“I love this neighborhood,” Tessa said as she took in the cute street. “Lilac lives a few houses down.” But Leo was busy examining if the front porch steps were crooked. And viewing a few missing tiles on the slate roof. And checking to see how old the windows were. She could practically see him adding up the dollar signs.
The house was a century old, with a nice fireplace, built-in bookshelves, and wooden floors. It was light and bright, and Tessa felt like it was a perfect little dollhouse. The kitchen had clean, simple white wood cabinets…and zero counter space.
“It’s so adorable,” Tessa said, looking at the moldings and a tiny little alcove in the hallway that must have housed a phone.
“The kitchen doesn’t have an island,” Leo said in a practical tone. “And we both love to cook.”
“It’s large enough to add one,” Indira said, glancing around. “And you wouldn’t even have to knock down any walls.”
Tessa looked out some sliding glass doors onto a brick patio and a cute garden that surrounded it.
“My friend Ginny from Realty Plus showed the house this morning to another couple who are considering it,” Indira said. “It was the second showing for them. So if you two like it, you have to act fast.”
“You have to love it, Leo,” Tessa said. “Try not to feel the pressure.”
“You actually know the couple, Tessa,” Indira added, stopping to whisper something in Tessa’s ear.
It took a minute to sink in. “Oh,” she said, going quiet.
“I’m missing something here,” Leo said.
“Sam and Marcy,” Tessa said quietly.
“I’m sorry, Tessa,” Indira said. “I didn’t want to—”
“No, it’s all right.” She forced a smile. “No worries.”
Leo was eyeing her with concern, which made her feel even worse. She liked it better when he tormented her. Anything was better than being looked at like poor Tessa.
Why did everyone treat her like she was fragile? She wasn’t.
Sam hadn’t been the right person for her. She knew that. But what he’d done still hurt.
And now he and his girlfriend wanted this house.
Suddenly, Tessa needed air. She mumbled something about wanting to see the little backyard and walked through the sliding door. It was just as adorable as the rest of the house, the brick patio lined with flowers bursting in a state of borderline disorder. The patio overlooked rolling green fields. In the distance, she could make out the buildings of their sweet downtown. It was a bright, beautiful sanctuary. A place to make sun tea and sit with Cosette and a good book and unwind at the end of a long day.
The longing for a life of her own resurfaced with a vengeance. A home, kids, pets.
But, she knew now, that had been a bad reason for hanging on to Sam.
Suddenly, Tessa realized that she didn’t want Sam and Marcy to have a house that looked like a little dollhouse and would be perfect for a newlywed couple. Not because she somehow wanted to spite them. But because she wanted it.
“Hey, are you okay?” a voice behind her said. The devil, back again.
She took a big breath and steeled her shoulders. Used to hiding her struggles from her mother, her sisters, even the whole town, she barely flinched. She even managed a smile.
She was standing in front of an unruly patch of lilies of the valley, their white little blooms tipping over like tiny teacups, the air filled with their sweet, old-fashioned scent.
Leo walked up and stood beside her. “There you are.”
“Just enjoying the view,” she said. “And all the plants. Irises, daffodils, tulips, hydrangeas, pachysandra…” She hoped the name-dropping would distract him from the truth, which was that she was struggling to keep it together.
He looked around the tiny yard, its brick patio ingrown with weeds, the unkempt garden in need of some TLC. “Looks like the garden’s in about the same shape as the rest of this place.”
He knocked elbows with her.
That simple, playful gesture slayed her. She was suddenly filled with a longing so intense she felt it might crush her. For love. For a family. For a life.
“What if I told you I wanted people off my case for a while?” she asked.
“Why are people on your case?”
She rolled her eyes. “You know why.”
If she and Leo married, everyone would back off. They’d be happy for her instead of calling her Ice Princess or whispering behind her back. She’d be…normal.
“Screw people,” he said. “Who cares what they think? What matters is what you want.” The intensity of his gaze burned through her, sharp and assessing. “What do you want, Tessa?”
“I don’t want to be trapped here anymore. I want…out.” Her voice cracked a little, containing emotion she couldn’t manage to hide. “But I have to fix our business before I can do what I want.”
“Then that might entail taking a risk.”
She wanted to tell him that she was a risk-taker. That she was ambitious and bold. But she wasn’t. Not anymore. She was beaten down and…stagnant. But she didn’t want to be that way.
“Can we talk terms? I don’t expect comfort. Or friendship. Just a partnership.” She didn’t want him feeling sorry for her. “Zero expectations. We save our families’ businesses and then part ways, clean and simple.”
“Business all the way,” he said, his hands in his pockets, staring at a little stone statue someone had left in the garden. “What is that thing? An elf?”
“I think it’s a garden gnome.” It had a pointy hat and a red jacket, and it was sitting on a mushroom. On his face was a mischievous expression, like he’d just snuck all the cookies from the cookie jar.
A quick glance behind his back revealed…sure enough, he was hiding a chocolate chip cookie behind his back.
That made her smile. It was like a good omen. An elf with baked goods. A sign.
“It looks like something from Lord of the Rings.” He turned back to her. “This is just my opinion, and you’ll probably cut me down to size for saying this, but sometimes overthinking isn’t good.”
“Leo, for God’s sake, it’s marriage.”
“I’m not going to lie. It’s a leap. But sometimes if you don’t jump all the way, you’re left hanging from the cliff. You know what I’m saying?”
For some reason, that made her teary.
“We can get along, Tessa. We can be partners. Together we can save our families.”