It was stupid to have kept it all these years. She never let herself forget that, every time she scrambled to make sure she had it with her. But each time she tried to get rid of it, it felt as if she were ripping out a chunk of her heart. Rather than examine the irrational feelings, it was easier to keep the dang thing.
She’d worn the heart-shaped pendant beneath her shirt every day she was in Vegas. Maybe it had something to do with Derek breaking off their relationship the day before they left New York to compete on the show. But if Tessa was being honest with herself, she’d worn it more than not in the past year. She rarely took it off. But this time, something about it triggered the metal detector at the airport—that was a first—and forced her to take it off. She tucked it into her purse for safekeeping.
The car.
When she swerved into the ditch to avoidEd—“Seriously, who names amoose?”—her purse slid, and dumped out half its contents. The necklace probably spilled out. She only hoped it was still on the passenger side floor. If not, she would have to venture back onto Old Man Franks’ private road.
A knock sounded at the door. “Come in.”
“Hey.” Sophie poked her head inside, offering a warm, welcome smile in greeting. “Can I come in?”
“Of course.” Tessa pretended to ignore the wreckage spread across her bed, hoping her indifference kept Sophie from questioning the mess. She went to give her sister a hug in case indifference wasn’t enough.
“I can’t believe you’re here.” Sophie cupped her hands around Tessa’s shoulders, as if to get a good look at her sister. “When did you get in?”
“Flew into Anchorage this morning,” Tessa answered, pulling free of Sophie, afraid if she looked too closely, she might figure out everything.
“It’s such a pleasant surprise to have you here. We had no idea you were coming.”
“Me, either.”
“Hence the bears.” Sophie gave her an apologetic shrug, and the two laughed. “The other room’s worse, unless you prefer grizzlies to black bears. But that would be too cruel of a joke. You don’t really like that nickname, do you?” Sophie was referring to what they called Tessa onOrder Up: Tessa the grizzly bear.
“Never my idea.” Tessa shook her head, pulling her sister to the opposite side of the bed that offered a window view. She shoved aside a pile of clothes so they could sit. “Where’s Caroline?”
“Helping Cadence with dinner.”
“Dinner . . .” Tessa realized there were so many things she didn’t know about the lodge she was now part-owner of. From the moment she arrived at the filming studio forOrder Up, her cell phone and any other electronic device that might give her an advantage were surrendered. The last conversation she had with her sisters was the one agreeing to keep the lodge. Everything that happened since was a mystery. “Do we serve meals to guests?”
“No. But we bake muffins and leave fruit and coffee out in the morning. Donuts got a little expensive. We’d like to offer more down the road, but we’re still figuring out a lot.”
On one hand, Tessa felt relieved she wouldn’t have to interact with guests during an evening meal. But it also made her feel guilty, leaving her sisters to figure this out on their own. Tessa may not know much about running a business, but she did know her way around a kitchen, guest counts, and catering numbers. “Hmm.”
“It’s not the worst setup. We recommend local restaurants, and so far, guests have loved them. Moosecakes is a huge hit. So is Willamina’s Big Dipper.”
“Moosecakes is still open?”
“Oh, yes!”
Tessa smiled. Typical Sophie. Always adding a silver lining, even when things were tough. Maybe Tessa should wait to ask, but patience had never been one of her top qualities. “What happened with Blake?”
Sophie rose from the bed and took two strides to the window.
Giving her sister a minute to collect her thoughts, Tessa followed her gaze outside. Her room offered a view of the serene backyard and the thick woodline. Somewhere back there was a trail to a lookout point. Her viewwasserene, but she would have no warning if Liam decided for any reason to return. Knowing him, he would.
“He left me, Tessa,” Sophie finally said, hugging her arms against her chest. “The jerk knocked up one of his patients and divorced us to be with her and their new twins.”
“Caroline?”
“He doesn’t want anything to do with her. It doesn’t even make sense.”
“But she’s hisdaughter.”
“She’s had a hard time understanding why Daddy isn’t around anymore. Why he doesn’t call or visit or take her to the beach on Saturday mornings.” A tear trickled down Sophie’s cheek, making Tessa feel guilty for springing the topic.
More than that, anger twisted inside her. Maybe it would have been better to pursue a law career. She’d take that poor excuse for a man to the cleaners. “Any man who doesn’t appreciate how valuable you and your daughter are, Soph, isn’t worth a second of your time.”
“I only wish he wasn’t so cold to Caroline.” She gave a weak smile. “He’s her father, for crying out loud. But I think his new wife’s convinced him he’s not.”
