Tess in Boots

by Courtney Rice Gager

“Jake…”

  “Stay for one more day. Then I’ll tell you. And if you want to leave after that, you can. Please?”

  I sighed. One more day. I could stick it out for one more day. At the very least, it would give me some time to see about placing some local ads for the website. And I could avoid Thatcher for one day. Couldn’t I?

  I fell back onto the bed with my arms sprawled out at my side. “Fine. One more day.”

  Jake gave me a quick kiss on the top of my head, and then darted toward the door. “You’re the best, Tessy. Gotta run. Catch you later.”

  “Don’t you want to see the website? Or look over the ad ideas?” I called after him.

  “I trust you, remember? If it’s good with you, it’s good with me.”

  He gave me a little wave as he slipped out the door and closed it behind him. Before I could lift myself off the bed, he opened the door and poked his head back in. “Oh, yeah. I almost forgot. Sara made you breakfast.”

  “She did?”

  “Yeah. Well, are you coming or aren’t you?”

  “I’m coming. Can you give me a minute?”

  “Sure.”

  He lingered there in the doorway, looking at me with an almost wistful expression on his face.

  “What?”

  “I love you, Tessy.”

  “Love you, too. But I mean it, Jake. One more day. I’m not staying a second longer.”

  “We’ll see.”

  ***

  “Where’s Jake?” I spooned a pile of fresh strawberries onto my plate, which was already heaping with warm slices of homemade French toast.

  “Jake?” Sara raised her eyebrows. “He’s off taking care of something.”

  We were seated in the kitchen by the bay window, and the whole table was bathed in the warm morning sunlight. I sighed and reached for a slice of bacon. “That’s disappointing. I thought we’d get to hang out today. I’m leaving soon, and I feel like we haven’t spent enough time together.”

  “I know. I’m sure he feels the same way. He’s just really busy.”

  “With what?”

  She shrugged and sipped her tea. “He didn’t say. You know Jake. Off on one of his secret missions. I’m sure we’ll find out sooner or later.”

  I rolled my eyes. “He’s probably out buying a bunch of magic beans.”

  She laughed. “I wouldn’t doubt it.”

  “Sara, this is too much.” I used my fork to slice through a piece of French toast.

  “What’s too much?” she asked.

  “Everything. The breakfast, and… and everything. This has been a nice little getaway.”

  She smiled as she unfolded her napkin and placed it gently in her lap. “Well I’ve loved having you here. Are you sure you have to go?”

  “I do. I feel like it’s time, you know? I’m getting antsy.”

  “Is it Logan?”

  I took a bite. For a moment, I considered telling her about Thatcher, about our time together last night. About the kiss. But I decided against it. Because it was nothing, I reminded myself. Logan was coming home. Last night was a mistake. A momentary lapse in judgment. And no one needed to know about it.

  “Logan is a part of it, sure. But also, I should be looking for a job. The longer I wait, the harder it’s going to be. I love it here, but I can’t stay off the map forever.”

  She nodded. “Jake’s going to try to convince you to stay.”

  “He’s being all mysterious. He says he needs me, but he can’t tell me why until tomorrow. I think he’s messing with me.” I popped a strawberry into my mouth.

  Sara shrugged.

  “You know something,” I said.

  She looked away.

  I leaned forward, letting my arms rest on the table. “What do you know?”

  “Nothing. But…”

  “But what?”

  “But I think he has a good reason to want you here for a while. That’s all.”

  “And that reason is?” I leaned in closer.

  “Because… it’s best for everyone,” she said.

  “Everyone, who?”

  “All of us. You, Jake… all of us.” Her voice had a strange edge to it, and her eyes seemed apprehensive. She was hiding something. But what?

  “Sara…” I paused in an effort to keep my voice calm. “Is Jake in some sort of trouble?”

  She looked out the window and let the question hang there for a while.

  “Sara?”

  “I’m sorry, Tess. I’ve already said too much.”

  There it was, that look again; that painful expression I saw on her face when I asked her about Thatcher. I put down my fork and pushed my chair back from the table.

