19. Tessa
M aybe it was a mistake, but Tessa felt her guard slipping ever so slightly toward the end of her meeting with Garrett at his beach house. To be real, this session hadn’t been anything they couldn’t cover on the phone or even with emails, but he’d invited her over that afternoon to touch base on some final details.
With business complete, they now sat on the expansive deck that would be the site of his dinner party for forty-four guests at final count, enjoying the sunshine, warm Gulf breezes, and a very easy conversation. He’d made her a tall iced tea and drank something a similar color in a much smaller glass—scotch, she imagined.
He’d taken the time to give her some fascinating details about his guests, holding nothing back. He told her about the private pilot who flew charter jets for exclusive clients and had dirt on everyone who was anyone. He shared a few stories about the entrepreneur who’d started the first online grocery app and sold it for millions, buying several hotels in Destin.
There was a widow who ran her husband’s property management business, an independent war correspondent just back from a secret trip to Taiwan, and a few locals he knew casually.
Most important was Sai Gupta, the executive VP from the Bank of Boston who was the reason Garrett was having this party.
“So our goal with Mr. Gupta is to lavish attention and impress him?” Tessa asked.
He tilted his head, the sunlight catching a few silver whiskers on an unshaven face, which, for Tessa, was a good look on a handsome middle-aged man.
“Don’t let him know I’ve singled him out, but yes. Make Sai happy.”
She searched his face, noticing once again that he was an attractive man with strong features and a warm smile. Beyond that, he had the kind of quick wit and listening skills that made her want to linger a little while longer and chat.
And there went her guard, slipping like the ice in her tea under the hot Destin sun.
She leaned in, propping an elbow on the table, determined to keep the conversation on business. “So, can you tell me why Gupta is so important?”
“I’m trying to get him on the board of my REIT,” he said, then quickly added, “are you familiar with that term?”
Familiar enough to know that a Real Estate Investment Trust managed high-end properties that could range from hundreds of millions to a few billion in assets, depending on its size.
“How many properties?” she asked. “Commercial or residential?”
He lowered the glass he was about to sip from, regarding her with amusement and admiration in his gaze. “So you’re not just another pretty face, Tessa.”
She lifted a shoulder. “I worked with oodles of professionals at the Ritz and that exposed me to a lot of businesses.”
And, having battled a reading and writing disorder her whole life, she had a freakish memory, which she used to her advantage.
He nodded, accepting her explanation. “I specialize in high-end office space in major metro areas around the world, and luxury mixed-use developments. My partner handles the premium residential side of the business, like this”—he waved his glass toward the house—“which is one of ours.”
“So, you don’t own this house?” she asked, a little surprised.
“My corporation does,” he explained. “It’s usually a long-term rental but since it was empty, I decided to stay here while I pursued Gupta, who is, I think I mentioned, over in Rosemary Beach.”
“What else can you tell me about him?” she asked, glancing at the guest list on the table. “Or his wife…Priya, correct?”
“Correct. I know nothing about her, but he doesn’t drink, likes soft jazz music, and has three daughters, all under eleven.”
That was news to her. “Are the daughters coming?”
“I have no idea, but they aren’t on the RSVP list, so you don’t have to worry about them.”
“I do if you want to impress Mr. Gupta,” she replied. “I’ll have chicken tenders just in case, and a streaming version of Wicked at the ready.”
His jaw dropped. “I would never have thought of that.”
“I take it you don’t have kids.”
“No,” he said, lifting his glass again. “I wasn’t that, uh, fortunate.”
Something in the way he said that made her drop that guard even more. Could this handsome, wealthy, successful man really have a tender heart? Oh, how she’d longed to meet someone exactly like that.
“Do you, Tessa?” he asked after taking a sip.
“Have children?” She took a breath, hating the question almost as much as she hated when someone asked her to read something. The answer never felt right. “I never married,” she said.
He studied her intently, looking right into her eyes. “Someone missed out,” he said softly, the words giving her an unwanted thrill.
She managed to wave off the compliment. “Oh, I don’t know about that.”
“You’re young,” he said. “Still plenty of time to fall in love, right?”
“Not that young. Not that much time.” She smiled. “I’m very picky.”
“As you should be.” He leaned forward and put a hand over hers. “You could find someone worthy of you. Although he’d have to be extraordinary.”
She held his gaze one second too long, then common sense rose up and took over. She gave a tight smile and eased her hand free, pushing back her chair.
“Thank you,” she said, purposely vague so that she’d sufficiently thanked him for the compliment and the meeting, but didn’t encourage anything more. “I’d better go and get to work.”
Smiling, he stood slowly, his eyes telling her he knew he’d gone one little bit too far, which actually made her like him even more.
“I fear I’m not paying you enough,” he said.
She drew back. “You’re paying exactly enough.”
