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ChapterTwelve
SPENCER
“Your honor?” Tess cocks her head. “Like I’m a judge or something? Does that make you the jury? That wouldn’t make sense, though. Becauseyouaccusedmeof caring. So who gets to decide if I’m guilty? And what’s the sentence for having a heart?”
“Heh.” I run a hand through my hair, raking the strands up. “You’re guilty of running with that metaphor.”
“Objection. You started it.”
“Yeah. Well I’d like to retract my statement.”
Her eyes flash. “Sustained.”
Hmmm. I don’t think we’re doing this right.
We both stand there in the growing darkness, her shifting her weight, me wondering why she’s deflecting. I must’ve gotten under her skin. Noticed something she’d rather I didn’t. So she tries to make me sound ridiculous? I’d better not push.
If Tess wants to stay on the surface? Fine.
She bends down to retrieve her lantern. “The cabins,” she says.
“Huh?”
She straightens and splays her hands like I’m dense. “I need to show you the cabins. Where we’ll be sleeping?”
“Oh. The cabins.” Definitely dense.
“Let’s go.”
With her lantern lighting the way, she picks her way down Shady Hill, dodging rocks and roots and weeds. Then I follow her across the campsite like I’m a water skier in her wake. The dirt path is night-dark and potholed. Each time I catch up to her, Tess increases her speed.
That is until she trips.
With a leap forward, I capture her arm, hauling her up just before she goes down. There’s a shatter of glass as the lantern falls, and I pull her in close. Just to make sure she’s steady. At least that’s what I tell myself.
Her body is warm pressed against me, and there’s no doubt she can feel my heartbeat. It’s pounding extra hard now, in a valiant effort to escape my chest.
“I think the lantern broke,” she says. Her back is still to me, and we’ve been standing like this longer than necessary.
“I was more worried about your face.” I lower my chin, breathing in the scent of hair, her sweet cantaloupe skin. “You’re too pretty for stitches.”
That’s right. I said it.
Tess spins in my arms, gazing up at me, and something shifts behind my ribs. A feeling of hope I’m afraid to set loose. And yet.
“You… think I’m pretty?” Her voice is quiet. Slow. Full of disbelief. All I want is to scoop her up, carry her to the nearest mirror, and sayLOOK.
But I need to pull back. Immediately. In my past, whenever I’ve let myself get vulnerable with a woman, she slips through my fingers. It’s happened too many times for me to risk that loss again. That’s why I make it a point never to expect too much closeness. So I release Tess and take a step backward, smoothing down my shirt.
“Your being pretty isn’t something I think. It’s a fact.” I take another step backward, still looking down at her. “You’re beautiful. If you don’t know that, I can’t—”
“You’re wrong,” she interrupts. “My sisters are the beautiful ones.”
“Newsflash. You’re identical triplets. You share the exact same DNA. All three of you are beautiful. Do I need to explain how science works?”
“No.” Tess takes a beat. “I’m not dumb. I’m just amess.”
My gut twists. I didn’t intend for her take that nickname to heart. I don’t want to be part of the reason Tess McCoy has walls up. “You know I’m only kidding when I call you that, right?”
