by Elena Aitken
Max ordered a bottle of red wine with barely a glance at the wine menu and turned his attention back to Tess. She hadn’t told him. It was her chance to come clean and he’d been so sure that she would. After all, they couldn’t move forward with whatever was going on between them if she didn’t. Maybe he’d have to force the issue?
“I’m really looking forward to a nice, relaxing evening, Max. There’s been so much emphasis on work lately. I absolutely agree with you: let’s not talk about work or anything to do with it.”
Including the fact that you’re not really the consultant we hired. There was no point saying it out loud, he realized. Not if he wanted to enjoy his evening with her. And he did. More than anything, he did.
“I couldn’t agree more. So tell me...when you aren’t consulting for the business of which we will not speak, what are you doing? What’s your favorite way to spend your free time?”
He leaned back in his chair and watched her beautiful face light up as she started to talk.
“You’re going to think it’s stupid.”
“I assure you, I won’t.”
She laughed self-consciously and bit her lip. “Well, I know you’re Mr. Adventure, and in your spare time you probably summit mountains and swing from vines in the forest.”
He shrugged. Only one of those things was true, but he didn’t need to point that out. Not yet anyway.
“You’re going to think that that my hobbies are boring and mundane.”
“I assure you, I’m not.” And he knew he wouldn’t. The more time he spent with her, the more Max realized that although on the surface she wasn’t a daredevil or adventurer like he was, she was so much more, in so many ways. And she didn’t even know it. So much so that she felt she had to pretend to be someone she wasn’t. But as much as he did know about the real Tess, she was definitely not boring or mundane, and she was definitely worth getting to know better. “I want to know,” he insisted. “I want to know everything about you. And I can’t imagine anything being less than thrilling when it comes to you.”
She blushed all the way down her neck into the dip of cleavage on her dress. Max made no effort to hide his gaze as he followed the trail of flushed skin.
She reached for and took a sip of water. The action cooled her skin before she continued. “Okay, but you have to promise not to laugh.”
He crossed his heart with a finger. “Promise.”
“Okay, well as you know, I live in Southern California.” Max nodded. “And as awesome as it is to live close to the water, I rarely actually get a chance to go to the beach.”
“Pretty common.” He nodded.
“So whenever I get the chance, I go to the beach.”
“That’s it?”
She shook her head. “Not really. I kind of have a tradition. I get a double latte and a day-old cinnamon bun from Barb’s Barista Bar.”
“Day old?”
She nodded and kept talking. “Then I walk. I do the same walk every time, but it’s not boring and it’s never the same because that’s the crazy thing about the beach. It looks different every time. It’s always changing. I like to collect sea glass. I have a whole jar of it in my kitchen. It’s kind of my hobby, trying to fill the jar. For hours, if I have time, and I’ll come home with handfuls to add to my collection. But before I go home, I sit in the sand and throw pieces of cinnamon bun to the seagulls.”
“Oh, you’re one of those people.”
She laughed, a sound like sunshine that lit him up from the inside. “What do you mean, one of those people?”
“You’re one of those people who feed the birds and get them all in a frenzy, flying over my head ready to attack or…worse.”
Tess laughed again. “I see. You’re one of those people.” She took a sip of her water and sat back as the waitress arrived with their wine. “You’re afraid of birds.” She whispered the words, but the waitress heard and did a terrible job of hiding a chuckle as she presented the wine.
Max obliged by tasting the wine and waiting for the waitress to pour them each a glass. When she was gone, he leaned across the table. “I wouldn’t have to be one of those people if you weren’t one of those people.”
She laughed—it was a sound Max was quickly getting used to hearing—and raised her glass in a toast. “To…”
“Those people,” he finished for her.
The night was going well. In fact, it was easily the best date Tess had had in years. Not that it was a date. Not really. But maybe it was. The way he looked at her, flirted with her, caught her hand in his when she was reaching for the salt… Yes, she decided. It was definitely a date. More than that, whatever weirdness had happened between them on the trail was gone.
In fact, Tess was positive, that given the chance again, no one would be backing away from a kiss this time. Her body flushed with anticipation of his lips on hers again. His hands in her hair, his—
“Clara? Are you okay?”
She shook her head just enough to clear it and focus on Max. “Of course,” she said. “I’m fine. I was just thinking.” Thinking about how good it would be to hear you say my name.
That was it. It had gone on long enough. She’d just have to deal with whatever happened. Clara would understand.
Would she?
The image of the perfectly put together Melissa flashed through her mind. That was a woman who definitely would not understand if she found out she’d been deceived. No way.
But maybe it was a risk she’d have to take.
“I’m sorry,” she said when she realized Max was waiting for an answer to a question she most certainly hadn’t heard.
He smiled, as if he knew what she was thinking. Maybe he did. The thought crossed her mind like a bolt but instantly fizzled out. There was no way he knew she wasn’t Clara. Max was definitely not the type of man to go along with something like that. He would have said something.
