The Hometown Hoax (The Hoax Series)

by Heather Thurmeier

  “You don’t give yourself enough credit. I wouldn’t be able to accomplish something like this if I had ten years to work on it and you probably whipped it up in ten minutes.”

  “More like thirty, but who’s counting?” Her smile played lazily on her lips as she glanced up at him. In the darkness settling around them, her good looks took on a whole new quality. She wasn’t only beautiful on the outside, though there was no denying she could be a model, but there was so much more to her. Her eyes twinkled even more as the darkness dilated her pupils and the firelight reflected in them. Her skin looked golden and sun-kissed from their adventure on the lake. And with all the activity of the day, her hair had taken on an unruliness that sent it into a river of curls framing her face and falling to her shoulders in a way that made him long to tangle his fingers in its depths.

  She’d opened up herself to him by showing him her sketchbook, a part of herself that was so personal and private that she didn’t share it with anyone. Knowing that she’d decided to share it with him touched him in ways he hadn’t felt in a long time, if ever. When was the last time a woman had let him in, unguarded and vulnerable, to her deepest most sacred places?

  Never.

  Tessa had.

  Somehow this girl who only yesterday had wanted to throttle him after their accident, and who’d done basically nothing but fight with him since, had suddenly given him a piece of herself. As tempting as it was to flip the page to see more, he carefully closed the book. If she wanted him to see other pictures, she’d show him herself.

  Tessa was different.

  Tessa challenged him every step of the way. She didn’t make anything easy and in fact, most of the time he suspected she was being difficult on purpose. Pushing him away, although why she would do that, he had no idea.

  Even though he knew he stood to get nothing but friendship out of this week with her, he couldn’t stop himself from wanting to learn more about her. He wanted to dig deeper, find out what made her tick. Part of him knew it was because then he could use it against her to push her buttons so she’d fight with him some more. He liked that fierce, determined, unyielding side of her. And when she fought with him, she got a fire in her eyes that showed him how much passion she had simmering inside. He longed to bring that out of her in any way he could, even if it meant engaging her in another argument. But arguing was the furthest thing from his mind now. Instead, he wished she didn’t have a boyfriend so he could pull her onto his lap and kiss her luscious-looking lips and not stop until they turned dark pink and plump and called out his name for more.

  But she had a boyfriend.

  So rather than act on his emotions, going with his gut, he did the only thing a stand-up kind of guy could do. He handed her sketchbook back and reached for his beer instead. It was an inadequate substitute for what he truly wanted.

  “I bet sometime I’ll see one of your paintings hanging in a gallery somewhere.”

  “Thanks,” she said, her voice coming out as barely more than a whisper as she looked up at him through her eyelashes.

  “Dinner’s ready,” Martha called as she walked up to the fire pit. In her arms she carried a platter of assorted hotdogs and sausages while Mary, Travis, and Sally held dishes of what looked like potato salad, pasta salad, and coleslaw.

  His mouth watered at the sight. “I wish you’d let me help with this.” He wasn’t a great cook but he’d like to do something to earn his keep.

  “Don’t worry. In this family we all take our turn cooking. You’ll get your chance before the week is out. But if you have a preference for what meal, feel free to speak up. Otherwise, I’ll give you one I’m tired of doing.”

  “Sounds fair to me. I should probably warn you I’m not a great cook.”

  “Neither am I, honey.” With that she handed him a metal stick and offered him the platter of assorted meats. “Sausage or hot dog. Your choice and done how you like it since you’re the one heating it up over the fire. Both are pre-cooked already.”

  He accepted a sausage and skewered it, making sure it was secure and wouldn’t fall into the fire. “Thank you. Everything looks fantastic.”

  When was the last time he’d cooked on an open campfire? Never. That wasn’t something people did in the city. As the flames licked the sausage, his gaze moved to where Tessa was sliding a hotdog onto her stick. Her touch looked gentle as she squeezed the wiener, guiding it down the shaft of the skewer. He swallowed, his throat suddenly feeling dry. Maybe it was all the campfire smoke he’d been sucking in great gulps as he watched. Food was not a turn on to him, or it never had been…until now.

