Chapter 4
GAGE
I’d been staring at the same spreadsheet for fifteen minutes, and I couldn’t remember a single number on the screen. It had been three days since I stepped into Hale & Honey and blew my first conversation with Tessa in years.
I’d tried to keep myself busy all weekend. Working out, swimming, going for five-mile runs. Research into a small firm that wanted to partner with Langford Tech on an upcoming project. Anything to drown out how badly I’d messed up.
None of it made a damn difference. Every time I blinked, I saw the pain and anger in her hazel eyes.
With a muttered curse, I minimized the spreadsheet and opened my browser. I didn't even need to type in her bakery’s name because it was at the top of my search history. Not exactly a surprise when I’d done this at least a dozen times already.
Article after article appeared in the results—local features, regional highlights, and write-ups from foodie accounts with hundreds of thousands of followers.
Interviews Tessa had given. Her social media links.
Rave reviews. Countless photos of cakes she’s made for celebrities.
Videos of cakes so intricate they barely looked edible.
So many glimpses into the life she’d built without me. She’d taken her talent and turned it into something people across the country were talking about.
My pride in her was bittersweet. I’d always known she was capable of great things. I just never got to see her become the woman in these photos.
Tessa was living her dreams, and I was so far removed from her life that I’d had no idea. I hadn’t realized how much I’d lost until I was staring at the proof.
I leaned back in my chair, rubbing a hand over my beard as the full weight of losing Tessa finally settled in.
I clicked on a link lower down in the search results, and a series of pictures from Hale & Honey’s opening day popped up on the screen.
Susan hadn’t been wrong about how big Tessa’s following had been before she made the jump to a brick-and-mortar location.
Customers were lined up on the sidewalk, with Tessa in the background in a flour-dusted apron, smiling like she couldn’t believe how successful the event was.
In one of the photos, I immediately recognized the guy standing behind her. He wasn’t touching her like he had on Friday when he put his hand on her back. Wasn’t even looking at her. But he seemed comfortable, like someone who spent a lot of time in her space. And that was nearly two years ago.
I clicked on the tagged profile for Jace Walker. His bio linked to a music shop called The Beat Drop, which was located next door to Tessa’s bakery. That explained how he’d shown up so quickly to defend her the other day.
I opened a new tab and searched his name. Posts about open mic nights and local concerts filled the screen, along with photos of him onstage with a guitar slung low across his body.
A musician wasn’t the kind of guy I would’ve expected Tessa to go for. Jace was the complete opposite of me.
I told myself I wasn’t jealous as I kept scrolling. Just curious about the guy who was spending time with my ex.
He had a decent amount of local success. Consistent gigs and a solid following on the East Coast. Just not enough to make it big.
He’d been right next door to Tessa all this time. In her life. Close enough to know her new routines, ones I had no clue about.
The realization hit harder than I wanted to admit, and my jaw tightened before I could stop it.
I sat back in my chair, a dull ache in my chest. I’d spent three years trying not to think about who she might have moved on with. But there had been no missing how comfortable Tessa was with him. Just seeing her with him in the background of a photo felt like I’d been punched in the gut.
I wasn’t part of her world anymore, but he clearly was.
And I couldn't lie to myself any longer, I was jealous as fuck.
When I refreshed her page again and found no new upload, I was disappointed because it was my only insight into her day. I leaned back in my chair with a groan, but a knock on my office door had me sitting straight again.
Before I could answer, the door swung open. Vanessa stepped inside like she owned the place, which was, unfortunately, partially true, since her family held a minority share.
My ex-wife was the last person I wanted to see on a normal day, let alone when I was spiraling over Tessa.
Her expression was already tight with annoyance, one I’d grown accustomed to seeing. “Please tell me the rumor about you throwing a divorce party was just vicious gossip.”
I heaved a sigh. “It was canceled. So I don’t see what you have to complain about.”
“It’s true, then?” Her eyes narrowed, hurt flashing across her face. “You told me repeatedly that you wanted our divorce to be amicable. And then you planned a party to celebrate the end of our marriage?”
I wasn’t the least bit surprised she tried to twist what had gone down during our mediation and turn it back on me. “You’re the one who made sure it wasn’t amicable.”
She set her hands on her hips. “I was just fighting for what I deserved.”
“You fought because you couldn’t stand the idea of losing the small amount of control you had over me as my wife.” I waved a hand toward the chair she refused to use. “And we both know it.”
Ignoring the gesture, she perched on the edge of my desk, a position I was sure she chose because it put her physically above me.
Her gaze slid toward the computer screen, and the moment she caught sight of Tessa’s profile pulled up on my monitor, she smirked.
“Still pining over the woman you dumped to marry me. Some things never change.”
I locked my jaw to stop me from taking the bait that she’d thrown out countless times over the past three years, but that didn’t stop her. It rarely did.
She bent toward me. “No wonder our marriage didn’t work.”
I turned away from her before I did something I’d regret. “I don’t have the patience for whatever game you think you’re playing.”
“Game?” Her soft laugh didn’t sound the least bit humorous. “It wasn’t fun at all having that woman as a ghost between us the entire time we were married.”
“Do not start,” I warned.
“Oh, I’m not starting anything.” She gave the screen another glance, then looked back at me with triumph glinting in her eyes. “You made the decision to marry me because it benefited you, but you kept one foot still planted in your past. It’s pathetic.”
For once, I didn’t bury my anger at her. “We never should’ve gotten married in the first place.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t have.” Her eyes flashed. “But don’t you dare speak for me.”
I stood, my chair rolling back across the floor. “You can rewrite our history all you want, but it won’t change anything.”
Vanessa’s expression iced over. “We were good until you decided to abandon me.”
“We married for all the wrong reasons.” I fisted my hands at my sides, furious with her ability to rewrite history. “Both of us.”
“You mean your reasons were wrong because you were stuck in the past.” She pushed off my desk and took a step closer. “How many times did I tell you she was holding you back? But you never outgrew your little fling with a woman who was never good enough to belong in your life in the first place.”
My voice came out deadly. “You will not talk about her like that.”
A flicker of surprise crossed her face before she smoothed it away. She opened her mouth to speak again, but I cut her off.
“Get out.”
“Gage—”
“Now.” I narrowed my eyes. “And next time you want to speak with me, it better be about business.”
Her chin lifted in defiance. “Be careful. If you keep down this path, people will start to talk. And the board—”
“If the board has concerns, they can come to me directly,” I bit out, holding her gaze without flinching. “I’m done letting you dictate my life. We got married because it benefited the company. But it’s over now. The judge’s signature on our divorce decree proves that.”
She couldn’t resist one final jab as she turned toward the door.
“You didn’t fight for her back then, so you cannot possibly expect her to believe that you will now.”
The door slammed behind her before I could respond, but her words hit their mark. A part of me admitted she was right. But it didn’t stop me from wondering what it would take to convince Tessa to give us a second chance.