The Hometown Hoax (The Hoax Series)

by Heather Thurmeier

  “I know how it feels to pin all your hopes and dreams on the opportunity you see in the city only to have them fall short and leave you crushed.”

  “Yeah? How?” Her hand continued to move over the page, filling in little details. Every stroke of her pencil brought the picture to life more and more. Even if he hadn’t been seeing the moment firsthand, her picture would’ve completely captured the mood and tone of the scene before him.

  “This gym teacher job in Cutter’s Creek isn’t my first time in the classroom. I was a teacher in the city for a few years too. I loved working with the kids and seeing them get better at sports and have a healthy attitude, but at the end of the day, I still felt dissatisfied with life. I didn’t like having to follow a set of guidelines that weren’t my own. Showing up at school early, staying late, filling out report cards, none of it was my thing. The only stuff I enjoyed was when a parent would come to me to ask advice about how to help their kid be healthier or improve at a sport they loved. I felt energized to make a plan for them.”

  He paused to clear his head. Thinking back about his time in the city, it was still hard to deal with the overwhelming disappointment. For a place he’d called home his whole life, he felt little love for it.

  “I’m not sure I see the connection. Seems like you had a good thing.” She put her book on the dock beside them and followed his gaze out to the lake.

  “I finally realized the stuff that made me the happiest was the stuff I only got to do once in a while. So I made the choice to quit teaching and become a personal trainer instead. I figured if what I loved was creating a health plan for students, then I should do that full-time. Sort of like how you know you love art and want to do it full-time.”

  “Is that when you opened your gym?”

  He sighed. How many times had he asked himself if there was something different he could’ve done to keep the gym running? “I used my entire savings to open my gym in this space around the corner from my place. I figured it was a good location—near lots of residential housing and there wasn’t a huge brand name gym within a few blocks, and the rent was almost affordable. So I went for it. But I could never figure out how to get a steady stream of people through the doors. I’d get a few, but not enough to bring in the rent check each month. I tried advertising and different hours. I added more services and tried to create an option for everyone, but it didn’t work. I couldn’t compete with the bigger gyms. Even though they were farther away, it didn’t matter. Eventually, I was out of money, out of options, and out of energy.”

  “I’m sorry. It sucks to see your dream not work out like that.”

  “Yes, it does. The city is a rough place for people like us. People who have big dreams but few resources at our disposal. New York can be the place that makes those dreams come to fruition, or it can be the place that ruins you.”

  “If you could do it all again, would you?” she asked.

  “In a heartbeat. Only this time I’ll do things differently. At least, it’s what I’m hoping to do in Cutter’s Creek.”

  “But why here? Doesn’t seem like the best place for opportunity.”

  “It’s the perfect place. It’s too small for any big name gyms to set up shop here. The closest one is more than an hour away. Here the people are loyal. I think if I open a gym with fair prices that everyone can afford with services catering to each type of person, I can make it work.”

  “What about the gym itself? Would it be set up the same way inside? What would it look like?” Her tone was filled with enthusiasm. Even in her time of disappointment, she could still be happy and excited for him. His heart swelled.

  As he rattled off where he would put the equipment so the space would be used most efficiently, she picked up her sketchbook, flipped to a new page, and opened the box of oil pastels. He lounged back and folded his hands under his head as he looked up to the stars. In his mind’s eye, he could already picture the gym in such detail it made him long for the day he’d see it in real life. There was no doubt that it would exist eventually, only a matter of when.

  He stopped talking and cleared his throat, suddenly aware of how long he’d been going on about his future gym. All along, Tessa had quietly murmured acknowledgements. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have bored you with all that detail.”

  “No. I like hearing about your gym. It sounds like it’ll be a great place.”

  He sat up and nuzzled her shoulder. “What have you been working on?”

  “This,” she said, not hiding her work this time, but instead holding up her book so he could get a good look.

  If he could take a snapshot of the dream gym he saw in his head, this sketch would be almost identical. How she’d gotten so many of the details right by only listening to his descriptions was like magic.

  “This is incredible. I can’t believe you did this while I talked.”

  “Does it look a little like you imagined?”

  “Are you kidding? It looks exactly like I imagined.” He cupped her jaw in his hands and kissed her lips. She kissed him back more eagerly than he expected, her tongue slipping into his mouth, finding his and dancing with it. If he could have her on the dock without fear of her family finding them, he would in a second. He wanted to feel her body next to his, cuddle her, comfort her, thank her for her amazing talent, and for listening to him talk about his passion. He hadn’t realized how deeply he cared for her and how much her opinion meant to him. Hearing her support for his career and his hopes for the future pushed him over the edge, and he couldn’t imagine spilling his guts to anyone else, ever.

  “You like it?” she asked.

  “I love…” He stumbled over the word suddenly wanting to say something he wasn’t sure he was ready for, something he suddenly felt so completely that it shocked him. Instead of dealing with it, he forced it from his mind. “I love it. The sketch. It’s perfect.”

