hooked one arm over the backrest. The rushing water below teemed with brightly colored kayaks.
Her friends arrived several minutes later in Kate’s Prius.
Kate wore a pale-yellow maxi dress with a red belt and flats.
Large red-framed sunglasses shielded her eyes from the bright morning light.
Long blond hair hung in waves over her shoulders.
Hallie sported ripped jeans, a cropped hoodie, and high-top Chuck Taylor sneakers.
She’d pinched her short pin-straight hair into tiny ponytails at the nape of her neck, which always made Tessa smile.
“How long were you waiting?” Kate asked, hurrying to meet her at the bench.
“Not long,” Tessa said. “It’s a beautiful day, and I’m trying to be present in the moments rather than think obsessively about work.”
Hallie grinned. “How’s that going?”
“Not great,” Tessa said brightly. “I worked a little this morning, but only on the things I wanted, and I made time to read afterward.”
“Good,” Kate said. “That’s progress.”
“And in time, with effort,” Tessa added, “the internet promises I can regulate my nervous system and escape my perpetual state of fight or flight. I’ve been reading a lot about workaholics and burnout. I think I needed this intervention more than I realized.”
She’d also accepted that it was possible she’d been stuck in a form of slow, simmering panic since her stepmom died.
If so, it was long past time to stop and breathe.
Also time to reach out to her old therapist. She’d like to unpack and parse the new things she’d learned about herself so she could continue to heal and grow.
“Your value is not determined by your productivity,” Kate said.
“Exactly,” Tessa agreed. “I hope to eventually convince myself that is true.”
Kate wrinkled her nose. “If you succeed, tell me how.”
Hallie scanned the building before them. “My late-night research has been heavy on the you-are-not-your-mother blogs.”
“You aren’t,” Kate assured.
“Not if I marry well and enjoy a cushy life.”
“That’s not true,” Tessa said. “You are Hallie Anne Marie Montgomery. A cook. A dirty soda enthusiast. Incredible friend, daughter, coworker, and human.”
Kate beamed at Tessa, then Hallie. “All of that and more.”
Hallie inhaled deeply, then released the breath on a sigh. “Okay, let’s go buy dresses or whatever.”
They headed for the double glass doors with Kate in the lead.
Tessa hadn’t been inside Southern Charm Bridal Salon since her senior prom.
The shop was practically an institution in the area.
Her mother and grandmother had purchased their wedding gowns there.
Probably the reason her dad had chosen this place to shop for all of Tessa’s formal wear throughout high school.
It wasn’t cheap, but it was local and familiar. Two of his favorite things.
People were such creatures of habit.