Before I can respond, he’s already walking down the hall, his walls snapping back into place. The house hums around me with music and chatter, but it all feels distant.
Mom’s voice pulls me back. She’s already at my side, tugging at the buttons on my coat, trying to help me out of it, and I let her. It’s easier than thinking. Easier than watching him walk away again.
I barely have time to breathe before another voice cuts through the noise.
“Tess!”
I turn, and there’s Evan.
Same easy grin. Same boyish charm. Evan’s the kind of guy people like without even trying. He’s goodlooking, confident, and always says the right thing at the right time. He pulls me into a hug before I can brace for it, his arm slipping around my shoulders, familiar and easy in a way that used to feel good. Now it just feels off.
“Look at you,” he says, grin widening. “You look incredible. But then again, you always do, Tess.”
“Thanks.” I force a small smile.
Evan finally steps back, but not enough. His hand lingers on my arm, thumb brushing once before he lets go. “So,” he says, still smiling, “you and Clay got snowed in together, huh? Bet that was... cozy.”
The pause in his voice stretches, and the way his eyes hold mine makes my stomach twist. It sounds playful, but there’s something else there, like he’s testing the waters.
I laugh once, short and strained. “Yeah, something like that. Mostly just trying not to freeze.”
He hums, head tilting. “I don’t know... I’ve been stuck in worse places. Especially if the company’s good.”
The comment hangs heavy between us. My smile falters before I can stop it, and his grin only deepens, like he caught it. “Guess Clay’s not the worst company to get stuck with, then,” he adds, tone light but his eyes searching.
I shift my weight, trying to act casual, but the air between us feels charged. His smile doesn’t quite match the sharp tone underneath it. Maybe it’s curiosity, or perhaps it’s jealousy. I can’t tell if it’s about me or Clay.
Evan’s the kind of man who should make my heart race. He’s easy on the eyes, easy to like. But standing here, all I can think about is how my pulse never jumps the way it does when Clay looks at me.
My mom interrupts us from the kitchen. “Tessa, can you help me set the table before everyone gets here?”
Relief floods in. “Yeah, sure. Of course.”
Evan steps aside but doesn’t move far, eyes still on me. “We’ll catch up later,” he says. It sounds harmless, but there’s an edge to it.
I move past Evan, feeling his eyes on me until I reach the doorway. Down the hall, Clay stands with his phone in hand, eyes locked on us. On Evan’s hand, still hanging at my arm like he forgot to let go. The muscle in Clay’s jaw ticks before he looks away, pretending it doesn’t sting.
As the noise of my brother’s family’s arrival fills the house, I know it’s only a matter of time before everything we’re hiding starts to unravel.
Chapter Eleven
Clay
The call comes through just as the front door bursts open.
Steven’s voice booms from the entry, followed by boots stomping on hardwood and the high-pitched laughter of kids. I duck into the hallway, phone buzzing in my hand. It’s Connor, the goalie coach from Kolmont. We’ve been talking off and on ever since word got out about the open position.
I swipe to answer before the noise swallows me. “Hey, man.”
“Got a second?”
“Yeah,” I say, pressing a shoulder against the wall. “Could use a distraction from the Christmas chaos anyway.”
He laughs, then gets right to it. “Nothing official yet, but they’ve narrowed it down to two candidates. You’re still in the mix. Having history with Coach Sanders definitely works in your favor. Everything’s just on pause for the holidays, so it could go either way right now.”
It could go either way. The kind of phrase that’s supposed to sound neutral but cuts like a blade.
I clear my throat, forcing the tension out of my voice. “Appreciate the update. Means a lot.”
