Tessa hadn’t wanted to tell her mother what was happening while she was struggling so hard to support them. But that last summer, she’d had to speak up. Her mother had just begun seeing Zach’s father, Jack Mallory. Tessa had fought going to Mont Clair for the summer, but her mother had laid a guilt trip on her about the importance of nurturing family connections. Tessa had closed her mouth and packed her bags.
At twelve, she’d begun to mature. Her baby fat had disappeared and in its wake she was developing a woman’s figure, not full by any means, but enough to draw some very unwelcome notice. Her cousin, Peter, was four years older and the primary instigator to making her life a torment every summer. But that year the torment had changed. Instead of trying to lock her up somewhere by herself, he was always trying to be alone with her, touching her and making comments about her body, his body, and what he would like to do to her.
Tessa had quit eating and had begun to lose weight. She had worried so much that Peter would come in her room at night that she’d had trouble sleeping. Then, the night he did come to her room and Tessa had screamed over and over for him to get out, somehow it had been her fault. She must have done something to lure him there.
Tessa closed her eyes, goose bumps prickling her skin despite the warmth of the day. Blue-blooded families with their proud pedigrees could hide a whole wealth of family faults. She shivered. She’d never gone back after that, not after she’d told her mother what had happened, what had gone on for years. They’d cut ties with her father’s family at that point, and Tessa had been glad.
She shook herself out of the past. She had put it behind her, but every once in a while, when someone grabbed her, it all came back. Peter hadn’t even done the most damage. The worst part was, no one had believed her. It had destroyed her trust and taught her to rely only on herself.
“Tessa!” Zach shouted, “Look! I’m sailing Wistful.”
She rolled over and looked at her little brother, controlling the boat under Seth’s close supervision. She smiled at both of them and waved. She’d never seen Zach have such a great time since before Jack and their mother died. Her brother’s freckled cheeks glowed and his eyes sparkled. She didn’t know what she’d do without him in her life.
He would go to camp in another two weeks. Tessa had wondered if she was making the right decision, but now she saw it would be a good thing. Sponsored by his new school, the camp was based at the bay, where he would learn skills that included sailing and hands-on work with sea life and eco-systems. She looked at it as a way to get him outside and away from computers and video games for a while, but perhaps it would spark some new interests. Without academics as the main focus, Zach would have a chance to meet kids in an atmosphere where the pressure was eased.
Seth took over as they reached another sheltered cove. This must be the new fishing hole. Tessa watched as boy and man worked to get poles baited and set up, and then Seth told Zach he was in charge.
He turned to Tessa with a thoughtful look on his face and headed her way. She had already thought about her reaction earlier and spoke up as he approached.
“I’m sorry, Seth.”
“For what?” he asked as he sat down next to her.
Tessa waved her hand toward Zach. “For spoiling the mood back there. You’ve done a wonderful job with Zach, and I…well, I’m sorry.”
Seth tipped her chin up. “Are you having a wonderful day?”
“Oh yes! I can’t even think when I’ve had such a blast. I love the sailboat. And Zach… It’s been so long since I’ve seen him this happy, and it’s not just because of our parents’ accident.” At Seth’s look, Tessa continued, “It’s hard to get him to interact with people. Zach is brilliant when it comes to computers and video games. Light years ahead of me.”
“That’s scary,” Seth commented.
Tessa nodded. “The problem is, he struggles to read and write. Kids make fun of him. They also tease him because of the hair and the freckles. He’s had a lot of problems in school and he doesn’t have many friends.”
Seth glanced at where Zach kept a careful eye on each rod and reel. Tessa knew it was hard to imagine him having problems, let alone not having friends. Yet sometimes character traits that made a child easy to get along with for an adult made the same child unpopular with kids his own age.
“Kids can be cruel,” he murmured. “I ran interference for years for my sister, Anna, and not just from kids. Adults can be just as cruel.” His glance shifted back to her. “I’m glad you’re both having a good time.”
Their eyes met and there it was again, that feeling everything else faded away. Tessa’s guard slipped, but she didn’t care if he saw what she was feeling. He leaned toward her, his expression tense as though he wanted to gauge her reaction before doing anything. Her lips parted and a flush of desire suffused her entire body. It stole her breath for a moment. He was going to kiss her, and she was more than willing for that to happen. She needed to feel that.
“Seth,” Zach shouted. “Come quick! I think I’ve got a fish on the line.”
Seth’s laugh was rueful as he pulled away. “I’ll be right there, buddy!” He turned back to her, his smile lopsided. “Were we having a moment?”
“I think we were.”
“Can we try that again some time when we don’t have an audience?”
“I think we could.”
“Excellent.”
Chapter 7
The atmosphere had shifted between them. Tessa sensed it as the day drew to a close. She was glad of it. She still had no idea where they were headed, but an easy camaraderie now existed. Zach fell asleep within five minutes of climbing into the back seat of the big black Escalade. Seth reached over, grabbed Tessa’s hand, and held it, stroking the backs of her fingers with his thumb. She had noticed that about him, a need to touch what was in his world. It seemed so at odds with the cool concentration he demonstrated at work.
