by Croix, J. H.
“Speaking of your judgment in men, when are you going back to Alaska to visit Nathan?” Simon asked, interrupting her train of thought.
“I have no idea,” Tess replied.
“Well, on the subject of men, Nathan is solid. Ran into Deanna the other day and she told me that she’s worried you’re about to let him pass you by.”
“I should have known she’d say something! And she doesn’t even know Nathan! My god, Simon, could you give me a chance to sort this mess out with Chad before I have to worry about Nathan?”
“Deanna talked to mom who thinks Nathan fell from heaven just for you, not to mention that she thinks you need to do something other than work. And Chad, I don’t see what he has to do with Nathan. You broke up with him over a year ago. Nathan’s a good guy and it’d be stupid to not give him a shot.”
Tess became flustered and was relieved they were on the phone, or Simon would see her blush. “Simon…I know Nathan’s a good guy. It’s just complicated because we live about four thousand miles apart. I mean, how are mom and dad going to feel if I move away? If that even happens…”
“Are you kidding? Mom’ll be over the moon if you actually give Nathan a chance and move there. Mom and dad don’t care where you live as long as you’re happy. As for dad, he’ll have a reason to visit and fish to his heart’s content. If you’re worrying about mom and dad, forget it. You’re just using that as an excuse.”
Tess shifted in her chair. She wasn’t about to admit it to Simon, but he might have a point. “Just give me a little time to figure this out. It’s not like I was planning to move away. I love my work and it’s taken me years to get established here.”
Simon cut in. “And most of your work can be done from a distance. Except for local functions, which is just part of your business these days, you do most of your work from a distance already.”
“You’re repeating Deanna now,” Tess countered. “I won’t pretend I can’t take some of my work with me, but face it, moving clear across the country will affect my work.”
Simon sighed. “Just what Deanna was worried about. She said you’d come up with all kinds of reasons why going back to Alaska wasn’t a good idea. Just think about it, okay? In the meantime, talk to mom ASAP, so we can get the name of the account holder from Norm.”
Tess quickly agreed and hung up the phone. She looked around her office, her eyes scanning across the award plaques mounted on her walls for various fundraising campaigns and notes of appreciation. She’d worked her tail off to get where she was, which was one of the reasons why she was incensed that Chad would try to take advantage of her connections, nor how it would help. If he was embezzling, it didn’t matter how many connections he had. The view from her office was of a flat, grassy field, flanked by loblolly pines. She thought of the view in Diamond Creek, the deep blue of Kachemak Bay, the stark mountains towering around the bay, Mount Augustine, a lonely sentry in the water, and the fields of fireweed that Nathan had shown her. Her heart clenched at the thought of Nathan and Diamond Creek. She couldn’t let herself think about what it would be like to be there.
Chapter 13
Nathan listened to Tess’s voice mail message again and wondered why she didn’t answer. For the past week, she’d been sporadic at answering his calls and sounded off when they did talk. He’d made a few attempts to ask her what was going on, but she brushed him off. He left another message for her and slipped his phone into his pocket. Walking to the windows in the living room, he stared out over the bay. The brief season that passed for fall was well on its way. The fireweed had faded, the wispy white seeds drifting around on the wind. It was late afternoon and the sun was already setting. The endless days of summer were rapidly shortening. The spruce trees in the field behind their house were stark green against the blanched grass. Red, yellow and orange danced low on the ground, the leaves of flowers and shrubs turning as they fell. The wind was up with the water in the bay dotted with whitecaps. In another few weeks, he and his brothers would be getting both boats ready to be stored for the winter.
Nathan turned away from the view and resisted the urge to call Tess, yet again. Jared had left earlier to meet with Susie to go over some accounting details. The house was quiet. Restless, Nathan began to get ready to head to the harbor when his phone rang.
An unfamiliar number flashed on the screen, although he recognized the area code from North Carolina.
“Hello?” Nathan said, curious as to who would be calling.
“Hey Nathan, it’s Simon.”
“Oh, surprised to hear from you,” he replied, questions immediately filling his mind as to why Tess’s brother would be calling him.
“I’m sure you are. Look, I’ll get right to the point. I’m worried about Tess and even though she’ll probably hate me for it, thought I’d call you.”
“Is Tess okay?” Nathan asked, alarm rising inside.
“Yeah, she’s okay. It’s just that an ex of hers is making life a little difficult for her. I don’t usually get involved in her personal life, but I trust you. Even though Tess might not admit it, I think you mean a lot to her.” Simon paused, the silence on the phone stretching.
“Simon, I appreciate your call, but I’m not sure what I can do.”
“Don’t know myself. Not sure if Tess told you anything about her ex, Chad, but he was a total ass to her. Now he’s threatening to spread rumors about their breakup—basically make things uncomfortable for her in her business. Took her a while to get over what happened between them, which is why I was damned happy to see her with you. First time in a while where she seemed like her old self. Since he showed up at one of her fundraisers and dragged her into this mess…well, she hasn’t looked good. I called you, hoping maybe you’d get in touch with her.”
