Tess in Boots (16 page)

Too intimate.

I felt like I’d swallowed a brick.

It was all making sense now. My mind was cluttered with little snippets of conversation, pieces of the puzzle that
came together almost faster than I could process them. I thought back to the night when I asked Thatcher why he came back, and whether he’d ever been in love. He wouldn’t answer. Of course he wouldn’t. You don’t tell someone you’re in love with their brother’s wife.

What is your biggest regret?
I’d asked him.

I lost someone very important to me because of a disagreement that seems ridiculous now. I can’t undo what has been done. And I will always, always regret it.

Was that someone Sara? Did she and Thatcher have some sort of falling out before she met Jake? Did she regret it as much as he did? From what I could tell, it sure seemed like she did.

And Desiree:
Jake has something Thatcher wants, you know. And he’s using you to get it.

She
was telling the truth, I realized. Thatcher
did
want something of Jake’s.

Sara.

But how was he using me? To distract Jake? To somehow make Sara jealous? To give him something to do while he passed the time and waited for her?

And just so you know, you’ll never match up to Thatcher James’
s one true love. No one ever will.

Trembling, I crept away from the window and down the porch steps, breaking into a run until I reached the cottage.
I was a fool to even entertain the possibility of letting myself get close to Thatcher. He was just like Logan. Worse, even. He was breaking up a
marriage
. My brother’s marriage.

My brother. Thinking about Jake made my heart ache even more. As much as this news hurt me, it was so much worse for him. Did he have any idea?

Probably not, I decided. If he did, why would he come here? Why would he let
Thatcher
come here?

I had to tell him.

No.
No, no, no, no, no
. I couldn’t do it.

But I
didn’t have a choice. I had to protect him. He was my Jake.

I needed to talk to someone.

Annie.

I picked up the phone and dialed her number. She answered on the second ring.
“Tess?”

Her voice was so comforting and familiar it was all I could do not to burst into tears.
“Hey. You got a sec?”

She hesitated.
“Um… no, I don’t. I’m sorry. It’s really nuts here. We’re being audited. I’m working nonstop. Things should die down at the end of the month. Can I call you then?”

I winced. The end of the month? I didn’t know what to say. Annie had never blown me off like this before.

“Yeah. Sure. Sorry to bug you.” My voice was peppered with sarcasm, but she didn’t seem to detect it.

“
No problem. Talk to you later.”

She hung up before I could say goodbye.

I was alone. Totally and utterly alone. I sat down at the kitchen table, kicked off my boots, and rested my chin in my hands. I came here because I thought it would help me get my life back on track. But now I was more off course than ever.

Logan was gone.
Whatever Thatcher and I had was gone. My job was gone. I was about to break my brother’s heart. And I was stuck here, at least until this wedding was over.

And then what would I do? Go back home to my cheating boyfriend and nonexistent job? There
was
no going back. I would have to start all over. I reached up to twist my hair around my finger, but came up empty-handed.

My hair. What had I done? I missed my hair. I missed my life. My normal, comfortable life.

Outside, there was the sound of footsteps on the gravel. I peeked out the window and saw Thatcher striding toward the cottage.

Unreal.

How could he be in there with Sara, and then come strolling up here like nothing was going on? I didn’t wait for him to knock on the door. I flung it open and leaned in the doorway, arms crossed.

He seemed startled for a second, but then he broke into a wide smile.
“Hey, there. Hmm. Something’s different. New shoes?”

I tensed up. I wanted to lunge at him. How dare he come here and try to flirt with me?

“Aw, come on. I’m kidding, Boots. Your hair… wow. You look beautiful.”

“
What are you doing here?”

“
I came to see you. I missed you.”

I sighed. He had some nerve.
“Look, Thatcher. I’ve given you the wrong impression.”

He lifted an eyebrow.

“This… whatever this is, it’s over,” I said.

“
Tess…”

“
I’m serious. From now on, I don’t want you coming here. Do you understand?”

The
confused look on his face melted into disappointment. I ducked into the cottage for a few seconds and reemerged holding the boots.

“
And you can take these with you. I shouldn’t have accepted them in the first place,” I said.

I dropped them on the doormat and watched as he stared on in disbelief.

“Is this about last night?” he asked. “Look, I crossed a line, and I’m sorry. I really am. I tried to stay away, but … I’m only human, Boots.” His voice was soft. He looked so innocent it was almost frightening.

If I hadn’t seen him and Sara with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have dreamed he could be so manipulative. He told me I was special, and I
believed
him. Like a stupid, lovesick child. What a joke.

“It won’t happen again. I’ll be the perfect gentleman. You have my word,” he said.

“It’s not that,” I said.

“Then what is it?”

I pursed my lips. I didn’t owe him an explanation. “Just go. I can’t see you anymore. I mean it, Thatcher.”