  I wasn’t very hungry anymore.

  ***

  A little bell jingled to signal my arrival when I opened the door and stepped into the office.

  With Jake nowhere to be found and the whole day ahead of me, I decided to head downtown to see if I could negotiate a good rate for advertising Carl’s Creek as a wedding venue in the local paper. Anything to avoid Thatcher. And to keep me from staring at the phone waiting for Logan to call, of course.

  “Hello?” The wood-paneled room was empty, except for an old reception desk and a few flickering fluorescent lights overhead. “Is anyone here?”

  A young-looking girl appeared and took a seat behind the desk. “Can I help you?”

  I stepped forward. “Yes. I’m here to talk to someone about placing an ad.”

  “Oh, that’s me!” She sounded a little surprised. “Advertising and obituaries. And sometimes weddings. When we’re shorthanded.”

  There was something strangely familiar about this girl. She reminded me a lot of… me. A younger me, but me nonetheless.

  “How long have you been out of school?” I asked. “A couple weeks?”

  She looked down as if I told her there was a mustard stain on her shirt. “How can you tell? Is it that obvious?”

  I smiled. “Maybe not to just anyone. But you remind me a little of myself not so long ago.”

  She relaxed a little. “You mean, dreaming of being a big-time reporter in the city but stuck working…”—she paused and looked around to survey her surroundings—“…here?”

  “Yep. But I was dreaming of being a big-time marketing exec. And I was an underpaid intern behind a telemarketing desk.”

  “Ouch.”

  “Yeah, I know.”

  “It gets better, right?” She looked up at me with such big hopeful eyes I couldn’t bear to let her down.

  I nodded. “It does. You have to hang in there.”

  I stopped myself before I could tell her the whole truth. Yep. Hang in there, kid. Hang in there and give it everything you’ve got. Keep shifting your priorities and spending holidays in the office and one day, if you’re lucky, you’ll end up like me. Unemployed and hiding out in the middle of nowhere in a pathetic attempt to get your boyfriend to propose. Just living the dream.

  “I’m Tess, by the way.”

  “I’m Natalie.” Her eyebrows bent with concern. “Wait. What did you say your name was?”

  “It’s Tess.”

  “Ah. I thought so. If you don’t mind me asking… it’s just that I heard…” She turned away to avoid my gaze, and I could see her cheeks turning red. “Is that why you became a… you know… uh… dancer? Because the internship thing didn’t work out?”

  I leaned forward. “Where did you hear I was a… dancer?”

  She looked up at me with a solemn expression. “I read about it on the prayer board at church.”

  I cringed.

  “Oh, and I think my hairdresser mentioned something about it, too. And the mail carrier. And there was someone else.” She rubbed her chin. “But I can’t remember who it was.”

  Thatcher was right. Word did travel pretty quickly in this town, even more than I’d thought. “Well, wherever you heard it, it’s not true. It’s a long story, and a very big misunderstanding. If you hear anything else, do you
think you could help me slow down the rumor train?”

  She looked relieved. “Oh, good. Of course. So what do you do?”

  “Me? I’m a marketing director.” It wasn’t a lie. Jake gave me the title. And she was so sweet. So naïve. I couldn’t crush her spirits with my jobless sob story.

  Her eyes widened. “Wow. That’s incredible.”

  “Thanks. That’s why I’m here. I’m looking to place an ad for Carl’s Creek. Have you heard of it?”

  She shook her head.

  “It’s a vineyard right up the road,” I said.

  Her face lit up. “Oh! You must mean Carl’s old place.”

  “Right. We’re sort of remodeling, and we want to advertise it as a wedding venue. I’m thinking a half-page in the Sunday paper for a few weeks?”

  She pulled a flyer from a pile of papers on the desk and placed it down in front of me. “Sure. Here are our rates.”

  I studied the sheet for a moment, and then looked up at her. “Natalie, just one girl to another, to save us both some time, what’s the absolute best rate you can get your boss to sign off on?”

  She looked down at the flyer. “If you give me a hard time, I’m allowed to offer you a four-week run for thirty percent of the listed price.”