Nathan felt flushed, hot with quick rush of anger. He’d love to get his hands on Tess’s ex. While Tess hadn’t told him anything about her ex, he would’ve guessed someone had treated her badly—it explained how guarded and distrustful she’d been. He wished she’d mentioned what was going on. Concern for her and how she was doing was hot on the heels of his anger. He wanted nothing more than to be right there with her, to pull her close and let her know it would be okay. But he wasn’t there, and he wasn’t so sure she wanted him there, which devastated him. Much as he’d been trying to honor her need for time, it was driving him crazy.
“Man, wish I could tell you a call from me would help, but we were talking every day for a bit and since last week, now it’s a lot harder to get her on the phone.”
Simon swore softly. “Dammit. So she’s avoiding you then. No surprise there. Tess thinks she can handle everything herself.”
“You know what? I’ll fly out there soon as I can get a ticket,” Nathan said.
Simon sounded as surprised as Nathan was by his quick offer. “Really? Well that might shake her up enough to get out of this funk.”
“Let’s keep it a surprise though. Can you pick me up at the airport?”
“No problem.”
“Will you help me beat the shit out of this lousy ex of hers?” Nathan asked, his anger barely held in check, close to boiling over.
Simon gave a sharp laugh. “Would love to, but I’m working on another angle.”
Simon quickly filled Nathan on a sketch of his suspicions. Nathan hung up a few minutes later. He was relieved to know what had been bothering Tess but worried about her.
By evening, Nathan had gotten his travel set up and talked with Jared and Luke about being away for a few weeks. Both had teased him, but they’d also been completely supportive. Given that he would be out of town for a few guiding trips and some of the winter preparation, they could’ve given him some grief about his timing, but they didn’t. Which was one of the reasons he loved his brothers. Much as they’d tease him and make his life hell, when it mattered, they supported him.
***
A mere two days later, Nathan looked around as Simon drove along the intersta
te in North Carolina, headed from the Raleigh-Durham airport east towards New Bern where Simon and Tess’s parents lived. Tess had previously explained that she lived just over a half hour north of her family in Greenville. The highway stretched ahead, almost completely flat. The air was soft and humid, permeated with an earthy green scent. It was early morning. Nathan had flown through the night, changing planes in Chicago not long after midnight, promptly falling asleep for the remainder of the trip from Chicago to North Carolina. Tall pine trees flanked the highway with occasional patches of flowers at exit areas and fields between the trees of various crops, including corn, cotton, and soybeans. Nathan had only been on the East coast twice before, once on a college trip to Washington D.C. and another on a trip to New York City with his brothers and parents. Both times had been in the summer, and he recalled the sweltering heat and constant air conditioning in every building. Growing up in the Pacific Northwest was a contrast with coolers summers and much less humidity, even though part of the area was rainforest. The rainforests of the Northwest, while damp and green, were much cooler than the Southeast. He couldn’t believe it was over eighty degrees in September.
He was glad for the time with Simon. While he’d gotten to know him somewhat during Tess’s family visit to Alaska, Nathan had been focused on Tess. Simon elaborated on what he’d learned about Chad’s scheme.
“Since Tess talked to our parents, our dad’s friend, Norm, from the bank has confirmed my suspicion—the account is under the name of a side business that is registered under Chad’s name,” Simon explained.
“So what now?” Nathan asked.
“Norm is working with the main office for the bank to freeze the account before we go the DA’s office with what we know. He wants that in place before Chad has a chance to try to empty the account.”
“Won’t Chad notice something up?”
“Our plan is to be in touch with the DA the same day the bank freezes the account, that way there won’t be time for Chad to get suspicious.”
“Can’t help but ask if you’re worried about what Chad might do once this whole thing blows up in his face,” Nathan said.
Simon shrugged. “Course I am. Tess is freaked out because she’s worried he’s gonna make good on spreading gossip about her once he realizes what’s happened. I keep telling her that no one will believe him once he’s charged for embezzlement.”
“What exactly is this asshole threatening to say?”
When Simon didn’t answer immediately, Nathan looked over to see Simon looking uncomfortable. “Can’t be that bad,” Nathan said.
“It’s not,” Simon replied. “Mostly bullshit, but Tess is pretty private and has worked hard to establish a good reputation as a fundraiser. She’s all worried that Chad’s going to tarnish that. As for the details…that’s up to her to tell you.”
***
After a quick stop at Simon’s office and then his house, Nathan entered Tess’s address into the GPS in Simon’s truck. Simon had refused to let him rent a car and insisted Nathan take his truck. Simon had driven off in his sedan with a wave after he’d quickly pulled Nathan’s single duffel bag from the trunk of his sedan and plunked it on the passenger seat of the truck. Nathan chuckled to himself as he looked around the truck. Simon referred to it as old, but it was in immaculate condition and maybe a few years old. Nathan had realized Simon was a man of great sense the second they’d pulled up at Simon’s home and Nathan saw the black Toyota truck.