  Now the sight of her paying such close attention to the hotdog made him jealous. He could practically imagine how it would feel to have her hands on his body, guiding him gently to where she wanted him.

  “What?” she asked. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

  “Nothing. Sorry.” He coughed to clear his throat and his mind. How long had he’d been staring at her like that? Hopefully not long. “I was watching you handle that wiener.”

  “Perhaps you should pay attention to your own wiener and stop worrying about the one in my hands.” She grinned and arched an eyebrow.

  He wasn’t completely sure, but her tone sounded slightly different tonight, not the usual wanting to fight with him tone, more of a teasing, almost flirty tone. But there was no way she was flirting with him, not when she had that boyfriend back in the city.

  Unless…

  Today on the lake, he was sure her story about that guy’s job was different, and he was sure that she’d sounded nervous talking about him. In fact, she’d visibly relaxed when the subject had moved on to other things. Why would she act like that unless there was something suspicious about her story, something she didn’t want people to figure out?

  “Fire. Dude. Earth to Logan.” Travis clapped his hands together, laughing when Logan finally pulled his eyes from Tessa.

  “Shit!” he blurted.

  His nicely secured sausage was currently on fire. He pulled the stick out of the pit and blew on the flames to put them out without splattering hot grease on himself or anyone else. When they were finally out, all that remained on his stick was a shriveled and blackened pathetic looking piece of meat.

  “You may as well grab a new one,” Martha said.

  “I think we should make him eat that one. Penance for not paying attention. Didn’t you always say we had to be extra careful around the fire, Dad?” Tessa asked, her voice sounding far more innocent than her expression said it should be.

  She was a devious one. No wonder they referred to her as the rebel of the family. While everyone else was more than happy to welcome him into the fold, she took every opportunity to ride him, push his buttons, and spar with him. And so far he’d taken every opportunity she’d presented to encourage her behavior.

  After today, he’d definitely encourage her to ride him tonight. Hard.

  His balls tingled with the idea.

  If only he could figure out what was up with that boyfriend situation for real because he couldn’t shake the notion there was more to the story.

  “You’re right, Tessa-bear. I should eat this wiener since I’m the one that burned it. However, I like your mom’s idea better.” He retrieved a new sausage from the table. This time he kept it close enough to warm up but far enough from the flames that there was no chance for it to burn.

  He watched her expression while they chatted. It seemed her face gave away more truth than her words.

  “So when you and Richard meet for dinner after work, do you usually meet him uptown for dinner? There’s this great little place I used to go on the Upper East Side called Frieda’s. It’d be close to his office building.”

  Her gaze darted from the fire to his and around to the rest of their group. “Um, yeah. We eat up there a lot actually since it’s easier for me to come to him than for him to pick me up. I don’t think we’ve ever had Frieda’s though.” She giggled as if she was
nervous.

  “You should ask him. They have great lunch specials for cheap and service is fast. I bet he’s eaten there with his colleagues before. I’m curious if he likes it as much as I do.” Hearing the words he knew he wasn’t talking about liking a restaurant. It was Tessa he liked.

  “I’ll do that,” she said quickly with a smile.

  “I thought Richard worked on Wall Street,” Mary said, chiming into the conversation exactly how Logan hoped someone would.

  “Me too. Wasn’t that why he couldn’t take the week off? That big important finance job?” Sally asked.

  “Oh, did I say Wall Street?” She giggled again and this time it definitely sounded nervous. “I guess I wasn’t clear. I should’ve said he works on the Upper East Side but often has to travel down to Wall Street for meetings and whatnot.” She thought fast on her feet. Apparently she was no stranger to getting herself out of a tough spot with a little creative fiction.

  When her gaze locked with his this time, he could tell she was hiding the truth—there was no boyfriend in the city. Maybe the rest of her family hadn’t figured it out yet, but he’d caught her in the lie.