  She was so green. “Perfect,” I said. “How about I email you the creative tonight? Could you get me a good spot for this Sunday?”

  She handed me her card. “That works. I’ll send you an invoice when I hear from you.”

  “Thanks, Natalie.”

  “No. Thank you. For the inspiration. I hope my story ends up exactly like yours someday. You know, minus the dancing part.”

  I shook my head and stifled a laugh as I walked out the door, listening to the bells jingling behind me as I left.

  Oh Natalie, I wanted to say, be careful what you wish for.

  CHAPTER 11

  “Wake up, Tessy.” Jake placed a hand on my shoulder and jostled me awake.

  I opened one eye and squinted against the morning sunlight that filled the room. “What do you want?”

  “Wake up. I need you down at the barn in thirty minutes. It’s important.”

  I rolled over and pulled the pillow over my head, but Jake yanked it away and tossed it aside. Then, he tugged the covers off me and threw them to the floor.

  “Hey!”

  He snapped his fingers. “Let’s go. And put on something nice. This is a business meeting.”

  Almost thirty minutes later, I shuffled along the path leading down to the barn. I wanted to kick myself for not getting to sleep sooner the night before, but between worrying about Jake and wondering why Logan hadn’t called yet, it had been a long night.

  Is Jake in some sort of trouble?

  The look on Sara’s face haunted me. I couldn’t get it out of my mind. Something was wrong with Jake. But what? Where were those super twin instincts I was supposed to have? I’d spent most of the night imagining one awful scenario after another. I couldn’t even escape from worrying about him in my sleep. Every time I dozed off, I would have the same dream: Jake, drowning in a rushing river, and me, clinging to a rock amidst the rapids and trying to reach my hand out to him.

  My only reprieve was the time I spent fretting over Logan. I even went so far as to get out of bed and check online to make sure his flight landed on time the previous evening. It had. So where was he? Why hadn’t he gotten in touch with me yet? This wasn’t part of the plan. I remembered Thatcher’s question. How long was I going to wait? It was a full two weeks since we last spoke. We’d had our share of disagreements before, but this was new territory for us. Logan and I had never gone this long without speaking to one another. Maybe I should give in and call him, but if I did, what would I say? Did he even want to hear from me? After our last conversation, I wasn’t sure.

  Part of me was ready to throw in the towel and go home. And yet, what would I be going home to? If Jake needed me here, and I mean really needed me, then maybe I should stay a little longer, to buy myself some time to figure out my life.

  But what to do about Thatcher? I managed to go all day yesterday without seeing him, but I couldn’t avoid him forever. And I couldn’t shake the feeling that I didn’t want to avoid him. My mind reeled as I reached the barn and noticed an unfamiliar car parked near the entrance.

  “Oh, great,” I muttered under my breath and smoothed a hand over my hair. Who could it be at this hour? Jake said something about a business meeting. What did he have up his sleeve?

  I walked through the open door and was greeted by a smiling Jake. “Ah, here she is. Right on time.” He came over to me and put an arm around my shoulder, guiding me to the center of the room until I was within arm’s reach of a beautiful woman. She seemed around my age, maybe a bit older. Her hair was in a neat bun, and she wore a pencil skirt and a crisp pinstriped blouse. She looked like she stepped right out of an office building and made a wrong turn to end up here.

  “Vivian, this is our onsite wedding planner, Tess Dougherty,” Jake said. “Tess, this is Vivian Wallace.”

  Wedding planner? I tried to give Jake a look, but he wouldn’t catch my eye.

  “Hello, Tess. Thank you for meeting with me on such short notice.” She held out her manicured hand, and I hesitated a moment before shaking it.

  “Vivian wants to book the place for a wedding on the thirtieth,” Jake said.

  “The thirtieth?” I fished around in my brain to come up with today’s date. “As in two weeks from today?”

  Jake beamed at me. “Uh-huh. I already told her we can fit her in, because we happened to have a last-minute cancellation.” He gave me a look, as if to say, don’t blow this.