He reached into his pocket, and she half expected him to whip out his wallet and throw some money at her. But keys jangled as he handed them to her.
“I’m taking off in an hour for a trip to Miami and will be gone until the morning of the party. These will get you into the house, the downstairs storage in case those acrylic chairs are delivered, and this one…” He plucked an oversized key and held it up. “Is very special.”
The key to his heart? She held her breath to see where he was taking this.
“There’s a twenty-nine-foot Sea Ray inboard docked at the harbor across the street in slot fifteen-A. It comes as part of this house, and you should feel free to take it for a spin. I am going out on a limb and guessing a woman as capable as you can drive a cabin cruiser.”
“Actually, I can.”
He dropped the keys in her hand. “Have a blast, and I’ll see you the day of the party. Text me if anything comes up.”
She nodded, gathering her tablet and bag. “Awesome. I may take you up on the boat ride.”
“I hope you do.”
He guided her to the gate that led to the dunes, since she was walking back to the Summer House. Opening the latch, he put a light hand on her shoulder.
“I really enjoy your company, Tessa,” he said softly. “Am I making that too obvious?”
She slid him a look, swallowing hard, clinging to the last shreds of that wall of protection and caution she was so desperate to keep up when she was around this man.
“I’m not looking for anything except new clients,” she said, giving herself an internal, silent fist-pump for the response. “But I appreciate…the interest.”
“Let me know if you change your mind,” he said. “And if it’s clients you want, I’m happy to be a reference for you after our soirée. Assuming everything goes…as planned.”
Something in the last two words shot that wall right up again. What was… planned ? Other than a party, of course.
“I’m sure we will have a spectacular event,” she said, stepping back. “Goodbye, Garrett.”
As she walked away, she could have sworn she heard him sigh and something in that sound put a smile on her face.
She must have been wearing that smile the whole time she and Lacey pounded out the final lists, chatted with the caterer—ordered the chicken tenders for the kids—and signed off on the flowers and table décor delivery times.
That’s when Lacey leaned over the dining table that had become their de facto conference room and pointed at her. “You seem happy,” she said.
“I’m always happy,” Tessa replied.
“Happi er . Is it because we got so much done today in this empty house?”
“It is empty.” She looked around, rooting for a response that wasn’t the truth…she was thinking about a man again. “With Eli and Kate off to hunt down the Cavallaris, Jonah touring that local college, and Vivien in Atlanta, we got so much done today.”
“You weren’t this happy before your meeting with Garrett,” Lacey observed, narrowing her eyes. “Or am I imagining it?”
Oh, no. She wasn’t imagining it. And why was Tessa so danged transparent? Was that why Garrett flirted with her? Did she make it obvious she found him attractive?
“Well, he is very complimentary of our work,” she said. “And he offered to be a reference for my business and— Oh! He also gave me the keys to a twenty-nine-foot boat, so anytime we want to?—”
The front door smacked open, and Vivien marched in dragging two large suitcases behind her.
“Mom.” Lacey instantly forgot her interrogation and looked at Vivien. “What’s all this?”
“It’s my clothes for the summer.”
They both stared at her as she gave in to a slow grin.
“I found my backbone, kicked Ryan to the curb, threatened the competition, and decided I’m staying here until we sell this place in November. It’s officially another summer in Destin. What should we do to celebrate?”
Tessa snagged the keys resting on top of her bag. “I know exactly what we’re going to do.”
Tessa had trained on a fifty-two-foot yacht, so this little cabin cruiser didn’t intimidate her in the least.
Much to Vivien and Lacey’s amazement, she settled into the captain’s chair, took a few minutes to memorize the dashboard and walked her two passengers through the process of untying the lines so they could undock.
Shortly after, they were motoring through Destin Harbor, a four-mile-long waterway that separated the east-west residential peninsula where their house was from the main part of “downtown” Destin. Well-protected by land, the entire harbor was a no-wake zone with very little boat traffic.
All in all, it made for a perfect late afternoon cruise with gorgeous views of the marina on one side and the expansive docks and shops along HarborWalk Village.
“How did you get so confident driving a boat?” Lacey asked in amazement.
“I had to do a yacht wedding once and the captain liked me.” She grinned. “He gave me free lessons.”
Lacey laughed. “Men just give you things, don’t they? Boats, lessons…”
“Headaches,” she said dryly.
Vivien snorted from her seat on the bow. “Amen to that, sister.”
She’d dished the details of what happened in Atlanta on the way over, so Tessa understood exactly why Vivien sounded bitter right then. Bitter but wildly victorious, and the mood was infectious.
“I just can’t believe he lied to Una,” Lacey said, and not for the first time. “I mean, he knows I talk to her when she comes in the office. Did he think I’d cover for him? That I’d lie about your divorce being final? And you being a fraud? What did he think?”
