Haranguing and Honors
Delaney
Everything should've been perfectly lovely. The coffee shop was bright and cheerful. My vanilla latte was warm and delicious. Outside the windows, a steady stream of tourists, horse-drawn carriages, and bicycles made it seem almost like peak season.
Then again, it was a Saturday, and the weather was absolutely glorious – unseasonably warm with only a gentle breeze. During the short walk to the coffee shop, I had barely needed a jacket.
I should've been delighted.
Instead, I was irritated, because Tessa was acting like a total stranger – not like she didn't know me, but like I didn't know her.
Or at least, I had never met this version of her. Normally, Tessa was smooth and polished. Not today. Today, she was like a java junkie amped up on caffeine, which was really weird because she hadn't taken a single sip of her latte.
At this rate, she was going to give herself a heart attack.
We'd barely left the house when she'd started warning me away from Maddox, like he'd murder me in my sleep. And she still wasn't letting up.
Finally, I held up a hand. "Just stop, okay?"
She stopped in mid-sentence. "Stop what?"
"Stop nagging me. Maddox is really nice, and you need to give him a chance."
She stiffened. "I am giving him a chance. I did agree to let him stay, remember?"
"You mean last night?" I almost rolled my eyes. "Sure, you didn't kick him out, but you weren't exactly rolling out the welcome mat."
"I don't mean last night," she said. "I meant a few days ago, when Ryder wanted to invite him." She straightened in her chair. "I could've said no."
I gave her a look. "Yeah, and if you had, I wouldn't be sitting here right now. You do remember he brought me here, right?"
"Of course I remember. You've only mentioned it a hundred times."
Well, that was rich. "Yeah, just like you've been 'mentioning' Sloane Hayworth." I smirked. "So I guess we're even."
She stared across the table. "How can you even smile? Don't you feel bad about it?" Tessa shuddered. "That poor girl."
Great. Now Tessa thought I was a monster. "It wasn't a smile," I told her. "It was a smirk."
"So?"
"So of course I feel bad. Everyone feels bad. But what's Maddox supposed to do? Grab his scuba gear and go searching for her personally?"
Tessa looked slightly scandalized. "It's not funny."
Yeah, no kidding. My heart went out to everyone – Sloane, her family, and all of the people who loved her.
Still, all of this felt incredibly one-sided.
The headlines had been absolutely brutal – not to the captain of the yacht, or the friends who didn't realize she was missing until pulling into port, or even to the local authorities who seemed more interested in managing the fallout than actually finding her.
Apparently, all of them got a pass.
But not Maddox. The headlines had been brutal only to him, even though he'd been half a world away.
I gave Tessa a pointed look. "I know it's not funny."
"So, why are you joking?"
"I'm not," I said. "I'm just making a point."
"Which is…?"
"It's like everyone expects Maddox to blame himself for what happened. Honestly, it doesn't seem fair."
"I'll tell you what's not fair. It's ditching someone at the altar."
At the image, I tried not to wince. "Look, I know it's awful. But it happens."
"It happens?" she said, like I'd just shrugged off a murder.
"I'm not saying it's nothing, but…" I struggled to put my thoughts into words. "Let's say you discover you're totally incompatible, or your ethics are different, or someone was keeping secrets, isn't it better to walk away before you're actually married?"
Her mouth tightened. "Fine. But why wait 'til the day of the wedding?"
It was a valid question. And I couldn't help but recall what Maddox had told me months ago about his cancelled wedding. The way he'd described it, he'd discovered some things last-minute that had made him balk at the very end.
Plus, he'd made it fairly clear that he'd had deeper doubts all along.
Or maybe that was just selfishness talking.
Not on his part.
On mine.
And of course, everything felt easier when I pushed aside his controversial past and focused on the present.
The Maddox I knew?
He wasn't the guy in the headlines.
He was unlike anyone I'd ever met.
I might be falling for him.
Or maybe parts of me already had.
But forget how I felt. Didn't everyone deserve a second chance?
Across from me, Tessa said, "Well?"
"Well what?"
"If he had to end it, why not do it sooner?" Her voice sharpened. "Like…before Sloane was in her dress and the church was full of people?"
I felt like I was arguing with the internet.
I wanted to tell her what I knew – that Maddox had learned a few things just before the wedding. But it wasn't my secret to tell. Plus, the details had been just a little fuzzy.
If things between me and Maddox ever got serious, it was something we'd definitely need to discuss. But a conversation like that wasn't going to happen today.
In spite of last night, we weren't even a couple. Not officially.
Tessa was still staring like I'd completely lost my mind.
I asked, "What's gotten into you, anyway?"
"Nothing. I'm just concerned, that's all."
"Maybe, but this isn't you. My whole life, you've never acted like this – not even once."
"Yeah, well…maybe you weren't in so much trouble."
"Trouble?" I scoffed. "You've got to be joking. I spent half of high school in trouble, and you didn't seem to care then. So why is this so different?"
"Well, maybe because…" Her words trailed off, and she finally reached for her latte. She took a slow sip before returning the cup to the table and announcing, "Maybe I'm trying to do better."
I blinked. "Um…seriously?"
