Page 22 of Holiday Home 4

“I think I can say the same thing about you,” she whispered, and his heart nearly somersaulted over the moon. “And flabbergasted as I might be about you and Victoria’s deal, I’m glad you were willing to confide in me. I’m glad I can be in your confidence this time.”

Liam resisted an urge to abashedly scratch at the back of his head and smile toothlessly. He knew she was referring to thelastsecret he’d kept from her, the one involving him and Anna only pretending to be a couple. She hadn’t been upset when he and Anna, following a confrontation with Trent Alden had pushed them into a corner, had finally spilled the beans, either. So far, telling the truth had yet to put him in the doghouse.

Of course, shehadgotten a little upset when Avril had kissed him, then declared her interest in him. So, not every surprising reveal ended up going this route. Just most of them.

“You’re the only one I’ve shared it with,” he admitted. “Probably the only one I will. I can’t see Avril using this info for good.”

“I think that’s for the best because of what you’ve said—which is absolutely true—and so you can stay in Victoria’s good graces. We should also keep your sharing of this with me quiet.”

Liam nodded. That had been the very next item on his agenda, and for precisely the reason Tess had just brought up. He didn’t want to fall out of Victoria’s confidence, and spreading news around the group that he’d somehow convinced her toshow him a few pictures of her in bikinis seemed the quickest way to collapse their budding relationship. Especially if Avril found out.

“So,” Tess said, smiling evenly, “so long as you show me the pictures you’ve been sent, I won’t tell anyone.”

Liam blinked. Tess kept smiling. Eventually, the ball of fuzz between his ears managed to remember that it was a brain and that brains could comprehend even statements as unexpected as the one he’d just heard.

“Huh?!”

“Give me,” Tess said, beckoning toward him with her hand. “I want to see what Victoria has sent you. I feel that’s a fair payment for my silence and forgiveness in this matter.”

“I’m in need of forgiveness?”

“Aren’t you?” Tess asked, still holding her hand out.

Flushing crimson, Liam slowly began maneuvering to pull his phone from his pocket. At the same time, citing that “he wouldn’t need these for a while,” Tess removed his jacket and shirt from his lap and placed them over her side’s couch arm. Immediately after, her hand returned to its position, fingers wiggling as she awaited the feeling of his phone in her palm.

After bringing up his messages with Victoria, he hesitantly handed it over. They hadn’t talked about thatotherthing since she’d sent him the first picture of her. So long as Tess didn’t start scrolling past the photos, he ought to be safe from her finding out about it.

Intentionally—he was confident of it—Tess leaned away from him after obtaining his phone. Holding it up, she prevented him from seeing what she saw. He frowned, but she either didn’t notice or didn’t react. Instead, she spent well over a minute examining the three pictures Victoria had sent him.

“You even got one on Valentine’s Day, I see,” Tess noted, eyes glued to his screen. “We really are spoiling you.”

Liam elected to stay quiet, knowing he could really only agree with her. Tess, Anna, and Avril had already formed the greatest triumvirate since the Roman era. With Victoria somewhat added in, even if it was just a few pictures from her past, he knew how good he had things.

“What about this first picture?” Tess eventually asked, finally raising her gaze from his phone. “You didn’t give it a rating.”

“Oh, that one got a three. I, uh, gave her that rating when I was still at her house.”

“Yes, that reminds me: what exactly were you doing at her house in the first place? I don’t think I should keep letting that fact be glossed over.”

Even though his heart launched into his throat, Liam kept his gaze steady. “I wanted to get some advice from her.”

He could tell it wasn’t enough to soothe Tess’s curiosity, but nothing like suspicion appeared in the look she leveled at him. After a moment, realizing he didn’t plan to elaborate, Tess finally handed back his phone.

“I have to say, ifthosepictures can only earn up to a three out of five, you’ve set some unattainable goals when it comes to a woman’s beauty,” Tess teased. “I don’t know if any woman could be good enough for you.”

“It’s not that,” he said, slipping his phone back into its vault. “In any normal situation, every picture would be a five out of five. If that were the case, I’d be out of points in no time.”

“Don’t you have more than a hundred points to spend?” Tess asked. “Even if she wanted to wrap up all those points, you’d still be guaranteed overtwentypictures of my colleague.”

Liam merely shrugged. Although he hadn’t done any math when setting things up with Victoria afterward, he had done it later. He was sure Victoria was just as aware of how many pictures of her he might have at the end of the month, assumingshe did want to guarantee they went to Fiji. However, she’d only sent three pictures so far, and there were only two weeks left until Avril closed the voting. As things currently were, it was possible he wouldn’t get anywhere close to twenty photos.

However, he still had one more reveal up his sleeve. His plan for tomorrow would lower his potential ceiling, yet he hoped it would raise the floor. If things worked out, he’d at least hit double digits before Avril closed the voting.

“I guess it just felt like it’d be kind of dumb if I gave every picture a five,” he said, hoping Tess would agree. “They obviously are, but still.”

“I suppose,” Tess said. “Still, don’t be the kind of man whonevergives out his highest marks. Men who always couch a critique into a compliment, worry about giving too many compliments, or are worried about ‘spoiling’ their partner are no good. Don’t ever forget that.”

Liam nodded but still asked, “Does that sound like me?”

---