“He didn’t think,” Vivien said.
“Not with his brain,” Tessa muttered.
They were quiet while Vivien filled three plastic cups with the G&Ts they’d mixed in a large Thermos before leaving. While she did, Lacey spread out some cheese and crackers on the bow table.
Tessa kept her eyes on the water, planning a slow spin through the harbor that would end with them facing west so they could watch the sunset.
“Let’s toast to freedom,” Vivien said, holding up two Solo cups. “And not being…what did she say he called me? A pushover.”
“He couldn’t push over a feather,” Lacey said, taking the drinks and bringing one to Tessa at the helm.
Tessa accepted the cup with a smile of thanks, sliding it into a holder so she could keep two hands and a clear head. “Drink to the worst part of it being over, Viv,” she said. “Then put this divorce in the rearview mirror. That’s my advice.”
“The worst part was that he used my father against me.”
Tessa curled a lip. “Agreed. That’s unforgiveable.”
“So are you seriously staying here, Mom? You’re not going back to Atlanta until November?”
Vivien took a sip and looked from Tessa to Lacey. “Yes. But that’s not all.”
They waited, the only sound the rumble of the inboards and the water splashing on the hull.
She reached over and gave the brim of Lacey’s bright blue sunhat a playful tug. “So are you.”
“What?” Lacey whispered.
“And you.” Vivien pointed at Tessa.
“What are you talking about, Mom?”
“The three of us are going to live at this house from now until it sells in November. We’re happy, we’re starting our lives over, and we’re excellent caretakers.”
Tessa rose from the leather chair, guiding the throttle down to quiet the motor. She couldn’t have heard that right.
“What did you say?” she asked.
Vivien smiled. “You heard me. We have the place until November, when it goes on the market. You know we can’t sell until then.”
Tessa checked the surroundings, switched the engine off, and let the sun-bathed world go quiet, the only sound the thrum of her heartbeat at what Vivien was suggesting.
Very slowly, she lifted her cup from the holder and crossed the deck to the bow seating area.
“You can’t be serious,” she said.
“Why not?”
“Because Eli would have a cow, for one thing. He’s barely over my squatting in the first place.”
“Not true,” Vivien countered. “He’s not a grudge holder. Plus, let’s all say it out loud—he’s got it so bad for Kate he can’t see straight. If you’re here, she has a much higher chance of visiting.”
Tessa had known that for a while, but hadn’t said a word to anyone except Kate. “I could probably start a business in Destin. There’s a ton of social events and some wedding venues.”
“And I’m going to launch a full-court press to find new clients,” Vivien said.
“And…” Lacey looked from one to the other. “I’m going to…” She gave an expectant look, not able to finish.
“You, my little lamb, are going to work for me.” Tessa put an arm around her. “I might not be able to steal you as a daughter, but I’ll take you as my right hand and good eyes and brain.”
Lacey let out a little squeak of delight. “Mom, what do you think of that?”
“I think you may have just found the elusive fun job you’ve wanted for years.”
Tessa lifted her glass. “I will toast to that!”
“Wait! Wait!” Lacey stood, pushing back that turquoise hat. “Are we doing this? Are we staying in Destin until November and starting businesses and living in that dream house together? Is that really happening?”
“Yes!” Tessa shrieked. “We are!”
They all jumped up and squealed and hugged, rocking the boat with their joy.
“Woo-hoo!” Vivien flung her hands in the air. “This is so— Oh, no!” She gasped noisily, then let out a shocked squawk, grabbing one of her hands with the other.
“What’s wrong?” Tessa asked, seeing the blood drain from her face.
“My ring!” she mouthed the words in disbelief. “My wedding ring! It just went flying into the water!”
For a moment, they stood in utter shock, three jaws wide open in incredulity.
“Why did you have it on?” Lacey finally asked.
Vivien blinked, staring at her empty hand, then looking at the harbor water. “I forgot I tried it on. It was loose and I got distracted…”
Tessa slid her arm around her. “And now it’s at the bottom of the deep blue sea, where it belongs.”
Vivien gave a quick laugh, then closed her eyes, suddenly fighting tears.
“Oh, Mom, it’s okay,” Lacey insisted. “You didn’t ever wear it. You didn’t need it. I certainly didn’t want it.”
“It’s not the ring,” she said softly. “It’s the fact that…it’s over. My marriage is over and…”
“Your new life begins today,” Tessa said. “In Destin.”
Vivien wiped a tear, stared at her bare hand, and swallowed hard. “Yes, it does.”
Still holding each other, the three of them lined up at the bow, looking out at the water, ready to plan the rest of their lives.
Well, the rest of the summer in Destin. And that, Tessa knew, could be the best season of a girl’s life.
Could Garrett Fischer be part of that summer? She wished she didn’t care so much, but she did.