CHAPTER ELEVEN #2
Logan beamed as she returned and thanked him.
“There’s one other small thing,” he said. “I didn’t have a lot of time to shop, but I thought you might like this.”
“I can’t believe you got me anything at all,” Tess said, taking another roughly wrapped box from him, this one bigger than the last.
She peeled the paper and squinted to read the label, unsure what she was looking at.
“Sourdough bread starter kit,” she read.
“I heard it’s a ‘thing’ in the prepper world,” he explained. “And your brother mentioned you were into self-sufficiency stuff. I thought this might come in handy. I mean, ya gotta have bread for the apocalypse.”
“Yes,” Tess said. “This is great. I don’t have one, but it was on my radar to get someday. I will sooo use this. It’s very thoughtful. Thank you.”
Kind of creepy thoughtful. How did he know what she would like? And how did he find it in an afternoon?
“I’m glad you like it,” he said, cheeks turning pink.
After everyone but Tess’s core group of friends left, they grabbed a basketball and went to test out the newly poured half-basketball court.
Carter immediately started draining threes.
“Alex,” Faith said. “You should challenge Carter to a game of HORSE, shooting only three-pointers.”
“Uh, yeah, no,” Alex said.
They rehashed the story of how Alex had won a thousand dollars by draining threes during a Celtics halftime show several months prior.
“I remember that,” Carter said. “It was one of my first games. Hey, wait. Didn’t you come back later and get engaged too?”
Alex wiggled her fingers to flaunt her engagement ring. “Wedding’s next weekend.”
“Hah,” Carter said. “It’s such a small world, huh?”
In the end, they all played. And since they all had some skills, it dragged on for quite a while. An hour later, it had come down to Tess and Carter. They both had HORS, so any missed shot now would mean a loss.
“Wow, you’re pretty good,” Carter said. “Givin’ me a run for my money.”
“Guess I still got it,” Tess joked.
“Yeah you do, girl,” Alex yelled.
Tess took a long outside shot and was secretly amazed when she made it. She passed the ball to Carter, and he put up his shot. The ball circled the rim twice before falling off to the side. He’d missed.
“Yes! That’s an E. I win.” Tess threw up her hands in victory, ready to gloat, then caught sight of Carter. Lips pinched, eyes tight, and if it were possible, steam coming from his ears. So, a sore loser.
He let out a string of curse words, then slammed the ball on the ground so hard it bounced ten feet in the air.
Faith caught it. “Coach always said, ‘win gracefully, lose gracefully.’” She said it with a smile and was probably the only one of them who could get away with saying such a thing at such a moment.
Even so, her sweet delivery didn’t go over well with Carter. He looked ready to spit fire, and it took Nick stepping in to finally calm him down.
“Just a game, brah,” Nick said, combining his cop voice with his cop glare—a formidable combo that would cause anyone to take a beat. “Walk away.”
Carter blew out a breath, taking a second to compose himself, and then tried to play it off like he was kidding.
“It’s cool. I had to let you win ’cause it’s your birthday, right?” His smile was fake, and everyone saw right through the paper-thin lie.
After that, he didn’t stay long—barely ten minutes. Which was fine with Tess. He’d made things awkward, and it was a relief when he drove away.
Done with hoops, they carried the boom box down to the outdoor fire pit, started a fire, and pulled matching Adirondack chairs around it. It was past eleven now, and everyone was tired and tipsy.
“A diamond bracelet?” Alex huffed. “Pfft. He obviously doesn’t know you very well. What are you gonna do with it?”
Tess shrugged. “I offered to give it back when I walked him to his car,” she said. “But he insisted I keep it. Probably feels guilty for getting so mad about losing.”
“Maybe you can pawn it for some of the money you need,” Alex said.
Tess flicked a glance toward Logan and then tossed Alex a sharp “shut up” glare. Alex caught it without missing a beat. “You know,” she said quickly, “for the rocket ship you’re saving up for.”
Tess rolled her eyes at the attempted save. If it had been just her friends, she wouldn’t have cared about money talk, but she didn’t know Logan well enough to involve him in her business.
