Page 3 of Tactically Tied

Was Jed interested in another food competition? Not really. Not when he'd have to smile at the cameras and flirt with women he wasn't interested in. Jed just felt tired—in his hands, in his feet, in his soul. He just wanted to settle down and… and what? He didn't know.

No, that wasn’t true. He knew exactly what he wanted to settle down with. Or rather,whohe wanted to settle down with.

"This new competition is going to be a big hit."

Jed started to shake his head to say no. But Rick was not only a smooth talker, he was a fast talker. So when the wordcouplescame out of his mouth, Jed perked up.

"Couples?"

"This cooking competition is between married couples. Now I know you're not married. But it can be for engaged couples too. Surely you have a girlfriend whose finger you can slip a ring on for a week or two?"

There was only one girl whose finger Jed wanted to slip a ring onto. But she'd more likely deck him than let him hold her hand.

CHAPTERTWO

Jami Chou stepped off the plane, exhaustion clinging to her like the honey glaze on a perfectly crisp Peking duck. That was the last decent meal she'd had after nearly forty-eight hours of travel from her father's native China to her mother's homeland in the middle of America. The bustling noise of the airport was a sharp contrast to the sleepy quiet she’d just left behind in Asia. The familiar scent of fried food and stale coffee hit her nose, making her stomach churn.

She pulled the strap of her overstuffed carry-on higher on her shoulder, sighing as she shuffled toward the baggage claim. Her cargo pants were wrinkled. Her dirty blonde hair, though clean, was a mess. She was pretty sure she smelled like a mix of airplane air and the questionable noodles she'd eaten at one of her three layovers. It had been a long journey, but seeing her sisters again—that would make all the travel misery fade away.

She glanced around the airport she’d flown in and out of more times than she could count over the last five years. It looked... different. Cleaner, shinier, somehow more polished.

Her eyes caught the new LED signs hanging on the walls, the sleek, modern lines of a renovated terminal she barely recognized. New restaurants with trendy logos lined the concourse, and even the coffee kiosk had a new pretentious, neon-lit menu that probably cost more than her plane ticket.

Upgrades. Lots of them.

Her chest tightened as a small, unwelcome thought crept in. All these changes—all that money.

She rubbed her temples, the ache in her head competing with the exhaustion that had settled deep in her bones. It shouldn’t bother her, but the idea that everything around her was moving forward in her small town while she had jetted across the globe but somehow felt like she was on pause gnawed at her.

She couldn’t shake the niggling feeling in her brain, like a persistent itch. She was running low on funds. No matter how much she tried to ignore it, the truth clung to her. Her travels had been exhilarating—sampling the finest cuisines in every corner of the world, hopping from one exotic locale to another—but they hadn’t come cheap. And now her bank account was dangerously close to empty.

Another look around the sparkling new airport with its polished floors and modern upgrades made her wonder just how long she could keep doing this. It was clear—money made the world move forward. It made airports gleam with newness, kept the restaurants thriving, the signs bright.

And money was something Jami desperately needed more of.

As much as she hated to admit it, her sisters had done the smart thing. They had tapped into their inheritances, invested in their businesses, and built something solid. Now they were both thriving while she was out here, still chasing... what? She wasn’t even sure anymore.

The truth gnawed at her, uncomfortable and sharp. The only way she could access her own inheritance was to do what Jacqui and Jules had done: get married.

The thought of tying herself down, of letting anyone get close enough to truly see her, made her stomach twist. Marriage wasn’t in her plan. At least, it hadn’t been. But then again, neither was being broke and stuck in the middle of America.

Jami tugged at her carry-on, its wheels protesting as they squeaked along the polished airport floor. Her feet felt like lead. The dull ache in her back reminded her just how long she’d been on the road. She was halfway to the baggage claim when she caught sight of a familiar face in the crowd.

“Jami? That you?”

She blinked, focusing on the man standing a few feet away. His suit was rumpled, and his eyes were bloodshot, the kind of tired that came from more than just a long flight.

“Ryan?” she asked, stopping short, surprise flickering through her exhaustion at the sight of her high school boyfriend.

"Wow, look at you," Ryan said, a slow grin spreading across his face. He rubbed the back of his neck, letting out a small chuckle. "It's been forever. What are you doing back in town?"

"Just visiting family for a while," Jami replied, noting the slightly off-kilter sway in his posture. "What about you?"

Jami and Ryan Daniels had dated her senior year of high school. Until another guy had come between them. Though Ryan didn't know that.

It had happened after a silly game of Truth or Dare. Rather than tell a dangerous truth, Jami had opted for a dare. That dare led to a kiss that haunted Jami every day since. The kiss hadn't been given to her by her high school boyfriend. It had been taken by her worst enemy.

"Just got back from a weekend in Vegas." Ryan gestured vaguely toward the terminal with his thumb.

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