He stood there letting the words sink in.
“Tess…”

“Please leave me alone.” My words were short and punctuated.

“Fine. I’ll go.” He picked up the boots and held them out to me. “But I want you to keep the boots. They’re yours.”

I didn’t want them, but there was something about the way he was looking at me
. He stared at me with such intensity I knew he wasn’t going to leave here with those boots. So I let him drop them into my arms, anything to get him to leave.

He tucked his empty hands into his pockets, then turned and left me holding the boots as I watched him walk away.

CHAPTER 16

I spent the next couple days
confined to the cottage, hiding from Thatcher, hiding from Jake, and hiding from the mess my life had become.

I wasn’t quite prepared for how much it would hurt knowing things with Thatcher were over before they
ever began. But I’d gotten so wrapped up in the excitement of it all, in the
hoping
. Maybe that’s what made finding out the truth about him such a letdown. I allowed myself to get way too caught up in a future that wasn’t real with a person I couldn’t trust.

I couldn’t trust myself, either, I decided, at least not when it came to making character judgments about men. After everything that had gone wrong in my love life lately, it was time to lie low for a while. Camped out in the cottage, with the curtains pulled and the doors locked, I felt safe.

But with the wedding fast approaching, I couldn’t stay in hiding forever.

I spoke with the caterers on the phone yesterday, and I needed to meet up with Viv so she could sign off on those contracts. And I still had to hunt down a band, a cake, and a photographer.

Plus, I needed to talk to Jake. The very idea of telling him about what I overheard gave me a stomach ache. But I knew I had to do it soon. The longer I carried this around without telling him, the longer I betrayed my brother. And I couldn’t do that to him. Jake was always there for me. It was my turn to be there for him.

I would tell him… but not today. Today I was in total business mode. I could feel the looming deadline of the wedding weighing down on my shoulders. Why had I ever agreed to this? What had Jake been thinking? What had
I
been thinking?

The kitchen table was littered with papers I
’d pulled out of my binder and scattered around. Most of the papers were outdated to-do lists. It seemed like every time I turned around, I was tossing out an old to-do list and making a brand new one. I studied the first item on my most recent list and tapped my pen on the table.

Call barbecue place about catering the rehearsal.

I was counting on Thatcher to tell me how to get in touch with the place, but I wasn’t about to ask him now. Maybe I could head into town and start asking around. But what would I say? “Excuse me sir, I’m looking for a creepy, run-down barbecue joint in the middle of the woods that makes a mean rack of ribs. No, I don’t know the name of it. No, I don’t quite know where it is. Anyway, do you know any places like that?”

That wouldn’t work. Sara
grew up around here, so I could always ask her. But now that I knew something was going on between her and Thatcher, I couldn’t bear to look her in the eyes. Besides, telling her I’d been to the place to begin with would mean telling her I was with Thatcher. And if he was trying to use me to make her jealous somehow, then I wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction.

That left… the girl from the paper?
She
might know something. What was her name again? I powered on the laptop and sorted through my old emails. Natalie. I checked her email signature and found her office number. Jackpot.

When she answered the phone, her voice sounded dull and bored.

“Natalie? This is Tess Dougherty. I came in last week about an ad for Carl’s Creek vineyard. Do you remember me?”

“
Of course!” I could hear her perk up on the other end of the line. “We ran your ad over the weekend. Was everything okay?”

The ad. I
didn’t even look at it yet. I reached for my to-do list and jotted down a note:
double-check newspaper ad
.

“
It’s great, I’m sure. I’m calling about something else, though. You’re from around here, right?”

“
I sure am. Born and raised.”

“
Perfect. This may sound like a strange question, but I’m looking for the name of this barbecue place. It’s pretty… basic. There are picnic tables, and they have dancing and live music? Do you know the place I’m talking about?”

“
Sure do. You’re looking for Suzie Q’s.”

I made another note:
Suzie Q’s.

“
Natalie, you are an absolute life saver. Thank you so much.”

“
Of course. But if you’re looking for a good restaurant, I can suggest something a little nicer.”

“
Oh no, this is perfect. We’re doing a rehearsal dinner here next Thursday and I want to see if they can cater it here at the vineyard. I thought a barbecue might be nice.”

“
Oh
there’s
an idea. I’ll have to look into that.”

I heard a little murmuring sound, as if she were making a list of her own.

“Are you planning a party?” I asked.

“
A wedding! I’m engaged!” She said it a little too quickly, as if she’d been waiting for me to ask. “It just happened this weekend.”

“
Wow. That’s… that’s great. Congratulations.”

“
Thanks!” She giggled.

“
I bet you have a lot of planning to do.”

“
Well, yes and no. I’ve been planning my wedding for years. I want to have the reception outside somewhere. And I want daisies, and a lace dress, and a band, and a town car, not a limo—”

“
Natalie?”