  She smiled then kissed his cheek. A gentle, simple kiss that left his chest feeling full, as if his heart might suddenly burst through his ribs. He pulled back and ignored the sensation, moving the topic back to something safe, like her struggle in the city. “I can’t believe galleries could look at work like this and decide not to show your stuff.”

  “I would never show a gallery this stuff.” She shook her head and chuckled. “I’ve been painting cityscapes and showing those to the galleries. They’re turning out great so I don’t know what’s wrong with them.”

  “Since I’ve never seen one, I couldn’t comment on whether they’re great or awful, but I can tell you these sketches are unbelievable. If the galleries aren’t interested in the paintings, then it couldn’t hurt to show them a few of these.”

  She laughed like he’d told the funniest joke she’d heard in a long time. “No way. I could never show them this stuff. Who wants to hang stupid landscapes from Cutter’s Creek on their wall?”

  I would.

  “Show them whatever you’re comfortable with, but maybe it’s time to mix things up, give them something that’s still you, but with a twist. A new angle. Who knows, maybe it’ll be the thing they’ve been looking for.”

  She mumbled a response and nodded, but didn’t look convinced.

  He wished there was a way where she could live her dream of having her art hang in a big gallery while also getting to be with her. But short of moving back to the city, he didn’t see that happening. And moving back would mean giving up the chance to follow his dreams.

  No matter how much he was falling for Tessa, their hopes for the future were taking them in two different directions. Someone would have to sacrifice everything for the other. He couldn’t ask Tessa to do that anymore than he could do it himself. How was it that he’d come to Cutter’s Creek for a fresh chance to get the future he dreamed of, only to fall for a girl who wanted the life he’d left back in the city?

  Chapter Seventeen

  “Thanks for driving me into town,” Tessa said, as Logan pulled his car into James’s auto shop. “It shouldn’t tak
e me too long to fill out the paperwork and pick up my rental. We could always meet up for lunch after.”

  “Sounds good. I have an appointment to check out a possible gym space but that should only take twenty minutes. What’s your favorite lunch place?” he asked.

  They didn’t have a ton of restaurant options, but she’d always loved Randy’s Diner. She’d been going there her whole life and the food hadn’t changed, ever. Randy didn’t like change, and in this one circumstance she was grateful for that.

  “Have you been to the diner yet?”

  “No. Should we go there?” he asked.

  “I’ll meet you outside and we’ll go in together so I can introduce you to Randy, okay?” She couldn’t wait to see the look on his face when they walked in. It wasn’t a typical diner with chrome and vinyl and Formica. It was rustic country, and every square inch of the place paid homage to Randy’s obsession with old western movies and books.

  She climbed out of the car and after feeling the heat of the sun for a millisecond she slipped off her light sweater. “Mind if I leave this in here? I’m already super hot.” As she leaned back into the car, his gaze dipped to her cleavage.

  “I agree,” he said, clearly not talking about the sunny day.

  “Men,” she muttered as she put her sweater down on the car seat on top of her sketchbook. She’d brought it with the thought that she might stop somewhere to draw but between getting her rental back and having lunch, there was no reason to lug her art supplies around with her. She could trust Logan with them until she had time to use them later.

  Logan shrugged. “I can’t help but appreciate the view.”

  Knowing his eyes were on her body made her want to climb back in the car and find another lookout spot to fool around in. Or maybe she wanted to get him alone so she could have him to herself some more. If she were honest, that was why she’d asked him out for a lunch date. Although, it wasn’t a date, simply two people eating together. But she knew when they got back to the campground they’d be expected to hang out with her family. At the beginning of the week she would have done anything to keep her distance from Logan, but in the last couple of days, something changed.

  She loved how interested he was in her art and her life. She loved his passion for his fitness career and his desire to be his own boss again. Most importantly, she loved the way they seemed to connect on so many levels. Not only sexually, but emotionally and mentally too.

  The thought that their time together would be over in a couple of days when everyone went back to their regular lives sat in her stomach like a lump of bad seafood. She felt sick thinking about what it would be like not having him around to hang out with and talk to. Or kiss.

  “I’ll see you later.” She stood again and watched him pull out of the parking lot. What would happen when she didn’t see him anymore? Her heart fluttered.

  She’d known going into this that hooking up with Logan was a limited-time offer. She knew they’d never have any kind of future together when she planned to go back to the city and he stayed here. And she’d known getting involved with him could make things more complicated than she wanted to deal with. However, once she’d gotten to know Logan, it had become impossible to stay away from him.

  Now she was screwed. Her heart wanted to keep him close, but her mind knew she had to leave him to pursue her dreams. She couldn’t have both.

  She pulled open the shop door and scanned the service area for her brother so she could collect the keys. In two days, she was driving back to the city and leaving Cutter’s Creek behind again. Exactly what she wanted, right? But if this was what she wanted, why did the thought of heading down that highway, alone, make her eyes sting with newly formed tears?

  Logan shook hands with the realtor. “That has most of what I’m looking for, but I might want to think about it a little. Is there a big rush to make an offer?”

  “Not that I know of, but you never can tell who will see a property and decide it’s right for them. If anything else comes available, I’ll let you know. Right now, I think this suits your needs pretty well.”

