Page 72 of Whisking It All

“No, he wouldn’t.”

“Jamie…I’m only here for two more months and we both need to have a relationship with Ethan for much longer than that.” She looked up at him, her head still resting on his chest. “I’m not the kind of girl who stays in one place for long, and definitely not in a place that barely wants me here.”

He dug a hand into her hair and tugged just hard enough for her to tilt her head back. “Haven’t you figured out yet that we all want you here?”

“I mean, I guess I’m starting to understand that maybe you like having me around,” she teased.

“Not just me,” he said.

What would it take to convince her that she belonged in Aster Bay? That she’d always belonged?

He kissed her until the worry melted from her eyes, as though a kiss could rewrite a lifetime of belief.

“Can’t we just enjoy the time we have together without making this more complicated that it already is?” she asked.

“And how much time is that, princess?” he asked, knowing that no matter what she said, he was going to hate her answer.

“I leave the day after Christmas.”

It wasn’t enough time. It would never be enough time.

“Maybe we could just…do this?” she said, looking up at him with those big raven-dark eyes.

“This?” he asked, needing her to clarify.

“Enjoy each other,” she said, her hands wandering over his back. “Enjoy this time together. Without needing it to mean anything. Without anyone else having to know about it.”

He knew he should say no. He should end it now. She already meant too much to him for that.

Instead, he smoothed her hair and plastered on a smile even as every bone and muscle and tendon in his body fought to reject the idea that Tessa could never really be his.

“Yes, of course. You’re right. No one needs to know.”

Chapter 22

Baz threw the tennis ball against the wall of Jamie’s office with a maddening ka-clunk, over and over and over again, as though Jamie’s head weren’t pounding from lack of sleep and too much caffeine. Not that he was complaining. He’d gladly take a headache in exchange for the last few nights of having Tessa in his bed.

“Norm wants a cut of the bonfire ticket sales,” Baz said. “He’ll give us a break on the patio rental fee and the heaters, but he intends to make it up on the back end.”

“Which means?” Jamie asked.

“Which means we need the bonfire to be a sell out to make it worth it. Otherwise, we still end up spending money that isn’t in the budget,” Baz explained.

Ka-clunk.

“How many tickets are a sell out?” Gavin asked.

“Two hundred. That’s the most the fire marshal would approve,” Jamie said. “Tessa tried to get him to go to two-fifty, but you know Marty. He wouldn’t budge.”

“Tessa talked to Marty?” Ethan asked, his face slightly out of focus on Jamie’s computer screen.

“And Norm,” Gavin said.

“Geez, guys, send her into the deep end, why don’t you?” Ethan said.

“She held her own just fine,” Baz said. “We all knew Norm wasn’t going to just give us the patio for free. He cares too much about his bottom line for that.”

Ka-clunk. Ka-clunk.

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