He reached across the table for her hand, a move that grounded her and brought her back into the moment. “I was just wondering if you’d like to walk up the main street with me and get a coffee? It’s not much, really. In fact, it’s kind of kitschy. Just a few gift shops, a flower shop that services the weddings at the Lodge, and a little café. They make the best cappuccinos, though. And you seem like you could use a coffee.”
“I think that sounds great. Besides, it’s a beautiful night for a walk and a little mountain air would do me some good. I’m feeling a little warm all of a sudden.”
It wasn’t a lie. Her entire body was flushed, no longer only due to his closeness but also from the risk she was about to take.
The fresh air did feel good and as they walked, Tess felt better and better. Whatever panic had overcome her back in the restaurant had dissipated. With a coffee in hand, they walked the length of the short street to the sitting area, where benches and rocks had been placed with wildflowers growing all around. It was the perfect place to sit and watch the world go by, or to have a conversation that could potentially change everything.
No. It would change everything.
“Is something on your mind?” Max asked her as they sat.
She took a deep breath. There was no point putting it off any longer. “As a matter of fact, there is.”
“You’re going to tell me you wish you had some day-old bread to feed the birds, aren’t you?” He slapped his hand on his thigh. “I knew I should have bought that muffin. It was looking a little stale. It would have been perfect.” She couldn’t help it; she laughed. “But we don’t have seagulls up here in the mountains. You would have had to settle for the sparrows and chickadees. Or maybe if you were lucky, a crow would come by.”
He mimicked the actions of tossing crumbs to the birds, and she couldn’t contain her laughter any longer. He looked so ridiculous and only seemed to feed off her laughter, which grew stronger until she was clutching her stomach. “Stop.” She choked back another laugh. “You’re killing me.”
Max grabbed her hand and squeezed. “I’d never want
to do that.” His tone turned serious and his free hand slipped up to her cheek. “You’re beautiful. Especially when you’re laughing. You looked so worried and stressed earlier—I just want to make you laugh.”
She tensed slightly at his words.
“No.” He stroked her cheek with his thumb. “Don’t lose the smile, okay?”
“I need to tell you something.” She blurted the words out before she could stop herself. “I’m not Clara Clark. I’m not a business consultant and I’ve been lying to you.”
She managed to get the words out before the shame overtook her and she looked at her feet. But it wasn’t all shame that she felt: it was also an intense sense of relief. The lie had been eating her up, more than she realized. And now, no matter what happened, at least she’d been honest. If Max wasn’t interested in her after that, there was nothing she could do about it. But she could not start a relationship based on a lie. No matter what.
The prospect of no matter what got a little more real when Max didn’t immediately respond to her confession. The silence between them grew until it seemed like hours had gone by. When he finally took her hand, squeezed it and reached over to tilt her chin up so her eyes met his, she thought she’d explode from the relief of it.
Looking in his eyes felt good. It felt right, but not nearly as right as it felt when he bent down to kiss her. The moment his lips met hers, every bit of tension she had been holding onto for the last week exploded in passion as their mouths moved against each other. His hands laced in her hair, holding her close as she melted into him. When they finally pulled apart and Tess could look into his eyes, she knew it would be okay. He didn’t seem to care at all that she had lied to him. In fact, it didn’t seem to have been a surprise when she’d told him the news. It was as if he’d already…
“Max?”
He nodded and tilted his head in question.
“Don’t get me wrong. I mean, I’m not looking for any trouble where there doesn’t seem to be any, but aren’t you upset with me? I mean…aren’t you even a little upset that I lied to you about who I was?”
He opened his mouth to say something but closed it again, pressing his lips into a line. He nodded once before he said, “I knew.”
“You…wait…what?”
“I knew you weren’t Clara. I knew you were pretending.”
Her head spun while she tried to process what he’d just said. “What do you mean, you knew?”
“Just that.” He sat back to put a bit of distance between them, but he held onto her hand and squeezed it tight. “I had a feeling something wasn’t on the up-and-up right away. I mean, it was pretty clear early on that you weren’t the same woman I’d been chatting with by email. I mean, you weren’t nearly as confident about what you were talking about as you should have been. Considering you’re a consulting expert and all.” He smiled, but Tess didn’t feel like joining in.
“When?”
“When what?”
“When did you know for sure?” The urge to pull her hand away from his grip was strong, but she needed to hear him out, too.
He scooted closer to her on the bench, clearly becoming aware that she was not pleased with him. “Honestly, right away. Especially when we went out to Mountain Ridge Outdoor Adventures. I didn’t think you were actually going to go through with the zip line, though. That was pretty impressive.”
“Like I passed a test?”
If he noticed the tension in her voice, he didn’t recognize the danger there.
“I guess it was sort of a test. Honestly, I thought you’d break down right away and tell me the truth but then when you agreed to come up here to Castle Mountain Lodge, I was even more impressed by your level of commitment. Truly, you may not have been all that good at your role, but you were committed. That’s for damn sure.”
“Committed?”
“Absolutely.” He sat back, as if he was proud of her for her dedication in her deception.