“
Mm-hmm?”

“
Sorry to interrupt you. Did you say band?”

“
Uh-huh. I want a five-piece brass ensemble, with a—”

“
Sorry. Um, to interrupt again. But… I’m in a bit of a pinch here. This wedding we’re working on, well, it’s sort of last minute. And I’m still looking for a band, a photographer, and a cake. I have a little more than a week to work with, and it seems like you’ve done your research. Do you think you could point me in the right direction? Maybe make some recommendations?”

“
Say no more, I’m sending you an email.” I could hear her keyboard clickety-clacking away.

“
Thank you, thank you, thank you. How can I ever repay you?”

“
Well…”

Uh-oh
.

“
There
is
one thing,” she said. “I’m still looking for a venue. Do you think I could come and snoop around the vineyard sometime soon? You know, to get an idea of the layout?”

“
Of course.” I peeked down at my day planner. “Do you want to swing by next Tuesday afternoon? They’re coming to set up the tent and deliver all the chairs and stuff in the morning.”

“
Yes! Perfect. I’ll be there. And Tess?”

“
Uh-huh?”

“
Bottom line, what’s the best rate you can give me?”

I smiled. She was a fast learner.
“Why don’t you come check the place out first? We’ll talk rates later, if you like it.”

“
All right. I’ll see you next week.”

“
Great, thanks for your help.”

After we hung up, I could feel myself breathing a little easier. Things were starting to come together. I still had to convince these vendors to book on such short notice, but with Viv’s
“we’ll pay anything” approach, I had a fighting chance. As crazy as things were, when it came to this wedding, it felt like I still had some control left. Like everything was going to work out just fine.

***

Viv placed a hand on my arm. “This was quite unexpected, Tess. I’m very sorry.”

“You can’t do this to me!”
I sat slumped over on a barstool in the barn with my head in my hands. Viv sat adjacent to me with her legs crossed at the ankles, calmly watching me crumple into a stressed-out mess right before her eyes.

“I have to,” she said. “It’s an emergency. I’m leaving this afternoon.”

I lifted my head. “Are you coming back?”

“I’m afraid not.”

“What is it exactly?” I narrowed my eyes.

“Hmm?” She raised her eyebrows.

“What’s the emergency?”

“Oh.” She opened her purse and fumbled with the contents inside. “It’s private. I’m sorry, but I’m not at liberty to say.”

“Viv, you can’t be serious. Please!”

“
You’ll be fine,” she said.

“
I won’t. I can’t pull off this wedding on my own!”

“You
can
. I’m sorry, Tess. I don’t have a choice.”

I reached a hand out toward her. “
But I need you. We still have to pick a cake, and a band, and—”

“
And you can do all of those things.” She took my hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “You have excellent taste. I trust your judgment. You have my blessing to make all final decisions. Spare no expense. Send me the invoices, and I’ll take care of them. You can do this. You’re going to be great.”

I sighed.
“I’m not going to change your mind, am I?”

She shook her head.

“
When
did you say you’re leaving?”

“This afternoon
. I’ve already checked out of my hotel. But I went ahead and put them on notice to expect a full house for the wedding. I’m pretty sure they’d have the vacancy anyway, but just to be safe. It’s a nice place.”

“
I guess I can cross that off my list. I’ll have the bridal suite ready for a Thursday evening arrival, like we talked about.”

“
That should be perfect,” she said.

I sat there sulking, hoping she might change her mind if I seemed pathetic enough. No such luck. She stood, tucked her purse under her arm, and stretched out her arms for a hug.

“Thank you for everything. And don’t worry. You’re going to be amazing, Tess.”

I pulled myself off the stool and returned her hug.
“Thanks. I sure hope so.”

She stepped back and looked me in the eyes long and hard.
“Promise me something,” she said.

“
Don’t lose my mind?”

“
No. Well, yes. Don’t lose your mind. But also, don’t over-think anything. Trust your instincts. And don’t be afraid to be honest.”

Ha. Like I had time to over-think anything when it came to this wedding. It would be a miracle if I could pull it off at all.

Still, it was an odd thing to say. And there was something funny about the way she stared at me. The look in her eyes communicated an urgency which seemed out of place for the circumstances. But then again, that was Viv: elegant and serious, always a little formal in her delivery.

“
Okay…” I said. “I will.”

“
Good. I’ll be in touch.”

“
Same. Have a safe trip.”

“
Will do. And please, call if you need anything.”

“
Can I call if I need you to come back?”

She looked at me for one more long moment, then gave me a slight smile and walked out to her car. I sat back down on the stool and put my head in my hands.

“Please, God, don’t let her leave.”

I stayed perfectly still for a while, waiting for a divine answer to my desperate prayer. But there
was only the rev of an engine as Viv’s car drove away.

How in the world
would I get through this without her?