Tessa
The sun made intermittent appearances during the Blueberry Festival, causing most of the crowd to wear a sweatshirt or light jacket. But Tessa was sweating over the last full stockpot of clam chowder they had left, stirring it too frequently. If she didn’t keep herself occupied, she spent too much time scanning the crowd for Liam. No doubt he was upset with her for disappearing last night. They’d always had that kind of hot-and-cold relationship.
“I’m sorry you didn’t win the baking contest,” Sophie said gently. “I thought your cookies were amazing.”
Tessa offered a forced smile, but couldn’t manage much else. If Janet hadn’t burst her bubble the night before, maybe she’d be upset that Tillie Grant took the first-place ribbon for her blueberry crumble, with Tessa one of eight honorable mentions. But the contest that had her so spooled up no longer seemed to matter. Seemed lately she had a way of putting too much energy into the wrong things. “Baking isn’t my strong suit anyway,” she admitted.
“I need more samples,” Cadence called over her shoulder to Tessa. “They’re cleaning us out!”
The sisters were set up under an open tent, one of dozens of tables strewn together. Tessa kept an eye on the reserve of chowder in the tall stockpot while Cadence and Sophie manned the crowd hungry for samples. “Do we have enough cups left?” Tessa asked, happy for the distraction. Even if only for a few minutes, it was nice to pretend her life was her own.I’m an idiot for not reading that contract thoroughly enough.
“I’ll get more,” Sophie said. “Be back in a minute.”
“Try smiling a little. This is a good problem to have.” Cadence nudged Tessa’s shoulder as she stole the last dozen sample bowls from the back table. “Means you did a good job.”
Tessa set the ladle in the biggest stockpot and topped it with a lid. “Wedid a good job.”
“Then what’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” She busied herself searching under the table for cups she knew weren’t there. Since their mom passed, Tessa had always taken charge. She never put her own problems on her sisters’ shoulders. She figured out how to manage them herself. It was part of what had steeled her in so many aspects of life. Probably the truest reason why they nicknamed her the grizzly bear.
“I don’t believe you.”
“This is the last of what they have,” said Sophie, holding up a stack of small sample bowls she’d tracked down on her search. “I guess they’ve already cleaned out Freeman’s Grocery. We’ll have to make do. Unless Ford knows anyone who might have a stash?”
“I’ll text him,” said Cadence. “Take over.”
Though she had yet to meet Cadence’s new man, Tessa envied her sister. Tessa wasn’t very good at relationships. Anyone she dated left because she never let them in to begin with. Liam was the only man who had ever busted past her fortified walls, crumbling them away as if they were nothing more than dust.
“No luck,” reported Cadence.
“We’ll manage,” said Sophie, her tone optimistic as always. Tessa wished she could be a little more like either of her sisters.I’d be better off for it.
“You can talk to us, you know.” Cadence ladled chowder into the sample bowls as a new line formed. Great-Aunt Patty’s recipe was a hit, it seemed. The festival goers’ votes would revealhowgreat later that afternoon. “We’re only yoursisters.”
“Really, it’s nothing.” Tessa focused on stirring the chowder from their last full stockpot so she didn’t have to look either of them in the eye.
“Liar.” It wasn’t often that Sophie called her out, much less in front of Cadence. “Tell her the truth, Tessa. We’re family. She deserves to know.”
Last night, when Ed disappeared into the woods and Tessa managed to stop shaking from shock, she snuck back inside the lodge through the back door because someone had closed the upstairs window. Raven followed her back to her room and snuggled against her in bed as she cried beneath the covers. Tessa’d feigned sleep when Cadence finally turned in.
“I can’t,” said Tessa, glancing around at all the people. Some of them had recognized her from the show, and several wished her good luck as if she still might have a shot at winning. She entertained a few pictures and even a couple of autographs. But the joy that might’ve brought her even a month ago was nonexistent now.
“You tell her, or I will,” Sophie threatened.
“The contract—”
“Stop hiding behind that stupid thing.” If Caroline had been in the tent with them, Tessa doubted Sophie would’ve used that word. But Tillie had offered to take the girl to get her face painted half an hour ago. “We’re your family, not some tabloid.”
“Fine.” With folded arms, more to hold herself together than anything, Tessa told Cadence everything she’d already shared with Sophie. How Derek broke up with her and somehow managed to sneak her recipe card to Vegas. “I still don’t know how he planted it. I told them to check the cameras, but they claimed there was nothing to see.” She confessed her pitiful hope that the producers would call her and beg her to come back once they realized she was innocent. It all sounded so empty and foolish now. How she thought some reality show could ever give her more than her own family made her feel ashamed.
“That rotten, weaselly—”
“I wish that was the worst part,” Tessa said, cutting Cadence off before a word slipped from her lips that might alarm a few chowder samplers and sway their vote to another team.
“Wait, there’s more?” Sophie said between serving customers.
“I talked to one of the producers last night. She’s my only ally—the only one who believes I didn’t cheat.” Tessa had a suspicion a handful of others knew the truth and were sitting on it for the benefit of their ratings. They probably deleted the camera footage.But why?“They want me to be on the next season. Intwoweeks.”
