“Isn’t the clam chowder contest enough?” Liam said, that irritating smirk spread on his lips. Tessa squeezed the shell in her hand, frustrated that she wanted both to wipe that expression right off his lips, but also wanted to kiss it away. She still wanted to know why he had her necklace, but asking would admit to snooping in his room.
Too many emotions buzzed through her, which was always a danger in Liam’s presence. It was exhilarating yetsoconfusing.Why did I let that kiss happen?It made every decision that much harder when it came to Liam Davies.
“You would think,” said Cadence. “But you know Tessa. When her competitive side is unleashed, there’s no stopping her from anything.”
“Guess there’s a reason they call her a grizzly bear.”
The clam shell slipped right out of Tessa’s hand and bounced off the tile backsplash. In a quick ninja-like maneuver that could only be attributed to sheer luck, Tessa blocked the ricocheting shell with her hands before it could shoot across the room and crash to the floor. “Youdowatch the show.” Her words came out as an accusation.
“Does that surprise you?” Cadence asked. “Almost everyone in town has seen some of it.”
Tessa’s gaze narrowed at Liam, but her heart thundered in her chest. She wanted to be mad at him for lying. For misleading her about all he actually knew. But mostly, she was embarrassed. She had a chance to stream a few episodes during a layover, and Tessa wasn’t proud of the woman the show portrayed. She wasn’t ready to admit that to herself a few days ago, but Sunset Ridge reminded her of the person she wanted to be. Tessa the Grizzly Bear wasn’t it.
“You lied to me.”
“It was on some commercial preview,” Liam said with a nonchalant shrug.
“Right.” Tessa didn’t believe that. Not since she caughtOrder Upplaying on his TV screen last night. Sure, he was asleep. But with the show hardly half over when she found him, she was certain the intent had been there.
“Those previews make it all out to be pretty dramatic,” Liam continued. Tessa kept her gaze on his hands, watching him drop an empty shell in the bowl and start on another clam, because looking him in the eye might make her do something crazy. “I guess the prize must be worth putting up with all that. What do you win? A restaurant, a boat load of money, or both? Or is telling us in violation of the contract?”
“I’m going to run to the restroom,” said Cadence, quickly washing her hands and fleeing the kitchen. Tessa couldn’t blame her sister for evading what might quickly turn into a war zone.
“Why do you care, Liam?” Tessa snapped. “You’re already convinced I lost.”
“Did you?”
Tessa thought about her phone, sitting on her nightstand. This was the only day she hadn’t called her producer friend Janet first thing in the morning since she was told to leave. She had finally accepted that they weren’t going to make things right. They would exploit her for cheating because that would increase ratings more than the truth.
“I have to dice the celery,” said Tessa, going to the sink to wash her hands. “I suggest you keep your distance.” Chopping vegetables with her extra-sharp utility knife always made her feel better, and it would give her some distance. Especially if Liam saw the episode that included a vegetable dicing contest. Tessa won by a landslide.
“What does it matter if I watched the show, Tess?”
Because you made me feel like a fool. But Tessa was too proud to say those words out loud. She hacked through three times the celery they actually needed and moved on to onions. There had been a running joke with the cast on the show that Tessa was made of stone, because even the most odorous onions didn’t make her cry. They were convinced nothing would. It was one of the factors that attributed to her unwanted nickname.
“Tess, put the knife down,” said Liam, approaching boldly. “Please.”
She was running out of vegetables that needed dicing. If she let herself loose on the potatoes, they might be so small they’d dissolve in the chowder. “I’m not doing this right now, Liam.”
“What’s next?” Cadence returned to the kitchen, retying her apron. Tessa had to give her sister points for braving the battle.
“Bacon needs to be fried. Potatoes peeled. Please tell me we were able to get the Colby-jack cheese and red pepper flakes?”
“Yes, we have everything on Aunt Patty’s list.”
“Tessa,” pleaded Liam.
She slammed her knife down on the cutting board. “I need to make a call. I’ll be back.” She made it two steps into the hallway before the cloud of Liam’s aftershave drifted to her. “Don’tfollow me.”
Halfway through marching down the hall, the first guest Tessa had seen since her arrival popped her head out her door. Flushed, Tessa lightened her footsteps and offered a smile. “I hope you’re having a lovely stay.” Though she wouldn’t be pursuing an acting career anytime soon, Tessa had mastered the skill well enough on the show to serve her now.
“We love the Sunset Ridge Lodge,” the elderly woman said, a cautious smile on her lips. “We used to come here every summer and were devastated to hear it closed down. I’m sorry about your great-aunt. She’d be proud you girls reopened it.”
“Thank you.” Tessa tried her best to be polite—to act like a professional business owner—but all she wanted to do was run away. “I’m sorry if I was making too much noise out here.”
“It’s no bother,” said the woman. “Just wanted to make sure everything is all right.”
“Just peachy.” Tessa spoke the words so suavely that she almost had herself convinced they were true. “Have a wonderful rest of your stay.” She hurried down the hall to her room. If there was an inkling of a chance that she was going to stay in Alaska, the living arrangements would have to change. Tessa would not live out her days in a lodge room decorated with black bears.