The whole thing was more and more confusing to follow, but one thing wasn’t confusing to Tess: the piece of information that he’d known that she wasn’t who she said she was, and he’d pushed her to her limits anyway. For some reason, that upset her more than was probably reasonable. But she didn’t care whether she was being unreasonable or not. It wasn’t fair for him to have put her through any of that, as though he was playing some sort of game with her.
“I thought for sure when we boarded the plane that you’d crack.”
“Crack?”
“I kept waiting for you to come out with the truth,” he continued, completely oblivious of her growing discomfort with him. “And then when we kissed, I—”
“That was part of the plan?” She’d had enough. She jumped up from the bench and pulled away from his hand. It was too much. Knowing he was playing a game with her was one thing, but to know the kisses they’d shared were all part of the plan…that was too much. That hurt.
“Tess. Please, I—”
“So you do know my name?” She whirled around and faced him. “And when did you learn that little nugget? Did you place some kind of bet as to when I would tell you my name, too?”
“Bet? No.” He stood and tried to grab her hand again, but she wasn’t having any part of it. “Of course not, Tess. There were no bets. I wasn’t playing any games with anyone. It was just… Tess. Please.”
She couldn’t stand there for one more minute. The whole situation was ridiculous. He was the one who should have been upset with her. Logically, Tess knew that, but everything he was saying was so ridiculous that she couldn’t process it fast enough. She looked at him one more time. Her heart cracked with the knowledge that she’d never been more than a game to him. She turned and ran away.
9
What the hell had just happened? They’d had an amazing date, the best Max had ever had, with easy conversation and laughter and just enough flirtation to drive him crazy, and then it was just about to be perfect because Tess was going to come clean with the truth and they were going to have a good laugh about what a ridiculous situation it all was and then he’d kiss her and…
But that’s not how it went at all. She’d gotten mad.
Tess had gotten mad. Shouldn’t it have been him?
When Tess had run off, every bone in his body had yearned to go after her, but his head was smarter than his heart and he let her go. She was upset and she needed a chance to cool off before he could talk any sense to her. Instead, he’d turned and taken one of the longer trails through the trees. The sun lingered in the sky; even in the mountains, it stayed light enough into the night that the trail should be safe. Besides, if anyone knew his way around the woods, it was Max. And the fact that he was likely to be alone on the trails was definitely appealing. He needed to clear his head.
The more he walked, the clearer it became. He’d gone too far, and he knew the moment it had happened. It was all in her eyes. Her beautiful blue eyes. She’d been so concerned about telling him the truth. So worried. But then he’d been a jerk.
“Dammit.” He kicked a rock and watched as it bounced into the woods and disappeared. That’s why she’d run off. He’d been a total jerk. He should have pulled her close and told her it was okay and she must have her reasons for the lie. He should have listened. And he never should have played with her. He couldn’t have seen it coming, but he was definitely the bad guy. And that was the very last thing he wanted.
He needed to find her. Because, yes, they were both in the wrong, but it was nothing that couldn’t be fixed. And the only way to fix it was to be truthful. No more lies.
Max broke into a jog. He needed to stop her and find her before she went to bed. Or worse…left the Lodge.
“I’m leaving.” Tess hadn’t even waited until she got back to her suite before she called Clara. Her heels clicked on the stone pathway as she walked as quickly as she could without turning an ankle. “I’m sorry, but I have to leave. All of this was a bad idea and I’m just putting your business at risk.” And my
heart, she wanted to add.
“You can’t leave. Not now.”
“You don’t understand.” Tess sniffed back tears.
“No,” Clara said. “I don’t understand. I really don’t, Tess. But I heard you when you said you were falling for this guy and I know you well enough to know that’s something.” Tess nodded even though her friend couldn’t see. “And I’m still your best friend and as your best friend, I want to know everything about it, but…”
Of course there was a but.
“I need your help here.” Tess took a breath and Clara continued. “Can we get through this? Can we—”
“Clara!”
Shit.
“Who’s that?”
Tess turned to see Melissa striding toward her. She still looked impossibly put together, as if she’d just time warped through the last few hours without having lived at all. “It’s Melissa Kramer,” she hissed into the phone. “What the hell could she want? I talked to her earlier today.” Tess wiped at her eyes with one hand and did her best to smooth her hair as the other woman came closer.
“You did? Keep me on the phone,” Clara said. “I want to hear what’s going on.”
“Clara!” Melissa called again as she got closer. She moved at an incredible speed, but from what Tess could see as she got closer, there was zero sign of exertion. Not even a hair out of place or a bead of sweat. It was unreal.
“Tess.” Clara spoke into her ear. “Keep the phone on, okay?”
“Okay.” She agreed and held the phone down by her side, careful not to cover the microphone, as Melissa joined her.
“I’m glad I caught you,” she said. “Were you headed somewhere?”
“Just on my way to bed,” Tess said with a smile she most certainly didn’t feel. “It’s been a big day.”
“Well, I won’t keep you then. I just thought that since you’re here, we might as well have the final recommendation meeting in person instead of over the phone like we originally discussed. I have an opening tomorrow morning. How does that work for you?”