  “You did?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Oh.” I turned to Vivian and plastered on a smile almost as big as Jake’s. “Of course.”

  “And if there’s anyone who can pull off a last minute affair like this one, it’s our Tess.” Jake patted me hard on the back. “Best in the business.”

  “Hardly,” I said.

  “She’s being modest.” He put one arm around me, pulled me in close, and tousled my hair with his other hand.

  I wiggled free and swatted Jake’s hand away. “If you don’t mind me asking, Vivian, how did you find the place?”

  Jake broke in before she had a chance to respond. “She drove by the other day and saw the sign. So she pulled in and we got to talking. I told her she should meet with you though, seeing as how you’re the wedding planner. And here we are.”

  “Yes. Here we are. Well…” I trailed off, unsure of where to take the conversation next.

  “I thought you and Vivian could schedule a meeting for later today to start working on the details,” said Jake. I gave him a grateful smile. Typical Jake. He always knew what to say in situations like this. Whenever we got in trouble as kids, Jake was the one who did the talking.

  I nodded. “Of course. Right. I guess we’ll have to get started right away. Are you free this afternoon?”

  “That’s perfect,” said Vivian. “What time?”

  “You tell me. You’re the bride.”

  “Actually, she’s not the bride,” Jake said.

  I turned to Vivian. “You’re not?”

  “I’m a personal assistant,” she said.

  “Oh. Do you want to check with the bride, then?”

  She shook her head. “That won’t be necessary. I’ll be acting as a liaison. I’ve been told to spare no expense and to keep a very low profile. I hope you’ll understand if I tell you that discretion is of utmost importance.”

  “We understand,” said Jake. He lowered his voice a little. “We’ve dealt with celebrity weddings before. Carl’s Creek is a popular choice because it’s so remote.”

  We’ve dealt with celebrity weddings before? I guess he wasn’t lying, if watching the Royal Wedding together via phone conference counted. And Jake hadn’t even wanted to do that. I called him and forced him to turn it on.

  “So, Vivian�
��” I clasped my hands together in an attempt to collect myself. “How about four o’clock then? We can meet back here, if that’s all right with you.”

  “Yes. That’s perfect. See you then, Tess.” Vivian readjusted her purse and turned toward the door to leave. “And thank you very much, Jake.”

  He lifted his hand in a salute. “My pleasure. If you need anything at all, don’t hesitate to let me know. You’re in good hands with Tess.”

  She nodded, and then turned and walked out to her car. We kept big fake grins on our faces as she pulled away with a couple perky honks of the horn.

  When she was out of sight, I turned and punched Jake in the arm. “What the heck was that?”

  He laughed. “I told you I needed you.”

  “You blindsided me! Why didn’t you tell me she was coming?”

  “Because I wasn’t sure she’d even show. And this wedding thing is your baby. I didn’t want to get your hopes up or have you all in a tizzy if it turned out to be nothing. The whole situation seems a little weird, don’t you think?”

  “It’s not that weird. You hear about this sort of thing all the time. Celebrity couples showing up unannounced to some middle-of-nowhere place to get married before the paparazzi can find them. It’s kind of romantic.”

  “If you say so.”

  “Do you think they’re famous?”

  He shrugged. “You’d at least have to be pretty well-off to have a personal assistant.”

  “Well, yeah.” I put a hand on his shoulder. “Jake, this could be good for the vineyard.”

  “I know. So, will you stay?”

  I sighed. “I shouldn’t. But you know me. I’m a sucker for a wedding.”

  He patted me on the back. “You are, indeed. Well, you’ve got a lot of work to do then, huh?”

  “You can say that again.” I watched as he shuffled behind the bar and stooped down to rummage through the cabinets. “Jake?”

  “Yeah, Tessy?”

  “Is everything… all right? Are you all right?”

  He popped up, both hands resting on the bar. “Yeah. I’m great.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Sure I’m sure.”

  I studied his face, trying to search his expression for something more. But there was nothing to be found. “Okay. But if you’re not, and you need to talk about anything, I’m here.”