Nathan surveyed the area before he drove away. Simon lived down a quiet road, the homes spread out amongst towering pine trees, mixed with hardwoods. Simon’s home was at the end of a gravel driveway, situated on a flat lot, mixed with trees, shrubs and an expanse of grass in the back that ended at the shore of a river. Trees draped with moss flanked either side of the lawn on the way to the river. The grass gave way to a small sandy beach. Simon’s home blended into the landscape, a single story ranch style home with cedar siding and a porch that wrapped around the house. While quite different from Alaska, the landscape was lovely, its beauty soft and understated.
A quick glance at the GPS and Nathan saw he had a forty-minute drive to Tess’s place. He felt a little ragged from the long flight, although thankfully he’d slept through most of it. Aside from getting the update from Simon on the status of the situation with Tess’s ex, Nathan had refrained from asking questions about what Simon might think about how Nathan should approach Tess. He’d come to the conclusion that his only option was to just blow through it. He knew she’d be surprised to see him, but he was banking on what lie between them to shake the doubts out of her—at least, for a few minutes.
As he drove, Nathan considered what else he’d learned about Tess from Simon. In the short time they’d shared in Alaska, Tess had mentioned that she was a fundraiser, but they hadn’t talked much more about her work. Clearly proud of his sister, Simon had informed him that Tess was quite well-known in the area as one of the go-to fundraisers for non-profits and businesses involved in various causes. It gave Nathan more of a glimpse into what made her tick. He could see how that prickly side of her would work as an advantage when turned to a cause for which she was impassioned. She’d be a hell of an advocate with the intelligence and wit to strategize well. Considering how her ex was trying to take advantage of her connections would hit Tess where it hurt, which notched up Nathan’s anger towards him.
Nathan managed to get to Tess’s condo in Greenville under the forty minute mark. Though he was entirely unfamiliar with the area, the drive was straightforward. As he pulled into the condominium complex, he glanced around and saw that the landscape was similar to where Simon lived. Her condo was tucked in the back corner of the complex. While Simon couldn’t be certain Tess would be home, he guessed she would be as it was a Saturday morning. Even with the two plus hour drive from the airport to New Bern and the drive here, it still wasn’t eleven in the morning yet. Nathan saw the red Toyota Prius that Simon had described and parked beside it. He yawned and wished for a moment that he’d thought to stop for coffee somewhere. With the travel and four-hour time difference, he was more tired than he wanted to be.
Nathan didn’t allow himself to think and quickly strode to Tess’s door. After a quick knock, he had to wait a long moment, his heart beating so fast he could hear it.
Tess swung the door open, her mouth dropping. Nathan took a long look at her. Those honeyed curls that he’d grown to love were a rumpled mess. That perfectly pink bow-shaped mouth was plump and inviting. She wore a fitted pink T-shirt with lightweight black cotton pants that clung to her curves. Her ginger eyes were wide and starting to fill with tears before Nathan broke out of his stare and stepped through the door, tugging her into his arms.
“Hey there,” he murmured into her curls. “Missed you, so I thought I’d stop by.”
He felt her vibrate with a giggle. She tilted her head up, eyes bright with tears. “You thought you’d just stop by, huh?”
Nathan smiled down at her, his heart so full in his chest, he thought it might burst. “Exactly. Hope it’s okay.”
Tess nodded firmly. He leaned down and captured her lips in a kiss. Her mouth opened to his immediately. In seconds, what started as a greeting spiraled into a heat that built so fast, Nathan lost all sense of where he was. He immediately missed the feel of her lips when Tess broke the kiss. All he wanted was to pull her close and memorize every inch of her, with his hands, his mouth, his body…and his heart.
With a shake of his head, his gaze cleared. Tess’s ginger eyes came into view, clouded with passion, humor and that subtle guarded quality he was accustomed to seeing in her.
She slid her hands down his arms and tugged him inside. “Door’s wide open, you know,” she said with a wink. “Why don’t you come inside, sit down and tell me how the hell you pulled off this surprise?”
Much as Nathan wanted to drag Tess back into his arms and forget everything but the feel of her lips and what came next, he was
tired enough that he allowed himself to be led into her condo. He took in the open kitchen and living room area with its view of a shaded lawn and scattered pine trees. A small circular table was situated between the kitchen and living room. An open laptop with a mug of coffee sat on the table. Glancing around, Nathan found the space warm and welcoming with its soft colors and comfy looking furniture. He imagined napping on the couch among its plethora of throw pillows, which cued him to how tired he was.
Tess waved him to the living room while she got him a cup of coffee. “It’s safe to say you surprised me,” she said as she walked towards him on the couch and handed him a cup of coffee. “Just a dash of cream, right?”
Nathan nodded and took a welcome sip. “Damn, this is perfect.” He savored the flavor and the dose of caffeine, along with the odd comfort of having this kind of moment with Tess. Hard as he’d fallen for her in Alaska, all of their time together had been in the bubble of her vacation, which didn’t offer moments of the usual daily activities. Having coffee in the place she lived carried a sense of newness and comfort.
Tess had fetched her own cup of coffee and joined him on the sofa, tucking a bright blue pillow on her crossed knees, angling to face him. “So?” she asked.
“So what?” he countered.
She rolled her eyes. “Let’s see…you didn’t say a word about this trip and just showed up here out of the blue. I don’t even know how you got my address. I’m thrilled to see you, but a little startled.”