"Yes, actually." She gave me a pleading look. "Look, I know I haven't always been there for you, and I've got some making up to do." Her voice softened. "So, just let me, okay?"
My heart warmed, but I still shook my head. "Look…it's not that I don't appreciate it. I do. Honest. And I've got some making up to do, too. But this isn't the way to do it."
"But…I should've stuck up for you."
"With Maddox?" I asked. "When?"
"Not with Maddox," she said. "With Mom. That's why I need to do better."
It was such a sweet sentiment, and I loved her for it. But I couldn't let this go on. "You do know there's a difference between sticking up for me and haranguing me, right?"
She bristled. "I'm not haranguing you."
"Sorry, but I think you are. And you know what?"
"What?"
I smiled. "I think you know it, too."
Her eyebrows furrowed. Silently, she reached for her drink and took another long sip before returning it to the table. After another beat of silence, she gave me the barest hint of a smile. "Fine. I guess I'm haranguing you a little."
"Or a lot. So, do me a favor, alright?"
"What?"
"Give Maddox a chance. Get to know him. He's nothing like they say." I paused. "You love Ryder, right?"
"Of course."
I pointed to her engagement ring. "And he has good taste in women, right?"
She gave me a sheepish smile. "I guess."
"So give all of us some credit. Ryder's obviously crazy about you. So, do you really think he'd invite a monster into your home?"
With obvious reluctance, she admitted, "Probably not."
I beamed. "See?"
"Fine," she said again, looking like she still had doubts. "But as far as sticking up for you, I will do better – with Mom or whoever." Finally, she gave me a real smile. "Just try and stop me."
I couldn’t help but laugh. "Actually, I don't think I'd dare." But then my voice softened. "But thanks. And I'll do the same for you, okay?"
"Deal." She glanced toward the coffee counter. "But there's something I need to tell you."
From her tone, I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. "Okay…"
"There was a reason I wanted to bring you here."
I glanced around. "You mean…this coffee shop?"
"Right. It just opened back up again."
I wasn't following. "After what?"
She rolled her eyes. "After the worst barista in the world kept messing things up."
I almost laughed. "In the whole world? I'm not sure I believe that."
"Oh, believe it." Again, her gaze drifted to the coffee counter, where a couple of professional baristas were keeping everything humming. "But now, it's under new management."
"Oh?"
"Yes, actually." She returned her attention to me. "I get the feeling you don't believe that I tried to find you or that I cared. But I did."
"Tessa—"
"Let me finish, okay?"
I nodded.
With a faint smile, she said, "That terrible barista…that was me."
I stared. "Seriously?"
"Seriously."
"When?"
"Most of the summer."
"Really?" I couldn’t even imagine. Tessa was good at everything. Plus, I couldn't see her working as a barista at all. Even in high school and college, she'd always made a point to get jobs that would advance her career.
She nodded. "No joke."
"But…why?" And then, I remembered how funny the receptionists had acted at her old job in Chicago. "Because…you got fired or something?"
"Something like that. But do you know why I was working at this particular coffee shop?"
"Why?"
She pointed toward the window. "Because it's the closest one to the ferry stop. And I know how much you love coffee."
"So?"
"So I came here looking for you."
"You mean…to the coffee shop?"
"No. Well – yes, eventually. But I came to the island to find you."
"But why?"
"The truth? I thought you might be staying with Maisie."
"But I wasn't."
"Obviously." She hesitated. "But can I confess something? Just between us?"
I nodded. "Sure."
She lowered her voice. "The first night I stayed, I actually searched Maisie's house."
I stared. "You didn't."
"I did."
"But what were you looking for?"
"You."
"Like…you thought I was hiding?"
"Maybe at first." She gave a small, self-conscious shrug. "But then, I was looking for clues. An address. A phone number. Anything."
This made no sense. "But you had my number."
"Yeah. And I called it. A lot. All I got was that robotic message. You never called me back, so I figured…"
"You figured I'd changed it."
"Exactly." She met my eyes. "Maisie thought the same thing. Eventually we compared notes and realized you'd ghosted both of us."
My chest tightened, but I said nothing.
"We missed you," she went on more quietly. "Both of us. Honestly? I think that's part of why we became friends. You were the main thing we had in common – even when you weren't there."
Suddenly, I felt like crying – not sad tears, but the other kind. If we weren't in public, I might've lunged over the table and hugged her while sobbing in relief.
Tessa swiped at her eyes. "Don't you dare cry."
"Me?" I said in a half-laugh, half-sob. "You're the one who looks like you're gonna cry."
"Yeah, well…don't tell Mom. You know how she feels about public spectacles."
That reminded me. "Speaking of Mom, how come she doesn't know you're engaged?" I hesitated. "Or at least I'm assuming she doesn't know, because she hadn't posted a single thing."
"Oh, that?" Tessa said. "I haven't told anyone, and you wanna know why?"
"Why?"
"Because first, I wanted to tell my maid of honor, but I didn't know where she was."
I smiled. "You don't mean…me?"
"Who else would I mean?"
"But…what about Maisie?" In that moment, I loved both of them so much that I would've gladly stepped aside for either of them. "I mean…I don't suppose you can have two?"
Tessa laughed. "Yeah, well…I've got some ideas. Don't you worry about us."