“It was cool of him to offer to help Max,” Faith said. “I wonder why he did that.”
“Maybe he needs work,” Tess guessed.
“You said all the guys who go on your campouts are rich,” Alex said.
“His brother paid his way.” Tess popped a french fry into her mouth. “He never really said what he did for a living, but I didn’t get the impression he has a lot of money.”
“Is that a deal-breaker?” Juliet asked.
“Not necessarily. But after Seth, it’s definitely on my radar.”
“Well, whatever the reason,” Faith said. “Nick says Max has really perked up at the thought of getting things going at the inn. I think it’s fantastic.”
“Might be just what Max needs,” Juliet agreed.
“But why Logan?” Tess asked. “Some bum drops out of the sky, and Max is gonna trust him to help turn his business around? It doesn’t make any sense.”
“Beats me,” Faith huffed. “Sounds like he knows about construction. And since Lyle’s out of town for the month, he’s all Max has right now.”
“The real question is, why are you so touchy about it?” Alex asked.
“Yeah, what’s going on with you two?” Faith waggled her eyebrows. “I sensed some sparks at your party.”
Tess felt her cheeks heat involuntarily. “How did we get on this topic? Logan’s just a friend. Not even that. I barely know him. Plus, it’d be weird to hang out with someone I went on acampout with. What happens on the mountain is supposed to stay on the mountain.”
“Well, you might not love this news then,” Alex said. “Brody invited him to play on our softball team.”
Tess threw up her hands. “Why are we rolling out the red carpet for this stranger?”
Alex raised a shoulder. “He and the guys bonded over beers and baseball the other night. Brody said he seems like a cool guy and figured since he’ll be hanging around all summer, why not?”
“Whatever,” Tess said, waving it away with her hand. “Not my business.”
“Uh-huh.” Faith shared a dubious look with Juliet and Alex. They didn’t believe her, but they’d drop it. For now.
Tess kept her mouth shut about the “moment” she and Logan had on the solo day of the campout. The split second when she thought he was going to kiss her. And the following second, when she’d wanted him to. Then again, the incident happened so fast, and he hadn’t done or said anything about it since, so maybe she’d only imagined it.
Two days later, she was playing third base for her team—Pitches Be Crazy—which consisted of Tess, her three friends, their two significant others, Max, Logan, Faith’s little sister Hope, and two of Nick’s deputies.
“Hey, batta batta batta,” Alex yelled from the outfield.
Max gave Juliet a signal, and she wound up to pitch. They all cheered when the batter swung and missed. His third miss, and the team’s third out. Their turn to bat.
“You’re up, Fox,” Tess said to Logan. “Let’s tie this up.”
“No pressure,” Logan mumbled, tipping his neck from side to side and heading to the batter’s box. The team clapped andyelled as he took a hard swing, connected solidly, and sprinted to first base.
Faith was at home plate waiting for a pitch when all heads turned toward the parking lot. A long, sleek limousine pulled up to the curb, and speculative murmurs spread across the field.
Tess had an uneasy feeling about who was inside. Her fears were confirmed when the door opened, and Carter got out, waving as if he were the King of England. She dropped her head, hoping he wouldn’t see her. But after he repeatedly called her name, she jogged over to quell the spectacle.
“We’re in the middle of a game,” she hissed. “What’s up?”
“I was in the neighborhood and thought I’d drop by to see if you wanted to fly to Cancun with me.”
“In the neighborhood?”
“Okay, fine.” A cocky grin commandeered his face. “I came all this way to ask you.”
