Chapter 21
TESSA
Between Hayes working on fixing the vandalism at the baseball fields and Tessa preparing for the town cookout at the resort, they hadn’t had a chance to resume their conversation from the dock.
Tessa had hoped they would have the opportunity to talk before the cookout, which, of course, they had to be in front of everyone as Mr. & Mrs. Hickory Falls.
More PDA and no resolution of feelings, Tessa thought and groaned.
She wanted to regret all the turmoil this faux marriage had caused, but she was finding it hard to regret it because it had led to her and Hayes connecting on a different level—or at least she thought they were.
That’s where that conversation would have come in handy, she thought.
She shooed those thoughts out of her mind and tried to focus on the list in front of her.
This cookout was challenging, not only because of the Mr. & Mrs. Hickory Falls aspect, but also because it was a massive event for the resort.
The whole town, resort guests, and other visitors to Hickory Falls attended for the food, fun, and dancing.
Dancing made her think of Hayes again. In addition to not having a chance to resume their conversation, they hadn’t even had a chance to see each other for more than a few minutes a day.
They had had a couple of instances in which they brushed against each other in the hallway and lingered for a moment.
Tessa got chills when she thought about it.
Her thoughts were interrupted by an incoming call. She picked up her phone, thankful for the distraction. “Hi, Willow.”
“How’s it going over there?” Willow asked.
“Well, a little stressful to be honest,” Tessa answered. “How are the baked goods coming for the cookout?”
“We are good. Everything is running smoothly,” Willow said.
“Thank goodness,” Tessa said. “Your cakes and pies are always a hit.”
“Are you okay?” Willow asked. “You sound stressed, but more than just cookout stressed.”
Tessa sighed. “Well, this added Mr. & Mrs. Hickory Falls thing doesn’t help, but also this whole thing with Hayes.”
“How are things?”
“Things are fine. We are going along as usual, but that is part of the problem,” Tessa said.
“Why is that?”
“Well, when he first got back from Randy’s, we had kind of a moment,” Tessa said hesitantly.
“A moment? Really?” Willow said, intrigued.
“We walked to the dock together. I was going to talk to him. Be honest about what I was feeling,” Tessa said. “But he started talking about being honest, and, I don’t know, I felt like he might be going to say something similar.”
“Tessa! Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because that’s where it ended,” Tessa sighed. “We started talking, there was definitely a vibe, but then he got the phone call about the vandalism, and that was it.”
“Oh no! What bad timing!”
“Yes, it was, I guess. We haven’t had a chance to pick up our conversation. We’ve barely seen each other all week,” Tessa said. “Maybe it’s for the best. Maybe if I had said what I planned to, it would have messed everything up.”
“I don’t believe that,” Willow said. “You know I think you should be honest with him.”
“I thought so, too,” Tessa said. “But now I’m not so sure. Anyway, I will think about it some more, but we are pretty slammed now through the Fourth, so we probably won’t have a chance to talk anyway.”
“If you say so,” Willow said.
Even after voicing her doubts out loud, Tessa wasn’t sure what the right decision was. She would just have to see if an opportunity presented itself. Then maybe she would take advantage of it.