Her cheeks turn pink, which makes me immediately uncomfortable. "For Kenzie," I add quickly. She tucks her bottom lip between her teeth and gives me a very unwanted once-over. "If you need to get a hold of… you know… just in case you—okay, great," I ramble, now even more anxious to get her off my porch. "We'll see you tomorrow, Elle."
She smiles more genuinely this time, peeking over my shoulder once more as I slowly close the door. When it clicks shut, I lean against it, my head lolling back into the wood as I let go of a breath I had to hold so I wasn't smothered by her perfume.
"You okay?" Tessa asks, coming out of the living room where she was setting up thespa.
My senses heighten—the same way they've done all day when I'm reminded she's here. And like I have every time, I force them down. "I think so?" I answer, a shiver running down my spine as I picture Elle's last expression. I laugh, kicking off of the door.
I haven't fully wrapped my head around the idea of Tess living here. Right now, it seems like she's just helping with the party. But technically, she's been here all week, even if I haven't. That could end tomorrow, though, and I may not even need to come to terms with it.
The problem is, I'm too afraid to ask because I'm not sure which answer I'd be hoping for.
"Thanks again for helping with this,” I say, my hand dragging down the back of my neck.
"Liam, you've said that like ten times this week," Tess replies.
I chuckle, lifting one shoulder. It's true. I texted her every day I was gone to tell her how much I appreciate her being here—and how glad I am that our house is still bug-free. Of course I meant both, but whether saying so was just an excuse to message her… I'll never tell.
"I know, but I really do appreciate it."
Now she’s the one who shrugs. "Well, thanks for letting me stay here."
I peer down at her. "You've said that like ten times this week."
She smiles coyly. "I know, but I really do appreciate it."
A moment lingers between us—one of many that I've questioned since the hotel room last weekend. Part of me wants to talk about it—I need to know if she has to actively stop herself from thinking of us too. But I'm also happy to ignore it. Who knows? Maybe the tension growing here will start to fade.
Maybe it will disappear completely.
Tessa's eyes darken, and my lips fall open.
Or maybe not.
"Tess…" I hear myself saying.
Her face beams with hope.
"I—"
"Dad!"
Ruthie and all six of her friends come barreling down the steps. She leads the pack as they all but crash into us.
“Ooh, Tess! You’re back.”
Tessa and I search one another's faces, her swallowing hard and me clearing my throat.
A few of the girls look at her too, then each other. Ruthie notices. “You guys know Tessa, right?”
“Is that your girlfriend?” Kenzie asks me casually, as if the question doesn’t set my insides on fire.
“Oh, no,” Tess jumps in, her whole demeanor different. She nudges Ruthie with her elbow. “I’m just the nanny.”
Her eyes flit to me.
"She’s more than that,” Ruthie says—for both of us. She smiles up at her. “Tess is the best. She put all of this together. We’re gonna paint ournails and do face masks. She even ran back out for cucumbers to put over our eyes and everything.”
I watch as the girls' faces scrunch into smiles, the three who just arrived slightly less enthused than the others. I can't help but grin as Ruthie leans in to give Tess a side-hug.
