Once stable, Sophie extended her hand and yanked Tessa up with seconds to spare before a truck blazed by. They crouched behind too-skinny tree trunks, holding their breath. At the last second, Tessa poked her head out from her hiding spot to see who was barreling down the road as if being pursued. “Liam?”
She hopped to her feet, very curious now.
“What would Liam be doing out here?” Sophie asked.
She followed his truck with her eyes until it slowed at a curve. The brake lights lit up, possibly indicating a turn . . . or another Ed encounter. Either way, if they cut through the woods quickly, they could find out. “C’mon.”
“Are you no longer worried about bears?” Sophie called out to her.
Tessa didn’t have time to worry about getting eaten by wildlife. She picked up her pace, turning her head over her shoulder every so often to make sure Sophie was still within sight, until she reached a rutted road. “He turned.” The side road snaked off the private one. One of the shortcuts this road offered, though judging by how overgrown it was, not well-traveled.
Why Old Man Franks hoarded his road from others, she might never know.
Tessa stopped when she spotted Liam’s truck, parked near a pile of logs. A little stretch of her neck revealed three more log piles. They were notched, reminding her of Lincoln Logs.
“Even if you’re not worried about bears, I still am.” Sophie huffed alongside her now, taking another sip of water. Tessa felt a twinge of guilt, remembering how low their supply was. But she was too transfixed on the construction site in front of her to say so. “What is he doing out here? No way he needs a part-time job.”
“Didn’t you hear?” Sophie said between slower pants. “He’s building a house.”
“What?”
“Why do you think he’s been staying at the lodge?”
Tessa shrugged. “I guess I hadn’t really thought about it.”
Sophie stared at Tessa in obvious disbelief. “Really?”
From their higher vantage, Tessa saw the rectangular hole dug into the ground for a crawlspace or walkout basement—she wasn’t quite sure which. Several stacks of precut logs sat in various piles, all with notches. A cement truck was backed up to the dirt hole, ready to pour. Liam hopped out of his truck and met another man. They shook hands.
Raven poked her head out of the driver’s side, sniffing the air with high interest. It took her less than ten seconds to spot Tessa. “Crap!” The gentle breeze must’ve carried their scent down to the too-smart-for-her-own-good dog. Raven let out a couple of rare happy barks in their direction. “Time to go.”
Chapter Ten
Liam
“You sure you don’t want dessert?” Sophie asked after the dinner dishes were washed. Liam had offered to dry, but Sophie shooed him away from the dishrack before he could grab a towel. “We have scones coming out our ears thanks to our overzealous chefs.”
Caroline erupted in a fit of giggles at the accusation. Tessa gave an innocent shrug before she opened the refrigerator and set a pan of leftovers inside.
“Thanks, I’m good. I’ve had a long day.” Liam wasn’t lying. On top of fixing a boat motor, assembling a crib, and changing oil for three different folks, he also assisted in the pouring of the concrete at his future home. Add to all that he barely slept the night before, and Liam would be lucky to keep his eyes open through half an episode ofOrder Up: Las Vegas. Too bad the lodge didn’t offer DVRs for guests.
“Take one to go?” Tessa dropped one onto an oversized napkin, then held it out to him.
He never had been great at telling her no. “Thanks.”
“I heard Owen’s coming with us to dig clams,” Cadence said to him from the table before he reached the hallway. She’d pulled out some archaic book from Patty’s office and was scribbling things in it. Liam thought reservations, but he was too tired to ask.
“He is.” Liam’s gaze lingered on Tessa, a silent thank you from his lips. “My sister says he’s pretty excited for the invitation.”
“We’ll be happy to have him along,” said Sophie.
“C’mon, Raven. You’ve gotten enough neck rubs to last you a week.”
After he took the husky outside one last time, he sat on the edge of his bed, cell in hand so he could set his alarm. He could text April, ask her to record tonight’s episode, but that one favor would out him for watching at all. No one needed to know. Sometimes they played reruns on the weekends.
Placing his phone on the nightstand, he settled into the full-sized bed. Raven nudged her way under an arm, snuggling against him and resting her head on his chest. Her eyes fell closed before the opening credits could finish. Three weeks ago, when the show started airing, the highly dramatized reality felt like his only lifeline to Tessa. But now that she was here, it was easy to pick apart its ridiculousness.
Tonight’s episode featured the remaining eight chefs pairing up to prepare a mystery entree together. The announcer made the contest sound as if it were life or death. The winning duo would each run a kitchen for a dinner service later that evening. Liam wondered if the challenges and the dinner service happened in the same day, but he wasn’t willing to ask Tessa.