  He smirked when she shook her head so subtly he almost missed it. He nodded once, a silent communication—saying he knew her secret and he’d keep his mouth shut. For now.

  Later he’d find out why she lied, but for now he’d let her secret linger. Honestly, he didn’t give a damn why she’d made up a boyfriend. All he cared about was what this meant for him and the rest of his vacation, in a cabin, alone with her.

  Tessa was single.

  Chapter Eight

  Tessa didn’t know how Logan figured out she’d lied about Rich—or Richard or Dick, or whatever the hell she’d said his name was—but however he’d managed it, it didn’t matter anymore. He knew she’d lied. Now the question was, why had he kept her secret? And if he did agree to keep his mouth shut, would he expect something from her in return? What would make him stay on her side when he could so easily confide the truth in his friend Travis?

  Tessa had no idea. Thankfully, her family didn’t seem any more aware of her fictional romantic life than they had earlier, and Logan seemed content to drop the subject. He’d been the one who’d brought up her fake boyfriend to begin with and now that he caught her in her lie, he’d moved on to other topics.

  “I’m looking forward to working with the kids, but it’ll be different for me,” he said. “I’m used to working with adults who can make the choice for themselves about whether or not they want to live a healthy lifestyle. Now I’ll be encouraging kids to make good choices on their own while being able to show them how much stronger, faster, and more flexible they can be if they apply themselves in my class.”

  “Sounds like you’ll be a positive influence in the school,” Mary said, smiling. It wasn’t her flirting smile, but the fact that she was paying so much attention to Logan suddenly annoyed Tessa.

  Hands off, sis. She shook her head. Whoa. Where did that come from? Shocked at her own thoughts, she focused on the fire again and tried to ignore their conversation.

  “Thanks. I hope to start a program for the faculty while I’m there too. I know it’s only for six months, but I feel like I could leave a lasting impression if I can get them motivated to make some positive changes too.”

  “What did you have in mind?” her mom asked.

  “I thought I’d start with a walking program during lunch or even before school if there was interest. And since I know the students usually only get physical education once or twice a week, I thought it might be fun to start a daily break where everyone in the school pauses to do a short, easy guided exercise routine. Simple stuff, like stretching and jumping jacks and maybe even an easy yoga move or two. Everyone can do mountain pose, can’t they?”

  “Tessa probably can’t,” Sally piped up from somewhere in the darkness.

  “I can do the mountain pose.” Tessa jutted her chin out.

  “Do it. I dare you,” Mary said.

  “Fine. I will.” She stood with her shoulders back and her eyes focused on Logan and acted as if staring at him intensely didn’t make her knees weak. “What’s the mountain pose?”

  They all laughed, except for Logan who stood on one leg with the other knee bent and at an angle while his foot rested against the knee of his straightened leg. As if that wasn’t enough, He raised his arms above his head and brought them down in front of his chest in a sort of prayer pose. And he did it all without a single wobble, flinch, or sway.

  Sure. I can do that too. No problem.

  As she attempted the same pose, she locked her eyes on his, refusing to be intimidated by his stability. She successfully balanced on one foot with only a mild wobble, sliding her opposite foot up her leg until her knee was bent and at an angle similar to his. Maybe it was a little lower, but whatever, close enough.

  “I did it.” She continued to balance with her arms outstretched to the sides, while her toes gripped the insides of her shoes as if they alone could make her stay upright.

  Logan came to stand in front of her. “Now you need to raise your arms above your head, like this.” He resumed the yoga position with ease and she tried to mirror his arm movements.

  As soon as her arms were above her head, it was as if her ankle forgot how to do its job. The wiggle of instability started up her leg and before she could put her hands into the proper prayer pose, she fell toward the fire, her leg shooting out to the side in a feeble attempt at counter-balance. But it wasn’t her extended leg that saved her from the flames.

  It was Logan’s strong arms wrapping around her torso and pulling her back to safety.

