“Plenty of that knowledge would be useful in here.”
“Some.” But Liam didn’t know a lot about building things or running electrical wire. He could figure out his way around a power drill or nail gun if someone showed him. But not the same way he could take apart a motor and put it back together. He almost said all this to his dad, but Liam didn’t have a lot of fight left in him. Tonight was the finale episode. The one they all expected to see Tessa reappear on. “Coming to the lodge later?” he asked.
“We’ll see.”
“Be good to support the Whitmore sisters,” he added. Liam lifted the bucket of screws off the counter and turned toward the door. He wouldn’t sort all this out with his dad in one conversation. It would take time. “See you later, Dad. Enjoy the coffee.”
“You love her, don’t you?”
The words came as a surprise. Harold had always liked Tessa, and Liam was mostly dumbfounded his dad hadn’t set aside his grudge toward Liam to see her while she was in town. “Very much.”
“I hope she comes back, son.”
“Me, too.”
* * *
Liam carried the flatscreen TV from the den out into the lodge’s main open area to accommodate the turnout of Tessa supporters. Half a dozen people were sitting on the floor as it was. He stood, too nervous to sit. Raven sensed it, too. She kept right on his heel each time he shifted and found a new spot.
“What do you think the final challenge is?” Sophie asked, coming to stand beside him. Her daughter had burrowed a spot on the floor up front with Owen.
“I don’t know, but I hope there’s a pie.”
“I think we all do.”
WhenOrder Up: Las Vegasbegan, the room fell quiet. No one knew how they would introduce this big, dramatic change because the last episode that aired only two days ago named Francine and Derek as the final two contestants. There’d been a small hint at a huge twist, but nothing more.
“Have you heard from her at all?” Liam asked Sophie.
“No.”
“I didn’t think it would be this long,” he admitted.
“Me, either. But they might’ve asked her to wait until the last episode aired. I think she rattled more than a few cages when she consulted Mr. Jenkins.” Sophie gave him a wink, and they both laughed.
The first part of the episode revealed never-before-seen camera footage of Derek planting a recipe card on Tessa’s station. Liam balled his fists at his sides, certain they had that all along and didn’t care about doing the right thing—or what withholding it put their best contestant through. When the star chef of the show asked Derek to leave, the weaselly man had a full, embarrassing meltdown that had the group rolling in laughter.
“Never liked that guy,” muttered Liam. “One bit.”
“It’s Aunty Tessa! It’s Aunty Tessa!” Caroline pointed from her spot right up front. A few people clapped; one even whistled.
It touched Liam how many people were here—not only the usual suspects like Ford and his sister Rilee, but other locals who’d no doubt tasted that chowder.
Liam couldn’t tear his eyes away. The two weeks they’d been apart felt far longer than the thirteen uncertain years they went separate ways. She had all that stage makeup on again, but it was the twinkle in her eyes that reassured him she was still the same person; he hadn’t lost her yet.
“Clam chowder?” Sophie said, stirring him from his thoughts.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”She’ll never be back.Liam’s heart sank, certain Tessa would ace this challenge. He’d sampled Tessa’s chowder the night before the festival. The voters weren’t wrong. It was the best chowder he ever had. He’d heard that sentiment from dozens of people since.
“Aha!” said Sophie. “She has to bake an apple pie. There’s no way she pulls that off.”
“All within an hour.” Liam hated that he wanted her to both win and lose. If she won, she’d promised to turn down the job offer that was her prize: head chef in an elite restaurant. But he didn’t want Tessa to give that up just for him.
The crowded room remained enraptured by the competition. The two very talented chefs worked meticulously as the clock ticked down. Their viewers were unable to tear their gazes away until commercial breaks. Speculation rumbled throughout the group; both contestants appeared to have a solid plan. Neither woman seemed rattled, though the producers did their best to add little moments of drama. When Francine dropped her bowl of cubed potatoes and was forced to start over, Liam wondered whether it was real or staged.
“Did she put in red pepper flakes?” Sophie asked.
“Not sure,” said Liam. “But I bet she did. She doesn’t forget stuff like that.”
