“It’s a secret!” Caroline exclaimed from across the table, kicking her legs against her chair until Sophie scolded her to stop.
Desperate to win her niece’s affections, Tessa spooned a generous pile of potatoes onto her plate. After passing the bowl to Liam, ignoring the slight graze of their fingers and electrical charge it shot up her hand, she scooped some onto her fork and savored it, making the bite last until she could identify the special ingredient. There were the usual suspects. The milk, butter, sour cream, a dash of salt. “These are really good,” she said to Caroline and meant it. She took another bite to confirm her suspicions.
Melted gouda.
“I know what it is,” Tessa said to Caroline.
“Don’t tell!”
Slipping out of her chair, Tessa made her way to her niece. “Can I whisper it in your ear and you’ll tell me if I’m right?”
“Okay!”
Tessa whisperedgouda cheesein Caroline’s ear, careful to cover her mouth with her hand so no one else would hear.
“How did you know?” The pouty tone, drawn eyebrows, and pursed lips weren’t exactly the reaction Tessa expected. How was she to know that guessing the right answer would spoil Caroline’s happiness?
Sophie offered her one of her famous sympathetic shrugs.
“I’m a chef,” Tessa told Caroline, hoping to salvage her mistake. “I’m good at guessing flavors.”
“A chef?” Caroline repeated, the pouting expression replaced with a curious one.
“Yep. Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone what your secret ingredient is. I promise.”
The girl studied her for a moment, then stuck out her hand. Balling it into a fist, she said, “Pinky swear.”
Tessa’s heart warmed at the small bond they’d formed. She didn’t know how long she’d be around this visit, but she hoped to have enough time to become Caroline’s favorite aunt. And if her niece was a future chef in the making, it would be a piece of cake.
Feeling victorious, Tessa returned to her seat and finished filling her plate with meatloaf and green beans. The meal looked phenomenal compared to the several nights of eating Cheetos in bed for supper. Tomorrow, Tessa decided, she’d cook for her family.
She tried her best to ignore Liam during the meal, but it didn’t seem he was interested in ignoringher. “I would have saved you a taco,” he said, leaning against her shoulder, an electrical current now constant between them, “but my sister raided my stash.”
“How is April?” Polite conversation. Tessa could do that. Especially in front of an impressionable child.
“A couple of weeks from popping with kiddo number two.”
“So, you’re an uncle?” He’d always had an easy way with kids, able to make them burst out in a fit of giggles on a moment’s notice. He was probably thefununcle, too.
“Owen. He’s a year older than Caroline.” Liam emptied his glass of milk, his gaze falling back on Tessa. “Want to meet him?”
“How’s your mom?” she asked to deflect that question, hoping her sisters would find other things to talk about rather than eavesdrop on this uncomfortable train wreck. But she couldn’t deny the allure. “Still selling houses?” It was one thing to sit next to Liam at a dinner table. Quite another to spend time with his family.This is temporary, she reminded herself.
Liam lifted his water glass in toast. “You know Mom.” Jolene Davies had never been Tessa’s biggest fan. She’d thought Tessa and Liam were all wrong for each other—both too rash and reckless. Too much yin and no yang. That wasbeforeLiam joined the Army. “Can’t sit still.”
“And your dad?”
“Want to go with me to Moosecakes tomorrow for breakfast?” Liam asked.
Tessa swallowed, hoping to regain her composure in front of the table full of staring family. The blunt question threw her. Even Raven perked from her slumber and was now looking at her expectantly. “I can’t.”
“Why not?”
Because if I do, I’ll be in trouble. It was bad enough Liam was staying at the lodge for an undetermined amount of time. She could handle him for a few hours in the evening but only if she avoided him during the day. “I’m making breakfast here tomorrow. For the guests.”
“You are?” Cadence asked.
“Sure. Why not? I’m part owner, too. It’s the least I can do to pitch in while I’m staying in town.”
