Page 28 of Bewitched By the Mountain Man
I study the woman who helped destroy Tessa’s last relationship. She used to be her friend until she started dating her ex right after they broke up. She's ordering at the counter, completely oblivious to our presence.
"Do you want to leave?" I ask.
"No." Tessa's jaw sets. "I'm not running from her."
Vanessa gets her drink and turns, scanning the room. Her eyes land on Tessa and something flickers across her face.
She walks over.
"Tessa," she says, her voice dripping with false sweetness. "Wow. Hi. I didn't expect to see you here."
"Vanessa." Tessa's tone is ice.
Vanessa's eyes slide to me. "And who's this?"
"A friend," Tessa says before I can speak.
"Right. A friend." Vanessa twirls her drink. “So… keeping busy these days?”
“I am,” Tessa says, guarded.
Vanessa’s smile sharpens. “Seems so.”
Tessa narrows her eyes. “How would you know what I’m doing these days?”
Vanessa lifts her cup, taking a slow sip. “Amazing what you can learn just by paying attention.”
She lets that hang in the air for a beat, then turns with a smirk. “See you around, Tess.”
Tessa is quiet for a beat, then suddenly stiffens. “Wait a minute.”
I glance at her. “What is it?”
“What if it was Vanessa who saw me at the club?”
“Does she go there?”
“I don’t know,” she says. “Have you seen her before?”
I shake my head slowly. “Not that I remember. But whoever sent that footage to Derek obviously had access to the club’s security system. That’s not something just anyone can get to. You think she works there?”
“No. I don’t think so.”
“So maybe she was just a guest?”
“Maybe. And if she saw me there, maybe she went digging afterward, connected with someone whocouldget the footage.”
“So she’s not just being petty. She’s playing a long game.”
“She always did want what I had,” Tessa says. “And I didn’t see it back then. I thought we were friends. But obviously, she wanted to hurt me.”
Tessa takes a shaky breath. “If she was there that night, maybe she goes regularly. Maybe we go back. See if she shows.”
I hesitate. “Do you really want to go there?”
She nods. “I need to. With you.”
I let out a slow breath. “That was my old life, Tessa. I walked away from it the moment you stepped into mine.”
