Tile?
“Do you want me to come back?” the server asked, nodding toward Liam.
“No, it’s okay. I know what he wants.” She ordered them both the salmon—her curiosity really was piqued even if all he did was cause her to cook it later—and she fiddled with her phone. Still no word. No texts or missed calls.I really have no one, don’t I?
Except here in Alaska she had a family. Her gaze flickered to Liam, still pacing in the grass.I have a future.
Liam had brought her here for a reason. Did he want her to note the details? Pick up ideas to add a restaurant to the lodge so she would want to stay? She really did like the patio dining idea, even if it would only be appropriate a few months of the year—fewer here than anywhere else.
She tried to recall what type of deck furniture they had at the lodge, and how much they’d need to add to serve a few tables. But Tessa hadn’t even sat down with her sisters to talk about financials of the lodge. All she knew was that they had enough funds to run the place for a year, even if the occupancy was low. Any extra money should probably first go toward a second washer and dryer.
Breaking apart a chunk of bread and buttering it, Tessa’s eyes fell on Liam like a compass returning to true north.
How many evenings had they spent years back, cuddled up on the hammock in his backyard, or the bed of his old truck with a pile of blankets, talking about the future? They made plans together—the house on the water with the enormous kitchen, the elderly dog in need of a good home, three kids, fishing trips. Liam could catch and clean the fish, she’d cook it.The plane.The plane that could take them anywhere they desired to go on a moment’s notice.
“Sorry about that,” Liam said, returning to his seat. “Business call.” Tessa was much too distracted by his chiseled features and the dazzling look in his eyes to push for more information. She’d gone too far back down memory lane, and she wasn’t sure there was any returning.
“I ordered you the salmon,” she said, and instantly felt silly. Like the shy teenager on her first date with the most attractive, popular guy in town.
“It really is delicious.” He broke himself off some of the bread, and poked his butter knife her way. “Bet you can outdo it though.”
All through dinner, and during the wondrous plane ride home, Tessa thought of nothing else but kissing Liam. She wanted to know if the brush of his lips against hers felt as breathtaking as she remembered. The kisses they shared had left the ground rumbling beneath their feet, and Tessa had never experienced another like those since.
Back at the marina, Liam said, “I’ll get working on your radiator right away. Tire is already fixed. And other than a tie rod and some body damage I can fix easily enough, everything else looks good.”
Had anyone else found her on that road, Tessa wouldn’t have been so lucky. “Thank you.” She wanted to tell him what a great time she had today, even if half the trip had been about a parts run. It felt . . . normal. As though this could be their life together if only she let it be.
She waited on the ramp while Liam carried the radiator to the truck.
Tessa had always loved to cook, and even at a young age, could lose an entire weekend in the kitchen if the ingredients were plentiful. But she’d also yearned for the freedom to drop everything and go on a whim. It was a part of her that Liam brought out. A part that had been dormant for years while she worked ten, twelve, sometimes fourteen-hour days to learn as much as she could to prove her worth. When she accomplished everything she could at one restaurant, she moved on to another. Always chasing more; never satisfied.
She wouldn’t take any of it back; she’d learned from some of the top chefs in New York City. But she felt ready for . . . more. For something that didn’t include working herself to the bone for a paycheck that was never enough and an ego that was never content.
“What’s going on in that pretty little head of yours?” he asked, returning to his plane for the rest of the parts he’d procured.
Tessa looked back at the bay, desperate for a few more minutes. “Just thoughts.”
“That doesn’t sound mysterious at all,” Liam teased, standing much closer to her now than he had been a few minutes ago. If she took a single step forward, she could reach out and touch his cheek. Comb her fingers over his beard. Draw his lips to her own.
But if Liam’s presence was quicksand, his kiss would be her ultimate demise.
“Thank you for lunch,” she said, because she had to say something. “And the plane ride.”
If Vegas called her back—theiffelt bigger than ever now—she’d always have the view of the mountains and water from Liam’s plane to keep her company on the loneliest days. If she could only capture that feeling of freedom in a jar and take it with her, maybe her life would feel more complete than empty.
“I don’t want you to leave, Tess.”
Her heart squeezed. She wished she could be two different people. One who could run a kitchen like the bear they portrayed her as onOrder Up; the other, the woman who settled down with the man in front of her and started a whole new life.
Lately, she yearned for the latter just a little bit more.
Finally, she said, “I can’t.”
“Even if you don’t win?”
She studied his expression, searched deep into those mesmerizing eyes that had the ability to penetrate clear into her soul, and wondered at Liam’s choice of words.Especially then.“It’s complicated.”
Liam took the step that closed the gap between them, his fingertips brushing a featherlight touch along her cheek. “Doesn’t have to be.”