“So, Logan,” Juliet said, stepping in to help Alex by changing the subject. “Max says you’re gonna help start the renovations at the inn. Is construction work what you do then?”
“Sort of,” Logan hedged. “It’s been a while, but I used to flip houses with my dad and brother, so I know my way around a hammer and a can of paint.”
Tess was tipsy, but still clocked Logan’s caginess—the same evasive vibe he’d given off when she asked him what he did on the campout. What was that about? Was he a con artist looking to take advantage of Max? Or just embarrassed that he didn’t have a solid job?
Unemployed or not, she couldn’t help but notice how handsome he looked in the firelight. She shook her head to dislodge that thought.
“I’m grabbing another round.” Tess held up her empty glass. “Anyone else want one?”
“You shouldn’t have to get your own drinks on your birthday,” Alex said. “I’ll get it.”
“I gotta pee anyway,” Tess said, standing.
She returned wearing the hat Alex had given her and holding the book from Faith.
“How to Get Anyone to Do Anything You Want. ” She read the title and held the book aloft. “I hope y’all relish your last days of free will, ’cause I’m gonna read this and make you my puppets.”
“Great pick, Faith,” Alex said sarcastically. “Like she’s not already controlling enough?”
“It’s not meant to be used against us, Tess!” Faith said. “Although, I do want to borrow it. See if I can figure out how to convince this one to pick up his wet towels.” She hitched a thumb at Nick.
“Hey!” he said defensively.
“I Wanna Dance with Somebody” started to play, and Tess jumped up. “I love this song! Let’s dance.”
“Oh, dear,” Juliet muttered.
“You sure that’s a good idea?” Faith’s eyes darted toward Logan. “Not everyone here knows.”
“Knows what?” Logan asked.
“It’s my birthday,” Tess said, ignoring them. Her friends often teased her about her supposed lack of dance skills, but she knew they exaggerated just to get under her skin. “You have to.”
“She’s drunk,” Alex said. “And friends don’t let friends drink and dance.”
“She might regret this in the morning.” Juliet set her beer on the table and stood. “But you heard the woman. It’s her birthday.”
“At least it’s dark,” Nick mumbled.
“Come ooooon!” Tess moved to an open spot away from the fire and began to swing her hips. Eyes closed and hands in the air, she swayed to the music.
Begrudgingly, her friends got up and indulged her. In a boozy haze, Tess dropped all inhibitions, danced recklessly, and sang into her beer bottle at top volume.
She didn’t want to care what Logan thought of her, but when she caught his eye, his face lit up.
His broad smile made her stomach flip in a way that had nothing to do with all the sugar and alcohol she’d ingested.
She looked away quickly, deciding she’d better wait for full sobriety before attempting to identify the feelings he evoked.
Well past midnight, Nick dropped her off at home. After a night of loud music and the constant jabber of her friends, the absolute quiet was jarring.
Since Faith had gotten married and moved out over a year ago, Tess had grown accustomed to the silence. Most of the time, she didn’t mind, but sometimes it got lonely, and now was one of those times.
Settling down was on her list, but she wondered where she’d ever find a man. Holly, Faith, and Alex had all found someone, so she knew it wasn’t impossible. She just couldn’t see a path for how it would happen for her.
Carter was nice and generous, but also cocky and petulant—definitely not long-term material. Unbidden, Logan popped into her head. Not that he was an option, but he was nice too. Also handsome, thoughtful, and competent. His shortcomings apparently involved being broke and jobless.
Money didn’t matter much to Tess. But after her first disaster of a marriage, it mattered a little.
Financial issues, if not the exact cause of her breakup, were definitely the root of it. Her ex-husband—Seth—had come into the marriage with a twenty-thousand-dollar gambling debt. An obligation he’d failed to mention pre -wedding.
And if that weren’t bad enough, he’d expected Tess to help him pay it off. They’d gone ’round and ’round, and she’d finally agreed to pitch in. Even made a few payments. But when she found out Seth was still gambling—and still losing—she’d gone straight to an attorney.
No, she wouldn’t date someone just because he had money, but she also wouldn’t date someone who had none. That didn’t make her petty, that just made her smart.