Forget the Bisque
Delaney
Tessa blinked. "Wait…are you telling me you moved into my apartment?"
"Sort of," I said for the second time.
"Without telling me?"
I tried not to squirm. "Gee, when you put it like that…"
Tessa turned to face Ryder. "Did you know?"
"Me?" he scoffed. "Hell no." He hitched a thumb at Maddox. "That asshole wouldn't tell me a thing."
I'd just about had it. "Will you please stop calling him an asshole? He's actually really nice."
Ryder stared.
Tessa stared.
When I looked to Maddox, he was staring, too, like I'd just announced I was pregnant with his baby – which of course, I wasn't, considering we hadn't done more than kiss.
That wasn't the point.
I looked around the room. "What?"
Ryder's eyebrows furrowed. "Did you just call him…nice?" He looked to Maddox. "Dude, I'm not sure that's a compliment."
Seriously? "Hey! It totally was. And I wasn't joking." My chin lifted. "He got me extra bisque."
The room fell silent.
And then Ryder asked, "What kind?"
"Lobster."
He gave a slow nod. "Nice."
Tessa made a sound of annoyance. "Forget the fucking bisque."
I turned to stare at her. "Since when do you swear so much?"
"Since now," she said. "When my sister shows up after disappearing for more than a year with a guy who's definitely not nice – and tells me she's been living in my own apartment. Does that just about cover it?"
I was so done with this. "First of all, he is nice. And second of all, I only lived in your apartment for a little while."
"So?"
"So any food I ate, I replaced. Any mess I made, I cleaned.
And don't worry. I didn't borrow any of your clothes…
" But then I remembered. "I mean, I didn't borrow anything but that little black dress – and only once.
And I washed it, good as new. And besides, you're the one who gave me the key to your apartment, remember? "
Tessa stared. "I don't care about the key. Or my stupid apartment. Or the food or the clothes." Her eyes were glistening now. "I care about you."
I swallowed. "Me?"
"Yes. You." She blinked several times. "I just mean…I wish I had known you were there. I would've gone to see you." She sucked in a ragged breath. "No matter what."
Suddenly, my eyes were glistening, too. "You would've?"
"Of course." And then, she rushed forward, wrapping me up in a hug so tight, I could hardly breathe. Into my hair, she whispered, "I missed you."
I let out a choked sob. "You did?"
"Of course," she said again, gripping me just a little tighter. "Nothing's been the same without you."
I could hardly believe it. "Really?"
She nodded against me. "And Delaney?"
"Yeah?"
"Whatever I did to make you stay away, I'm so sorry. I know I've been an awful sister, but I'll do better. I promise."
I pulled back. "No, you haven't."
"Oh, come on," she said, releasing me from the hug. "All these years, the way Mom acts…I should've stuck up for you. I should've let you know you were loved. I should've driven to West Haven – or hell, even to the moon – to find you."
Somewhere in the background, Ryder said, "Come on. Nobody drives to the moon."
Tessa whirled to face him. With something between a laugh and a sob, she said, "Oh shut up. We're having a moment."
She was right. And my head was still spinning. But for the first time in ages, the sensation wasn't entirely a bad thing – well, aside from the fact that Tessa had Maddox completely wrong.
Somehow, I found my voice. "Tessa, listen…I didn't disappear because of anything you did. Or didn't do. And that includes Maisie, too. And even Mom and Dad. I wasn't trying to punish you." I blinked back fresh tears. "I was trying to protect you."
Tessa looked more confused than ever. "From what?"
"It's a long story. And I'll tell you. I promise. But first, you need to know something." I gave her a wobbly smile. "I missed you, too."
Tessa was still blinking. "You did?"
"Yes." I glanced at Maddox, who was still holding the flower pot. See? He was nice, no matter what Tessa said. I looked back to my sister. "Look. I brought you a peace offering. It's um…a hydrangea."
Ryder said, "Damn."
I didn't get it. "What?"
Ryder shrugged. "I thought it was for me."
Tessa gave him a playful swat to the shoulder. "Oh, stop it. Why would she get you a hydrangea?"
He wrapped an arm around her waist. "Hey, he's the one holding it."
Tessa shook her head. "So?"
"So I figured it was from him."