“I have a house at the beach,” Seth began as he drove. “Would you spend a weekend with me while Zach is at camp?”
As Tessa opened her mouth to reply, Seth continued, “Don’t answer right now. Think about it. No strings attached. I want to get to know you better. I want you to know me better. I don’t think Barrett is the place for that.”
He trailed off as if uncertain where he was going with his thoughts. Tessa found that rather endearing.
“I’ll think about it,” she promised.
He smiled at her and squeezed her hand before returning his attention to the road.
If Tessa had expected the weekend to change their working relationship, it didn’t. When she brought Seth his coffee the following morning, she received the usual grunt from behind a wall of newspaper. He had spent some time with Barrett Senior on Friday in the afternoon, but hadn’t shared anything with her about what the meeting concerned. Since he hadn’t, Tessa had to assume it was personal, particularly as he hadn’t looked pleased when he came back. Brandon had gone up after Seth. He, too, hadn’t looked happy when he returned. Tessa could understand that. Alexander seemed cold and aloof to her, definitely a man she didn’t want to be on the wrong side of.
Seth’s mother called midweek to see if she and Seth could help out again with the Habitat project. With a wicked smile, Tessa assured her it would be no trouble at all. She hoped to get some sort of rise out of Seth, but he nodded and smiled as if she’d suggested they go to lunch.
* * * *
This time around, Seth picked her up. They worked on the same crew, but as equals, since the crew chief was back on the job. The roof trusses were already in place, but they would be putting the plywood on the trusses, then adding the felt and shingles. When the crew chief realized Tessa had experience at that, he assigned her to go up. Seth was left doing a lot of the heavy lifting and moving supplies while he watched her with one eye. She scurried around the roof as if she did this kind of work every day.
It amazed him to watch her. She was so different than any of the women of h
is previous experience, not to mention younger. There was nothing of the country club debutante about her, nor the bored sophisticate. The biggest thing that set her apart was the dichotomy she presented between the blueblood pedigree and education, and the tough, reserved young woman who also possessed pretty amazing business insights. Which one was the real Tessa?
He knew her need to care for her little brother was what drove her. She enjoyed sailing and swimming, but she tolerated the fishing because Zach loved it so much. There had been that one moment, though, when she’d pulled away from him almost in fear. A reaction that again did not seem to fit with a privileged, pedigreed upbringing. Altogether, those paradoxes made her a puzzle, and his need to solve it grew more intense.
Around mid-afternoon, Seth’s cellphone rang. He was right in the middle of carrying a hundred pounds of shingles from the truck to where they were lifting them up to the roof, and he almost didn’t answer it in time. His sister, Anna, shared news that she was getting married. She and Chris Stevenson had worked out their problems after all. He was happy for her. His gaze drifted to Tessa as he listened to Anna. When it penetrated his brain that she wanted to get married the following Wednesday and wanted him to be there to give her away, he paused.
“Hey, Tessa,” he yelled. “My sister in North Carolina’s getting married Wednesday. Can I be there?”
He saw her mind working and grinned. Who needed a planner with her around?
“I can move everything on that day to either Tuesday or Thursday without a problem,” she called down.
“She’ll clear my calendar,” Seth told his sister. “Make it right before lunch and I’ll take everyone out somewhere.”
* * * *
Tessa watched him work below her. A couple times she banged her thumb as he hefted the heavy packs of shingles. There was an interesting play of muscles in his arms and under the snug fitting material of his shirt. For someone who spent so much time behind a desk, he managed to stay in shape. He bent over to attach the shingles to the pulley system they were using to haul them to the roof. The powerful muscles in his long thighs flexed and bunched inside the taut material of his jeans. She gulped, then flinched as she smacked herself with the hammer once again and had to stick her thumb into her mouth to suck the pain away.
At the end of the day, Tessa scrambled across the roof. Seth held the ladder while she climbed down, caught her around the waist near the last step, and swung her in a wide arc before setting her on her feet.
“Come on, Spiderwoman, let’s go grab a burger and some fries on the way home.” He threw a casual arm around her shoulders and fitted her next to him as they walked back to his SUV.
“Mmm,” Tessa sighed. “That sounds wonderful.”
As they headed back into town, Seth glanced over. “You want to swing by and pick up Zach? I’m sure he’d enjoy a burger and some fries too.”
“That would be wonderful, Seth. Thanks for thinking of him. You know he’s got a case of hero worship going anyway.”
He surprised her by flushing and clearing his throat. “He’s a great kid.”
And you’re a surprising man. The few times she’d dated, she couldn’t imagine any of those guys thinking about including her little brother in anything. She watched the way Seth made an effort to draw Zach out then listened to him as if he were the most important person in the world. It touched her to the point where she had to blink back the sudden moisture in her eyes.
“So when do you head off to camp?” Seth asked the little boy as they stuffed themselves on greasy burgers and crisp, crunchy fries smothered in ketchup.
“Friday,” Zach got out between bites. “Tessa drops me off Friday afternoon and we take a bus to the camp. I can’t wait. We’re even going to learn how to sail, Seth.”
He smiled at Zach. “You’ll be a step ahead, buddy, since you’ve already had your first sailing lesson on board Wistful.”