  “What about that place around the corner, the one with the lakefront view? The principal at the school mentioned it was coming on the market.”

  Vince sighed. “It might be, but the owner was hoping it would become something like a museum, not a gym filled with meatheads whose muscles were bigger than their brains. Her words, not mine.”

  Logan groaned. He was sick of the stereotype that because he cared about his physical strength he didn’t have room left in his brain for other intelligent thoughts. “Tell her I’m not a meathead. I was a business owner in New York City. I’m not an idiot.”

  “She’s reluctant to sell to an outsider. The older generation in town have some hesitation when it comes to new people.”

  “Just the older people, huh? Is that why it took me hounding your office every day last week to get a chance to see this place?”

  Vince shrugged again, looking embarrassed. “I’ve got to run to another appointment. Think about this place and we’ll be in touch soon.”

  Vince left Logan standing on the sidewalk, annoyed and confused. Why did the people of Cutter’s Creek dislike outsiders so much? It wasn’t like he was a serial killer. He wanted to open a gym.

  “Hey, Logan, how’s it going?” Zack asked, walking up to him.

  “It’s okay.”

  “You looking at commercial real estate? I thought you were the new gym teacher.”

  “I am, but it’s a term position and I’m hoping to open up a gym by the time the maternity leave teacher is back. I thought this space might work.”

  Zack nodded. “Does it?”

  “Yeah, with renovations.” Logan looked back toward the building. It would be fine, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something about it didn’t feel right. It was a good space, but it wasn’t his space.

  “I wish I could offer you the extra space in my shop, but somehow I don’t think that’ll work for you.”

  Logan shook his head. The area was okay, but too small for a gym, nor would it be an appropriate place for one. The thought of people lifting weights while others shopped for a craft supplies made him chuckle.

  “Can you imagine my clients working out in your store?”

  “Definitely not.” Zack joined him in the laugh. “Although I would love to find a way to use that section of my store. It looks so empty and wasted. I’m sure you’ll find a good place for your gym. This building is great. Conveniently located in the middle of town too.”

  “I was hoping for somewhere with a little more parking, but this might work.”

  “Real estate doesn’t move quickly in this town. People tend to settle in for the long haul.”

  “Nothing wrong with that.” He’d give anything to have a place to call home, somewhere to settle and be a part of the community was what he’d always dreamed about.

  “I’ll let you know if I hear of any properties coming up, and if you think of anything I could add to my store to fill that space, give me a holler,” Zack said, looking at his watch. “You want to grab a bite? I have Cheryl watching the store for an hour.”

  “Actually, I was on my way to lunch with a friend. Want to join us?” Logan walked to his car and unlocked the doors.

  “Sure.” Zack pulled open the passenger side door while Logan climbed in and reached to move Tessa’s things from the passenger seat.

  “I’ll get this stuff out of the way.”

  Logan tossed her sweater to the backseat and was carefully moving her sketchbook when a thought occurred to him—what if Tessa used the extra space in Zack’s store? She could give art classes and then the students could buy supplies from Zack. And Logan would win too because Tessa would be in town and he’d still get to date her.

  He held the book on his lap while Zack climbed into the car and shut the door. Tessa didn’t usually show people her sketches, but she’d been showing her paintings to a ton of galleries trying to
get a job. If he was trying to get her one with Zack, then it was reasonable to assume he could do the same, right? How else could she—or him on her behalf—get an art job without showing some kind of portfolio of work?

  They couldn’t.

  Not to mention, her sketches were beautiful and surely he wouldn’t be the only one who thought so.

  “Have you ever thought about having artists do classes in your store?” Logan asked.

  “No, but it’s something I would definitely consider. Why? Are you offering?”

  “Not for myself, but for the friend I’m meeting for lunch. She’s an artist and she’s pretty personable.” When she’s not fighting with me. “I bet she’d be great. Take a look at this.”

  Logan flipped to the sketch of the moonlight lake. Seeing it in the daylight, it was even better than he remembered. “Pretty great, right? And how about this one?” He flipped to the one of him on the paddleboard, then the view from the lookout. Each one showed a slightly different nuance but was equally as awesome.

  “These are fantastic. I would definitely hire this girl to do some classes for me, at least on a trial basis. You know, see if the community is interested. I could even frame some of these and display them in the store for sale. I bet people around here would buy them. Well, maybe not that one of you, but the landscapes for sure. I can definitely see the tourists buying them. They love this kind of thing.”

  “That’s great.”

  Logan drove the short distance to the diner while Zack flipped through a few more pages, thankfully missing the one of Logan naked at lookout point. No one else ever needed to see that one. His body was for Tessa’s eyes only. When he pulled into the parking lot of Randy’s Diner, Tessa was waiting outside the front door, sitting on the steps, looking at her phone.

  “There she is. I can’t wait to tell her.” Logan stepped out of the car as Tessa walked up. His excitement about her new job prospect fizzled at the expression on her face.

  She rounded the front of the car to the passenger side door where Zack stood, sketchbook in hand. She ripped it from his grip and clutched it to her chest. “What are you doing with that?”