  Her skin felt fifty degrees hotter as she found her footing, all the while with his hands on her back, squeezing her gently against his broad chest. His biceps were large and firm in her hands as she clung to him, not even having realized she’d grabbed him. Now that she’d noticed, she couldn’t focus on anything but his taut skin beneath her fingers.

  “I’m fine. You can let go of me.” She made her voice as confident as she could, hoping none of her family would hear her nervousness and perceive it to be because of being in Logan’s arms. Because it wasn’t. Feeling his strong arms around her like she was getting a hug from a buff teddy bear who smelled like a mix of campfire and sex had absolutely no effect on her whatsoever. None.

  “You’re welcome.” He smirked. “I think you should do yoga with me some time. You could use the practice, and learning some basic balance would be beneficial too.”

  “What makes you a yoga expert?”

  “I teach yoga.” His eyebrows scrunched together a little making a crease between them. “Actually, I used to teach yoga at my gym before I had to close the doors.”

  The sadness in his voice created a pit in her stomach. She hadn’t expected that kind of response to his emotion, but it was as if her body knew he was hurting and instinctually wanted to comfort him. She wanted to pull him close, wrap herself around him, and let him pour his heart out to her. Instead, she took a step back and out of his arms. She wouldn’t get caught up in his world, not if his world was in Cutter’s Creek.

  “Sorry to hear about your gym, but I don’t want or need yoga classes. Thanks, but I’m fine the way I am.”

  He leveled her with his gaze. “I’ll remember that the next time you’re headed for the fire.”

  She stared right back, unblinking. “Please do.”

  Her mother brought out ingredients to make s’mores and Tessa eagerly grabbed a marshmallow, skewered it, and stuck it in the fire. As she sat back in her chair, she shivered. It had been warmer standing so close to the fire.

  And in his arms.

  Shut it.

  “Well, I think your idea sounds fantastic. I hope the school goes for it,” Mary said.

  “Thank you. I hope so too.” The smile he sent toward Mary sent a fire bolt of jealousy shooting through Tessa’s chest.

  No. Not jealousy.

  Mary need
ed a strong talking to if she planned to keep flirting so blatantly with Logan. He wasn’t right for her. He was a muscle head while Mary was a sensitive, caring girl who needed someone else equally as kind. Not someone who loved to push buttons and irritate the people around him, like Logan. No. Logan needed someone strong and feisty who could stand up for herself, someone who wasn’t afraid to speak her mind. Someone like Tessa.

  No. Not like me.

  Tessa pulled her marshmallow from the fire when it turned a golden brown, trapped it between the two graham crackers and chocolate she’d pre-assembled and squished it gently until the gooey white fluff threatened to spill out the sides. The sticky fluff was sweet on her tongue as she licked the edges.

  Taking a bite, she sighed and let her eyelids flutter closed as she chewed. Crisp crackers mixed with melted milk chocolate and creamy marshmallow rolled around on her tongue, tantalizing her taste buds. Each bite made the flavor in her mouth stronger, richer, more satisfying. Was there anything better?

  She missed being able to do this any night of the week now that she lived in a tiny apartment. Growing up, they’d often light a small fire in a fire pit in the back yard throughout the week and would sit out there to watch the sunset over the mountains, have drinks, and make s’mores. But that wasn’t something she could do in the city.

  Licking her lips clean, she debated having another.

  Her gaze fell to Logan. He held a s’more in his hand, but it was as if he’d forgotten it was there. Instead, he stared at her so intensely she could almost feel his gaze raking over her entire body. She pulled her lower lip between her teeth, gently scraping off a tiny bit of chocolate. As she did, Logan’s mouth fell open slightly.

  Something about the way he looked at her made her pulse pound in her limbs, making them tingle with excitement. Get a grip. She would not let her body’s chemical response overrule what she knew in her brain she wanted. Clearly, she was tired from the long day and needed to put her overreacting body to bed before it made decisions she didn’t agree with.