When they returned to her apartment, Tessa invited him in. She had enjoyed the day and was reluctant to see it end so soon.
“I’ve got a cold beer in the fridge, if you’d like something a little stronger than a milk shake,” she coaxed.
He smiled as he pulled his shirt away from his body. “If you can stand the smell, I could stand a beer.”
Tessa laughed. “Like I’m any less filthy than you?”
They sat out on the front stoop. Zach disappeared inside, back to his PlayStation and the latest game he was whipping his way through. Seth held up his bottle and clinked it against hers.
“To a successful day of house-building and a beautiful lady to make the time fly by.” He held her gaze as he tilted the long neck for a deep drink.
Tessa blinked, pleased by the compliment. “Thank you.”
They drank in companionable silence, watching a few couples, mostly older, pass on their evening strolls. Tessa thought it amazing that here was the COO of Barrett Newspapers sitting next to her on the stoop of an old converted house in a working class neighborhood, slugging back a beer as if he lived here. She couldn’t begin to imagine any of the Loudoun Edwards slumming enough to do something similar, and most of them didn’t have a pot to piss in compared to Seth. Good grief, she remembered her grandmother’s maid having to pop the caps on bottles of Coke before she left for the day because her grandmother didn’t know how to use a bottle opener!
Seth finished the beer and set it down on the porch. With his hands dangling from the knees of his spread legs, he spun his baseball cap like a wheel. She was mesmerized by the muscles that rippled in his forearms. A scent of clean male sweat drifted to her nostrils. It was an incredible turn-on.
“I should go,” he murmured, as if it was pulled from him because that was what good manners dictated.
Tessa didn’t want him to leave yet. He was easy to be around, accepting and not grilling her all the time about her past and why she no longer associated with her prominent family.
“You don’t have to. Go, that is.” Tessa’s hand trembled on the leg of her jeans, stroking the material until he covered her fingers with his own. “I could get us another beer. If you want one.”
He shook his head.
“Do you want me to stay for a while?” Seth seemed a little unsure, nervous even, and that surprised her.
“Yes. It gets lonely sometimes with just Zach for company. I know he’s my brother, but he is ten, and sometimes I feel more like his mother than his sister.”
Seth turned and leaned a shoulder up against the porch pillar. He reached out with one long finger and stroked a stray piece of hair from her face.
“It’s tough to always feel like you’re the responsible one.”
“I never felt that way until I got the call at school about the accident.”
“How did it happen?”
“One of those freak things,” Tessa said as she stared into space. “They were coming home from a business dinner. A trucker was passing them when his tire blew and slammed into their car. My stepfather lost control. He died at the scene.”
“What about your mother?”
Tessa bit her bottom lip. “I was able to say goodbye. It was almost as if she waited, you know? Once she said goodbye and asked me to watch out for Zach, she kind of let go.”
Seth squeezed her shoulder. “You miss them.”
“Both of them. Jack was more a dad to me than my father ever was, and I watched the way he was with Zach. He was a great parent, and he loved my mom so much.” Her voice trailed away toward the end and she swallowed. “I’m sorry. I don’t usually dump that on people.”
Seth pulled her into his shoulder and pressed her against his side. His voice was a deep rumble as he said, “I don’t want to be just ‘people’, Tessa. You do know that, don’t you?”
His gaze was sincere, intense.
“I know,” she whispered.
He tilted her chin and kissed her then. Rather than an attempt to start anything, his kiss was gentle and undemanding, more of a benediction. He released her
and stood up, a half smile tugging at his firm mouth.
“I’m leaving now, while I still can. I’m leaving because you do have that little brother inside, and I won’t have him think less of you if I stayed.”
She nodded and watched his easy stride as he walked to the Escalade. Warmth flooded her. She’d dated a few times since Zach came to live with her, but had never before felt respected because a guy left. She smiled and shook her head. It was still difficult to realize he was the same man who growled at her from behind newspapers and barked orders left and right when he was at work. Which man was the real one, or were they both parts of the whole?
Seth sprang the wedding preparations on her Monday, right after he grunted his way through his morning coffee. As he outlined what he wanted her to do, Tessa stared at him. No problem, she thought. In forty-eight hours they would fly to North Carolina for his sister’s wedding, where Seth would give her away, then Tessa would somehow have managed to cater a luncheon reception, complete with a wedding cake for about twenty people at the groom’s parents’ home. Of course, all he knew was their last name and that they had a horse farm.
Tessa nodded through all of his instructions.
“Will that be a problem?”
“Not at all,” Tessa assured him and turned on her heel. She would not give him the satisfaction of letting him see what she really wanted to do was drop her mouth open, stare at him and ask, “Are you crazy?”
She made a few well-chosen phone calls and came back before lunch to set the travel itinerary, the menu and the choices for wedding gifts in front of him. She refrained from giving voice to the na-na-na-na-na-na.
“If you’ll select one of these gifts, I’ll have it ready to leave with us Wednesday morning. I assumed you might want me to come along with you and Brandon, since I moved your meeting with the West Coast division to Thursday, and you could use the travel time and any downtime to complete your meeting prep.”
Balancing Act Page 9
