He was right. Iwassmiling, and I saw no reason to stop. "Anyway…thanks for the presents. And I still owe you cookies."
He grinned. "Well, who could say no to a cookie?"
"Not me," I admitted.
His grin faded. "But can I ask for something else?"
"Anything."
He gave me a serious look. "You mean it?"
"Of course." But then, in a burst of caution, I added, "As long as it's reasonable."
He didn't answer right away."Ithink it is."
His words said one thing, but his face said another. His easy demeanor was long gone, replaced by a look that I couldn't quite decipher. Bracing myself, I asked, "Okay…so…what is it?"
He stepped closer, and his voice lost all trace of humor. "Come stay with me."
57
A Gift, Not a Bribe
Ryder
Tessa took a single step back. "Um…what?"
I said it again. "Stay with me. And before you say no, hear me out, okay?"
"Actually, I'm not sure I want to."
"Why not?"
"Because I'm pretty sure you're joking. Or maybe I'm just hoping you are."
That last part hit harder than expected. "Why's that?"
She shook her head. "Do I really need to answer that? I've known you for how long?"
I knew what she was getting at, but this didn't have to be difficult. "So I'll find a place with a second bedroom. It's not a big deal."
"Not a big deal?" she said. "Are you serious right now?"
"Dead serious. And you still haven't heard me out."
"Okay…what haven't I heard?"
"You'd be safer."
From the look on her face, she wasn't buying it. "So this is asafetything. Is that it?"
I was no liar. "Mostly."
She laughed. "Do you know who you sound like?"
Silently, I waited.Don't say it.
But she did. "Evan Carver, that's who."