Tessa rolled her eyes. "Very funny."
Ryder grinned. "Hey, I thought so."
He was still grinning when a loud pounding at the door made us all turn to look. Tessa winced. "Oh, crap." But then, she rushed to the door and yanked it open to reveal Maisie standing on the porch, looking slightly miffed.
My heart clenched at the sight of her. She looked exactly like I remembered, with her long chestnut hair, faded flannel shirt, and bright hazel eyes that stared at the four of us, like she'd just caught us robbing the house.
Standing behind her was a tall, broad-shouldered man with tousled dark hair, light stubble, and rolled-up sleeves that revealed part of a black tattoo winding around his forearm.
Griff?
It had to be.
Before I could even ask, Maisie looked to Tessa and said, "Thanks a million for telling me."
Tessa sighed. "I was just about to call you, honest." She gave me a quick glance. "And besides, she's only been here for ten minutes."
Maisie still looked annoyed. "Yeah, well, maybe you should've called me nine minutes ago."
Tessa gave her an exasperated look. "And maybe I would have, if I'd known she was coming."
"But she's my best friend."
"Yeah? Well, she's my sister."
As I listened, my heart went just a little gooey. But it seemed wrong to let it continue. "Hey! I'm right here." I looked between them. "I mean…you are talking about me, right?"
Maisie laughed. "Who else would we be talking about?" And then, with a little squeal, she barreled toward me and nearly knocked me over with the tightest hug yet. "Oh, my God. It's really you."
I squeezed her right back. "Uh…yeah. Sorry I was gone so long." And I was. The longer we hugged, the more I regretted staying away.
Maisie pulled back to search my face. "But why were you gone? Whatever I did, I'm really sorry."
I stared. "Why does everyone think it was them?"
She blinked. "Wait…so it wasn't?"
Suddenly, I felt like an ass. "I just mean…it wasn't anyone's fault."
Tessa snorted. "She said she was 'protecting' us."
My gaze bounced between them. "I was, honest." But then I hesitated. "Or at least, I was trying to."
Maisie looked to Maddox, and her eyebrows furrowed. "And, uh, who are you?"
At that moment, I wanted to hug her all over again. See? I wasn't the only one who lived under a rock.
Now, it was Tessa's turn to look confused. "You seriously don't know?"
Maisie shook her head. "Why would I?" She turned to Griff. "Wait…do you know?"
Before Griff could reply, Tessa asked, "Seriously? How can you not know?" She was still staring at Maisie. "He's all over the news."
I jumped to Maisie's defense. "Yeah, but not everyone's in the loop like you are. But wait…" I looked back to Maisie. "How'd you know I was here?"
Tessa and Maisie shared a look. And then, in perfect unison, they said, "Franny."
I couldn't help but smile. "Franny Mulberry? She's still around?" I hesitated. "I mean…doesn't she normally head south for the winter?"
Tessa laughed. "Yeah, but it's not winter. It's fall."
Maddox turned to me with a smug look. "See? Told ya."
Maisie returned her attention to Maddox. Her eyes squinted as she said, "Wait. I know." She snapped her fingers. "You're that congressman...the one who used to play hockey."
Maddox frowned. "Hockey?"
Tessa sighed. "Oh, for God's sake. That's Maddox McGuiness."
Maisie brightened. "Oh." She turned to Griff with a smile. "That's the guy you play poker with, right?"
Griff grinned down at her. "Right."
Maisie smiled triumphantly. "See?" she said, turning back to Tessa. "I got it eventually."
Tessa stared. "But you totally didn't."
Ryder spoke up. "What I think is the guys need a beer." He flicked his head toward the kitchen. "Come on. I've got a six-pack in the fridge."
Griff said, "Only six?"
Maddox added, "Yeah, 'Dude.' What are you gonna drink?"
It made me think of the six-pack that Walt had been carrying on the very first day I'd met Maddox.
So much had happened since then.
I watched with warm amusement as Maddox silently handed Tessa the hydrangea and followed Ryder and Griff into the kitchen.
Tessa looked down at the flower pot and then, back to me. "Do I need to water this?"
I smiled. "Actually, I think you're supposed to plant it."
Tessa clutched it just a little tighter. "You know what? I know just the spot."